of the Dundas goldfield, according to the

export and Mint returns:

DUNDAS GOLDFIELD.

The two great difficulties which the Dundas goldfield has to contend with are the want of a good water supply and the high rates of carriage to the field. Norseman is situated midway between Coolgardie and the port of Esperance, which has a fine harbour. The lack of a railway necessitates the carriage of goods from either place by horse teams er camel teams for a distance of over 100 miles. At present goods have to travel 480 miles from Fremantle via Coolgardie to Norseman; or from Esperance to Norseman. During last winter, owing to the heavy rainfall and consequent bad state of the roads, the traffic was constantly being delayed-so much so that work at the mines was seriously interfered with, and at one time the whole field was threatened with famine. A railway from Esperance (claimed to be the natural goldfields port) has been sought for years, and as a compromise it was proposed to extend the line from Coolgardie to Norseman, but so far all Bills have been rejected. goldfields railway at present goes from Fremantle to Kalgoorlie, and thence northerly to Mt. Malcolm, and its exten

The eastern

an

sion is proposed still further to Lawlers, In this connection also it is claimed that these far northern towns would be much better served from the port of Geraldton. If this railway be completed, the distance will be from Fremantle to Lawlers, 660 miles, whereas direct from Geraldton to Lawlers it would be 366 miles, out of which distance 200 miles of railways exist as far as Mt. Magnet, being advantage in favour of Geraldton to It is posLawlers of about 290 miles. sible that with the advent of the transcontinental railway a scheme will be formulated to bisect it by a north and south trunk line from Esperance to Broome, with cross lines to the various ports on the western seaboard. mines on the field are low grade, but the district at present never looked more promising. The output to July 31, 1901, was 184,137 tons for 166,735 oz., an averA fair age of about 18 dwt. per ton. quantity of alluvial gold has been won in A the various gullies at Norseman. great natural advantage possessed by the Dundas field is its extensive forests of eucalyptus, the supply of timber for mining, building, and firewood purposes being practically inexhaustible.

The

The following has been the gold yield

NORSEMAN GOLD MINES.

The mainstay of Norseman is the property of the Norseman Gold Mineз, Ltd., which covers an area of 194 acres. The capital is £250,000, in 250,000 shares of £1 each, 200,000 of which have been issued, £50,000 being devoted to working capital, leaving 50,000 shares in reserve. The reef traversing this property and others outcrops for two miles in length without any break or fault of any consequence. In the Norseman Gold Mines this reef has been worked at the northern end by a tunnel, and in the centre by the Mildura underlay shaft, and at the scuthern end by the Viking shaft. The Mildura shaft is down 500 ft., and the Viking is 520 ft. in depth. The reef is low grade, and for some time past the mine has been only just holding its own. For the first 200 ft. in depth the reef was of good payable value, but below this the poor zone was entered. There is every chance, however, that with deeper sinking the reef will again be found of good value; and this opinion is not entertained by a section only, for after an examination of the property had been made by the Government Geologist, Mr. Gibb Maitland, the Government decided to subsidise the sinking of the Viking shaft by a £ to £ grant. To June, 1901, £137,000 had been expended in wages, the ruling rate being considerably higher in Norseman than in Coolgardie or Kalgoorlie. All material has to be carted 120 miles, which considerably increases Despite this, the cost of production. during last year the total cost per ton for mining and milling, including office management and a proportion of general With the charges, was only 19s. 1d. mill working full time, 7 dwt. and 8 dwt,

ore will pay all expenses, apart from depreciation. The Mildura (incline) shaft has large headgear, and is equipped with Comet crushers and self-dumping skips; and there is besides a 20-head Fraser and Chalmers battery, with automatic feeders and concentrators. Its monthly capacity is 2,000 tons. There are also two ball mills, with pan amalganator, whose capacity is 1,000 tons per month. The cyanide plant is equal to treating 1,750 tons per month. The total output of this mine to September, 1901, was 68,993 tons treated for a return of 38,580 oz. Public crushing is also undertaken by the company, and during the twelvemonth ended August 1 1901, 1,500 tons of ore were treated for an average of an ounce to the ton.

acres.

NORSEMAN.

property of the company Covers 52 The mine is equipped with a 30head stamp mill, with automatic rockbreakers and self-feeders, and a cyanide plant with a capacity of 2,000 tons per month. A supply of almost fresh water is obtained from a water shaft about three-quarters of a mile east of the mine. The output is as follows: Ore milled to June 30, 1901, 41,941.50 tons for 39,861.42 oz.; cyanided to June 30, 1901 (from 34,298 tons tailings), 14,416.91 oz.; total Oz., 54,278.33. Up to June, 1901, over £40,000 had been paid in dividends.

