Mining/Geology

Walhalla Heyday – James & Lee

A 1983 edition of this significant and extensive local history of the gold mines north-east of Melbourne particularly Walhalla. Starting with Stringer’s Creek then Walhalla and the “Long Tunnel Gold Mining Company”. The establishment of the Gippsland Railway and the various ups and downs and extensions of the already “Long Tunnel” before fire, flood and eventually inevitable decline.

Perfect bound, quarto sized, 144 pages and too many great illustrations to count, the odd map etc. Very good condition.

Walhalla one of the better historical mining accounts

$30.00

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Moonta Copper Mine, South Australian – Magic Lantern Slide – Issued by Newton & Co 1913

An original magic lantern slide showing a working scene at the Moonta Copper Mine, South Australia, by Newton & Co, London. This formed part of a set on Australasia sold in 1913.

Copper was discovered at Moonta on the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, near a Wombat burrow in 1860. A mine was soon built based on Cornish principles and bringing in mining experience from Cornwall, By the mid 1860’s it was thriving and by 1870 Moonta rivalled Adelaide – a million pound dividend was soon paid. The depression of the 1920’s put paid to all of that and the mine closed in 1923.

Some buildings or remnants still exist, and the site was put on the National Heritage Listing in 2017. It is well worth a visit look it up online. When you look it up you will see the remains of two engine houses – Hughes Engine House which was used to de-water the mine [active layers were below the natural water table] that engine ran for over 58 years. And, Richman’s Engine House which was used for crushing and processing ore [32 inch Cornish Beam Engine]. We recon our image is of the Richman Engine House … what do you think? The Engineer for both Houses was Frederick May.

Newton & Co were formed in 1858. In the period 1912-1925 they had premises in Covent Garden.

Standard size circa 3.5 inches or 8cm by 8cm.

Early active image of work at the Moonta Copper Mine

$90.00

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Copper to Gold – History of Wallaroo [South Australia] – Rex Whiltshire.

Published in 1968 by the township of Wallaroo. Octavo, perfect bound soft cover, 162 pages, illustrated throughout, images on end paper. A few marks on the back otherwise a very good copy.

Thorough presentation of the history of Wallaroo and the region. Flinders visit, aborigines, notable identities, the discovery of copper and then gold, good images from the period.

Another super local history associated with the discovery of copper and gold.

$25.00

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Fortunes in Minerals including Uranium [Simple Tests and How to Make Them] – Ion Idriess

An Ion Idriess classic which followed “Prospecting for Gold”. Experts regarded this book as a serious compendium. Includes chemical tests and sections on the use of the blowpipe.

Published by Angus and Robertson, a 1954 edition of the revised edition. Large octavo, 310 pages with some instructive illustrations. A very good copy bar the dust jacket is chipped and aged – now protected in Brodart.

Ion Idriess classic – makes your fortune in minerals – plenty have.

$40.00

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Lord Forrest – Centenary Booklet – 1847-1947

Better than a “booklet” this eventually comprehensive biographical work on explorer to be Premier of Western Australia John Forrest – Baron Forrest of Bunbury and Forret in Fife.

Stapled octavo size, 48 pages with reproductions from period photographs, sketched maps etc. A proper tribute to the man and his many achievements all of which have given a big push-along to the development of the western state.

John Forrest the man of his times

$25.00

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Amsler Polar Planimeter [Measuring the area of complex irregular shapes/ boundaries] c1910

Plush-lined fitted case some 12” long contains a polar planimeter invented by Swiss mathematician Jacob Amsler. All in very good condition and working order.

The instrument was a revolutionary change from the complex Cartesian system base instruments used before. This device uses polar co-ordinates.

With this device two arms are connected with a pivot both arms moving around the anchor. As the pivot moves back and forth it traces an area whose net measurement is zero. The means that the area traced by the tracer point exactly equals the area of the closed curve. The area is equivalent to 2pi X the product of the length of the tracer arm, the radius of the counting wheel and the number of revolutions of the counting wheel.

In more modern times mathematicians apply “Green’s theorem”.

Amsler’s radical and very useful new design

$190.00

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Walhalla Heyday – James & Lee

Moonta Copper Mine, South Australian – Magic Lantern Slide – Issued by Newton & Co 1913

Copper to Gold – History of Wallaroo [South Australia] – Rex Whiltshire.

Fortunes in Minerals including Uranium [Simple Tests and How to Make Them] – Ion Idriess

Lord Forrest – Centenary Booklet – 1847-1947

Amsler Polar Planimeter [Measuring the area of complex irregular shapes/ boundaries] c1910

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