[June 9, 1897,
mixed with slate, but no gold. Some very good prospects were got in leaders in the shaft, but they were not large enough to pay for workings
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESSTAND There are still a number of rich small brossé pak Taking a
average width of the lode be leaders to work in the old workings, but ass
as we tween the two levels at 10 ft., by the depth do not require the staff these can be worked at 100 ft. by the length of lode proved in No. 1 some future timeta
level, gives about 74,214 tons as the ore avail able between these two levels at they
epresent
BUKIT KOMAN,
?
WESTERN LODE.
A good deal of stoping has been done here The work of developing this great mine has time, and as these levels can be extended in- during the year, a and a large extent of new been steadily carried on during the year, with definitely, it is difficult to place a limit on the ground opened up, a good deal of which still re- number of tons available. In making up this mains to be worked. This lode is very irregular very favourable results.
calculation I have made no allowance for the and patchy. At the end of 1896, not requiring leader formation in the engine-shaft, but, as
the ore, as I could not crush what was coming this belt of leader country is several feet wide from development work at Bukit Komani and and carries some very good gold, the tonnage Raub Hole, I decided to stop all work in the available here is considerable. A new 10 ft. stopes; and push on with sinking the shaft. Sink- double-acting steam pump bas been placed in ing was started below the No. 2 Level on the 16th the shaft to replace the former one. During December last, and is now down 74 ft., making the monsoon it has taken this pump all it could total depth from collar of shaft 239 ft. Open- do to keep the mine free of water, the pumping sets have been placed in position, and we are making from 30 to 40 strokes per minute, now cutting No. 3 Plat at 70 ft. below No. 2. raising the water 220 ft. to the Adit.
In the No:1 Level, the main drive going north has been extended 2653 feet making total distance from the orosscut 4693 feet. The lode in this drive is from 20 feet to 46 feet wide, the whole of which is being sent to the mill for orushing. It was thought at first that there were two distinct lodes running paralled to each other, but subsequent exploration has proved it to be one great lode, which carries fair gold all through. No stoping has been done in this level for 300 feet. In the face of the drive, the lode is a good deal broken up. There is about 30 feet of crushing stuff, which carries very fair gold: Near the face of this drive, crosscuts were put in both east and west to test the country; that east was put in 49 feet; nothing was got in it, except plenty of water;-that. to the west was put in 26 feet, 20 feet of this being in quarts leaders and blocks of quartz; the face of the drive being in clean country, I did not consider it advisable to go farther.
I am now extending the main level and shall continue to do so.
Several short crosscuts have been put through the lode, and a drive 150 feet long driven on the west side of it, showing good gold the whole distance.
The main level going south has been extended 3694 feet, making the total distance from the crosscut 570 feet. The whole distance has been in a lode from 12 feet to 15 feet wide, and carries good gold the whole way. The only work done over the back of this level for the last 400 feet is to bring in the leading stope for the purpose of ventilation. There are now about 200 feet of backs available for stoping over this part of the level, it being under the highest part of the hill.
I estimate that there is an average height of 180 feet of backs available for stoping, extending the whole length of this level, about 1,039 feet; about one-fifth of this has been worked out. Taking the average width of crushing stuff at 12 feet x 130 feet, and deducting one-fifth as being worked out, gives 92.597 tons of crushing stuff available over the back of this level at the present time.
Both faces of the level are being extended in good payable ore, the lode in the north face being fully 30 ft. wide, and the south face 14 ft. The latter has 24 miles and the former 34 miles to go before arriving at the boundary. Every foot along the bottom of this level carries pay- able gold. At the date of my last report, the shaft had been sunk 108 ft. below the 146 ft, level; preparation was then being made to cut the Plat, and drive to cut the lode at 100 ft. below the No. 1 level. The lode was met with at 20 ft. in from the shaft, and the foot-wall reached at 81. ft. Where cut, the lode was 12 ft. wide in the back, and 14 ft. in the bottom of the level, the whole width carrying good payable gold. Drives were then started both north and south on the course of the lode; that going north is now in 81 ft. from the crosscnt, and carries good payable gold all the way; the lode is solid and well defined the whole way, and is now 9 ft. wide in the face, and making wider.
..
In the level going south there is about 4 ft. of mullock on the footwall side of the lode, which is being sent over the mullock tip as if carries no gold; outside of this, on the hanging side of the lode, is from 8 ft. to 10 ft. of quartz, which carries good payable gold all through. This level is in 101 ft. from the crosscut, and all quartz broken from here has been sent to the mill.
#
During the months of November and De- cember, over 19/20 of the ore crushed came from Bukit Koman, principally from the different drives, the average being over 15 dwts.
As the quantity crushed was per ton. 2,407 fons I think this a fair test of its value.
It is my intention during the present year to sink the main shaft another 100 ft., and to start two new engine shafts,-one on Bukit Jellis Ketchil, about 1,500 ft. north of present shaft; one about the same distance south on the south slope of Bukit Koman. These shafts will eventually be connected with the present Bukit Koman workings. As the old native workings are continuous over the whole of this distance, I have every reason to believe the lode will be continuous also.
This, with the workings at Bukit Jellis Besar and Bukit Malacca, will give over a mile of con- tinuous workings.
