GOLDEN HORN CO

GOLDEN LAKE ROAD PIGGOREET, GOLDEN PLAINS SHIRE

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

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  • History

    GOLDEN HORN CO - History

    Contextual History:History of Place:
    Heritage Inventory History of Site:
    GOLDEN HORN GOLD MINING COMPANY
    late 1862:company formed
    12.1862:made an agreement with David Clarke to mine on his property for £5000 and 3 % of any gold obtained.
    1863:the No. 1 shaft, a quarte of a mile east of David Clarke's homestead, was abandoned because it was found to be too far away from the main channel, efforts were concentrated on the main or No. 2 shaft; accepted tenders for sinking at a price of £13 per foot.
    1864:struck gold and getting excellent prospects; sinking through hard ground and large holes have to be bored for powder cartridges; had some good luck when a tree trunk, which could be adzed, was found in the pump side of the shaft, this aided sinking operations.
    03.1864:struck gold and have an excellent prospect; have been unable to work their claim because of the great influx of water; totally involved in baling.
    06.1864:heavy water is impeding progress; constantly baling.
    09.1864:still being held up by water after 12 months.
    12.1864:sinking their shaft on the main lead.
    03.1865:No. 1 shaft, 9 feet by 3 feet 3 inches, down 220 feet ; machinery includes a 16 inch by 42 inch steam engine for pumping and puddling, a 12 inch by 30 inch steam engine for winding, 2 Round's flat chains, an iron puddling machine, 2 draw lifts placed side by side for 255 feet, 12.5 inch and 8 inch respectively; No. 2 shaft, 9 feet 6 inches by 3 feet 6 inches, down 153 feet; poppet heads erected; machinery includes a 20.25 inch by 48 inch steam engine for pumping and puddling, an 11.25 inch by 30 inch steam engine for winding, 2 boilers: 26 feet by 6 feet 6 inches; and a contract has been let for pumping and winding gear and bob mountings for 587 pounds 14 shillings
    abandoned the tributary on which the company has been working for two years; sinking a new shaft for the main lead.
    06.1865:getting through the rock with comparative ease, apparently because of the enormous quantity of water being baled by the Golden Lake Co. which adjoins this claim.
    09.1865: if there is no interruption from water will be bottomed soon.
    15.08.1865: No. 1 shaft (Sharland's Lead), down 220 feet; 40,000 gallons per hour pumped out for a while, but work now abandoned; using a 16 inch by 42 inch horizontal steam engine for pumping with an 8 inch draw lift; the 12.5 inch draw lift removed to No. 2 shaft; have 2 connected Cornish flue boilers: 24 feet by 6 feet 6 inches, a 12.5 inch by 30 inch horizontal steam engine for winding, Round's patent flat chains, and belt driven 16 foot 6 inch by 2 foot 2 inch cast iron puddling machine.
    26.09.1865: No. 2 shaft down 250 feet in basalt; water not so troublesome. Pump working 8 x 5 foot 6 inch strokes per minute; erecting 2 puddling machines
    17.10.1865: No. 1 shaft (Sharland's Lead), 9 feet by 3 feet 3 inches clear, down 220 feet; using a 16 inch by 42 inch steam engine for pumping and puddling, a 12 inch by 30 inch steam engine for winding, 2 Round's flat chains, an iron puddling machine and 12.5 inch and 8 inch draw lifts, side by side to 255 feet; No. 2 shaft, 9 feet 6 inches by 3 feet 6 inches clear, down 60 feet ; using a 20.25 inch by 48 inch steam engine for pumping and puddling, an 11.25 inch by 30 inch steam engine for winding, 2 boilers: 26 feet by 6 feet 6 inches, and 12.5 inch pumps are keeping water down for most of the time
    12.1865: bottomed successfully and nearly at the depth to open out.
    1865: paid good dividends, shares being quoted at 20 pounds each.
    02.01.1866: shaft down 290 feet; puddling machinery finished
    16.01.18662: puddling machines and water tank erected
    03.1866: reached the gutter; yields from the first few machines are very satisfactory.
    06.1866: good yield of 140 ozs for one week.
    17.07.1866: 25,059 trucks of washdirt and 6595 trucks of mullock raised for the quarter; machinery in first class order; plant, buildings and firewood insured at both shafts
    09.1866: have subdued the water some weeks of difficulty; weekly yield of134 ozs.
