tinpan
Silver Member
Hi all, Happy New Year. We had a few thunderstorms last nite, nothing like rain on a hot summers nite. I got late and decided to out to the local mine sites.I decided to work the tracks that the ore dray used to take ore to the nearest crushing batteries.Well i got about 7.1 grams in 3 hours. 
In the years of the first hard rock gold mines 1855-1867 most small claims and mines didn,t have the resources to crush the quartz and hard rock ore.The larger more rich claims and mines put in crushing batteries at great expence. To help reduce costs the larger claims would crush ore for the smaller claims at a price.Small % per ton.With only mine with cruchers per 50 mines and small claims the larger mines became quite rich. Mostly in the early days the ore was taken by open dray [wagon] to the crushers.There was no main road so the dray tracks were rough and bumpy and it was not uncommon for small pieces of ore to drop out.
because the dray tacks were made the most direct route to the batteries they often crossed on too other claims.The miners had little worry about passing wagons but objected to people who treid to pick ore drops on the track. Often a fight would break our between the claim holder and the dray drivers . So to speck sweep or remove ore became a offence under the Mining ACT.If one was caught doing as such would be arrested and locked up untill the country judge came to town.
Heres a few old pics of dray wagons from small claims to the middle size claims to the larger mines with crushing batteries and the site today.
tinpan
In the years of the first hard rock gold mines 1855-1867 most small claims and mines didn,t have the resources to crush the quartz and hard rock ore.The larger more rich claims and mines put in crushing batteries at great expence. To help reduce costs the larger claims would crush ore for the smaller claims at a price.Small % per ton.With only mine with cruchers per 50 mines and small claims the larger mines became quite rich. Mostly in the early days the ore was taken by open dray [wagon] to the crushers.There was no main road so the dray tracks were rough and bumpy and it was not uncommon for small pieces of ore to drop out.
because the dray tacks were made the most direct route to the batteries they often crossed on too other claims.The miners had little worry about passing wagons but objected to people who treid to pick ore drops on the track. Often a fight would break our between the claim holder and the dray drivers . So to speck sweep or remove ore became a offence under the Mining ACT.If one was caught doing as such would be arrested and locked up untill the country judge came to town.
Heres a few old pics of dray wagons from small claims to the middle size claims to the larger mines with crushing batteries and the site today.
tinpan
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Always enjoy your history lesson/finds. hikein(Korean)mts
