Flagstaff Gold Mine, Coolgardie, Coolgardie Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Flagstaff Gold Mine	Mine
Coolgardie	City
Coolgardie Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

A closed formr gold mine.

Other mines that form part of the Flagstaff group of mines include Sherlaw's Perseverance, Lady Charlotte and the New Australasian mines.

Flagstaff mine was located about 5 kilometres south-east of Coolgardie. Gold was found in sulphide ore which historically caused some difficulties in processing. The earliest report found was April 1895 when the English based Flagstaff Gold Mining Company purchased the Star of Coolgardie lease.

Indeed the next time the mine appears is October 1897, when it is sending ore from its Flagstaff mine by rail to a battery in Northam. All the information on this mine appears at the end of the company's operations, and it is puzzling the silence from a public company. Development work and some ore is taken out across 1899. During this year they purchase the 20 head battery from the nearby Big Blow mine, which eventually was re-erected at the Flagstaff property.

Late 1902 the company was reconstructed. They hoped to dig further down to avoid the sulphide ore but instead the lode narrowed and became uneconomic. At the time of the reconstruction the tailings were sold for 1950 pounds. The purchaser was never able to recover enough gold from them to make a profit. The shaft was down to 250 feet deep, and the mine employed 25 men. The money provided by the reconstruction saw a new winding and compressor plant installed. There was also talk of the Foreign and Colonial Gold Recoveries Company building a trial plant at the mine to treat the sulphide ore, but it is doubtful this went ahead.

By 1903 it was decided to voluntarily wind up the company, and close the mine. The plant, battery and assets were sold to Greenmount Gold Mines Ltd, and Flagstaff shareholders got some shares in this company. It was the intention of removing the battery to the Greenmount mine at Southern Cross, but by the end of 1904, the battery was still operating at Flagstaff crushing ore for nearby mines. During the period of the Flagstaff Company's operations it crushed 10 846.50 tonnes of ore from the mine, yielding 4565.56 ounces of gold.

The following years there was several owners, tributers and mine name changes.

May 1907, Patrick McGuiness takes Greenmount Gold Mining Company to the Warden's Court for forfeiture of the Flagstaff lease, claiming it had been left idle. However, between lodging the action, and it going to court, the company and McGuiness came to an arrangement for him to take over the mine. The Warden stated it was an act of collusion to hide the fact the mine had been idle. Regardless the case was withdrawn, and McGuiness is noted as putting through several crushings over the next 18 months.

Ballantyne and party are briefly mentioned as tributing in September 1907. John Taylor has a crushing from the mine in December 1908, but calls it the Sickle. John owned the neighbouring lease, and noticed it unworked by Patrick McGuiness, Robert Mitchell and un-named others. He requested forfeiture to his name in the Warden's Court July 1908. McGuiness never turned up to defend the lease so it was awarded to Taylor.

Cecil and Moor are noted as owners in October 1909 GML 377, and intend to form a small syndicate of Coolgardie and Perth men with a total of 20 shares, calling the mine Victor. As tributers, there are a couple of minor crushings from Vance and Popham (surnames), the mine now called the Florida. Further, Cecil/Moor are sending concentrates for processing to the Fremantle Smelting Works.

The leases (now downgraded to P.A. 786), come up for forfeiture in the Warden's Court February 1913. The previous owners were James Madden and Richard Williams. The mine was applied for by Thomas Hansbury. Madden appeared stating he had no problem with Hansbury taking over the mine, and so it was. A couple of crushings are noted by Hansbury in 1913 and 1914.

In January 1910, the local Warden questions leases held by Flagstaff relating to water rights. It was no surprise, considering the company had not existed since 1903, that no-one turned up to the Warden's Court, and therefore the leases reverted back to the Crown.

February 1915, John Kay Hall applies for a licence to treat the tailings, under the mistaken belief the lease was surrendered, but was informed Hansbury still owns it.

The northern section of the Flagstaff leases, was called the Lady Carmen, and A. Enors is noted as owning this mid 1916. This is sold to Harry Clegg and Charles Gatley in November 1918. Enors is said to have produced during the prior 2 years 616 tonnes of ore for 74.83 ounces of dollied gold, and 299 ounces of fine gold. This part of the lease is still active in 1922. The Coolgardie State Battery decided to reinstall Wilfley Tables, to cope with sulphide ore the owners of the Lady Carmen wanted to place through the battery. It was an experiment, though possibly not successful as no more was heard.

The New Venture Gold Mining Company took an option over the Flagstaff leases around 1935, but then abandoned them. In 1936, the Consolidated Gold Mines of Coolgardie Ltd (Tindals Gold Mines Ltd) purchased the lease along with several others in the area. These were abandoned in 1949.

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References