individuals who were entrusted with the task of opening up mining properties. In the case of more than one mine, a schaft not more than 60 ft. deep was all that could be shown for a fabulous expcnditure. A bold bid for the favour of the investing public was made by the richer districts twenty-five miles to the eastward, and by the other new finds away to the north and to the northeast, and the decline of Coolgardie began. During 1897 a large number of leases were abandoned, and at the end of the year there were but 459 leases in force. Coolgardie had now entered upon the phase which occurs in the history of almost every goldfield when the rich surface deposits become exhausted. During 1898 steady progress was made with the opening up of the reefs, but Kalgoorlie had long before usurped the position of the premier gold-producing field. The following year was marked by a renewal of mining activity. AIthough Coolgardie cannot boast of a "golden mile" to compare with that at Kalgoorlie, there are numerous payable properties spread over the field. But the future of Coolgardie is largely bound up with the economical treat ment of low-grade ores, and the completion of the Coolgardie water scheme should introduce a new era of prosperity on that goldfield.

The alluvial gold at Coolgardie has undoubtedly come from several sources, states a geological report on the field, as the surrounding country is all more or less auriferous, and has suffered extensive denudation. The richest patches were found in the vicinity of lodes and quartz reefs containing gold, and it is probable that the majority of at least the coarser gold was derived from the sheddings of these last mentioned, while much of the finer must have un doubtedly come from the refuse of the old cement and ironstone gravel deposits. The quartz reefs occur principally in the schists running in the general north and south direction, and usually with a dip of from 60 degrees to 80 degrees to the east. There are two distinct varieties, one closely resembling the lode formations on the field and occurring in large lenticular patches, while the other class belongs to the true fissure type. Of the first variety the reefs on Bayley's Reward claim and the Big Blow lease are the best examples. Of the second class,

Burbank's Birthday Gift mine, the chief of the Burbank's group, is situated six miles south of Coolgardie. It had up to the end of the century produced 74,708 oz. from 60,000 tons of ore. The Vale of Coolgardie, at Bonnie Vale, seven miles north of Coolgardle, shows a total gold production to August 31, 1901, of 24,922 oz. Other mines which swell the output of the Coolgardie goldfield with substantial contributions are Lady Loch, King Solomon's, etc. The district of Kunanalling, in which the Premier mine is situated, is noted chiefly for its auriferous cement deposits, which are similar to those found at Kanowna. During 1900, 15,649 tons were trcated at the Premier mine for 10,963 OZ. The total production to the end of 1900 had been 34,626 oz. from 43,422 tons treated. At Widgemooltha, on the Coolgardie field, the Government have erected a battery to assist the prospectors in testing the worth of the properties there.

Coolgardie promises to long remain an important centre of mining opera tions. As a place of residence it has many desirable qualities which are lack..

ing in its richer neighbour Kalgoorlie, and it occupies an interesting position as the gateway to the eastern goldfields. Certainly to one who, like the writer, remembers the scenes in Bayley-street over six years ago, the quiet aspect which the town now wears presents a rather melancholy contrast, but it is not to be assumed that Coolgardie has scen her best days. She has been left a long way behind by East Coolgardie and Mount Margaret, but this leeway is likely to be reduced when a plentiful supply of fresh water makes the vast low-grade ore bodies on the field amenable to profitable treatment.

There were at the close of the year 1900, 212 leases in force on the Coolgardie goldfield, covering an area of 2,786 acres. There were 416 stamps erected on the field and the miners employed were over two thousand in number.

BAYLEY'S UNITED.

So closely identified with the early history of Coolgardie is the name of Bayley that no record would be complete without some reference to the famous Bayley's United Gold Mine, situated just outside the town boundary. In the past, no definite scheme of development was pursued, operations having been mainly confined to securing the gold from the wonderfully rich pockets. However, Bayley's is now to be system. atically tested by means of a series of bores, which are to be put down diag. onally across the property, and with this object in view the company was reconstructed, and additional capital to the amount of £38,750 is now availabie for the purpose. Two of the bores will be put down to a depth of 1,000 ft. each, and while by these means the property will be prospected, it will be possible to ascertain whether the reefs live at depth. Contracts have also been let for a great quantity of sinking and driving. Bayley's possesses a very complete equipment of machinery, which includes a mill with a crushing capacity of 2,000 tons filter month, leeching vats, a presses, etc., so that, should the results of the exploratory and development work prove as satisfactory as the manager (Mr. E. D. Cleland) anticipates, there will be no delay in treating the material. Bayley's has always been a mine of surprises, and is so to-day, as

the following extract from the local newspaper, dated August 31, 1901, will show:

