Nil Desperandum Lead
Nil Desperandum Mine at Canadian Lead Was Something Unusual in the History of the Gulgong Goldfield
(extract from a Department book on the Magnetic prospecting of the Gulgong Deep Leads for gold in the district's early days).
The following notes on the White Horse claim are taken from records in the annual reports of the Mines Department.
1884 — "The White Horse claim has, since my last report, changed owners. Fortunately for the district it has fallen into the hands of those spirited and enterprising Victorian capitalists, Messrs. Brigham and Marshall. It still continues to yield its golden treasures. I have been informed that the present proprietors paid something like £1,800 for the mine. The sale was effected in July last, to the satisfaction of all parties concerned. Two months ago the old workings, showing every indication of subsiding, their able manager, Mr. Mattio Orlovich, very prudently withdrew the men engaged in the mine at the time and had the props burnt out. Of course, the ground fell in, and to a certain extent will be safe to work by the time the main shaft, now in course of construction, is completed. The new shaft, which is already in a forward state, will be carried down 240 feet; it is 10 x 4 in width, and is being planked with sawn timber as the work proceeds. The manager expects to resume operations about the latter end of March, probably before."
"The White Horse claim has already been a paying one; since it has fallen into the company's hands it has yielded 500 oz. The thickness of the payable wash tested by boring is 31 feet. How far it extends beyond that point time only will solve. The ground above the present workings has been worked from 40 to 50 feet, all wash. At the time the subsidence occurred forty men were at work. At present there are
only twenty men employed in sinking shafts and putting up machinery; wages £2/10/- per week; mechanics, from £3 to £4.
1885. — "The White Horse claim was purchased by Mr. Thompson from Brigham and Marshall and the name changed to Nil Desperandum."
"The mine is equipped with a 30 h.p. engine with 16-inch cylinder, 4 feet stroke and boiler. Twenty men are employed. Depth of shaft 200 feet. Eighty feet of solid rock had to be excavated before the wash was reached.
At the 200-feet level a main drive has been put in, which will extend probably some considerable distance. While this was being carried out a seam of wash-dirt was cut which is calculated will turn
out several thousands of loads of payable dirt."
1886. — "The Nil Desperandum Mine at the Canadian, formerly the White Horse Extended Claim, is now owned for the most part by Victorian shareholders. From a mining point of view this claim is a subject of importance and consideration, from being something unusual in the history of the goldfields.
The gold is disseminated through a tenacious clay called 'pug' by the miners, and found, not in water
channels, but in caverns in the limestone rock, which are of various dimensions and extend to unknown depths, the lowest reached being 200 feet, at which level a monkey shaft was put down to a further depth of 20 feet, through pug, and good prospects obtained. It is the intention of the company to sink to a depth of 300 feet, when they expect to reach the slate bottom, and anticipate that the limestone will be found to rest on gravel. Should these anticipations be realised, it is the opinion of persons qualified to judge, that a large area of auriferous country will be opened up, and so help to the revival of the mining industry of this portion of the goldfield. This mine has been in work since the discovery of this field,now about fifteen years ago, and has yielded large quantities of gold, in fact, several of the former proprietors have retired with moderate competencies from the dividends obtained. The mine was purchased by the present syndicate from the last party of miners who owned it, for the sum of £2,000.
1883 — "The Old White Horse claim on the Nil Desperandum has ceased working. This claim was worked for some time by a party of miners with very good results, who received from the late company the sum of £2,000 as the price of the mine. The company erected machinery, and have been working for the last three or four years, but have at last given it up in consequence of the difficulty and expense of sinking through the limestone. The machinery has been taken down and sold, the slabs drawn from the shaft, and the ground is now deserted — never, in all probability, to be worked again."
