THE BROKEN HILL MINE. Graphic Description of the Workings.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 251, 31 March 1888, Page 3

THE BROKEN HILL MINE. Graphic Description of the Workings.

An e.x-Aucklandor .sends us Iho following description of tin 1 Broken Hill mi ing distiicl which appealed in an Adelaid 0 journal, an n'hich our correspondent says gives 1 a voiy faithful account of the field : — "As much at, Nevada and the . surrounding country has been dependent upon the (,/ioat Comstock mine, ami even moio than the Wallaioo district has grown and prospeied uidii^ gone by, the towiinhip of BioUen Hill looks lor its prosperity to the gie.it sil\ ermine alter which it was named, and troni which at the present time nearly a thousand prisons aie earning substantial wages. Ol eouise it is expected that as tune on ihe oilier mines on the ISuirier will conti Unite largely towaids the wea Lh ot the neighboui hood. Jn lact, some, pu-en-, aio sanguine enough to ex puss the o[)inion that soim, of the outside claims, when lull) de\ eloped, w ill prov e pi opoi tionately a- w • alt hv :ii (he paient niopeitv : but at pie-cut, at ar.y late, the piospenty of tin* town lests almost cnliteh with (he big mine w leh h.is done so much Lowauls lessening tlie ranlvof the unemployed. I'ntil quite leeently the .'.in I**l country ha- only icceived a I tent ion as a c.itllo-iearing tineL, human habitation -> b( ing \fiy tew and tar between; but now townships ,ue Ik ing ioimed in evei^ dn eet mn, like .so many mu'-lnooins attei a genial sun -hovvoi. In lhoeoui-c ot a (hat with an old l>aniei louleni ihe othu day I hainid a Uw mtciestint: paituula!- u it h leg'ud to t h<> di-ioveiv oi mmcial deposits at iheßaiiiu whuh heie may be mteßsting. "1 li,i\e lived about ihisjMit ol the ( ount i > , he .--aid, as he peiched lutn-elt on an ( inpty ea-k outride t ho Den\ei City Hoti I, and commented cutting up a stick of bl.i k twi-l, '" ioi many veais, and can irincmbei the I line w hen even (.vlt lf weie mmu'L' iil)out line \on -( c that peak standing out eleai and haul above tin I'.ioken Hill Miultu^' Well. J h.i\e stood ntiVi that when not a huu-c w.ii Lo be '-ecu .ibout. Towaid- the end ol Ib'tj3 a bound<>!\ nder on the Mount Cipnstation < aim alotrj; h(ie with midii' -heep, and w hen lie wa- '^oing ow i the lange he notued 11411-0! mineial depo-il- I'a-p, toi that u.i" his name, it tinned to ihe stat 1011 and intoi nud the manage! ot his diro\ci\,and all about tin toi mat ion ol lln lull. The two had a look o\u the lull, which \ou slo inns uoitht.i-t and soulh1 vw-t foi about a nnk <md a halt. That i-> the soutliei a pint ol the hill. A big piece ot the hill was «•(.<( iiicdaiid pi 14 gt dout ,amiopt )'ation- 111 t he ua\ ot pio-pectinii at oik c 1 cm meneid, but the pio-pectoi- didn't have much luck, and things bewail to look so shaky ihai .. couple o! -haidioldei- m the -\ndieate vJiuh wa- foiiued to (.1113 on wOl U sold thin l'ltui-. Hioitl\ .it 111 1 1 - ! u ai tls a t (iin|M'i) w as foi mcd, th< '-^tidK.ate 0 ( oui -C In iiiu taken into it 1 n meinbei well when the -tat on maiiagei. )]i{ ulluch, jil.iu'tl C'o\, the -tation hand, a game ot endue to Mttle wlutlni t o\ -Ltmlcl ic<ei\e L'l2o 1 1 '.15(> toi a foui leuith .