"For the past few months some attention has been given to the alluvial gold, and some interesting results have been obtained. Six men have been employed with the puddler on the alluvial gold, and a net profit of £200 or £300 per month has been made. This, of course, is from the pick of the material. Most of the stuff has been taken from near the company's office. The soil has been removed from underneath one of the buildings for a depth of 2 ft. or 3 ft., and the building left standing on posts. Quite a large collection of nuggets up tc 2 oz. or 3 oz. in weight has been obtained, and the material yields about 6 dwt. or 7 dwt. per ton. As soon as the present patch is done, it is intended to try the alluvial from end to end of the leases. Mr. Cleland intends to cut trenches at certain distances right across the gullies, and have the material obtained from each locality treated separately so as to ascertain its value. It is expected that this will give a very fair idea of what the whole of the alluvial will average. If it is satisfactory, the directors will then take into consideration the erection of larger appliances for treatment of alluvial gold. At the present time the cost of treatment of this material is about 14 dwt. per ton. This includes not only the working expenses, but a proportion of the salaries and office expenses. Some of the nuggets found are coated with quicksilver, which found its way from the surface of the soil and adhered to them underneath. The nuggets are frequently found coated with clay, and are not easy to detect. An interesting example of this occurred when a post-hole was being put down for a fence close against a post which was put in some time ago. When the soil was removed on the last occasion a 2 oz. nugget was found in the first post-hole put down. The nugget had a coat of soil on it, and had actually been rammed in the post-hole without having been seen."

VALE OF COOLGARDIE.

The Vale of Coolgardie mine is at Bonnievale, seven miles north of Coolgardie, and has an area of twenty-five acres. The capital is £90,000, divided into 90,000 shares of £1 each, and of

The

which 75,000 have been issued to the public, the balance being held in reserve by the company. The machinery equipment comprises a ten-head Fraser and Chalmers mill, with automatic rockbreakers and feeders. There is also a cyanide plant, and its capacity, with the mill, is 1,100 tons per month. There are three reefs being worked called the main reef, western reef and quarry reef. main shaft is on the main reef, and is down 300 ft., where stoping is now proceeding on ore of payable grade. The main reef is a contact vein, between granite and diorite for half its length, existing in the granite as a true fissure vein. It averages 3 ft. to 5 ft. in thickThe quarry reef has been opened up to a depth of 160 ft., and is being worked from an underlay shaft equipped with self-dumping skips. The shaft is now being sunk to open up another level. The reef varies in places from 2 ft. to 12 ft. in width. The western reef has been opened up to the same depth (160 ft.), and is worked from the same shaft. It varies in size from 2 ft.

ness.

6 in. to 5 ft. A crosscut at the 300 ft. level in the main shaft has been put in, and intersects the western reef, above which driving is now being carried on in order to strike payable ore. This is the most important work on the mine, seeing that, should it prove the existence of payable stone in the western and quarry reefs for the same length as showing above, the future of the mine would be assured. The present ore values range from 9 dwt. to 103 dwt. per ton in the mill, and 2 dwt. to 23 dwt. in the cyanide, which grade gives a good profit. The following table supplies all the necessary details in regard to the mine at end of August, 1901: Result of operations for August: Stamps at work, 10; time running, 30 days; stone crushed, 1,120 tons; duty per stamp per 24 hours, 3.73 tons; bullion obtained, 549 oz. 1 dwt. 14 gr.; average yield per ton, 9 dwt. 19 gr.; estimated value of bullion, £2,050; value per ton, £1 16s. 7d.; expenses per ton mining (1,100 tons), 12s. 1d.; expenses per ton milling (1,120 tons), 8s. 10.7d.; expenses development per ton

milled, 6s. 2d.; expenses mining, milling, and development per ten milled, £1 6s. 11.1d. CyanidingTailings treated, 1,066 tons; bullion recovered, 131 oz. 13 dwt. 12 gr.; estimated fine gold recovered, 121 oz.; yield per ten bullion, 2 dwt. 12 gr.; yield per ton fine gold, 2 dwt. 6 gr.; estimated value

of bullion, £514; expenses cyaniding per ton, 5s. 0.7d.; total yield for month,

680 oz. 15 dwt. 2 gr.; total estimated value of bullion, £2,564; total expense 3, including development, £1,778 1s. 5d. Total output to date-Stone crushed, 35,020 tons, for 24,921 oz. 13 dwt. 21 gr.; general average, 14 dwt. 7 gr.

In 1900, a dividend of 1s. 3d. per share was declared. The general manager is Mr. A. E. Thomas, M.L.A., while the mine management is in the hands of Mr. T. T. Rhys.

BURBANK'S BIRTHDAY GIFT.

One of the most consistent dividendpaying mines near Coolgardie is the Burbank's Birthday Gift. The mine has been in existence for about six years, and is the property of a limited liability company. At the sixth ordinary general meeting, held in London in July, 1901, the chairman stated that "the mine was in a better position than ever before." The mine is splendidly equipped with all the latest mining machinery, including a thirty-head mill, rock-breakers, automatic feeders, air-compressors, rockdrills, and cyanide plant, and has already paid £80,000 in dividends.

LADY LOCH.

The Lady Loch mine, the property of a London company, is situated about three miles south of Coolgardie, and comprises seven leases, covering an area of eightythree acres. A considerable amount of work has been done on the property in sinking and driving, and a good chute of stone proved to a depth of 420 ft., at which point levels are now being driven.

