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Perth's Nearest Gold Mine
A VISIT TO THE
JIMPERDING FIND
Further Development Necessary to
Prove Extent of Lode
Outside a small circle, little is
known of Perth's nearest gold
mine, which is situated on the slope
of the Yinniding Creek. 12 miles
from Toodyay and within two
hours' motor run of the city.
This creek has been dry all the
summer, but when running flows into
the Jimperding Creek, which empties
itself into the Avon River.
The creek bed has yielded quite a lot
of alluvial gold, and even at present a
number of prospectors have their dry
blowing machines at work there.
Most of the work that has been done
on the lode formation has been carried
out by the Lady Jimperding Co.. but
lack of funds seems to have prevented
the company from ascertaining the
extent and behavior of the lode at
depth.
An adit has been driven into a steep
hill in a southeasterly direction for a
distance of about 170ft., where a lode
was cut. This has been driven on for
a length of around 165ft., and satis-
factory values are stated to have, been
encountered over the width of the drive
(8ft.). To what depth the lode extends
has yet to be determined. Very little
development work has been done of
late (at the time of our representative's
visit only one man was employed), and
apparently the company's lack of re-
sources bas prevented it from further
testing the
LODE AT DEPTH
by diamond drilling or winzing.
The lode was discovered a couple of
years ago by Mr. A. Sclater, an ex
perienced prospector, and later his
party sent 54 tons of ore all the way
to the Kalgoorlie State battery for a
return of a little over 15dwt per
ton. No further crushings have been
attempted, the ore taken out in driving
on the lode being "at grass." and no
crushing facilities exist on the spot,
or within a couple of hundred miles.
. The property was inspected last year
by the Government Geologist. Mr. F. G.
Forman, who reported : -"The country
rock, exposed in thé adit is a fine
grained, light-colored mica schist of
sedimentary origin showing distinct
bedding planes dipping to the south-
east at an angle of 20 degrees.
"The lode formation on which the
drive has been opened is a band of
quartzite interbedded with mica schist
and containing numerous veins and
veinlets of iron-stained auriferous
THE ADIT ENTRANCE. Help
THE ADIT ENTRANCE.
quartz running parallel to the bedding.
Thé footwall lode has been driven on
for a distance of 130ft. the full width
(4ft.) of the lode being exposed."
(Two samples taken by him over a
width of 4ft. averaged 16dwt. 8gr. and
9dwt. 3gr. respectively.)
"On the hillside above the adit ent
rance there are two shafts about 70ft
apart and 20ft. vertical depth. These
are said to have been on auriferous
lode material in the bottom, and if so
this, must be a separate line from, that
worked from the adit."
GEOLOGIST'S CONCLUSIONS.
Mr. Forman's conclusions were that
further prospecting of the find with
the object of. determining the length
of the ore shoot and its' character
below the oxidised zone coúld be most
easily carried out by putting down
boreholes on top of the laterite ridge
south-east of Sclater's adit.
A gold-bearing lode, at Perth's
back door, as it were, is something
of a rarity.
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