>-haie in the piopetl* Aft* r the compan\ u,h lloatcd I kll c \ plenl\ of pel mhi» who cudea\ouied to <. r et ud ot thin al aus puce All, it I had known then what 1 know now 1 -houhl Im\l buna s,[\ L i kirn;, in-trad ot a -tation hand ( oming into the town-hip at iutci\aK to laiiib *lo\\ 11 1113 <hei[iu. ' Someone t-l-o thui came up, and 1 kit ms companion bai^anang toi the puiehase ot 50 blocks — tation hand only though ho w a-. The IJuilan Hill mine, a- nearK e\crybods in Auiti.dui knou> belongs to the Ijiokuilhll I'ioput t<u} C'oinpan\, thecapilal ot which (onsi-t-ot 16,001> -hau-, 2,000 01 which weie i--uetl Lo tin. jmbln ,1- paid up to t'9 eat h. and the othei s w eie lctamul b\ the iollowing piopnctois -Mcs-is \V. Janne-on, \\ . f. Daghsh, (!. MtUillocli, ('. Ka-p, V Chailis, bolonum, K. II Kroadiibb, W i->euuui. 15ouc-, Kcb}, l> James, W . H \\ 11-011, lames I'oolc, A. \V t'u\ and T. Thompson. The ])iop*it\ was placed m chaige ot Mi S. X, Wilson, who wa-the othei evening made the luipient ot a handsome --il\ t 1 modtl ol the nmu fioni the woi knu 11 engaged time, and lias ju-t -eseied his ( ounce tion with the com pain to t ike (Luge ot the Jj'ot k 14 mint L'ndi 1 Mr W il^on'-< manag( ment ioituncot.sil\Li and lead wiie uinaitlud, .md -o abutulanr wiie tin di-t dm.) 11.^ that rliu totnpau} fouiui theycoukl not woik the whole of (In 11 piopeiu dm 111^ the tcim ot the iea-< 1 --20 \eai- -and another company was floatetl Lo taki osei 1.10 kM. I'.aeli ot the -haieholdt 1s m the paiciit conipaii\ icviuml m\ <li,ihs m the Nouugei oiganisaliou. Thcic w cic 100.0U0 sliaiesat IT) each. Snu c then JJloi k» lo and 16 ha\e Imn "■ueee-stull\ lloaletl in the London niaiket. Tlnou'.'h the ctmi toy ot the manager (AJr l'atton) I was enabled on I'nday la-l. to pa} a visit, to the mine and m-petl the unc'ei giound wOl king-, aiul al-o the maeluiiei \ which, at a \l 1 y laige 011 (la\, lias bei n elect c d on the tow n -lde 01 the hill toi tlu^ puipo-(!('f extiaeting the .-ilvei and lead iiom the tae. (.'hrouie'ei >-, ot * oui -c, hay c ])iiv liege- w Inch tlie bulk of the people do nol posse-s, and thc-~e exempted me hoin the cliaiLrc *>t ss, which the I'lopnetaij company dcmautl horn neatly all \isitois to the mine The oidtuars visitor has (0 call al the geneial oihe , wheie he pa\ s his eiown and leceivc* a -lip t>t papei introducing him to (.'aj)tain Thomas 1 lav ing leecn ed my slip, J v\as conducted to the mouth of MeCulloch's -lull, which iccched its name after one of the oi^mal shaioholdeis. While waiting lor Captain Thomas, who was tor the lime engaged below, I hud a look over the engine and othei gear close to the shaft, all ot which Us in excellent older, and wOlw 01 king well. MeCulloeh s shalt is situated on i>lock 13. It has a 216 ft. level, which u.scd Lo bo the main tunnel, and troni which the output ot lead oie leached about 100 tons a da\. The lode is about 120 H. iti width. The diive at the weMern side ot the lode is 640tt. in length, and the Xo. 2 drive on the other side and miming in the same direction is 720t1. in length. After making a safe descent in the iion cage in company with Captain Thomas, I wa- taken tluougli these duves and also along one of theeiosseuL- running through the lode and con nee ing the two main tunnels. Walking through a solid wall of silvci ore— a wait the length ot which will piobably not bo known tor years to come — is an experience enjoyed by ooinpaia,thely few dining a liletnne, and when L had pas o ed from the western to the eastern drhc I toll a natural touch of satisfaction at having ga/eu on one of the mo.it wonderful sighu 111 the world, and certainly the most wonderful sight in tho Southern Hemisphere. ISo ore has yet boon removed from above the 640 it. level. It i.s considered a fine aJvantnge