INLANDS OF IRON.

Shannon News, 11 January 1924, Page 4

INLANDS OF IRON.

Ott

A correspondent tot iugt »*«»; accounts ;a re^urkrfb]o ; usland com posed almosV ; entirely of iron.ore, P Far away on tfw northwest Perth, ana scares Smiles from habitation-is a.spot to pT*y_ au l i W poitant,part future?f trali% and -even, pe^ap ?J of, the Britisn Empire, -he writes. This *Jg°g* £ land, on Sound, a - land; of iron, only waiting for caprtal, science- and exploit ts t*ea sure* and turaJtifotp one of «« the,North-West*" to quote «'. it if ell to, my lot to land on this island on .the. ftrstvsteamer ,pf .any size to en ter^ambilSound^and^e'incident^ weU exemplified,the truism that, however well .onesdmagines he knows this «eat country da; always 1 able to stumbles across beauties and wondfers ofsvhteh he-has never previously heard "In the :early forenoon we entered by lovelinessr. as must u have Jeen those who,.first entering Sydlaid before them the, .then untarnBuburbau bu.lder and the Kdblah»Bland,not from lack of depth, '-for ■■■ greater' convenienee of mantransferred to- the launch'« coasted close alongside the islahdf ; f6r'the-%hole of length £a¥t& s of ; the'island carry a fair amount bf misaitim-sized -timber, and- a number of 'flowering J shrubs ; somewhat similar '"tb' 'the-hibieus. We noticed a variety bt bird'life, but- no;<sign ;of human cupation, Although it is *an established fact 'tlrat l datives do to time visit it from the-mtrtnland. It is said tha*t'sonie years' ago^thr^e-white men, had -gone' out: prospecting, were mu%tTcred by. natives in this vicmItv* When later their boat was disit wsis found-tbedntam a quantity 'of 'ricli stone; but it a mystery Where'they collccted .'it. .!,,.<•.• ' 'fKoolah and the neighbouring islands larfe M' some 'hiindreds-of feet in height and "rise alinost : sheerfrom the .seaf Situated as they arc ;paral3ei:to the -liiainla'nd, they;'form a magriificont 'harbour; -perhaps ten 'miles ' ions Sy >a .'mile' wide, -witli -deep water :-tb*mtW-a 'chain 'of the" sW, and oshaitereavfrbin, all; prevailing winds fwov .an inspection of the- coastline from the 'launch we \vfent ! ashore to examinemore tMrqughTy ir°\ ore , 'of what,at first sight the island'appears t to almost wholly composed. Koolan Kfis seventies; long in an'east direction,; w ( ith a maximum breadth 01 /'threeririiles at its eastern end, taperrag ; fi-to Tthe-.weati. and is 670 feet rhsgh hear i.'iSsti'cewiafo. The outcrop of "the/ ore i.forwsothe-'shores of the ridge alonrthe 'Southern-side'of the to a ; I (height' . o f.-over 600-feet-"above high i i Wetfmar& in one, part. At Wpmatß > *#hdroV-tlie outcrop was-measured witn a ' -measuring ftape it showed, a thickness : of. 100 4l feet;/appareh% all solid ore—--'and expe'rts estimate; that tnere are ■'■7B.SSOpOtt tons ; of orb above high-water i'maik. ■&' 'very*?large portion of this ?coiiiaib6>obtaihed without the expen.se ibf any overburden. This is a mining from which conuiedfUre,?iEind: uncertainty have been aif eliminated; the very un►'AwtifcP'fetfd iconiplete-exposure of thj or^ l b63fe¥ ini sea cliff section mXßOfte, >mwko-it possible to a great deal of prelimm.ary work and-attack the proposition !* certainty -that both quality 'rind'quantity can safely be regarded as :, alr'cady ki proVed; One can actually see •'and''handle f the ore- bodies in the clitt "afeii'g th'e'wlfble'length-for a depth 0 7aVmucn%s' 600 feet; The estimate of ' f mentioned above high?wat'er'mark'and mostly by open quarfi#in'g; the 'amount obtainable by min°irtg enormously greater. Thia Island-high amongst the J .£#'eat irori ; mines of-the world in magnitude. It'-lielongs to the class of bedded, .lentatite'deposits of sedimentary origin 'lwhi'ch o ' about two-thirds oi fl the total known'commercial iron reserves of i the t?orld.'»