Trevor Article

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF MINING IN PNG Trevor Neale Melanesian Resources Papua New Guineans have been mining GERMAN A and manufacturing stone implements, E NEW GUINEA Rabaul N harvesting oil seeps and using clay for I pottery for about 40,000 years, however U G metals never became part of the W indigenous culture. The first reported E N traces of gold were from pottery collected in Redscar Bay to the west of H C Port Moresby in 1852. An expedition T to find the source of this gold in 1855 U D failed when the ship carrying the prospectors was wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast. BRITISH NEW GUINEA Samarai The 1800s was a period of rapid colonial expansion by European powers and in the Pacific this mainly involved Early colonies - circa 1885 Britain, Germany and France with the Netherlands active in southern Asia. In annexation of the remaining southern mining industry. It was the hope of 1828, fearing British intentions, the half of the island as the British discovering riches in unexplored lands western half of the island of New Protectorate of New Guinea (British that "opened up" much of the land Guinea (west of 141˚ longitude) was New Guinea). The boundary between interior. The miners and missionaries claimed by the Governor of the the two possessions was finalised in often went first and the administration Maluccas, Pieter Merkus, for the April 1885. and development followed. PNG has Netherlands (Dutch New Guinea). In suffered the same "boom and bust" The British proclamation contained an 1875, the Netherlands Government times in mining as experienced by many interesting statement "that all purchase defined its 1828 claim by fixing 140˚ other countries. There have been of land from the natives by white men is 47’ east as its eastern boundary. periods of intense activity, driven by the absolutely prohibited". This was to hope of striking it rich in new lands and Various proclamations by British have a long lasting impact on the by changing commodity prices, officers taking possession of the eastern development of the colony and followed by periods of little or no portion of New Guinea (Lieutenant ultimately on the Independent State of activity. The various phases of mining C.B. Yule, at Cape Possession in 1846 Papua New Guinea. This was, in fact, development, which have occurred and Captain Moresby at Hayter Island recognition of the indigenous land during the past 120 years, are outlined in 1873) were not acknowledged by the rights of the inhabitants of the below. British Government. A claim in 1880 possession and PNG remains almost by the Marquis de Rays to the whole of unique in the developing world in that Pre-Colonisation New Guinea and adjacent islands its indigenous people retain ownership Several expeditions occurred prior to outside the Dutch possession for his free of 97% of their original land. The other colonisation. The most notable was a colony of Nouvelle France received no 3% is owned by the State. This simple rush in 1878 to the Laloki River near international recognition. In 1883, statement in 1884 set the underlying Port Moresby following the discovery of Queensland, then a British colony, premise for the drafting of all laws in the flakes of gold by Andrew Goldie, a attempted to secure the territory of New country, including laws relating to storekeeper and trader of Port Moresby. Guinea outside the Dutch possession by resources. The recognition of The rush soon failed due to the lack of proclaiming British sovereignty over the indigenous land rights in German New gold and many of the miners died of land between 141˚ and 155˚. This Guinea was introduced by the malaria. In 1876 Luigi d’Albertis, action was repudiated by the British Australian administration in 1921 when together with aviation pioneer Lawrence Government. the former German colony became a Mandated Territory under the League of Hargraves, navigated up the Fly River in During 1884, Germany annexed the Nations after the First World War. a steam launch and found a speck of northern half of the eastern side of the gold and a specimen of copper at the island (German New Guinea) and this The development of PNG as a nation is upper most point of their expedition in was quickly followed by Britain’s closely tied to the development of the the lower Ok Tedi River above its 1 confluence with the Fly River (D’Albertis junction) about 90km directly south of the present day Ok GERMAN Tedi mine. NEW GUINEA Rabaul A 1887 to 1914 E N I Most of the mining activity during this U G FLY RIVER 1894 period was in British New Guinea later W RAMU 1898 E N renamed Papua, as the British, then H C 1910 Australian administration from 1905, T U WARIA 1900 saw gold mining as a valuable source of D LAKEKAMU GIRA 