    24.12.1866: mine in serious difficulties for the last 3 months due to a stoppage of the Golden Lake and Scarsdale Great Extended mines; pumping engine working 13 x 6 foot 4 inch strokes per minute and discharging 36,000 gallons per hour; using a 12.5 inch cylinder steam engine for puddling and a boiler: 24 feet by 6 feet 6 inches; now have 3 steam engines for pumping, winding and puddling, 3 boilers and 3 puddling machines; 3 months lost whilst the mine was flooded [1.368]
    12.1866: swamped since the Scarsdale Extended ceased operations.
    1866: on rich ground and getting 140 ozs per week.
    05.02.1867: water flow gradually increasing due to stoppages of companies further up the lead; 38,000 gallons per hour pumped in December, followed by an inburst of water; men brought out and time spent in working pumps and in baling; in 20 hours water had swamped the workings, despite lifting 45,000 gallons per hour. Pumping suspended pending instructions from the directors. During the quarter one steam engine and one boiler removed from No. 1 shaft and erected at No. 2 shaft for driving the puddling machines, at a cost of 150 pounds. At No. 2 shaft there are now 3 steam engines and 3 puddling machines; also a 12.5 inch plunger and drawlift and an 8.5 inch drawlift and two 150 gallon baling tanks; maximum capacity 45,000 gallons per hour
    14.05.1867: large lift out of order; unable to keep water down with smaller lift and tanks
    09.07.1867: seventy feet of water in the shaft
    26.07.1867: testing black sand in amalgamating barrel
    26.09.1867: water finally cleared, using both lifts and baling with tanks at the rate of 40,000 gallons per hour
    09.1867: have just reduced the water to allow resumption of work underground.
    29.10.1867: water down to 25,000 gallons per hour, easily handled by two lifts; fourth puddling machine woodwork finished, awaiting ironwork; sludge machine erected; buddles fixed; water standage cleared out; pair of new bob straps put on; pumping, winding and puddling engines in first rate order
    12.1867: yield for the quarter 2087 ozs.
    1867: once the water was out and mining resumed the average weekly yield for the year was 160 ozs.
    03.1868: yield for the quarter 2377 ozs 12 dwt 10 gr
    25.04.1868: 52,519 trucks raised for the quarter; 6 stall stables erected; 100,000 gallon water standage constructed.
    06.1868: yield for the quarter 2072 ozs 12 dwt 6 gr
    09.1868: yield for the quarter 2168 ozs 9 dwt 5 gr
    12.1868: yield for the quarter 2723 ozs 17 dwt 20 gr
    03.1869: yield for the quarter 2102 ozs 14 dwt.
    12.1869: yield for the quarter 1143 ozs 13 dwt.
    03.1870: yield for the quarter 1189 ozs 12 dwt 18 gr
    05.1870:operations suspended due to a heavy influx of water; to co-operate with the Golden Lake Company in erection of pumping plant
    06.1870: yield for the quarter 424 ozs; swamped out; in addition to its own excellent pumping machinery erected, the company together with the Golden Lake Company erected powerful pumping machinery at the abandoned shaft of the Alpha Co.
    03.1871:yield for the quarter 2001 ozs.
    06.1871:yield for the quarter 2234 ozs 10 dwt gr
    09.1871:yield for the quarter 183 ozs 11 dwt; worked out.
    1871:worked out; employed 100 men and had a very short but very successful career; at its best it yielded 500 ounces in one week.
    10.1867 to 09.1871:recorded production of 20,608 ozs 12dwt 9gr (or 641.015 kg)

    Heritage Inventory Description

    GOLDEN HORN CO - Heritage Inventory Description

    This is a relative intact site and the features at this site are a good example of those found at deep lead mines of this period. The shaft is open to a depth of 5m. It is rectangular being 3.6m by 1.6m. The mullock heap startsten metreseast of the shaft, and is 60m by 18m and 8m high. The large quartz wash heap commences just north of the shaft and runs east along the north side of the mullock heap. It is 20m wide at the west end and spreads out into three large and one small fingers to be 50m wide. It is approximately 100m long and 10-12m high at its eastern end. A flat bench for working has been cut into the slope west of the shaft. On the northern side of this flat area and 12m west of the shaft is a slightly raised and levelled area 20m by 15m which includes two sections of stone walling and a large quantity of basalt rock.

    Heritage Inventory Significance: Regional / State

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