THE NYULLAGINE GOLDFIELDS.
Yesterday a telegram was received in Perth, reporting that over 400 ozs of
gold had been brought into Roebourne from Nyullagine since Monday.
THE NOR’-WEST GOLDFIELDS.
PARTICULARS FROM MR A. ARGLES.
We have received from Mr A. Argles, an account of some of his travels and
experiences in the Nor’ West, accompanied by a description of the
geological character of the country he passed over. Mr Argles has the
reputation of possessing considerable experience as a mining expert, and
has, we are informed, reported on many of the most important mines in the
other colonies. Since he came to Western Australia he has acquired
several mining properties in the Nor'-West, the most important being the
Martin and Carrington claim at Mallina. This he has worked at his own
expense for some time, having expended a considerable sum in placing
machinery on the ground. The results of recent crushings have proved so
good that he intends proceeding to Sydney immediately, with a view, as we
stated recently, to floating the concern into a company. Particulars of
the mine and its apparent prospects will be found later on in this article.
Mr Argles landed at Cossack in January of this year, and after a day or
two's rest, proceeded on his way to the goldfields. Of his adventures on
the journey, he gives a rather amusing description, for which, however, we
regret to say, we have no space. Between Cossack and Roebourne he saw
some hills of manganese and haematite iron, which, if prospected, would,
he thinks, yield some rich finds of gold. The reefs resemble those of Mt
Morgan, and there are also indications of alluvial, which he predicts
will, when discovered, be nuggetty. He spent a couple of days at
Roebourne, and then proceeded on his way to the fields. Eight miles out
of Roebourne, he passed Mt Hall, a small basaltic hill which was, he says,
originally thrown up by a volcano. The country exhibit signs of having at
one-time been subjected to the action of the sea-waves, which by constant
washing have reduced it to its present level. The formation is mostly
haematite iron, showing jasper, cornelian and agate stones. Journeying
on, he crossed the plain country, after which he passed large outcrops of
pure, white quartz, showing from the hills on his right. These run for
miles, and are all true lines of reef, of a gold and copper formation, and
he considers them well worth prospecting. Passing Fisher's station, he
came to some excellent mineral country, where, he says, cinnabar, chrome,
and nickel should be found. Six miles farther on, he came to Mr Meare's
station, previously belonging to Mr J. Withnell. The country here is
still the serpentine country, marked with basaltic nobs, and giving
indications of bismuth, asbestos, and cobalt. At the Sherlock River, one
comes upon syenite granite country, with outcrops of micaschists carrying
large quantities of titanic iron, and Mr Argles says he should not be
surprised if a good find of tin and silver was made there. He also
expects precious stones will be found there. Six miles on, he passed
through slate country, where the copper-finds were made, and where, so far
as material is concerned, there would be a good opening for a slate
quarry, as the slate can be split to any size and thickness. This, he
adds, is an excellent country for gold. A little further on, a dividing
hill "of pure iron" is reached, with large outcrops of basalt shewing
[sic]carbonates of lime shoes all, or calcite, shewing [sic] it to be true
volcanic rock or lava, or volcanic mud thrown from a thermal spring, and
cooled down and petrified by the action of the air. This overlies the
lower Silurian, which is a true gold-bearing formation. Here are to be
found sulphide and carbonate of lead, arsenical pyrites and alumina clay.
Having passed ever some more syenite granite country, the formation of
which is favourable to the discovery of garnets and other gems, a creek
named Poverty Crossing is reached, and here, Mr Argles believes a lead of
gold would be found by sinking in the creek till tho [sic] deepest part,
or a "concentrated gutter," was found. This part of the country is
covered with hopper lime which, owing to the action of a thermal mineral
spring, has formed a kind of cement. From its appearance, he judges it to
have have [sic] being washed, while in solution, from a higher-level,
until it reached its present surface, and coming in contact with the iron
and the atmosphere, has formed into cement containing lime, sulphur,
magnesia, potash, and salt.
Four miles farther, Mallina is reached. The first sight here which greets
the traveller is the Mallina Reef claim, discovered some two years ago. A
mile from this is situated the Alfred Argles G.M. Co's reef, late Martin
and Carrington claim. Mr Argles says that before he acquired it, it had
been lying by a long time, the proprietors having been told they could do
nothing with it, as the ore would have to have been sent home to England
for treatment, and sold for antimony ore. Mr Argles was asked to inspect
the mine. He has had considerable experience in refractory ores, and
after examining it, he entered into an agreement with the owners to work
it. Without delay, he imported a large battery with the necessary engine
and pumping-gear, and had it erected at the mine at once. This cost them,
he says, £2,500, and the result has been most successful. This claim
consists of 25 acres of land, being 12,000 ft long by 500 ft wide. The
reef runs through the entire length of the claim, and has been tested in
seven places. In varies in width from 2 ft to 14 ft on the surface. Bulk
samples taken from the Western and near the middle yielded from 2 3/4
ounces to 4 ounces per ton, when assayed in the Ballarat School of Mines.
The middle shaft, which is 20 ft deep, gave 5 ozs to the ton at a depth of
10 ft. The next shaft is where the battery is erected, and has been sunk
to a depth of 70 ft, the reef being from 3 ft to 8 ft wide. A crushing of
20 tons of average stone taken here, yielded 60 ozs of smelted gold from
the plates. The blanketings had not been treated, and are expected to
yield 2 ozs per ton, giving a total of 5 ozs to the ton, valued at £4 2s.
per oz at the Sydney Mint. The cake of gold taken from the plates has
been for some time on view in Mr V. E. Nesbit's shop-window, in Hay Street.
