The morning call., 1894-08-22
THE NEW AUSTRALIAN MINES.


The commercial crisis in Australia
which threw thousands of men out of en-
ployment promises to have its redeeming
features. Numerous parties of prospec-
tors were fitted out to look for new mines,
and important discoveries were made. In
the province of New South Wales pros
porous camps have been established at
WyalOng, Glen Wills and Orneo. and
considerable output of gold from these fig
ures in this years returns. But the great
discovery has been made at the new camp
of Coolgardle in Western Australia. Ex-
traordinaTy accounts are given of the rich
ness of the principal vein in this district
the Londonderry; the usual stories are
current about great chunks of cOck which
are half gold, and blocks of quartz which
sell for $4,000. There seems 10 be no
doubt that the fnd is important. if the
mineral does not prove to be surface
outcrOp.
CoOlgardie Is new place not marked on
the maps. 1t lies some days journey east
of Perth in West Australia, on the edge
of the seethlDg caldron known as the
Great Victoria Desert. There is not a
drop of water within two days journey Of
the mines, and the mercury. in January.
which is the mid-hot season, frequently
marks 120 deg, in the shade. Food is
brought into camp on camels, which are
better suited for service on the desert than
mules, and these beasts carry out the ore
on their return journey. The precious
metal is found in veins or reefs Of silcious
quartz which cut through the country
rock. and are described as projecting
above the ground like the spinal column of
a mammoth animal. Adjacent to the reef
are found huge bouldeTs which also con-
tain gold. Thus far no attempt has been
made TO separate the metal from the quartz
by milling. The rock is simply brokon up
by sledges and the gold is found in mug
gets in the fragments. Had there been
flowing streams in this part of the world,
the first stage of the mining industry
would have been placer mining; but it APP
pears that never since the world assumed
its present shape have there been streams
in West Australia with power enough
to roll the bouders from their present po-
sition, or TO wash the outcrOp of the ifs
sure veins.
II will be observed that these West Aus
tralian mines present no analogy to The
South African mines OF the TransvaaL In
the latter the precious metal is found dis
seminaied through wide veins of con-
glomerate rock which carries an ounce of
gold or less 10 the ton. In West Australia
it is found in a native state in narrow
assure veins. The Londonderry vein is
three feet aud half wide. In both cases
the value of the. mines and their future
output depend on their depth, and as to
~ 4, tba .bo
the ore at the surface the more likely ii is
to last down below. and vice versa. Thus
far the shipments from Coolgardie have
not aggregated large sum.
A curious feature of the new mines is the
combination of the white miners against
foreign woTkmen. In this case the ostra-
cised race is not the Chinese, VINO are
barred out from West Australia by a
stringent statute of the Colonial Legisla-
ture, but the Afgbans from British India,
who have focked into the colony in large
numbers. 1t is said that thousands of AT
ghaDs have migrated to Perth within the
past year or two and have mOnopolized
several branches Of labor. In order to
prevent their taxing up locations in the
new mining camps statute was passed a.
the last session Of the West Australian
Legislature declaring that no location
could be taken up by any but a white man.
but the Afgbans have hired out as workers
in the mines. and being better fitted to en-
dure extreme heat than the whites have
proved formidable competitors, In spite of
the hostility of the unions
All accounts agree that We may expect
largely increased output of gold from
Australia this year. not only from the new
mines in West Australia, but from the
Broken Hills camp and other old camps in
New South Wales. If, at the time there
was so much talk about the unemployed
in this State, some Of the iudustrials had
been cor Quoted to the half-worked camps
in the Sierras. CALIFORNIA; gold yield in
1894 would show an increase beyond what
is now anticipated.