The property is equipped with a good 20head mill, rock-breakers, and self-feeders, Berdan-pans, etc.; also good winding plant, and two Rand compressors and rock-drills. A large up-to-date cyanide plant has recently been installed upon the mine, but as the extraction of the gold in the mill has been so good, the value of the tailings leaves but a very small margin of profit on the treatment of same. Since commencement of crushings, the mill has put through 18,518 tons for 14,490 oz. of smelted gold for an average of 15 dwt. 16 gr, of gold per ton. The bulk of the plant and machinery on the mine has been purchased and erected out of profits, and one dividend has been declared.

BAYLEY'S CONSOLS.

A regular gold-producer is the Bayley's Consols mine adjoining the Bayley's United. The company is registered under the No Liability Act, with a capital of £20,000, in shares of 10s. each. A battery has been erected, and a good deal of development work has been done. A crushing in September last gave a return of 640 oz. from 170 tons of stone, an average of 3.76 oz. of gold per ton, which cannot be regarded as otherwise than satisfactory. The prospects of the mine continue to improve.

NEW ZEALAND MINES TRUST.

The headquarters of the New Zealand Mines Trust, Ltd., are at 11 Abchurchlane, London, E.C., and their representative in Western Australia is Mr. H. Lawrence Read, J.P. The company controls a large number of properties in Western Australia, as well as throughout Australasia, including the celebrated Waihi mine in New Zealand. The trust also has large interests in Mexico and British Columbia. Mr. Thomas Russell, C.M.G., is chairman of directors, while Sir James Ferguson (formerly Governor of South Australia, New Zealand, and Bombay, and afterwards PostmasterGeneral of Great Britain in one of Mr. Gladstone's Ministries) is a director. The trust likewise controls a large cement works outside Sydney, New South Wales The Western Australian offices are in Shaw-street, Coolgardie.

KING SOLOMON'S.

The King Solomon's gold mines were included in the first hundred claims pegged on the Coolgardie goldfield, and are situated on the old Hannans-road. A shaft was put down about a hundred feet, a loose formation being met with which yielded excellent results. Interests in the show were acquired by local people. An effort was made to float the concern, and, failing in the attempt to secure capital in the eastern colonies, the owners erected a two-stamp mill with which to further test the mine; and the returns obtained were sufficiently satisfactory to justify the investment of foreign capital. It was at this stage that the present company secured the mine, and placed Mr. E. de Stoutz, the manager, in charge. The original holding consisted of two leases. Others

New

were subsequently added, and the total area now held is 71 acres. A considerable amount of work has been done on the property since its flotation. reefs have been found, and the value of the mine greatly improved. A main incline shaft was sunk on the underlay, the depth attained at date being 550 ft. The main reef runs north-west by southeast, underlaying to the north-east at an angle of 55 deg. About 80 ft. east of the main reef a second reef was discovered, running nearly parallel. Both reefs are cut by a cross vein going down nearly vertically. The intersections of the parallel reefs with the cross reef are very rich. The ore is a banded quartz, carrying free gold and galena, and very little pyrites; the gold also occurring in the encasing hornblende rocks.

The mine is equipped with a 20-stamp mill built by Fraser and Chalmers. The mill commenced working in January, 1899, since when 18,50 tons have been crushed for 13,567 oz. 10 dwt. 10 gr. The ore is carried from the bin at the mouth of the shaft to the battery up an inclined way in two self-dumping trucks, and from the top of the mill passes by gravity through the grizzleys, breaker, self-feeders, and mortars. The tailings settle in dams, the clear water being pumped back to the mill for recirculatien. When excavating the tailings dam, the outcrop of a new reef showing nice gold was discovered. A shaft was sunk and the reef intersected at the 100 ft. and 200 ft. levels. A winding plant driven from the battery was also put up. The management is vigorously pushing forward the development of this reef.

A cyanide plant of a capacity of 40 tons of tailings per 24 hours is in course of erection.

SHERLAW'S.

Sherlaw's Gold-mining Co., Ltd., formerly known as Sherlaw's Perseverance, comprises 40 acres. In 1893, a prospecting party was equipped, and they sank a shaft 60 ft., and opened up on a reef 4 ft. wide, showing good gold-bearing stone. The reef was followed down on the underlay. Later, Mr. Sherlaw and Mr. W. A. Robertson inspected the property, and were so satisfied that they took an option over it for three months, and proceeded to England, where a syndicate was formed, called the Coolgardie Gold Syndicate, Ltd. (Sherlaw's), with a capital of £50,000. Eventually, after certain difficulties, the mine was purchased and active work commenced in May, 1895, and soon afterwards the adjoining properties were acquired, Mr. Sherlaw assuming the position of general manager and consulting engineer, which position he held until June, 1899. A 10-head battery was erected in 1895, and the first crushing went through early in 1896, 100 tons yielding over 2 oz. to the ten. Development work has been steadily proceeding, and the deepest shaft is now 515 feet. The machinery has been supplemented by an addition of 10 head of stamps, making 20 head altogether, air-compressors, rock-drills, and a cyanide plant equal to 1,500 tons per month. The company holds the record