Mineral Statistics of Victoria
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1,878. VICTORIA. MINERAL STATISTICS OF VICTORIA , FOR TllE YELl!. 18 7 7 . • PJtESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY'S COMMAND. iSl aut~Otitl: JOHN }'ERRES, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MELllOUI!NE. No.8. I ., , ;1, APPltOXDlATE COST OJ!' PAYER. £ S, d. 35 0 0 Preparation 122 0 0 Printing (1,515 copies) £157 0 0 ____________________.......~..........2............... CONTENTS.' . PAGli: MEMORANDUll . 5 MINERAL STATISTICS, 1877 7 GOLD 7 Particulars respecting Pyrites Works in Victoria in IS77 .. 9 :METALS AND MINEMLS OTHER 'THAN GOLD'" .... " 14 Number of'MiJi'(mi employedi~ Mining 'for Metals 'and Miner&ls other'tban'Gold :.: . ~",,, ..... 15 Number of Smelting Works in 'Victoria in 1877 ' ... 15 Nuinber of Miners employed in the seveialMiliing Di~t~fct'sltof"eachQua.i:ter;'du'rin'gtlie'·Ye'ar 1877-Summary 18 , ,/., .... ":" , .,;, .... "'" "the 'Quarter ended 31st December 1'877 18 , • .".,:Mining' District of Ballarat ' .. , ., ':: '. " , .. , ';r lS" " "Beecbwortb' " ' " 19 Sandburst' 19 " ';'f'" " Maryborough " 19 " " " . Castlemaine .. 20 " , ( " " ".. Ararat " 20 " "Gippsland'" . " . 20 Number orI\bchines employed in'Alluvial'and Quartz 1\1ining in tb'ifseveral"'Miniri~"'Districts'du;'iDg t1ie Qiiarter ended 31st December 1S77-,-Suminary •.'; ••• ••• " 21 Number of Machines employed ill Alluvial and Qllartz Minin'g in the,;.;.,. Mining District of Ballarat during the Quarter ended 31st'Decemoer IS77 .•. 22 Beechwortb 22 " " "Sandhurst " 23 " Maryborough .. " 23 Castlemaine " " 24 " Ararat " " " 24 "~ Gippsland" " 25 Number of distinct Quartz Reefs actually proved to be Auriferous. and the' Totai Extent in Square Miles of Auriferous Alluvial and Quartz'Ground actually worked upon, in the several Mining'Districts-'-Summary. ••• . 25 Number of distinct Quartz Reefs actually proved tl) be Auriferous, and the Total Extent in Square Mires of Auriferous Alluvial and Quartz Ground actually worked' UPOIl, in the several Divisions and Subdivisions of each Mining District 25 Average Yieln of Gold from certain parcels of Quartz crushed in 1877 in the several Mining Districts-Summary 26 Average Yield of Gold from certain parcels of Quar.tz crushed in 1877, in the 'several Divisions and Subdivisions of each Mining District 27 Average Yield of Gold from certain parcels of Quartz 'railings, Mullock, &c., crushed in 1877 in the'scveral lInning Districts-Summary 2 Average Yield of Gold from certain parcels of Quartz Tailings, Mullock, &c., crushed in 1877 in tbe several Divisions and Subdivisions of each Mining District .•. 28 Average Yield of Gold· from certain parcels of Pyrites and llIanketings operated on in 1877 in the'several'Mining Districts-Summary 29 Average Yield of Gold from certain parcels of Pyrites and llIanketings operated on in 1877 in the several Divisions and . Subdivisions of each Mining District .. 30 Average Yield of Gold from certain parcels of Wllshdirt puddled and sluiced!n 1877 in the several Mining Districts Summary 31 :Average Yield of Gold from certain parcels of Washdirt puddled"and sluiced in "1877 in the several Divisions and Subdivisions of each Mining District •.. 31 Average Yield of Gold from certain parcels of Cement crushed in 1877 in the several Mining DistrictS-Summary 32 Average Yield of Gold from certain parcels of Cement erushed in 1S77 in the several Divisions and Subdivisions of each Mining District 33 Prices charged per ton for crushing Quartz and Cement in the several Mining Districts during the Quarter ended 31st December 1877 34 Price of Gold per ounce in the several Mining Districts during the Quart&r ended 31st December 1877 34 Return of the Quantity of Gold Exported during the Year IS77 ... 34 Return showing approximately the Gold obtained from Quartz Veins and Alluvial Workings during the Year 1877 34 Return of Victorian Gold received at the Melbourne Branch of the Royal Mint in 1877. 34 !teturn of the Number of Gold-Mining Leases!n force on 31st December IBn, and the Extent of Ground Leased 35 Return of the Number of Gold,l\1ining Leases issued in the Year 1877, and the Extent of Ground,Leased 35 Return of the Area of Land held as Claims under the District Bye.laws, and of Land pl'otect~d by Registration or by Exemption Certificates in the several ,Mining Diiltricts, on 31st December 1877-Summary 35 • ~ . ."!. .:< ,' :o'. ,.. ,.:,. .' ,;' I.: f .,., ' ...., . " t ,,' ",r, "1" " • .