Mr Argles expects to leave for Sydney, this week, to float the mine into a
company. It is to be registered as a no-liability company of 150,000
shares, of which 25,000 will be offered to the public. It is intended to
place more powerful machinery on the ground. The mine will be kept
working, and it is expected to turn out at least 100 ozs, per week, by
placing 15 head more stamps with a 30 h.p. engine and winding-gear on the
mine. During Mr Argles' absence, the mine will be worked by his manager,
Mr A. Jacobson. Besides the gold, from every five tons of stone 60 per
cent of antimony can be picked, and is worth, he says, £20 per ton on the
ground, and this alone would pay the working expenses.
Five miles east lies the Peewah reef claim, which has also been taken up
by Mr Argles. Two shafts have been sunk, the one 30 ft and the other 45
ft deep. In the former, which is 300 feet distant from the latter, the
reef is 6 ft wide, and gold is discernible with the naked eye. In the
deep shaft the reef is 3 ft wide, and shows good gold. About 40 tons of
stone are at grass, which will be crushed at the battery. For this mine
Mr Argles has ordered a ten-head battery from Sydney.
From Peewah, Mr Argles, in company with the Warden, proceeded to Pilbarra,
the first halt being at Wattle Creek. Here is the division of the slate
and serpentine country, with an overlapping of the diorite formation. It
is a good country for gold, and there is plenty of wood for machinery.
Farther on, the great gold-bearing country is reached. Here it is of a
true slate formation, belonging to the Upper Silurian, and has every
appearance of being water-worn, the slate hill having been divided and
worn away at one period of its existence, the stream depositing the gold
so deep in the shingly slate which is collected at the base of the hill,
as to puzzle the prospector in his search for the precious metal. The
leads of gold will, however, be found here, and Mr Ayles [sic] predicts it
will be twenty times as plentiful as the finds made heretofore in this
country. The country, right from Mallina shews [sic] indications of a
richly auriferous nature, and needs only population and capital to work
it. Farther on, ironstone country is reached, and promises some
difficulty to those engaged in the search for gold, as the metal is so
very much coated with oxide iron and sulphur, as to render it no easy
matter to distinguish it from ironstone. Some of the stuff shewn [sic]
him was half gold and half iron. After travelling a few miles further,
they came to some splendid gold-bearing country, with the ironstone
shewing [sic] in long ridges, and promising looking gulleys coming out of
the ranges. The ridges are of the kind known as "razor-back," with great
gaps washed through them, and are mostly of haematite iron formation, with
manganese, rhodonite, and silica of manganese. A few outcrops of diorite
shew [sic] here and there. The ridges once passed, Pilbarra is reached.
The first claim Mr Argles inspected at Pilbarra was the Broken Reef claim
on the Broken Hill. The hill is about three miles in length, and is one
mass of quartz, and runs along the division of the granite and Silurian
slate. Some rich specimens of gold have been found in patches all along
this hill, and the gold formation, which is about half a mile wide,
extends into the hill for a great distance. Five miles away, the Silurian
is overlapped by basalt. Only comparatively light work has been done on
the field, and he is of opinion that real systematic work will yield grand
results. He advises miners to follow the iron Silurian formation westward
for alluvial gold, which he considers the more favourable direction. If
there are any permanent reefs at Pilbarra he believes they will be found
to the east, as the country there is of a truer reefing character. He
next inspected the Bowbon Reef machinery, which worked well, and will put
through about 50 tons of stone. If they can get a yield of only 8 dwts.
it will pay, he says.
Mr Argles did not go on to Nyullagine, as he had no time, and cannot,
therefore, pronounce very decidedly upon the country. Judging, however,
from the specimens he has seen, he differs from those who call the
formation a conglomerate, and considers it to be nothing more than eroded
wash caused by the action of the iron in the water upon the original
formation. He considers the formation a very likely one for a permanent
field, as it is one of the old beds, and resembles the Made Cement Hill in
Victoria.
Having returned to Roebourne, a few days later, Mr Argles set out
eastwards, in the direction of the Ashburton rush. He traced the country
for 40 miles, and says that right through to the Ashburton it consists of
five different strata running parallel with each other. The first is a
belt of ironstone, then one of granite quartz hills and diorite, then an
iron carrying carbonates of lime, and lastly serpentine. He spent a week
at Mr Clarkson's and had a man out prospecting the country, which he
compares to both Mt Morgan and Broken Hill. He found lead, copper,
silver, and gold, the latter being found in large outcrops of haematite
and magnetic iron. This visit finished his inspection of the fields and
before leaving the Nor'-West, Mr Argles caused a large box to be packed
with specimens of minerals from his mines, and from other parts of the
district, and for the Mining and Metallurgical Exhibition in London.
DISCOVERY OF SILVER NEAR ALBANY.
A discovery of silver Tuesday, reports the Advertiser (Albany) of June
9th, has been made on the Candyup estate of Mr Campbell Taylor. The ore
is found on the surface, and specimens sent away for assay have, we
understand, given encouraging results. The stuff has been used at Candyup
for many years in the cleaning of rusty harness [sic], being very suitable
for that purpose. Whether the mineral deposit is in any large quantity
has not yet been ascertained. A party of gentlemen proceeded to Candyup
to-day to be present at the taking of further specimens for assay; and
should the results again be sufficiently promising the ground will be
thoroughly tested. The find was made on the freehold land of …
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