When I descended the 800-foot level the men who were there were taking their mid-day meal, most of them sitting down on the great stones. Their bright dinner cans, which contain three compartments, one for tea, one for bread and meat, and one for sweets, looked very clean and nice, while the many candles that lit up the otherwise gloomy cavern, the picks, shovels, and other mining implements lying about, helped to make up a characteristic scene of underground life.
The diamond drill was at work. It was wonderful to see how the diamond penetrated the hard rock, for the quartz must be nearly as hard as the diamonds are themselves. Mr. Hamilton gave me a piece of the core of the drill, which I shall place among my treasures from the mines. I peered down the 300 feet below where I was, as the mine went down to 1100 feet, but it was so dark and wet that I had no wish to descend any farther, so mounting the cage I again ascended, stopping at two of the other levels and climbing all around them, and seeing all the wonders beneath the earth, and collecting more specimens.
CHAPTER XVIII
The Ivanhoe—The Famous Stope—Climbing the Ladders—Boulder Perseverance—The Rock Drill—Down 500 Feet in a Bucket—Blasting the Rock—British Westralia Syndicate—Mr. Frank Gardner and our own Zeb. Lane—Kalgoorlie again—Wages on the Mines—Yield of the Goldfields.
The Ivanhoe Mine is quite close to the Great Boulder, and next morning I set out to take a look at that, although I must confess I was getting weary, having walked many miles underground in the last few days. However, I was determined to go over the 6 biggest mines of the field, so away I went. The manager received me in the kindest manner, and offered me his room to prepare in, and told everybody to do everything I wished, as he had important business at Lake View, and could not take me down himself. The important business afterwards turned out to be that he was taking over the charge of the Lake View Consols as well as the Ivanhoe. Accompanied by three gentlemen visitors and the underground manager, I descended the great Ivanhoe Mine. I had a particular wish to see an enormous stope, 1500 feet long, about which I had heard; so at the 600-foot level we got out and went along a long drive until we came to what looked like a hanging ladder. If I wanted to see the famous stope I had to mount this ladder. It was very narrow, and I felt rather dubious of my climbing powers; however, it was only about 60 feet high, so I ventured. I climbed up very carefully and got into the stope quite safely. After walking along for a few feet I found we had to bend down to get along; next we came to a small aperture through which we had to creep; then we could not walk any more, but had to go on our hands and knees, like our Darwinian ancestors. I had not bargained for this, but having come down below to go over the 1500-foot stope, I went on. So, gradually creeping and sometimes walking doubled up, we got to the end where the men were working. They all threw down their picks and spades and looked in amazement at me coming along that stope; they never did it. There was a ladder over 100-ft. long by which they went up and down to their work. I had been told about this ladder, but I felt afraid of the 100 feet ascent, and preferred walking, as I thought, through the stope. I must here explain that the stope was originally quite deep enough for any one to walk comfortably in, but after the lodes—mineral veins containing ore—have been taken out, the stopes are filled in with refuse tailings, which have been treated by cyanide, and later thrown out for refuse and used as filling-in stuff. Of this I had traversed 1500 feet, bumping my head innumerable times against the hanging wall. Oh! I was tired, and the worst of it was that I had to go back, or else go down in mid-air on a 100-foot ladder. After sitting on a boulder for a few minutes’ rest, and accepting many compliments from the miners about my courage, I decided to descend the ladder, which I did in fear and trembling, but got safely to the bottom, for which I felt duly thankful; and we went down to another level, and saw much more rich stone waiting to be taken up; then up to the 400-foot, where the sulpho-telluride ore, worth 10 ounces to the ton, was being taken out; then to the 200-foot level, where the rich oxidised ore is. There is a million’s worth of ore at sight here, and yet in the first year of the mine’s existence many shares were forfeited for non-payment of 6d. calls. The market value is now over £2,000,000; production of gold, 304,848 ounces.
Roll-up at the Boulder Perseverance Mine
After coming up from the Ivanhoe Mine, a telephone message was given me that the underground manager, Mr. Flynn was waiting at the Boulder Perseverance Mine to show me over that. So, hastily untying my horse, who had been taking his food under the shade of the offices of the Ivanhoe, I hurriedly drove over to the Boulder Perseverance, and after making a change in my toilet, such as was necessary, jumped into the cage and went swiftly down to the 300-foot level. Here we stopped and walked through the long drive to the stopes, where much richness was to be seen; it was a veritable jewellers’ warehouse. Mr. Flynn gave me a pick and told me I could knock out some sulphide ore for myself, which I did, and many beautiful specimens from this mine are in my collection. While here I heard a tremendous rumbling noise, and thought the mine was falling in. On inquiry I found that the miners were blasting rock 200 feet below us at the 500-foot level. I expressed a wish to go there, and Mr. Flynn said it would not be safe for half an hour, and then I should have to go down in a bucket, as the cage only went to the 300-foot level. After walking all over the stopes on this level we went up to the 200-foot level, and I saw all the wonderful oxidised ore. I learned much during my travels underground. Oxidised ore is always found on the top levels. At a depth of 300 feet the sulphide ore, which contains telluride, is reached.
Going through the various drives we often met miners walking along to different parts of the mine. We were all carrying candles, so could peer into each other’s faces, and the look of surprise on some of them at seeing a strange lady rambling about underground was quite amusing. Then we would come on a group of workmen at a stope; then sounds of the rock-drill would make me curious to go in its direction. The heat is fearful in places where the rock-drill is at work making holes for the dynamite charge which is to blast out tons of rock. The men were just going to begin a new hole, so I asked to be allowed to start it. The sensation was like an electric battery; I held the drill too tight, I suppose. However, I persevered for fully five minutes, and when we looked at the machine I was told I had drilled quite a quarter of an inch of rock, so I felt very proud, especially as they told me no lady had ever touched the rock-drills down here before.