New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-16

a fund for the benefit OF the miners the visitors
are provided with guide. who shows them the
process from start to finish by which the common
looking stone quarried from this remarkable noun
tain is made to yield gold of the finest quality for
the mint the jewellers workshop.
In the immense tunnels made In the mountain.
tier on tier, are men bUsiIy at work blasting and
hewing the stone and loading il on trucks which
convey II To buckets that lowered down from
one platform to another until the huge crushing
machines are reached; then the IS carried for
ward by trucks and buckets to the furnaces. where
it is roasted and made porous for the Hall-Rich
ard chlOrination process. The is now placed
in large barrels and treated with chloride solution.
under high pressure; and afteTward it is dis
charged into leeching watts, fitted with sand and
gravel filters placed directly underneath After
being repeatedly washed IL IS finally made TO per-
colate through perforated board work covered with
cheesecloth, and next through a bed of charcoal
This precpitstes the gold and leaves II in shining
heaps OF fine dust on the surface. The whole proc
ess is full of intense interest to the visitor. The
grandeur and riches OF nature there and also
the science and ingenuity OF man. More than
100000 has been spent the machinery. the
gigantic dams for the storage of water. and the
workings: about eighteen hundred
stantly employed; and as the mine is lit up with
electricity, relays Of miners continue the work day
and night.
Mount Morgan Is somewhat oval shaped at the
base. being about mile and a half at its longest
measurement and half mile at it's shortest. IL
rises almost prectpttOusly from the banks or a
small river called the Dee the height OF 500
feet. and attains at its dOmelike summit alti
tude Of 200 feet above the level OF the There
was nothing In the outward appearance of the
mountain TO distinguish IL from the other noun
tains OF the range: il had the same rugged
slopes and gul les and the same scrubby vege-
tation covered its surface could be for
miles around. The farming settler and the shep-
herd wandering this billy region little dreamed
of the treasure stored beneath. They would some
times find aIluvial gold in the ravines and creeks
and pick up a bowlder heavily weighted with the
precious metal; but that there whole noun
tain Of auriferous waiting 10 ne exploited by
men OF energy and enterprise never entered their
minds The gold was carefully hidden i'm stone
which in outward appearance. differed slightly
from the ordinary metallic structure Of the soil
around.
The discovery was made almost accidentally In
the early days Of settlement in Central Queensland
a Scotch family named Gordon took up a selection
on the slopes of the Razor Back.an1 by additional
purchases extended their -un down across creek
which divided the slopes from this mountain. and
partly up one of It's sides. They stocked their
land with sheep and cattle and endeavOred 10 win
2 living from il. mad little success Among
other miSfOrtunes. a large number OF their cattle
died through eating a poisonous weed which grew
abundantly in the neighborhoOd- and so their sons
we're obliged to leave the homestead for work