New Kohinoor Company

The New Kohinoor Company operated a gold mine in Redan, <1882-1891>.

Location
The company's mine shaft was on the south-east corner of Errard Street and Sebastopol Street.

History
In July 1882, at is half-yearly meeting, it was reported that the mine was consuming 124 tons of firewood every week: NEW KOHINOOR COMPANY. The half-yearly general meeting of the above named company was held yesterday at the [[:mh:Unicorn Hotel(Sturt Street)|Unicorn hotel. There was a quorum of shareholders present. Mr C. Seal occupied the chair. Directors' Report - "Your directors congratulate you on the increased prosperity of your mine, as during the half-year £7800 has been paid in dividends—equal to 6s 6d per share—with every prospect of regular monthly dividends being continued, after the new pumping plant is erected and paid for. The sum of £600 has been paid on account of same. — C. SEAL, chairman, A. CLARK, manager.”

Mining Manager’s Report—“ln laying before you my half-yearly report I have the honour to state that at the date of your last meeting operations were being vigorously carried on at No 3 level north, for the purpose of letting the reef in that part of the mine. A crosscut was put in east to the footwall, and a rise put up 70 feet; which passed through a good deal of stone with a little gold in it. I am of opinion that the shoot of gold we had south at this level has dipped under foot, and expect to strike it in the next level below. At the No 4 level the north drive bas been driven 160 feet The lode in this drive has a very promising appearance; have seen gold in it frequently. As the rises are put up I expect to strike some good payable stone dipping north from the upper levels. I consider this part of the mine presents very encouraging prospects, more especially when we consider the good yields we had in the upper level, and the large extent of ground, we have in this, direction which has never been prospected. There is also a great quantity of stone south of the shaft to be operated on, which I have every reason to believe will pay when opened up. In my last report mention was made of a shoot of gold that was struck in the winze from the No 4 level. At the bottom of this an intermediate level was opened out, and a great deal of driving and stoping has been done in it which has proved eminently successful. At the No 5 level the south drive has been extended 200 feet, and the greater part of this distance is in stone, in which gold has been frequently seen. Two rises have been put up from this drive, and holed through to the lower intermediate level, both of which have opened up some good payable stone. A crosscut has been put in east about 70 feet from the main lode, which struck the footwall. At about 30 feet from the lode we came on another run of stone about 8 feet thick; I think it is the continuation of the shoot of gold that we have been working on for the last six or eight months in the upper levels with such satisfactory results. The strike of this shoot of stone (like others we have in the mine) is north, and to all appearance it is likely to continue. Two drives have been opened out on it, showing fair gold. There is a large area of ground at this level yet to be prospected. The No 6 level has recently been cleaned but and repaired, with a view of starting the south drive again. There is arise up 60 feet from this level, and a winze has been started at the No 5 level to strike this rise, and open up communication with the No 6 and ventilate it. When completed driving will be resumed on the course of the lode, which is at present two or three feet wide in the face, and well defined, and has every appearance of soon coming on a shoot of gold. I consider the prospects of the mine very encouraging.—ISAAC BUTSON, mining manager.”

Engineer’s Report;—’’Since last half-yearly report your 70-head battery has been crushing continuously, without any stoppages excepting holidays and when cleaning up. We have crushed for New Kohinoor Company 10,494 tons of quartz, and from other sources 13,393 tons. The consumption of firewood for battery has been 2611 tons, an average, of 100 tons per week; and 9½ tons of quartz have been crushed for one ton of firewood burned. The winding and pumping engines have used 625 tons of firewood, an average of 24 tons per week, all the engines being high pressure only. Your present pumping plant not being powerful enough to sink the shaft deeper, a complete new plant, including a new 20 inch cylinder engine, has been contracted for by the Union Foundry, and is nearly finished; all the timber for the erection is on the ground, and the contract to erect it will be let on the 12th inst. The specifications provide that there will be no stoppage of the winding engine or underground works during the erection of the new plant.—E. R. MEEKISON, Engineer.”

Receipts and expenditure—Receipts, £18,216 2s 5d; expenditure, £17,604 5s 8d; balance, £611 16s 9d. General balance-sheet-Receipts, £121,664 6s 1d; expenditure, £121,052 9s 4d; balance, £611 16s 9d. Assets and liabilities— Assets, £14,411 16s 9d; liabilities, £1000 The reports and balance-sheets were received and adopted. Messrs G. Seal, W. Bailey, J. Embling, M. Lee, G. Thompson. F. P. Hines, and A. Wynne were elected directors, and Messrs C. Barker and A. Sheppard auditors. A donation of £5 each was voted to the Ballarat Hospital, Benevolent Asylum, Orphan Asylum, and Ladies’ Clothing Society. The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the chairman.

In August 1891, the company was granted permission by the Ballarat council to build a short tramway along Errard Street, for the purpose of dumping the mullock over the escarpment into the Yarrowee River valley: "New Kohinoor Company with reference to disposal of mullock — The manager of the company addressed your committee, asking that the council should grant permission for them to lay a tramway along Errard street, across Skipton street, into Latrobe street, for the purpose of conveying the mullock from the shaft to edge of the Yarrowee Creek — We recommend that permission be granted on on the usual conditions — C. C. Shoppee, Chairman — Adopted"