- • MINERAL STATISTIOS", 1877...: The present report ,bears satisfactorytestimonycto:::the, careL iWitk w.hich the officers of the 'Department have' performed the work of ',coHecting,,'compiling; and 'collating statistical and other information~respecting. mining operations' during the year. t ,": rl '1. To mine owners,: mine managers, managers'of balllks;,and-~others;·,the,Depart;. ment acknowledges its indebtedness, and thanks them for the assistance and information they have given. The returns for the year show'that 965,573 tons 15 cwt. 'of quartz have been 'raised. ,This amount is less by 46,234 tons 9 cwt. than the quantity raised during 1876. But little difficulty exists in checking the estimated yield of gold from quartz mining, as reluctance on th~ part of mine owners .to reveal the results of their crushing opemtions is seldom shown, and hence the totals of the yield of gold from. quartz, quartz tailings, and pyrites treated,·:added. together, closely approximate to the estimated ,total yield. ·So far,· however, .as..regards ,allu:vial,.mining,·the· estimated--yield, must :remain with9ut a confirming.~heckmntil a greater, number ofpersons superintending this branch of mi~ing ,keep records:of the amount of ..washdirt~and1cement,operatedon,', , The estimates of .gold raised. in Victoriaduring,the\ past,six:years are respec tively as follow : - 1872. 1873. 1874. 1875. 1876. 1877. --,---, ozs. dwts, ozs. dwts. ozs. dwts. ozs. dwts.grs. ozs. dwts.grs. ozs. dwts. grs. Exported, according to returns furnished by the Hon. the Com missioner of Trade and Customs 1,160,554 19 1,115,987 14 904,11;4 ·0 709,934 18 0 506,345 6 0 508,693 2 0 Received at the Melbourne branch of the Royal Miut ••It' ... 121,965 17 125,217 4 251,817 19 385,852· 30 427,878 16 0 290,919 17 0 Raised, according to estimates made by the Mining Registrars' 1,331,377 18 1,1,70,397 12 1,097,644, 0 1,068,418' , °0 963,760 0 0 809,653 416 Purchased, according to returns , " made by managers of banks and , others ... .. ... 1;218,094 ,9 1,162,492 14 1,105,115 0 1,077,276 5 5, 949,468 12 17 790,147 810 The estinlated yield of gold f01'"the 'past~year-,.is 154,1070zs.· .less, than:~the quantity obtained during 1876. Refen·illg to the returns ofgold exported} it should be noted that as the balances ofgold held by the banks vary at the, close qf each year, so do the returns of gold €xported differ from the produce for each year., '. The estimated yields of ,gold from allllvial',and fi'om quartimioes} since the year 1867, as prepared by the Mining Registrars, are given below :--' AllUvial. Quartz. 02>9. ozs. In 1868 1,087,502 597,416 1869 934,082 '. ~ '.i•• 610,674 ,1870, ,718,729 ' 585,575 , " 1871 698,190 _", ••• 670,752 1872 639,551 691,826 1873 504,250 666,147 ,1874 '."" ...; 433,283 I ••• 664,360 1875 426,61,1 ,~ tl ... 641,806 1876 357,901, 605,859 1877 289,754 5 Hl,899 , Th~,foregoj.ng ,figp,res shQwa steady. annual. decrease since ·1868. in .the amount of gold ob~a\n~dfr,qm ~lluv~l depositR;, thedecrease.is, 7.91,7:48.,Qzs. This reduction 8 in the yield is owing to the gradual and inevitable exhaustion of the auriferous drifts of the earlier discovered' goldfields" and to the 'non-discovery in l~ter' years of mining areas of sufficient extent and richness to compensate for the diminished yields obtained from the older alluvial workings . •The yield of gold from quartz mines has 'not increased during the year; and is the smallest return recorded during the past ten years. , Yield of gold from quartz. 'The following statemen.t gives the yields of gold 'from certain parcels of quartz respecting which the Registrars have obtained information in the six years 1872' to 1877 :-, Year. Crushed or Treated. Produce. Average per Ton. " \ tons cwt. ozs. dwts. grs.-I ozs. dwts. gl'S. 1872 954,571 ' 2 568;381 17 14 i 0 11 21'81 1873 991,673 19 567,214 7 2 0 11 10'55 1874 967,069 9 ' 573,220 17 5 0 11 '20:5i ' ,1875 949,468 12 565,561 10 10 0, 11 ,21'92 1876 1,011,808 4 534,328 6 19 0 10 13'48 1877 ' ... ... 965,573 15 ' 453,372 19 . 9 0 9 9'31-5 . The past year gives the lowest average yieldper ton 'yet returned. The next minimum average yield recorded was that of 9 d,vts. 21'05 grs. in 1870. Yield of gold The followhig tabl~ shows the quantities of quartz tailings, mullock, &c., crushed from quartz tailings, mul. lock, &c. and treated, and the results obtained therefrom, during the last six years : I'Quartz Tailings, lIrullock, I Average per Ton. Year. &c., Crushed. , Produce. t.ons 'cwt. OZ8. ,dwts. grs. ozs. dwts. grs. 1872 67,182 15 8,972 14 23 0 2 16'll 1873 25,387 0 2,880 0 5 0 2 6'45 1874 69,439 0 6,866 11 10 0 1 23'46 1875 31,299 0 4,432 15 23 0 2 19'98 1876 34,628 7 3,281 10 22 0 1 21'49 1877 28,435 0 2,938 9 5 0 2' 1'60 Yield of gold The quantities of pyrites, blanketings, &c., treated during the past six years, from pyrites, &0.