Mayflower Gold Mine (The Murchison; Alicia), East Magnet Goldfield, Mount Magnet, Mount Magnet Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Mayflower Gold Mine (The Murchison; Alicia)	Mine
East Magnet Goldfield	Ore Field
Mount Magnet	Mountain
Mount Magnet Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Located about 3 kilometres north-east of Mount Magnet. Sometime between 2003 and 2007, Harmony Gold NL developed a small open pit at the site, now abandoned, which destroyed the historic workings. The mine historically was most active between 1895 to 1898, then fell into a substantial decline over the following 10 years. The gold mine contained a number of neighbouring leases, the numbers for which changed over the years. Total production to 1933 was 732 tonnes at 777 oz.

The earliest reports found was 1895 and early 1896 when it is said the mine was being tested, indicating it was in a development/prospecting stage. Fenn and Hardy (surnames) purchased the mine for the substantial sum at the time of 3000 pounds in September 1895, as an Adelaide syndicate. The purchase arrangement stretched until the final payment in July 1896. The mine was floated as the Mayflower Gold Mine Ltd in London in October 1896.

There were two lodes, striking north-east to south-west, and dipping south-east on leases totalling 21 acres. In January 1897, the workings were described as a 2 oz reef at the south end with driving at the water table on a reef of coarse and fine gold, several feet wide. At the north end work was on a 8 foot wide reef at 30 feet from the surface. At the surface the reef showed as capping on a ridge, with quartz leaders to 18 inches wide. One shaft went down to 300 feet, then further east another shaft to 150 feet, to the north-west an open pit, and yet another shaft to 200 feet.

A 10 head battery was on site by March 1898, with 2 Cornish boilers, winding engine, double combined friction drum, pumps, 45 foot high poppet and tramway to the battery. The mine generally produced low individual tonnages up to 100, while the larger mines on the west side of town was achieving 5 to 10 times the amount. The mine was being operated during its golden years by the Mayflower Gold Mining Company Ltd, a British concern. An excemption was applied for in April 1897 to concentrate mining on the southern leases.

There was some criticism the Mayflower Gold Mining Company Ltd was selectively releasing crushing reports, implying it was only notifying the public of the good ones. It was suggested because the gold was running out. This was born out late 1898 when the bailiff moved in after court action to sell the leases, mines and machinery at public auction. Kennedy Jones brought action against the company in this manner over GML 211; F.A. Thomas over lease 9 and 211 southern leases; Young and Jones (surnames) over leases 209 and 211, all at the same time. This effectively ended the main mining period for the Mayflower, with subsequent revolving ownership, and little in tonnage, and gold produced.

R.F. Jones, Mervyn Thomson and Thomas Attwood took over, worked the mine for eighteen months, and attempted the float the mine as a company in England in July 1899 without success. Some plant and machinery from the main mine was sold in April 1899 to the Long Reef lease. They then tried selling the mine in late 1899. The field was dying, and no new leases were taken up in the East Magnet Goldfield across 1899. With no takers the lease was forfeited, and William McConnell took up the claim.

Possibly to distance itself from the Mayflower name, (which must have had a bad name around town after not paying its bills), the mine name was changed to The Murchison. Everyone still called it the Mayflower. Some small tonnages was sent to the Primrose battery in 1900. At the end of April 1901 the mine was placed up for public auction (GML 448). It had produced 482 tonnes for 504 oz for this period it is claimed (?). McConnell was said to be selling as he was leaving the district, maybe unfairly, to avoid being found by the new owners when they discovered there was no gold in the mine.

The advertisements for the auction states the mine is in 'splendid' working order, and near a battery (probably on the Primrose lease), equipped with windlasses, ropes, a blacksmith shop, a horse, dray, harnesses, 30 tonnes of ore at grass, Mr McConnells 4 room house with contents, saddle, bicycle, 5 x 100 gallon water tanks, 24 chickens, and 9 goats. These were possible replacements for 6 goats lost by Jones in July 1898- 2 white, 2 brown, 1 black and 1 black/white. A reward was offered. It is unclear if the mine was sold, but some tonnage is sent to the local battery in September that year.

John Woosnam took over the mine as GML 665 (ex GMl 448) in November 1902. He was the fifth of ten children from a family in Victoria. He later joined the 15th Light Horse Regiment for World War One, and served in Egypt, Palestine and Syria. He passed away, aged 87, in 1965 at Red Cliffs in Victoria.

There is crushing activity at the mine in 1906, but by whom is unknown. Black and Kingsley (surnames) owned the mine in 1911 as a combination of two leases totalling 24 acres. They had sunk a shaft down 60 feet, with a 12 foot drive, testing 10 dwt. They had called the mine the Alicia, but was still being referred by all as the old Mayflower. Later it was owned by The Mayflower Development Syndicate of T.G. Boyd and A.G. Simpson, who dissolved the partnership in May 1912. In 1915 the leases are again forfeited by an unknown owner. Several nuggets were discovered just north-west of the old mine in 1913 amd 1916. Andrew Charleson and Albert Phillip took over the lease in May 1917.

A report of mining was found in 1941, the mine owned by G. Webster and C. Vincent, of 4 and three quarter tonnes at 15 oz.

Northwest mining drilled the site in 1979, stating it had found a 20 metre gold mineralised
zone at 66 metres down, and was the precursor to Harmony Gold developing an small open pit at the site. The New Year Gift open pit is just north-west, and Primrose open pit just south-east of the Mayflower.

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References