SMYTHESDALE CONSOLS CO GERMAN REEF

174 WHITES ROAD SMYTHESDALE, GOLDEN PLAINS SHIRE

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    SMYTHESDALE CONSOLS CO GERMAN REEF - History

    Contextual History:History of Place:
    Heritage Inventory History of Site:
    GERMAN CONSOLS Co., this is the name given by local people, research suggests that it is the SMYTHESDALE CONSOLS;
    This site was shown to me by Ray Willis. Its origin was unknown to his great uncle other than it being known as the German Consols. The battery at this mine was located west of the mullock in what is now a cleared grazing paddock. The sand from the battery having been removed and used for building and construction purposes.
    The last death in a mining accident occurred south of the mullock heap in a shallow mine during the 1930’s, when an under resourced and ill equipped miner was killed in a collapse.
    Ray’s father, grand father and his uncle carted surface alluvial material from near this mine to the creek and washed it to recover the gold.
    
    An alluvial flat at the foot of German Reef
    03.1872: a rich patch of shallow ground was found and several nuggets of considerable size were found; a rush set but the ground was patchy.
    06.1872: there are a good many small parties doing well; the ground is shallow, dry and easy to work.
    09.1872: continues to pay well with some parties making £20 to £30 per man per week, although most a making average wages.4
    12.1872: continues to pay well.
    German Reef,
    PROSPECTING Co. (this may be the same party that is recorded as prospecting the North German Reef in October 1861)
    12.1861: returns are highly encouraging; first trial from the surface yielded 12 dwt per ton; second from a depth of 30 feet yielded 18 dwt per ton; on the 20 th December the third trial from a depth of 60 feet involved the crushing of 104 tons which yielded 184 ozs or 1 oz 15 dwt 9.25 gr per ton (or 5.732 kg); previous failures mean that even this encouraging result will not start a rush and only 2 or 3 companies have sunk shafts north and south of the prospecting claim.
    North German Reef, a little west of Smythesdale township.
    10.1861: prospecting party obtained a yield of 18 dwt 12 grs per ton from 80 tons of quartz taken from a depth of 60 feet.
    03.01.1862: reef getting better with depth; first crushing yielded 12 dwt per ton, second yielded 18 dwt per ton, and the third 1.75 ozs per ton.
    German Hill Reef, a mile north-west of the Smythesdale Post Office,
    21.01.1873: rushed nine months ago, 150 are now at work and making excellent wages; Michael Curtin & Harry Knowles opened at 24 feet and got 1 oz 3 dwt from one load; Maguire & Son got 2 ozs 5 dwt from 5 loads last week and earned £9; Veercamp & Co. 1 oz per load; George Stoddard and Mate 2 ozs per load; Edward Gusson 2 ozs per load; Bayfield and Ward 24 loads at 1 oz per load for the fortnight earning £50; Wrathall & Preston washed 4 or 5 loads last week which averaged 1 oz 18 dwt per load; Balderstone & Stevens making £1 each per day; Murphy & White obtained £3 per man per week.
    SMYTHESDALE CONSOLS Co.
    ESPERANZA Co. - from December 1879
    11.12.1875: operations begin on Monday.
    08.01.1876: cleaned up old drive at the 100 foot level; cross cutting to old Chinaman's workings, which were swamped out and abandoned some time ago.
    02.02.1876: purchased whim and horse, carting and re-erecting to cost £51 18s 6d; found the workings of the old Atlantic Co. which were completely filled; cleaned out drive and running south for 94 feet; put in drive to Chinaman's old workings found a lode that looks payable; machinery for crushing obtained; a Chinaman who worked at the mine provided some information about the workings.
    12.02.1876: lay-off completed; windlass erected; beginning winze in the first shift today.
    11.03.1876: trial crushing at the Canadian Battery, Ballarat; gave 2 ozs 15 dwt 6 gr from the boxes 6 dwt from the blanketings from 15 tons of stone; working halted pending the registration and issue of script; when work begins intend to sink 40 to 50 feet; and test the lode at that level.
