THE RICHEST GOLD MINE IN THE WORLD.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2677, 7 September 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE RICHEST GOLD MINE IN THE WORLD.

Tim mine that, according to scientists, bears the above proud title, is the Mount Morgan of Queensland, which was first discovered in ISSI-2, on the selection of Mr Donald Gordon, who is by some persons credited with the discovery. His claim to be the discoverer if, however, disputed, and even if he had been, we can have had but a faint idea of the value of the mine, as he sold the freehold of (J4O acres at £1 per acre to the Alessrs Morgan. About three years ago, after numerous changes is the proprietorship, the present company was formed, with a capital of £1,000,000, in 1,000,000 shares of £1 each. Anything in connection with the extracting of gold from the various substances with ivhich it is found in combination, is naturally of interest to New Zealanders, and particularly to the inhabitants of this district, who are, one and all, anxiously awaiting the time when a method will bo forthcoming' of successfully treating the To Arolia ores. As the Mount Morgan mine has, during- the current year, paid the handsomo dividend of 2s per sharo, or £100,000 per mouth, it is to be expected that no expense has been spared in securing the most complete and effective apparatus that the world can produce. The systom adopted is by chlorination, of which wo give full particulars further on, trusting they may, perhaps, lead someone to find a way of troating our auriferous dopoaits in a payable manner. Opinions differ somewhat as to the geological origin of the extraordinary auriferous deposit forming tho Mount Morgan mine. Mr Jack, tho Government geologist of Queensland, thinks nothing but a thermal spring in tho open air could have deposited tho material; while Mr \V. H. Dick differs from Mr Jack, as he considers Mount Morgan altogether a volcanic formation. We cull a few particulars regarding this mine, from an interesting pamphlet by Mr Dick. The present workings of the mine extend over an area of about 77 acres ; it is not pretended that the whole extent is gold-bearing in a remunerative sense, but it is easier to say wkcro payablo gold is | than where it is not. Tho quarrying of the auriferous stone is still carried on at I the summit of tho monut, which has produced some of tho richcst yet found, and it continues so plentiful that comparatively few men arc required to keep the machinery fully supplied. Mr Hall, tho general manager, stated, in December, 1887, that on the " beuch " or floor at the top of tho hill there was still twelve months' work in view, and at a meeting of shareholders in the same month, Mr \V. Pattison said :—" Wo know thero is a considerable quantity of rich stone here, probably some of tho richest in the mine. It is so rich that we dare not send it down to the batteries —at least, Mr Hall has carefully saved it for the new works. Our next bench is 35 feet high. I caused a number of holes to be drilled, and assays made, with the intention of making an estimate of the probable amount of gold contained in this bench (,'JS feet high and

' assays varied from 2ozs. Odwts. to 45ozs. per ton, I gave up tho task. It is the ll|( opinion of nrnrly all the scientilic am' 1 0 practical men who have inspected the e mine, that all the different formations of n quartz will in depth units in one immense , lode, probably below water level," It its | v calculated that the old and new works 0 combined aro equal to treating from 1550 3 to 1700 tons of atono per week, aud ■J. extracting a inininuim average of oozs. of gold per ton, equal to about £1,700,000 p ill value for the year, of which £1,400,000 would be profit. One scientist has coinpuj t ted that to the depth of only 130 feet the _ value of the gold in this wonderful mine is 11 £32,000,000 sterling. Up to the present time the Mount Morgan is said to have 0 surpassed in richness every other mine in J the known world. The gold is remarkd ably pure, assaying 99.7 per cent., which s, is worth £4 4s Sd per oz. Tho dividends f paid from March 18S7 to tho end of e June in the present year amounted to , 3 £1,075,000; and it is thought by no e means improbable that one and a-half 0 millions may be paid in dividends. The works for extracting the gold from the ;a matrix are believed to bo as complete y as any in the world. They have cost about £100,000, and include works for e the manufacture of sulphuric acid, which e is largely used in the clorination process. , By making the acid upon the spot a saving of about £20,000 a year is effected, ;a as it only costs £6 per ton ; while, if ' e purchased, it would cost over £20 per ;s ton delivered at the works. Oue of the ~ most difficult problems to solve in eone nection with gold-mining is the complete extraction of the gold from the various £ substances with which it is found in com■g bination. We believe this is now here (j more thoroughly, and at the same time, economically accomplished than on the j Mount Morgan mine. We have lately , read of a new process invented by M r ,f Pollok, of Glasgow, named after him, t which greatly expedites the extraction o; the gold by chlorinating under hydraulic j pressure. iVe are informed by a gentle y man who lately visited Mount Morgan mine that the sitne thing is practically u cirried out there, though without the n direct application of pressure. It is done j s by the way in which the acid, etc., to generate tho chlorine gas is introduced into the chlorinating barrels, the effect being similar to that which tikes place a when a selt/.0-gene is charged ; the libera- (| tion of the gas causes the pressure necessary _sary to accelerate the proees.3 of chlorinay tion. The present perfect arrangements were not arrived at until after repeated t trials. At first four chlorinating vats were prepared, the gas being forced up tlirouirh ; the stuff from the bottom of tho rats j but, ' half tho gold was found to remain in the , s tailings. A great difficulty in dealing a with tho gold from this mine has ari-en .. from its extreme fineness. Wheeler's plans wero next tried, and proved much ,£ less expensive th:m the former proeo>s, ' but still 40 per cent, of the gold was ir found in tho tailings. Messrs Ncwbory and Vautiu's proccus was (next tried, but. , r was not considered altogether satisn factory, aud was abandoned in favour of tho present plan introduced by Mr Trenoar, the assayer of the company, in [. 1 SS,i. In conjunction with Mr J. Weslcry p Hall, tho manager, Mr Treuear tried | roasting tho ore after breaking it to an 0 inch guagc ; it was then crushed between 1, powerful rollers, which reduced it fine , enough to pass through screens having • 0 l'iOC holes to the square iuch. This dust is then inoro thoroughly roasted in furn,f aces, where it remains for three hours. After being drawn from tho furriacc it is allowed to cool preparatory to being iny troduced into the chlorination barrels, the |{ charge for cach barrel being one ton of . dust. Seventy or eighty gallons of water ' .. ...iff" or. tliil

