The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-11
A MOUNTAINS OF GOLD.
II Exists I'm Queensland and Is Max
ing Men Rich.
From Chambers Journal.


From Chambers Journal
In olden times it was said there were
"seven wonders of the world"-the
Pyramids of Egypt, the Hanging Gar
dens of Babylon, the Colossus at
Rhodes, and other creations of the
genius and labor of man; but, COM
pared with these, the wonders of ma
ture known at the present day are as
seventy times seven, and are found in
every part of this grand old earth. We
have read in fabulous story of noun
tains of gold; but we supposed that
such miracles of nature existed only
in the visions of poets and romantic
lists. However 1t is known to many
that veritable mountain of golden
ore exists in Queensland, the sunny
state of the new Australian common
wealth. This mountain is now being
tunnelled and levelled and its stone
crushed and passed through chemical
processes. In one year over 1913 900
ounces of pure gold we're extracted
and the value of the mine once rose in
the share market to more than seven>
teen millions sterling!
Travelling in Central Queensland a
few months ago, curiosity induced us
to visit this mountain of gold, which
is situated about twenty-five miles from
the populous city of Northampton The
train by which we made the journey
runs some distance through open forest
county, timbered mainly with blood
wood, boxgums and iron bark trees,
and up a very steep ridge called the
Razor Back to a range of mountains
stretching for miles from north to
south, where the air is cool and pleas
ant after the heat and dust of the city.
AS this famous mine is approa ched
great activity is apparent. A busy and
thriving township has arisen, with its
hotels, stores, hospital, churches, and
School of Arts; and though some of
the buildings are roughly constructed,
and in the streets steep natural run
nels and blocks of stone are likely to
arrest the progress of the unwary Pc
destrian, there is a buzz of business
and evidences Of enterprise that augur
well for the future prosperity and
shapeliness of this mountain town. We
hear the changing of machinery, and
occasionally the sullen boom of a
blasting explosion; and the smoke
from the furnaces and various peculiar
chemical doors make the atmosphere
less bright and invigorating
On application at the office, the man.
ager readily gives permission to go
over the works: and after a change
of dress and payment Of half a crown to
In the immense tunnels made I'm the
mountain, tier on tier, are men busily
at work blasting and hewing the stone
and loading 1t on trucks, which convey
it to buckets that are lowered down
from one platform to another until the
huge crushing machines are reached
then the ore is carried forward by
trucks and buckets to the furnaces,
where it is roasted and made porous
for the Hall-Richard chlorination pro-
cess. The ore is now placed in large
barrels and treated with chloride solu-
ton, under high pressure: and after
ward it is discharged into leeching
watts, fitted with sand and gravel filters
placed directly underneath. After be-
ing repeatedly washed it Is finally
made to percolate through perforated
board work covered with cheesecIoth
and next through a bed of charcoal.
This precipitates the gold, and leaves
it in shining heaps Of fine dust on the
surface. The whole process is full Of
intense interest to the visitor. The
grandeur and riches of nature are
there, and also the science and inge-
nuity of man. More than Fl ,0OO,0 900 has
been spent on the machinery, the gi-
gantic dams for the storage Of water
and the workings; about ], 800 men are
constantly employed; and, as the mine
is lit up with electricity, relays Of min
ers continue the work day and night
Mount Morgan is somewhat oval
shaped at the base, being about a. mile
and half at It's longest measurement
and half a mile at It's shortest. II
rises almost precipitousiy from the
banks Of a small river called the Dee
TO the hight Of 500 feet, and attains at
it's domeIike summit an alt itude of 120O
feet above the level Of the sea- There