NORTH MINE CEASES OPERATIONS AFTER 110 YEARS
On Thursday, February 11, 1993, the North Mine effectively ceased operations after 110 years resulting in the retrenchment of 500 employees.
BLOCK 17 SAW THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL
The North Mine had its nucleus in Block 17, which was pegged out by Julius Nickel (Thackaringa fame) and James Anderson on December 22, 1883, and named by then the Cosmopolitan. In 1885 the lease was acquired for 15,000 pounds by a Melbourne syndicate which formed the Broken Hill North Silver Co. Limited. They were difficult times. A new company was registered to work the lease (1888), but it went into voluntary liquidation in the mid nineties (and was sold for 1,750 pounds). There were minor changes of name, but was known simply as the North The shareholders did not see a dividend until 1899, and then from 1901 to 1904 operations ceased because of a downturn in the economic cycle. The year 1904 also saw the fortunate acquisition of the Victorian Cross lease (immediately to the north of Block 17), which was subsequently found to contain a larger, richer ore deposit than the original lease.
Other purchases over the years included the British (1923), the Junction (1929), Junction North (1931) and Block 14 (1942). Except for Junction North, these blocks were transferred to the ailing Broken Hill South Company in 1962, and subsequently to Mineral, Mining and Metallurgy in 1972. As the focus of mining moved North to follow the plunging lode, new shafts were needed, No 1 shaft was started in 1905, No 2 in 1928 and No 3 (an elliptical shaft) was commenced in 1947. By 1962 it had reached a depth of 1,300 metres. Between 1966 and 1972, it was deepened to 1,600 metres.
The Fitzpatrick Lode-2 million tonnes of high grade ore was discovered in 1975. Because of its depth, and its distance from the older workings, an internal shaft was called for, reaching from the 32 level to the 36 level. In 1989, work was started on an extension of the internal shaft to the 40 level. By this time a new company, Pasminco, had been formed to merge the lead/zinc interests of North Broken Hill Peko Limited and CRA. Since 1989 the southern and northern activities have been managed as one operation.
Throughout its life, the North mine has been responsible for the following production:
Underground: 31.91 million tonnes of ore.
Open Pit: 2.38 million tonnes.
Total: 34.29 million tonnes.
Fatalities recorded at the North Mine from 1891 to 1993 totalled 103.
HISTORICAL EVENTS SOUTH MINE
1884: Blocks 5, 6, 7 and 8 to the south of the main leases were pegged on August 7 by William George and Charles Maiden.
1885: The Broken Hill South Silver Mining Co. Ltd was formed to work block 7 and 8 and mining commenced in 1888.
1891: A substantial deposit of high grade ore was encountered and a concentrating mill was erected. A lead smelting plant was also built on the South Mine Lease and operated for three years. The South Mine encountered the sulphide problem, early in its history and as results, did not pay a dividend until 1897.
1918: Broken Hill South Ltd was formed and quickly became one of the progressive companies at Broken Hill.
1932: South Mine erected Broken Hill's first steel headframe and modern crushing and concentrating plant in steel and concrete. The smaller Oregon headframe was erected in 1919 at No 4 shaft and the original small electric winding engine survives in a timber and iron building adjacent to the shaft. .
1940: The Central Mine Leases were acquired. Three years later, four of the original Broken Hill Leases (No. 10, 11, 12 and 13) were also taken over following the surrender of the properties by BHP Company.
1962: The British, Junction and Block 14 mines were acquired.
The South Mine closed on July 7, 1972, and all leases were purchased by Minerals Mining and Metallurgy (MMM). The mine produced about 20 million tons of ore valued at 300 million pounds and paid 65 million pounds in dividends.
Series Of Tragedies Dog The Life Of Broken Hill South
1895 July 18 Worst mine disaster occurred when a gigantic fall of earth took place on the 400 ft level killing nine men.
1901 May 24 The second mass disaster to occur at the South Mine took the lives of six men. Several men had been timbering up the ground on the 500 ft level - below the scene of the 1895 tragedy. Without warning, the whole stope collapsed with a mighty crash. Six were immediately buried under tons of ore and mullock.
1939 June 16 Four men were killed on the South Mine, 900 level, by a fall of ground.
July 30, 1919 A mysterious fire broke out in the South Mine mill resulting in the destruction of the surface buildings and the main shaft headframe, the damage being estimated at 100, 000 pounds.
From 1887 to 1972 there was an estimate of 129 fatalities recorded at the South Mine.
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