I remember once being told, "You'll notice most towns are built around a water supply". It's not a common case though out western NSW, places like Cobar, Parkes and Mount Boppy being built around minerals/mining.
Dubbo Dispatch, Friday, January 29th, 1897
BURRA BURRA COPPER MINE.
The property, which consists of two mineral leases,
contains an area of 80 acres, and is situated about
five miles from the Cobar Nyngan railway, the
nearest point travelling from Nyngan being Florida,
and from Cobar, Boppy Mount.
These leases have been held (says the "Cobar
Herald ) and worked with varied success by Nairn
and Moody for several years. Some good ship-
ments of copper have been made, and sufficient
work dune to prove the existence of large bodies of
rich ore.
Three shafts have been put down on the lode,
vix., 80ft, 100ft, and 70ft respectively, and a
crosscut between No. 1 and No. 2 shaft, all of
which carry payable ore.
An expensive 'stack' and reverberatory furnace
has been erected, and built with brick made on the
company's property, there being a splendid deposit
of pure, white pipeclay close to the works. Those
improvements are in good working order, smelting
operations having been carried out at the mine
during the past year. The last parcel of copper
bottoms wero consigned to Sydney in August last.
The Iate owners, however, have experienced great
difficulty in smelting the rich carbonate and grey
ores. The absence of practical men and the lack
of the necessary flukes[?], has resulted in a very large
percentage of the copper being lost in the slag.
This, coupled with the presenceuf water in the
workings (the only means of coping with the same
being with ordinary mine buckets) compelled the
owners to dispose of the property. Having, how-
ever, every confidence in the mine's future, they
accepted paid up shares, without any cash what-
ever, for their interest; and a chat with one of
them should satisfy any investor as to their honest
belief in the mine as a copper producer.
During the latter portion of the year just ended
a company of 50,000 shares was formed, consisting
of 25,000 fully paid up and 25,000 oontributing.
Before forming the company the brokers' expended
160 pound by employing a competent mine manager and
a party of ten miners to open up and test the mine,
during which time nearly 50 tons of rich copper ore
was raised, which is now at grass. The last assay,
made from tho deepest working, being— gold 3dwt
6grs per ton ; silver, 18dwt 8grs per ton ; copper,
47 99 per cent.
A very influential board of directors has been
elected by the shareholders, and are us follows :
William Trotter, Esq., of Messrs. Lark, Son, and
Co., Sydney; J. N. Walton, of Cobar ; T. E.
Forpthar, C. W. Moody, (one of the original
owners). ; and John Crow, all of Cobar.
The selection of Mr. J. N. Walton as chairman
of directors is sufficient gurantee that the interests
of the company will be looked after carefully and
the mine energetically developed.
The policy of the board we understand, is prior
to the erection of a water jacket furnace, to extend
drives both north and south from the different
levels along the lode, which up to the present has
not been driven on. As the whole of the drives, it
in anticipated, will be in good grade ore, a large
quantity will he raised to grass. besides opening up
the mine.
Smelting operations can be at once resumed with
the reverbatory furnace, there being a large
supply of wood cut and stacked at the mine with
that object in view.
A winding plant will be erected forthwith at the
mine, and the present appliance, "a whim,"
removed. This will greatly facilitate the raising
of ore and the general working of the mine.
Altogether the prospects of the Burra Burra
Copper Company are very good and at no distant
date the reports given by Mr. Slee, the Chief
Inspector of Mines, upon the property may be
verified, in which he says that " the Burra Burra
may yet rank as one of the greatest copper pro-
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