to havo two dines like these running on either «ide of the lode, for it ! anything goes wrong with one cutting the other can be utilised. As wej walked along the narrow passive the ore glittered and sparkled with ihe light ot our candles, and the ellect was one ot indescribable grandeur. A cool current ot air passes down the tunnels and wafts the light about, changing the sparkling and da-//,liug > effects a thousand times in as inisuiy seconds. At the 150 ft. level there are drives running north and south. Along the south drive

there iion isbelgossan bearing silver in paya quantities The timber of the drives is all that could bcdesiied, and all engaged there — deep in the bowels of the carth — ex pi ess themselves much pleased with the precautions which have been taken for their safety. The first shaft sunk on the property beats the name of the boundary i idor, Hasp, whose obseivations on the lield 10sulted in the fotmatlon of a .syndicate four and a-half yeais ago to carry on prospecting operations. It Ls down about 278 ieet on block 13, and has a 212 feeb level extending northward and southwatd, at which about two years ago the mine revealed to those interested in t ho venture its immense buried wealth. Here it was that rich ore was met with, and m such quantities that all doubts in the minds of tho->o holding sluues in the Pioprietary as to the value of the claim were immediately dispelled. The oie taken fioin tlic level, consisting of iion and carbonate of lead, yielded a high percentage of silver when tioatod, and at once stamped the property as a safe investment. In this level, lo a depth of about 60ft. , three winzes havebucn j)ut down, and some « f the oio obtained yielded as much as 1,5000/s. to the ton. Uis connected with McCuDoch's shaft, and the vi-itor, walking along ihe tunnel, is astounded at the abundance and nehno-s of the ore and the beautitul eflcots cui-td by the light j)laying amongst the eiystals-cflects which remind one in a lmge measure of the glittering transformation scene- he lias witnessed at the close of some well-mounted pantomime. 1 make my v\«iy back to the shaft, have a final look at the solid, spai kling wall, express mv astonishment, and am soon on the surface again. BiodiibbV shatc on block 12 is down to the 208 ft. levci,and has two other levels 66tc and 132tt. respectively fiom the surface. This hUnit is lendeied interesting nmii the fact that a black boy named llaii} (' impbcll, who seems to be blest with moie tlian the common knack ot iiiuting valuable stones, v\a- the hi >t to hnd chloiides m the n onstone. It was al-o made notoi ions by tin- disroveiy almost immediately aftci Campbells ii'id ot a splendid stuil giving 100u/s. per ton v\ hen tieatcd. At the bolt, level fluxing oie is obtained, while at the 132 it. level theieis sdicious non-tone, can j ing a good quantity of freely - disti lbuted sihei. At the othei level thoie is Ctii Ijonat" of lead, v\ Inch is ot such a chaiaeter a- to pay v\ell tor working. Thcßioken Hill mine teems with interesting geological leatuies, and there aie some stnictiue.s in BrodnnbS shaft which li.i\c a tendency to capsize some of the oldest theoiie-. Many geologists have visited the mine sin- e the big lode wa-> -luak. and moie than one of them have es.pt es-c'd their astonishment at the extiaDiiiinaiy loimation ot the Cuuntiy. One fact winch is considered a ))ie ty sub stanti.il ba-is for the supposition a» to the peimanency of the lode is- the changing of non oie into caibonate ot lead.