Mt. Benson.-(No. of heads of stampers, 10.) Not working continuously during 1901; crushings reported only in January 50 tons, and in June 40 tons. Ore milled to June 30, 1901, 4,571.40 tons for 3,518.88 oz. cyanided to June 30, 1901 (from 3.735 tons tailings), 924.96 oz.; total oz., 4,443.84.

Princess Royal North.-In December, 1900, 20 tons of ore were crushed, and yielded 32.80 oz., and 5.65 oz. from 13 tens tailings treated.

Princess Royal South.-During the first half of 1897, 358 tons were crushed, yielding 640 oz., since which time no further crushings have been reported to the Mines Department.

Three Colonies Leases.-Previous to 1901: Ore milled, 350 tons for 237.87 oz.; cyanided (from 12 tons tailings), 4.22 oz.; tctal oz., 242.09.

Federation.-Ore milled to June 30, 1901, 109.50 tons for 198.47 oz.; cyanided

PEAK HILL GOLDFIELD.

Peak Hill, the central of the Peak Hill goldfield, is situated between the heads of the Gascoyne and Murchison rivers, and is 100 miles from Nannine (to which the railway is now being extended), via Mounts Vranizan and Fraser. The area of the goldfield is 12,194 square miles, and it was proclaimed on March 19, 1897. There are four mining centres on the field-Peak Hill, the Horseshoe, Mt. Fraser, and Mt. Maitland. The mines at Peak Hill are situated on a flat in area about 163 acres at the foot of a small diorite hill, from which the place takes its name. The middle of this flat is covered with an auriferous cement. This cement is an ordinary conglomerate formed by the mechanical action of water and deposited in an old creek bed. The gold in the cement is not exclusively in grains, scales, or nuggets, but is also found attached to its original quartz matrix. In the mode of occurrence the ore bodies, apart from the cement, may be described as a mass of country rock traversed by a network of interlacing veins of auriferous quartz. The mass of country rock is weathered in the direction of kaolin, and possesses, unless in exceptional cases, no sharply defined limits. The gold is not confined to the reefs or veins, but is disseminated through the decomposed country rock. The principal work on the goldfield has been done by the Peak Hill Goldfields, Ltd. During 1900 this company crushed 14,184 tons for 24,488 oz. output of the mine to date has been 85,646 oz. from 31,719 tons. Referring to this company's plant, the Warden, in his last report (1900), states: "An additional 20 head of stamps (making 40 in all) is nearly erected, and cyanide works are being rapidly erected for the treatment of the large quantity of tailings owned by the company. Other machinery, such as condensers, new boilers, etc., are When these works being put up also.

The

are completed they will cover an area of some 12 or 13 acres, and the manager will be in a position to deal with a large quantity of ore. On the Patch' a new main shaft of full size is being sunk, new poppet-legs (70 ft. high) erected, and a fine winding-engine also put up. I understand that rock-breakers for breaking the ore as it comes from below will be put up at the main shaft, and the ore will be fed to the battery through automatic feeders, thus saving

a good deal of handling and thereby reducing the cost of working."

At Horse

Pilgarn

YILGARN.

The district of Yilgarn enjoys the distinction of being the first proclaimed of the famous goldfields of the eastern part of the State-fields which astonished the world by their richness and carried Westralia with one bound into the leading ranks of the gold-producing countries of the world. Indeed, it may safely be averred that it was the discoveries made in the Yilgarn district which tempted those venturesome spirits to go further afield and prospect, with the results now so well known. The business centre of the district is Southern Cross, on the eastern goldfields railway, about 250 miles from Perth. To the south of the town are the mines-the Central Frasei's, Fraser's South, and Fraser's South Extended and Day Dawn; and on the west, and on another line of country,, is the Homeward Bound, and the first named line of reef has the honour of having been the one from which the first gold-mining dividend in Western Australia was paid. Owing in a very large measure to the overwhelming attractions offered to speculators for in

Goldfield.

vestment in the fields further to the north, capitalists, and indeed population, have been attracted thither, with the result that Southern Cross has not received that attention which its importance as a mining centre deserves, and which it is the confident belief of those who know its worth prophesy that it will yet command. The district is essentially one in which low-grade ores can be profitably worked, and as these abound there seems every prospect of the district flourishing when its possibilities come to be known and recognised by investors. Indeed, there are indications that the low-grade around the Cross are beginning to command attention. It is claimed that by the judicious expenditure of capital in machinery a return of 7 dwt, to the ton at the mill will be remunerative, and there are properties there which will yield a considerably higher return.