    10.06.1876: purchased the crushing plant of the Duke of Edinburgh Co., Steiglitz; tenders being invited to remove and re-erect; ceased driving and just keeping the water down.
    06.1876: an old reef, occupied many years ago, has been taken up again.
    17.06.1876: accepted tender of £350 to dismantle, move, and reassemble the plant.
    08.07.1876: a total of six wagon loads of plant have been delivered to the site and boxes and stamp heads have been ordered from the Black Hill Foundry.
    29.07.1876: engine on bed logs; boiler in place; carpenters to commence buildings; open cutting for dam finished; tunnel in 30 feet.
    05.08.1876: machinery being erected; tunnel driven 89 feet this week; water in shaft decreasing; considering the purchase of a winding engine.
    19.08.1876: housing nearly finished, buildings roofed, two stamper boxes in place, brick layers making good progress with stack, contractor sinking pump shaft.
    26.08.1876: battery completed, roof almost complete; brick stack is 20 foot high; pump shaft is down 36 feet; embankment of dam is finished; tunnel was driven 55 feet for the week.
    02.09.1876: new stamp shoes and false bottoms delivered on to the claim; called tenders for removal and re-erection of winding plant.
    09.09.1876: contract for removal and re-erection of winding plant let to Mr. Wm. Godbold for £140 10s; tunnel to pump shaft almost complete.
    27.09.1876: superb dam and water right purchased and dam enlarged; purchased winding plant of the Kitty Consols Co. from Messrs Campbell Pawsey & Co.; also supplying a 14 inch engine by Rankin.
    09.1876: made good progress in erecting machinery and other preparatory works [1.784]
    11.10.1876: poppet legs were being removed from the Golden Gate Co. shaft when the rope lowering the legs broke splintering them.
    21.10.1876: masonry work for winding engine and boiler and stack complete; poppet legs being fixed.
    11.11.1876: new winding plant finished, all machinery running well; flat sheets and other necessities below ground and shaft skidded; mining operations have resumed.
    25.11.1876: completed skidding shaft; cleaned drive at 150 foot level done repairs to timbering of drives; started three shifts of men; will clean out and repair winze t 100 foot level to connect the two levels and provide ventilation.
    23.12.1876: south drive at 150 foot level extended to 300 foot; winze from 150 foot stopped because of bad air; battery cleaned up 50 ozs 1 dwt from 320 tons.
    12.1876: trial crushing produced 50 ozs 1 dwt and is regarded as satisfactory.
    03.1877: yield for the quarter 186 ozs.
    06.1877: yield for the quarter 206 ozs 10 dwt.32
    09.1877: yield for the quarter 288 ozs 8 dwt.32
    12.1877: yield for the quarter 197 ozs.
    03.1878: yield for the quarter 132 ozs
    06.1878: yield for the quarter 258 ozs.34
    09.1878: yield for the quarter 272 ozs.34
    12.1878: yield for the quarter 258 ozs 12 dwt; worked with a slight profit but the yield per ton is small.
    09.1879: yield for the quarter 61 ozs.
    01.1876 to 09.1879: recorded production of 1992 ozs 17 dwt 8 gr from 18,952 tons (or 61.986 kg from 19,255 tonnes).
    (new company - Esperanza Co.)
    12.1879:reorganised; large proportion of the shares are owned by Ballarat investors; propose to proceed with shaft sinking at once.
    03.1880: sinking their shaft prior to opening out at a deeper level.
    09.1880: still driving; may be reaching their goal.39
    12.1881: operations have ceased after 6 years and before the ground could be adequately tried.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    SMYTHESDALE CONSOLS CO GERMAN REEF - Heritage Inventory Description

    An 11 fingered mullock heap covering an area 65m long by 50m wide and up to 2.5m high. There is no depression to pinpoint the location of the shaft. The battery was apparently located in the cleared paddock east of the mullock heap. A number of rural residential residences surround this site and there are no other mining features at the site.

    Heritage Inventory Significance: Local

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