BUKIT JELLIS BESAR.
Several years ago, a tunnel was put into this hill for a distance of 396 ft. on the course of the lode which traverses the hill from north to south. The lode in places is from 8 ft. to 10 ft. wide, and carries good gold all the way in. I estimate the ore broken from this tunnel to yield 10 dwts. to 12 dwts. per ton. There are about 250 tons stacked at the entrance to the tunnel; this could not be crushed, as there were no means of getting it to the mill before the railway was made. The entrance to the tunnel has been repaired and re-timbered, and all is any time. There now in order to start work at is a very large quantity of ore above this tunnel, which can be worked at a small cost. A small prospecting shaft, 7 ft. x 4 ft., clear of timber, has been sunk to a depth of 74 ft., to test the lode at that depth below the tunnel; should this prove the lode payable at this depth, I should have every hope of this becoming a second Bukit
Koman.
BUKIT MALACCA,
At the date of my last report this shaft had been surk to a depth of 64ft., this has been Considerable continued to a depth of 143ft. difficulty was experienced in sinking this shaft, owing to the heavy water met with in sinking, taking two 8in. pumps working on a 3ft. stroke, making from 40 to 50 strokes per minute, to keep the shaft free of water. Opening set was put in at 140ft., and a crosscut carried in. 72ft. At 34ft. in, the lode formation was met with this proved to be over 30ft. wide, composed of quartz leaders and slate. A little gold was got where the lode was first cut, but nothing pay. able. After passing through the lode, I came back and put in a drive on the course of the lode, on the west side, 57ft. At about 30ft: in this drive some very good gold was met with, but proved to be of limited extent; a little gold was got all along this drive, but I hardly think it is payable. There are about 150 tone of quartz which have come from these workings; they can be crushed and their value ascertained when opportunity occurs.
Owing to the heavy cost of keeping the mine free of water, and the difficulty of getting in firewood during the monsoon, I decided to close
would continue as looks as if it the mine down for the present. This place is-
far
The footwall of the lode is clean and well defined, and has a nice soft flucan between it and the lode. It is one of most permanent looking lodes I have
we like to follow it. The lede is very hard and solid, and Chinese miners can only make slow progress with the work Rock-drills would effect a great saving in time in working this ground.
I have started to sink a winze to connect the No. 1 and 2 levels, 150 ft. south in the No. 1 level.
certainly worth further prospecting, but the great difficulty is the heavy water to contend with.
A small prospecting shaft was sunk, 160 ft. south of the Engine Shaft, to a depth of 60 ft., partly through old native workings. A drive was put in east 65 ft., but nothing got in it; one was also put in west 78 ft., most of the way in quarts
I think it not advisable to place the levels too far apart owing to the irregular na ture of this lode. As soon as the plat is. finished, I intend driving to cut the lode, which I estimate will be out at between 30ft. and 40ft, in from the shaft. As soon as this drive is finished, I intend to resume sinking. the shaft for two more levels. Should the Raub Hole ore chute continue to this distance, about 1,000ft., we shall be able to work a good extent of it from this shaft, at a depth of between 400ft. and 500ft.
When the above sinking is completed, and crosscuts driven to the lode, there will be a very large reserve of ore available in these levels.
BATTERY.
This has been kept going full time during the year, 14,096 tons have been crushed, being 1,855 tons more than during the year previous. This is entirely due to having railway transport to the mill.
The average per ton is also better by 2 dwts. 11+ grs.
The following is the number of tons crushed from the different mines during the year:--
Bukit Koman
Raub Hole, No. 2 Shaft Western Lode
Total Tons
J
10,943 tons. 1,569 季 1,584
14,096
giving a total yield of 8,858 ozs, 15 dwts. 12 grs. of smelted gold, being an average of 12 dwts. 133 grs. per ton.
The number of tons crushed since the Com- pany started work is 44,354, yielding 29,214 ozs. 8 dwts. 0 grs, of smelted gold.
The cost of crushing during the year under review is $1.23 per ton, and the cost of transport from the different mines to the mill §0:15, making the total cost of treating the ore from the time of leaving the mines $1.38 per ton.
I
Several attempts have been made to induce parties to undertake the treament of the tail- ings from the mill, but so far without success. In reference to extension of crushing machinery, have nothing to add to my last year's report in fact, I am more convinced than ever that what I then recommended was the right thing to do. It is much to be regretted that other opinions have been obtained. I think share- holders hardly realise the magnitude of the pro- perty they are dealing with. There is one thing certain, that if this property is to be more than scratched during the lifetime of the youngest shareholder, it will have to be worked on a more extensive scale than has yet been thought of.
The accompanying longitudinal plan of the Lease will give shareholders some slight idea of the great extent of land that has not yet been even touched, and also the small extent that has been worked of that opened up.
I also enclose working plans of the different sections of the mines, made up to date.
RAILWAY.
This has continued to work in a most satis- factory manner during the year, and has proved one of the best investments the Company over made, in fact it would have been impossible to crush the quantity of stuff we have without it.
The following table will show the cost of mining, ore-raising, transport, and crushing for the year
Labour and European supervision Firewood... Oil and Lighting Mercury
Wear and tear, including
screens, liners, etc.
$0.49 06
50-16
· 1·90
6·09
13-04
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