Carib Gold Mine, Burtville Goldfield, Laverton Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Carib Gold Mine	Mine
Burtville Goldfield	Ore Field
Laverton Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Carib Gold Mine is 5 kilometres south south-east of Burtville, and 1 to 2 kilometres north-east of the modern Mikado workings and gold plant. Its exact location could not be pinpointed on the ground, occupies an isolated position, and the workings at best are a small group of shafts which there are several in the area.

All we get as a geology description is decomposed quartz, ironstone and a whole range of other 'substances' forming a rubbly mixture. The first people found at the mine was 1900 as Jaegar and Schmitzer (surnames). The following year it is owned by Howard or Hayward (depending on the source) from the Linden goldfield.

During this period, the Merry Pilgrim lease adjoining to the north-east is amalgamated into the Carib. There was also a Carib No 1 lease to the south worked by a Kalgoorlie syndicate.

After the initial prospectors and miners left in 1903, the mine was a tale of woe. Charles Wingfield Scott, better known as Dixie Scott, was a former lawyer, who determined during the gold rush days there was more money and gullible people in mining. This is the man who gives lawyers a bad name. One judge during a court case involving Dixie described him as such:

'He stands self convicted as a man totally devoid of the slightest claim to moral rectitude or common honesty. He has no compunction or hesitation whatsoever in -to put it mildly- misrepresenting facts to and misleading anyone who might be misguided or unfortunate enough to put any trust or confidence in him'.

John Brennan in 1903 owned the Carib Mine. Considering Scott's reputation was well known at Burtville, where everyone knew everyone else, it is remarkable he approached Scott to produce a report on the mine, and try to obtain a buyer. After eighteen months, Brennan gave up on Scott, and employed William Raynor (one time engineer at Baley's Reward Coolgardie)to go to London to float the mine. French speculators formed the Leviathan Gold Mining Company with 50 000 pounds capital.

Meanwhile James G. Thomas of the Sons of Westralia battery, a man who has been described as easily drawn into a fight (of the fists and blood type) claimed Scott and Brennan had authorised him to produce a report on the mine for a fee to be taken out of the sale proceeds. Thomas never obtained the money claiming both Scott and Brennan directed him to the other for the money. The judge determined both Scott and Thomas' evidence was unreliable, and were in cahoots to get money out of Brennan. His comments about both of them as individuals was damming.

Two years later, Scott takes the Union Bank Burtville Branch Bank Manager, William George Cheetham to court, again relating to the sale of the mine. Scott alleged Cheetham demanded a quarter share of the mine, otherwise he would scuttle the sale of the mine to the French speculators. How this could be achieved by a bank manager at the edge of the world was not determined. Scott stated he was blackmailed into convincing John Brennan (owner of the mine) to sign over the money. Then Scott decided to take the matter to court. Constantly in researching Burtville, Dixie Scott, crops up with some scheme to swindle others out of money. It was a wonder he was not run out of town.

The Leviathan enterprise did not last long, possibly in part due to the following episode. The syndicate had employed a fine mine manager,
Bob McCracken who had years of experience, notably as mine manager at the Lady Loch Gold Mine at Coolgardie. Late March 1908, he wandered into the scrub, carved his initials into a tree, then blew himself up with dynamite.

Little mining was done, the company retaining the lease through several requests for exemptions. Some shafts were unwatered. Then the mine closed through a lack of capital, and in short because the mine held little gold, the reef small and not very rich. The miners left with unpaid wages. They took the matter to court, which was decided in their favour, but they never saw the money.

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