Beria, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Beria is a abandoned town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia
, located 8 kilometres (5 mi) north of the Laverton on the Great Central Road
.
Initially the name of the town was gazetted in 1905 but later in 1936 a townsite was gazetted in the immediate area. The Indigenous Australian word for the area is Tinbeeringtharra but the name Beria, another Indigenous Australian word meaning large open field was suggested the surveyor John Rowe
as a more suitable alternative.
Gold
was discovered in the area just south of town by a prospector, John Lemon, in 1897. He named his mine Lancefield after his hometown in Victoria
. The manager of the Mount Malcolm mine at Murrin Murrin
, W.T. Horton, became interested in the find and formed a syndicate
in 1898. A battery
was erected close to the reef and production began in January 1899. In less than two years, the battery treated 16,000 tonnes of ore and recovered 7,200 ounces of gold. The Lancefield Gold mining Company, based in London
, took over the mine in 1904 with Herbert Hoover
as one of the directors. By 1905 the mine had produced 54,909 ounces of gold.
The mine then experienced problems when sulphide ores containing arsenic
and copper
were found and the entire plant had to be shut down and reorganised to a dry crushing and roasting plant. Huge boilers were installed to roast the ores that each required 2000 tonnes of wood to roast 7000 tonnes of ore.
A tramway was constructed between the mine and Laverton by the Kalgoorlie and Boulder Firewood company in 1908. The purpose was to deliver wood for the boilers from surrounding areas to feed the boilers.
The plant was in liquidation
by 1913 and was eventually bought in 1914 by the Kalgoorlie and Boulder Firewood company, who changed the name to the Beria Consuls Mines. The mine changed ownership again in 1915 to the Lancefield company, run by George Ridgeway. The tramway was no longer operating and was removed by 1916. The Lancefield company operated the mine until 1940. By the 1950s the mine had produced over 552,000 ounces of gold and 52,000 ounces of silver
.
The main stack
of the mine was demolished in 1984.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, located 8 kilometres (5 mi) north of the Laverton on the Great Central Road
Great Central Road
The Great Central Road is a mostly unsealed Australian outback highway that runs 1126 km from Laverton, Western Australia to Yulara, Northern Territory ....
.
Initially the name of the town was gazetted in 1905 but later in 1936 a townsite was gazetted in the immediate area. The Indigenous Australian word for the area is Tinbeeringtharra but the name Beria, another Indigenous Australian word meaning large open field was suggested the surveyor John Rowe
John Rowe
John Rowe may refer to:*John Rowe , English clergyman*John Rowe , British actor*John Rowe , navy officer of the U.S...
as a more suitable alternative.
Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was discovered in the area just south of town by a prospector, John Lemon, in 1897. He named his mine Lancefield after his hometown in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. The manager of the Mount Malcolm mine at Murrin Murrin
Murrin Murrin, Western Australia
Murrin Murrin is an abandoned town in Western Australia located east of Perth situated along the Old Laverton Road in between Leonora and Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia....
, W.T. Horton, became interested in the find and formed a syndicate
Syndicate
A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies or entities formed to transact some specific business, or to promote a common interest or in the case of criminals, to engage in organized crime...
in 1898. A battery
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
was erected close to the reef and production began in January 1899. In less than two years, the battery treated 16,000 tonnes of ore and recovered 7,200 ounces of gold. The Lancefield Gold mining Company, based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, took over the mine in 1904 with Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
as one of the directors. By 1905 the mine had produced 54,909 ounces of gold.
The mine then experienced problems when sulphide ores containing arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
were found and the entire plant had to be shut down and reorganised to a dry crushing and roasting plant. Huge boilers were installed to roast the ores that each required 2000 tonnes of wood to roast 7000 tonnes of ore.
A tramway was constructed between the mine and Laverton by the Kalgoorlie and Boulder Firewood company in 1908. The purpose was to deliver wood for the boilers from surrounding areas to feed the boilers.
The plant was in liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
by 1913 and was eventually bought in 1914 by the Kalgoorlie and Boulder Firewood company, who changed the name to the Beria Consuls Mines. The mine changed ownership again in 1915 to the Lancefield company, run by George Ridgeway. The tramway was no longer operating and was removed by 1916. The Lancefield company operated the mine until 1940. By the 1950s the mine had produced over 552,000 ounces of gold and 52,000 ounces of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
.
The main stack
Stack
-Mathematics:* Stack , general category-theoretical concept to formalise "pull-back" operations in geometry and algebra* Algebraic stack, a generalisation of scheme and algebraic space in algebraic geometry; a specific type of the above-Computers:...
of the mine was demolished in 1984.