. fire added to mako a stiff pulp, so that ; thero should bo no waste of gas. Chlorido of limo is then added in the prepara- ] tion of 11- to 2 per cent., and l^ 1 to 2 pci . cent, of sulphuric acid, tho proportions ol ! each being regulatod according: to the quality of stone to bo treated. The barrels aro then 83t revolving at tho rale of eight revolutions per minute, which i; ( kept up for two or three hours, so thai evcty particle of the contents i; thoroughly impregnated with the ga.> evolved from the contact of the chloride of lime and sulphuric acid. The gold i- , thus dissolved, and the contents of th< [ barrels are discharged into leaching vatf holding from two to three toil* I'-anh , Water is run through the leachiug vat.; | until the fluid, as it flows out, show; no reaction of gold when ehpuiiciill-, tested. The tailings in i.hn Tul , are then thrown out, all the gold beint extractod. The water, containing th< gold in the form of chloride, has run inte V-shaped filters, having in them two fed in depth of charcoil, which, having f great affinity for the chlorine (now com bined with the gold), the precious meta is deposited on tho charcoal, ouly a rcrj minute fraction of it escaping. As tin water from tho vats runs through tin filters, a close watch is kept to ascertait if any reaction of gold is perceptible ir what leaves tho filters. The filters an then emptied, re-charged with fresh char coal, and again set to work. The oh filter-beds charged with gold are thor wasted i.i a reverberiitory at t.h< a«say work«, until nothing remains bu an ash containing 75.50 per cent, o metallic gold. This is mixed with borai llux and smelted, and run into mould having two divisions, the upper one con taining nearly the whole of the slag, am tho lower all the gold, with a littli slag. Tho metal is then smelted inn rim into in trots of 258 to 300 ozs. eacl of pure gold. If, during the process r> chlorination, more than Udwts. of gold ti the ton is detected in the tailings, Ihi cause is sought for in tho wasting, or ii tho supply of chcmicals to tho vats, am steps are promptly taken to remedy thi defect. Tho old tailings, accumulate! before tin improved process of extracting tho gold was adopted, have been proved ti contain a large quantity of gold, thongl it is scarcely, if at all, vi-iblo under : high magnifying glass. Dr. Liebius, o the Sydney Mint, attributes the escape o: so much ffold from tho ordinary amalga mating Chilian mill to tho possibility o the oxide of iron having coated the ttm gold and prevented it from coming in!< contact with tho mercury. Tlie golt solution passing through t'je charcoal i. decomposed, the gold remaining in i metallic state ou ths charcoal, ami the water, which now becomes weak hydrochloric acid, passes away into large concrete tanks, and is pumped up anc used again in tho barrels for the nexi charge. The stone, on being broken bj tho stone-crushers, is carried by a wirorope tramway to the rollers, and wliatcvei stono escapes pulverisation by them if caught bv an elevator and passed throned again. Thero are in tho new works 15 roasting furnaces, each roasting ono tolas a ehargo, 21 chlorination barrels, SJ loachiug tubs, and Gl charcoal filters. An engine of eight horso power drives the rollers, and another of 20 horso power the stone-breakers, revolving dryers, and two powerful fans, which exhaust, tho dust into a largo chamber. There aro two large chimney stacks 100 feet in height, built of first-class bricks made on tho spot. The workshops aro fitted with the most complete machinery of every kind required in connection with tho mine, and tlio whole is to bcilluminatod with the electric light, supplied by two dynamos and fifty are lights. Attempts havo been mado to "jump" a portion of tins property, and two of them were thought to havo so much show of succes that shares in the jumpers' interests wore purchased by many shrewd business men, and, it is said, even by legal gentlemen inhigh positions. On these matters being referred to the Privy Council on appeal from the Colonial Court, tho appeals wero dismissed with costs. The Mount Morgan gold-mine, with its stores of almost fabulous wealth, is now held by tho oompany on an indefeasible tiLie.

