History Totley Township

1 history

1.1 great extended mine
1.2 king s new mill , tramway
1.3 great extended mill

history
great extended mine

ravenswood struggled maintain status important gold producer during 1870s in 1880, silver-lead discovery @ totley, 2 km ravenswood led renewed prosperity.

richard king developed first silver mine during 1881 , 1882, realized needed more capital exploit mine. accordingly, launched ravenswood silver mining company limited, £60,000 in £1 shares, in sydney in june 1882 , installed new plant , surface buildings. activity sparked small rush silver properties , end of 1883 there rival companies on adjacent leases trying intersect lode @ deep levels.

the great extended ravenswood mining company spent on £2,000 on surface plant (headframe, winding gear , 2 engines), , shaft sunk 209m on vertical , further 30.5m on underlie once lode intersected. although 1 assay of 5,000 ozs of silver ton, results disappointing compared adjacent king s mine.

there fatality (alfred cook) in mine in 1886 , mine manager (frederick wolff) fined after admitting brace faulty.

the great extended company, strong financial backing, sustained more hope metal returns. indeed, rich 1885 assay influenced wanton expenditure on elaborate treatment plant costing £11,500, though 1888, when mine s treatment works completed, amount of driving , stoping after shaft had cut lode, minimal , 2,000 tons had been stacked.

operations @ mine ceased in 1890, due speculative investment, led over-capitalisation, rather because of falling silver prices, had been sliding since 1886, or loss of silver consignment on ill-fated rms quetta.

in 1947 percy kean jnr. commissioned mining engineer, archibald woodville wilson report on prospects king s freehold , m.l. 363 included great extended shaft. wilson reported great extended shaft had proved large lode formation 180m 206m vertical depth, 1.5m 3.6m in width phenomenally high metal values @ 198m depth. kean decided go ahead development , purchased mining plant @ louisa mine, near maytown, on palmer river goldfields. 1949 had erected steel headframe, recollared shaft , installed vickers generator , 220 h.p. man diesel engine louisa, , new winding engine. attempts dewater mine unsuccessful pumped out nearby king s mine.

in 1952, thomas heywood connah, government geologist, recommended further investigation of front portion of lode , kean renewed equipment , continued mining. market depressed in 1953, kean decided abandon both mines. kean s enterprise had produced 3,034 ozs of silver, 20 tons of lead , less 100 tons of zinc concentrates.

kean sublet great extended lease sydney company, silver horizons no liability in 1964. employed 9 men dewater mine , clean out stopes before mining poor assay results discouraged further work , withdrew. mine has been abandoned since, although of machinery remains on site.

king s new mill , tramway

richard king, realizing needed capital further develop mine, launched ravenswood silver mining company limited £60,000 capital in june 1882. treatment works erected 1883 , consisted of hope s stone breaker, set of 75 cm rolls, hancock jig, 35 cm raff wheel, pulleys , trommels; , workforce doubled 46 men. in 1883, 371 tons of high grade ore valued @ £11,872 exported. in 1884, despatch railway of 853 tons of concentrate valued @ £19,566 reflected increased productivity. in 1885, despite temporary suspension of operations due drought, 866 tons of concentrate valued @ £21,568 dispatched. in 1886, 743 tons valued @ £19,036 exported , in 1887, output 899 tons valued @ £20,632.

the township of totley surveyed in 1886 , king family dominated lives of residents: richard managing director of ravenswood silver mining company; edward mine manager; william owned boarding house , store; , george ran brickworks. on half streets of township named after king family members.

following favourable official assessments of ore potential in king s freehold, melbourne syndicate bought ravenswood silver mining company , refloated it, under same name, on english market. on 30,000 tons of tailings in dumps, new company proposed elaborate treatment plant housed in brick building on 1 mile creek, connected endless chain tramway mine, @ cost of £15,000.

the mill completed in 1889 , equipped sandycroft , company, of chester u.k., 3 engines aggregating 54 h.p., cornish boilers, piston jiggers, stone breakers, 2 pairs of rollers, 2 raff wheels , elevators, classifier, 3 sluices, 6 4.9m borleas round buddles, picking tables, 3 frue vanners , separator. richard king remained director of company , edward king mine manager. when operations resumed in 1890, mill ran briefly yielding 274 tons of concentrate valued @ £6,411. after closed permanently , king s mine let tributors closed @ end of 1891 when company abandoned leases.

in 1924 percy kean snr. acquired king s freehold , commenced dewatering king s shaft task proved machinery , finances. after world war 2, king s freehold , m.l.363, included neighbouring great extended shaft, taken on percy kean jnr., decided recommence operations. water inflow again problem , kean decided pump out king s shaft. in 1951 kean raised 50 tons of galena king s mine , rather re-equip king s mill had ore processed @ partridge s mill on elphinstone creek. however, falling prices, kean decided in 1953 abandon both mines.

great extended mill

the great extended mill developed in conjunction great extended mine. rich assay in 1885 influenced £11,500 expenditure on elaborate treatment plant completed in 1888. consisted of 3 54 h.p. steam engines, 6 jordan , cummins patent jiggers, black , marsden stone breaker, winding , pumping gear, 6 revolving screens, 2 linkenbach round buddles, classifier, elevators, picking tables, grizzly , spitzcasten.

the works located on 1 mile creek, 200m downstream king s new mill. schemes proposed connecting mill great extended mine wire tramway , constructing pumping engine @ rocky point on elphinstone creek underground pipes reservoir ensure sufficient water supply mill. however, apart trial runs, works never treated single ton of ore export , sold mount albion silver mining company, operating @ montalbion near irvinebank, , dismantled @ end of 1891.