13 January 1955
Water Pumps Worked Continuously in Gold Mine at Canadian Lead
(Forty-second instalment of a series of extracts from a Department book on the Magnetic prospecting of the Gulgong Deep Leads for gold in the district’s early days).
The Canadian Gold Mining Company was established in 1883 for the purpose of mining for gold in the deep wet ground at Canadian. The company leased 20 acres of land with the right to mine an adjoining area belonging to Messrs. Stott and Smith. Operations commenced in July, 1883. A shaft 10 feet by 4 feet, three compartments, timbered, was sunk 150 feet, 100 feet of which was through limestone; at this depth water was struck and rose to a height of 30 feet in the shaft. Pumps were worked continuously. A 16 h.p. Engine expelling 160,000 gallons in twenty-four hours was employed and the water was for a time lowered at the rate of 10 inches every twenty-four hours. After pumping without intermission for six months the water was subdued, and a drive opened at the 140 feet level and driven 70 feet. Wash dirt with limestone boulders was struck. Crosscuts to right and left were driven some 45 feet through wash intermixed with limestone.
The Mining Registrar, reporting on this company’s operations during 1884, states:
“The company’s machinery consists of a 15 h.p. Portable engine and a winding engine of 6 h.p., puddling machines, estimated to puddle 400 loads per week if kept constantly going. At present the company employs twenty-one men at £2/10/- per week. It is contemplated by the company to extend their mining operations shortly. The yield of gold for the last few weeks has averaged 30 ozs. A week. The total amount of gold won up to the present time is 440 ozs. The amount expended by the company has been £2,500 in machinery and £3,500 for labour.
In 1885 the Mining Registrar reported:-
“The Canadian Gold Mining Company, has done very little work this year …. Operations have been hampered by the want of funds.”
The following year it was stated:-
“The Canadian Gold Mining Company, after struggling against numerous difficulties, have ceased working; in fact nothing has been done on the company’s property during the last twelve months. The plant is now advertised for sale and the company is to be wound up.”
Of recent years a little fossicking and desultory prospecting aided by the Prospecting Board, has been carried out, but without locating any new leads.
Possibilities at the Canadian. - Practically the whole of the Canadian Lead and its tributary leads have been worked out. There still remains an extent of cavernous limestone ground along the courses of the Canadian and Nil Desperandum Leads in which pockets of various sizes containing wash dirt may occur. The prospecting of such ground, however, could only be in the nature of stabbing in the dark and as the costs of mining through massive limestone in the search for “pockets” or caves would be very costly, and as heavy supplies of water would most likely be encountered, it would appear, in my opinion, that the chances of obtaining payable yields are too small to justify the high expenditure that the search would entail, an opinion based on the records of the previous attempts made to work the ground1
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