Wiikn you really mean monej-making, there is nothing 11k u g >ing straight ahead, mid refusing to stick at trifles, or count tlio ways. They seem to bo of that opinion at Harrow—that' fine old English' school which we arc all so pr )ud of —where I fancy pedagogy or pedagogics must be a fairly lucrative profession. A young gentleman, aged fifteen or thereabouts, lately home Irom Harrow for the Easter holidays, has favoured me with a sight of his school bill for the term. It reminds me, in regard to its length, of tlio tailor's bill of a duke, which, by favour of the duke's gentleman, I was once privileged to see—a document that I still remember with feelings too deep for words. This school bill of my young friend George (I call him Georgio as that is not his name) is not quite so long as the bill of the duke's tailor, but it consains some surprising entries. The first is an item of £30 for "board, washing, etc but from what Georgio tells me, it might just as well have been for whitewashing and plastering; for he has to buy out of his own or father's pocket, a breakfast additional to the regulation meal, to give him a fair start for the day ; and as for washing, an extra chnrgo of iinariy £1 is made elsewhero for " cleaning football dre a" "Hatter, 15s 6d," refers principally as Georgio thinks, to the cleansing of two straw hats. He is charged 10s for''medical attendance," which, being, interpreted means that once during the term ho was sent to see the doctor becauso there was not much the matter with him. "Repairs 7s Od.' Georgio is especially pained at this charge, as he says he had not the satisfaction of breaking so much as a sixpenny worth of window-glass during tho wholo terra, lint I suppose soino pickle or other in Georgia's houso broke some thing at tho time; so down (roes seven shillings and sixpence all round, and your bound to come on the right boy that way. Then there's tho " Carpenter." A sura of 13 •*, no moro no less, is charged to tho account of the carpenter. What this is for, Gcoririe has not the slightest idea, beyond that ho fancies " some painting wan done to the beds" in the dormitory, In vain I urged that a carpenter seldom paints beds; Georjrio did not know, but suppossd it was all right; was dead certain, at all events, that the 13s figuring to the account of the carpenter would have to go into tho pockets of "somebody." "Lectures or couccrts, 3s GI. This is mild, ®nly Georgie is not quite sure that he went to any lecturo or any concert during tho term. Ho admits, however, that if a lecturo or concert is given, you are charged for it whether you go or you don't. Savon aud three-pence for ' school stationery' is an item suggestive of noblo profits. There is humour in another entry—' Rewards, ss. This means, I understand, that they gave Georgia a prize, and are now calling on his father to pay for the same. A better joke still, however, is the 'Matrons Account,—Letters, parcels, luggage, 8s 7d. Georgio remembers having had ono parcel during tho term, tho carriago of which (as is not uncommon) had been paid by l.ho sender ; and various letters, stamped in accordance with Her M ijesty's regulations, so that 8s 7d represents the amount his father is to bo mulcted in for the porterage of Georgie's school-box to and from the station, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile. It is good to bo a portrr at Harrow. Ono item moro, and tho bill shall bo folded and returned to Georgio " Head Master's Account £11 6s.' I atn vague about this, and so is Georgio ; but we both conclude to lot it pass an authorised perquisite of tho Head Master from every boy in the school every term in the year. lam sure it is quite correct. Tho Head Master of a fine old Euglish school like a Harrow has a traditional style to keep up, and tho money must como from somewhere. So likewise with the house-masters, Georgie's house-master has his butler and his carriage, just, as I should have if the editor of this journal appreciated my talents at anything' resembling their worth. But a butler aud a brougham, I am told, really cost a good deal one way and another (I

knew :i iniin who bfgan with a butler only, and last week ho was offering a half-penny in the pound) ; and in these circumstances what is ho to do but put it down to the carpenter, the porter, and the apothecary : If ten boys) (or 500 boys) aro charged Gs 6J apiece for two penny-worth of damage which one of the ten (or 500) may, or may not, have dorm ; and 13s for :i " carpontoi'" who tnaj', or may not, pocket half-a-crown in the course of the terra ; and 10s for the doctor, who, perhaps, gets sixpence a head ; and if other charges be made on a similar principles the butler and the brougham may be evolved. Goorgio says he thinks that somo parents have sometimes been unwise enough to remonstrate, but that (to the credit of the school) they have always been promptly snubbed. His bill amounts to £60, and as there aro three terms in the year, his " education," at this comparatively early stage of his career, is costing his father about £200 per annum. I may add that I havo

"cooked" Georgie's account,, to the extent of a penny or two in each item, in deference to an absurd request of his own, based on his own conviction that there would be " no end of a row" if it should be discovered whoso bill had furnished me with the material for this eulogy of a fine old English school. Absurd, as I said ; showinir only that Geor<rip, though now in the Remove, is still a mere boy.-