Tne Smelteis. Although the mine it-elf is>, of course, the mo-t nni>o)(ai)L pan oi the estate, it fonnb) no means the whole of the Company's piopeity, mv t\eiy day thioughout. the week, not c\tn . s unda\ being evcepted, the mimt'ihi,' nun stack semis a gieat \ohuno of Miiokc floating o\cv the range ; and throughout the night, when mo-t per-oiis aie w lapped in sleep, tons and ton* of >lag ait- pouied dnei t tiom the smelters dou n a -loping and blackened heap of refu-e, illuminating the whole town ami tipping all pio mniLiit objects with a ruddy glow. There me Ihi cc 80-ton smeheis being woikedon the u atei -jacket s\ .-tern — a .-ystem of u Inch an explanation would occupy a good deal of -pace, but which mctalhngi-ts rtgaulas a gieat iinpio\eincnt upon the moic antiquated method. The old smelting plant eou-i-teu of h'\e 30-ton furnace^ on the same puuetpie as the new plant, but these are now being taken to pieces and the old -melting building is the scene ot much huny and bustle. The metalhngist in chaige io Mr Schiapp, besidewhom theie aie half-a-dozen shift bo—eand about 140 hand.-. It is calculated that whin the whole ot the plant is airain at woik the output u ill reach 100,0000/s\ pei wetk. Oir die-sing machinery, 1 ,\a> intouned. would be got to w ork as. soon as piacticable. Yi-itois, who 1 might niention ha\e to obtain a fresh pasts to admit (hem to (lie smelting portion of thewoik^ - .ukl oul) a lew me pi i\ ile<red toimcfetiu.ite what lie^ at. the back of the j^rcat glair heap— aie a->toni-hed at the smartness with winch woik in e\ri> branch i> canied out. As \ou stand looking at tlie red liquid metal wlikli How . into\e-sels from the lead well- in hont of the smelt cif, and is ladled t hence into moulds, men huny about }ou by th'j do/i'ti attending to tlieir respectixo dune 1 -. i-HmH) aie enfjaocd m wheeling peuliaily-Nhaped barrows laden with sccthui^ tl.i'^ to the edge of the sltifj-heap, c';ips]/n)^ito\crthe ed^e of tlie heap, and ict inning to thetapholestoi moie. Others aie Im-ils employed in trimming the ingots, wheeling them fiom the smelters and stacking them in heaps ; while otheis aiv looknis.' attei t he -mellci- themst hes, nnd a iew rutting out samples from the ingots to be as-.ned. Thesihei i? not separated fiom the lead at the mine, bub tlie two metals m ,m amalgamated ioim are sent to the old country to be sepaiated there. This is accounted for by the fact that only a low Height is incurred in .shipping the bullion to the English m.it ket, while in a separated form the carnage would amount to very considerably moie tor -il\er, on account of its value and thu inn eased ii^k m carrying it. To <:eb at the \aluo of bars ehi[)s arc cut from a bundled of them, melted into a small bar, and asoayed nt the a^»iy oihee. Kaeh ol (ho bars is then stamped and shipped away. I am told all thi.s by my guide, and am then taken to the oic Inns at the rear of the «mel f c i ,s, w lvii o tlu> and ores of various kinds aie kept separate. The oie is sho\el!cd into the mouth of the smelters, from which \eiy hi tie smoke arises A furnace is ehaiged b> alternate layers of ore and coke, and w hen full the blast is turned on and the smell or is in lull swing. The lead and silver go to the bottom, wheieit is ill awn oil', while the .slag makes its exit at a highci le\ol — that is if the oies are mixed piopcilv, but .sometimes it i.s necessary to licit the slair airain after it luib pastil thiough the furnaces. From the storage bins samples of or os are taken to the assay ollice amla-jsaycd daily toascertain their contents, so as to determine the mixtures re(juiied for the charges of tho furnaces. Plio slav is also assayed escry morning. W ith a cursoiy look nt the poition ot the pioperty where- blasting operations arc bring \igorou.sly canied on my \i-it ended. The shades of e\e were falling as I left the mine and turned my footsteps towaids the township, thotoughly satisfied that no dceripl'on could e\er convey to the public moie than a \ ery vague idea of the \aluo of the piopci ty.

The large Bible belonging to iho wife of .John Milton, and which was u^ed by herself and her hu.-band for bo many years, i- now added to the library of the British Museum. Milton has annotated it in ppn and ink. The 1 tali .n tenoi\ Fraschini, who recently die , lefttho sum of 660,0001 Lo his native city of Puvia, two-thirds ot it going to a charitable institn ion, and one-third°as a\\ annual subvention to a theatre wluqU is to bear the name of the donor,