1898 revenue. The German administration 1909 WOODLARK 1898 (Neuguinea-Kompagnie) in German YODDA New Guinea was more focused on ASTROLABE 1906 1900 BRITISH MILNE BAY MISIMA 1889 commercial agriculture and scientific NEW GUINEA KEVERI Samarai 1899 1904 endeavours than prospecting and as a (PAPUA after 1905) FROM PALMER GOLDFIELD SUDEST 1888 result, there was little mining activity. Pre-World War I discoveries The first significant gold discovery in Papua was made on Sudest Island, from those times is still told in the area these alluvial gold rushes as short term Milne Bay in 1888 by David Whyte today. "We eat boots". The local people and transient and sought to develop a who returned to Cooktown in North were not aware that a man’s shoes were more permanent industry. Queensland with over 142oz. Gold on not part of his body and they smoked the Palmer goldfield to the west of and cooked his boots until they In 1893, the Caledonian reef was found Cooktown was getting hard to find and consumed them. at the western end of Sudest Island but a rush to Sudest soon followed with 200 was soon abandoned. In the same year miners on the field by end of 1888 and As the fields became worked out or gold the Mt Adelaide lode was discovered in 400 a year later. The gold on Sudest was became difficult to find, the miners the centre of the island and by 1896 the easily won by ground sluicing however continued their search westward. Often British New Guinea Gold Pty Ltd had this required permanent supplies of syndicates, funded by local commenced development of the first water. The distinct wet and dry season businessmen, would undertake underground mining operation and on the island soon caused miners to seek expeditions into unexplored lands. installed a 10 head stamp battery. Ore riches elsewhere. Other times, well-off miners would crushing commenced in September sneak off to find a new field for William McGregor (later Sir William), 1897 however a cyclone in April 1899 themselves. At this time, the the British Administrator, used HMS caused permanent closure of the administration offered reward claims for Swinger to transport miners wanting to operations. the discovery of new fields and this was prospect on nearby islands and by 1889 an important incentive for miners and The hardrock source for the alluvial gold had been found on Misima. In financiers alike. gold on Misima (Umuna Lode) was 1895, when word reached the miners on found in 1904 and a succession of Misima Island that Lobb and Ede, The westward exploration found the syndicates and companies attempted traders and prospectors, had won a ‘half Keveri goldfield in 1904 but this field mining of the lode but only a few of billy can’ of gold from a creek on proved to be small. The Astrolabe them were financially successful. Woodlark Island another gold rush mineral field (copper) was found in Between 1910 and 1912, St Aignan ensued. The Murua goldfield was 1906 and by 1909 the Lakekamu Mining Company operated a declared that year and by 1897, 400 goldfield had been found to the west of cynanidation plant. Pacific Island miners were working, but that number Port Moresby. The Lakekamu was the Mines installed an eight mile railway soon dwindled to 160 by 1898 as the first major find since the Gira and a easy, shallow gold was worked out and major rush followed. Dysentery and line at the cost of £30,000 and in 1917, malaria took its toll. malaria killed many but the field was Block 10 Misima Gold Mines owned by able to support a considerable number BHP took over the operations and The miners then moved from the of miners even though the supply line continued until 1921 when it closed islands to the mainland and began to was long and the costs were high. The and laid off 40 whites and 400 national prospect the Papuan peninsular. By first engagement between Australians labourers. This was the only operation 1900, the Mambare, Gira, Yodda and and the Germans after the outbreak of to continue after the commencement of Papua Waria fields had been discovered. World War 1 occurred near the World War 1. The Gira field was the site of intense British/German border on the conflict between the miners and the Lakekamu field. By the early 1900s, underground local people and many miners were operations had also commenced on killed (and eaten). One famous story The administration in Papua viewed Woodlark Island (Kulumadau, followed 2 by Boniavat and Busai) and at Laloki and Dubuna for copper on the TABAR Astrolabe mineral field. MANDATED TERRITORY OF In German New Guinea, Earnest A SEPIK NEW GUINEA Rabaul Tappenbeck discovered gold in the E N 1937 I lower Ramu River in 1898 and a U PORGERA G German syndicate worked gold in the 1938 W Waria River from 1901 to 1904.

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