ores

numThe Central mine ranks as the but ber one" lease of the district; Fraser's mine is regarded as the parent mine, as from it came the first gold on The nominal capital the eastern fields.

of Fraser's Company is £78,125, made up of 62,500 shares of 25s. each, upon which 22s. 5d. per share has been paid up. To May 31, 1897, thirty-two dividends of 6d. each had been paid. For a time Southern Cross was stagnant, but the introduction of cyanide plants has caused a reaction, and the outlook in the future is encouraging. Two large cyanide plants have been erected on the parent mine, while the Central has likewise a cyanide plant, and is engaged in active development work.

on.

The fineness

of the gold may be determined when it i known that the cyaniding yield is about equal to the mill results. The completion of the Coolgardie water scheme will make a great difference to the mines at Southern Cross, and sluicing and alluvial working are projected, besides which the battery treatment of ore will be more economically carried A promising lease in the district of Yilgarn is tne Jacolletti, about twenty miles from Southern Cross. Machinery has been erected and the mine is being worked for a yield of about 30 dwt. At Blackbourne some mining is still being done, and the prospects of the leases at Greenmount are reported to be most encouraging. Gold has also been found at Yellowdine and Duladgin. The reefs there are reported to be very big, but little work has so far been done.

The outlying mining centres of the Yilgarn district are Golden Valley, Parker's Range, and Mt. Jackson. The first named, Golden Valley, was discovered and worked as a mining centre before the finding of gold at Southern Cross, and thus has the distinction of having been the first gold-mining centre on the eastern goldfields. The subsequent discoveries at Southern Cross, Parker's Range, Coolgardie, and elsewhere tended to deplete Golden Valley of its population, though mining is still carried on there. Parker's Range, distant thirty-five miles south-west from the Cross, is also an old field, there having been 400 men engaged in mining there when the discovery of Coolgardie was made. That discovery caused the practical abandonment of Parker's Range, the miners setting out for the more boomed and newer centres. Now that mining has somewhat settled down, however, Parker's Range is again engaging attention. at Parker's Range had produced 16,000 oz. of gold up to 1895, so that there is a prospect of this centre being more heard

Mackintosh's claim

of when diligent prospecting again becomes the order. Mt. Jackson is north from Southern Cross, from which it is distant approximately about seventy miles. The principal property in the locality is that owned by the Associated Mt. Jackson G.M. Co. This company has every faith in the future of the district, and as an evidence of its bona-fides is engaged in the erection of a big plant, which will be completed by the end of 1901. There has been £15,000 spent in development work, and at present the amount of stone in sight approximates 40,000 tons. A trial crushing made at the Mt. Jackson mine gave the following results: 1 oz. 2 dwt. plates, tailings 17 dwt. perty of the company comprises about 100 acres.

The pro

68.379

The Nil Desperandum mine at Mt. Jackson was the first gold-producer there, and is equipped with a 10-head mill, which is still crushing on good

YALGOO GOLDFIELD.

The date of the proclamation of the Yalgoo goldfield was February 5, 1895. The area embraced within its boundaries is 18,921 square miles. Gold was first discovered on this field in the early part of 1890, at the Nancarrong Hills, which are situated about 100 miles north-east of Geraldton and 150 miles south-west of Cue. Yalgoo, which is the official centre, is situated upon the Cue railway. The Emerald mine, near Yalgoo, which is still being worked, gave some remarkably rich returns in the early stages of its development. At one time £40,000 worth of gold, it is said, was taken out of a rich pocket on the Emerald mine, and after this 3,000 tons were crushed for 9,000 oz. Although work is still proceeding at different centres, the progress of the goldmeld has been disappointing. The amount of gold won during 1900 was 10,101 oz., showing a decrease compared with 1899 of 2,034 oz. The battery erected by the Government on the field was removed owing to the small quantity of stone sent for treat

ment.

More than one-half of the yield fo: 1900 was accounted for by one mine, Field's Find. Good finds were reported during the year at Nyngham, sixteen miles south of Field's Find, and at Wadgingarra, fifteen miles north-east of Yalgoo. The value of the mining machinery installed on the goldfield is given as £34,727. There are thirty-nine gold-mining leases in force, extending over an area of 480 acres, and the ore reduction equipment of the field consists of 60 stamps. Mr. Hicks, Warden of the Murchison goldfield, also acts as Warden of Yalgoo. Exports and Mint receipts from Yalgoo have been as follow: