Sherbrooke Village and A Gold Mining Exhibit

Potential Themes and Exhibits.

The history of the gold mining operations of Goldenville is a rich field. There are countless themes that could be developed in association with an exhibition about 19^th century Nova Scotia gold mining methods and technology. In this report I have divided the period into three distinct phases - 1861 - 1872: 1873 - 1893: 1894 - 1906.

Given the strong tendency for Nova Scotian miners and entrepreneurs to persist with traditional methods of mining while experimenting with new systems, it would be quite feasible to illustrate the old and the new within one exhibition on the development of mining methods in the 19^th century.

Some of the themes that could be developed are:

• the development and impact of gold mining technology focusing on labour, the village landscape, local industrial development, as well as the costs of developing and opening a gold mine in the 1890s compared to the 1860s;
• the impact of the discovery of gold on the social and economic patterns of the St. Mary's River District an examination of the inter-relationship between gold mining, lumbering, and shipping (use of wood in the mines to fire the boilers; the shipment of coal into the area; etc.), the impact of the decline of gold mining activities on these other activities; the growth of temperance legislation to control the miners, as well as a look at other activities fostered to "control" the gold miners; the development of schools, churches, and social organizations for the mining areas;
• the relationship between Goldenville, Cochrane Hill, Crow's Nest, Country Harbour, Wine Harbour - the geological formation of the area; the development of the mining claims and the movement of men, equipment, companies and capital between these areas;
• the relationship between Goldenville and other mining districts in the province. There appears to have been a group of mining interests that virtually dominated the gold mining areas on N. S. in the latter part of the 19^th century - George Stuart, John Hardman, E. Faribault, just to name a few. It would be interesting to illustrate the inter - relationships between certain companies and development in the province;
• In addition to the movement of leading mining figures engineers, geologists and entrepreneurs - the labourers moved from area to area. As one district closed up, they'd move to another, area be it in Nova Scotia, the Western United States, the Klondike Northern Ontarioor Quebec. The mobility of the mining populations from 1849 right through to 1906 would be another fascinating element.
• Throughout the 19^th century, over speculation was cited as the main cause of the failure of the Nova Scotia gold fields. It continued to be used as a reason for lack of investment in this century. The relationship between the mines of Goldenville and the stock markets on London, New York, and Toronto would be interesting topic - there are numerous prospect available both for Goldenville Companies and other areas that tout the wealth to be had through investment in the natural resources of these regions. The story of George Hirschfield would exemplify the ability of entrepreneurs to attract capital into Goldenville.
• The impact of gold mining on the environment: the former site of the Blue Nose Gold Mine in Gold Mine in Goldenville is bordered by a marshy area. Part of the ground cover gives the appearance of an industrial operation once being located there. The Environment Protection Branch (EPS) of the Federal Department of Environment has been doing some investigation of the impact of gold mining on the environment. It would be interesting to have the area of land near the old Blue Nose sampled to identify what industrial wastes have been left behind. In addition there is also the controversy about the relationship of mining and arsenic contamination of the water table. A presentation of that theme as well as the above would link the past activity with the present.

The key to an exhibit ought to be the reconstruction of a stamp mill. Since the available stamp mill was manufactuctured in Truro in 1888, what we know of this ought to provide the frame work for a mill reconstruction. Although mining activity of this period was marked be new technology, new methods and theories about gold mining, many of the methods form the work with hand steel, doubting the efficiency of the new air and steam hammer drills. It was still a period when individual miners would pool their resources and expertise to prospect and open up a small mine. The miners of both the small claims and the larger - scale operations, by and large left the gold fields for the summer harvest, suggesting that the labour force in some ways had not changed greatly in manner and attitude since the earlier phase of developments.

By using available photographs and plans (such as the plan of the Oldham mill), the expertise of retired miners and millmen, as well as the expertise of men such as Edgar Horne and Gerald Logan, it should be possible to assemble the mill equipment within a structure representative of the 1888 - 1900 period. Since "custom mills" continued to exist throughout the later period, as well as during the earlier phases, it would be feasible to consider a mill in this light. It would not be necessary to locate it on top of the gold field.

However, the question of location is an important and difficult one. Mills were never built within Sherbrooke and Goldenville look different form one another, it would appear that Sherbrooke and Goldenville had considerably different social structure. The Mines were central to the existence of Goldenville and dominated the landscape and the village life. However in Sherbrooke there was variety of economic activity. Patterns of life appear to be much more ordered, perhaps prohibiting the construction of a stamp mill within the residential and commercial village.

In addition, the needs of a 19^th century mill would have to be considered access to water supply to facilitate the milling operation; solid bedrock foundation for the mortar block of the mill; sufficient space for a tailing dump, at a level great enough so that the tailings could virtually flow out into the dump by means of gravity rather than by hoisting them out. The feasibility of reconstructing a gold mine shaft, considered carefully.

Rather than reconstructing a gold mine shaft, consideration should be given to using the Hirschfirld prospecting tunnel at Sonora. This tunnel demonstrates the skill and tenacity of the hard rock miners and it was completely done by hand. Models and photographs could be used to illustrate the system of underground mining that was developed within the province during the 1890s phase.

The Artifacts

Artifacts in the Collection At Sherbrooke Village

1 ten-stamp mill manufactured by the Truro Foundry, 1888 consisting of 2 five-stamp mortars, cams manufactured by I. Matheson & Co., New Glasgow, stamp stams, stamp bosses, shoes and dies (It is questionable if all the parts are operational); used at Miller Lake.

1 portable steam boiler, manufactured by Waterous, Branford, Ontario;

1 upright boiler, no manufacturer's mark;

1 hoisting device, manufactured by Clark and Chapman and Curney, Gateshead;

1 hoisting bucket;

1 small stone jaw crusher, no manufacturer's mark;

1 stamp mill model (N. S. M. Accession # 76.316.3)

At the Nova Scotia Museum (Halifax)

1 stamp mill, I, Matheson Foundry, New Glasgow (N. S. M. # 70.13, Uniacke Storage);

1 mining canister for gunpowder (N. S. M. # 18.9) It is claimed that the canister contained the gunpowder with which James G. Dunbrack fired the first shot to extract hold from his claim at Tangier, 1861. See H. Pier's records (4606).

1 gold miner's pan used in the Oldham Gold District, c. 1862. Used by the original owner up until 1918. (N. S. M. 27.72)

1 crucible, used in Waverley gold mines (N. S. M. 67.84.3)

1 candle holder or candle hook, wrought iron; used by gold miners underground, (N. S. M. 16.20 and also 04.24)

Additional Requirements (A Partial List)

Stamp Mill

• driving belts
• ore bins
• ore skip or tramcar to haul ore into the mill
• amalgam dish (Photograph 34 - Dufferin Mine Stamp Mill)
• amalgam tools - palette, chamois, india-rubber (Photograph 44)
• kerosene lamps for lighting the mill
• amalgam table(s)
• concentrating equipment - either Wilfley table or frue vanner or blanket system
• mercury containers
• miner's scales
• steam engine to operate mill equipment; coal from Cape Breton

Mining

• air or steam drill; air compressor connected to mill engine.
• assortment of hand tools for underground work - hammers, hand steels, crowbars, shovels, etc.
• mine pump
• loading stick
• charges, fuses
• dynamite bag
• supply of miner's candles

Miscellaneous

• mining prospectus
• mining maps showing claims - Map 1, colored according to original;
• lease agreements
• necessary government forms for making annual returns

Resource People Informants and Consultants

During the research period for the attached report I was able to interview a number of men connected with the gold mining operations of both Nova Scotia and Ontario. There are a great many more people who should be interviewed to complete the picture of mining operations in the early years of this century, as well as the period from 1920 to 1942. Following is a list of the people with whom I did speak as well as suggestions of further contacts.

Consultants:

A number of the men with whom I spoke expressed considerable interest in a Sherbrooke Village gold mining exhibit. Two men, William Neily (Mill Village) and Edgar Horne (Horne Settlement, Enfield), both recommended to me by Avard Hudgins (Truro), were particularly interested in the reconstruction of a ten-stamp mill.

William Neily, nephew of a former manager of the Goldenville Mines, (Vernon Neily c. 1914 - 1917), learned his trade from his uncle in British Columbia during the 1920s. He later worked in the mining operations of Kirkland Lake, Timmins, Rouyn -

Noranda, as did a great number of Goldenville and Nova Scotian miners. Since his return to Nova Scotia, he has been mainly engaged in prospecting in some of the old gold districts of the province, Oldham and Mill Village. Neily loaned me his copy of Henry Louis' A Treatise of Stamp Milling, (2^nd edition, London: MacMillan and co. Ltd., 1899).

Neily has had experience in all phases of gold mining and offered his assistance to Sherbrooke Village. Edgar Horne, a descendant of the founder of the Horne Mine in Rouyn-Noranda, P. Q., recently set up a five-stamp mill in the Renfrew Gold District. Horne dismantled and transported the stamp mill, which was manufactured by I. Matheson, New Glasgow, from Molega, Queens County to Renfrew, Halifax County c. 1976 - 1977. In addition to the mill, he acquired a 33-horse power diesel engine (Ruston-Hornesby) manufactured in London, England. The engine had been dismantled after the Molega operations closed down in the mid-30s and was stored in a local barn in feedbags. Horne had the task of re-assembling the engine and getting it into working order, which he did with the assistance from Ruston Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines, Dartmouth.

The mill was set up in a steel frame building close to a pit that Horne hoped to work in spring of 1979. Barn Taylor, Enfield, assisted Horne in assembling the 5-stamp mill with its automatic feeder and amalgam tables. It is in working operation, and ore from Renfrew, Cochrane Hill, and Crow's Nest has been crushed in the mill.

Horne would be an ideal resource person in the reconstruction of a stamp mill in Sherbrooke Village. In addition to supervising the selection of an appropriate site and pouring the mortar block foundations, his experiences in setting up his own mill would be of great assistance in putting the Miller Lake 10-stamp mill into operation.

In addition to his mill work, Edgar Horne has had experience in operating both large and small crushers. In his collection of mining equipment he has a large Massey Co. crusher and a smaller version, manufactured in Welland, Ontario (from the Molega site).

The only area where it does not appear he has had much experience is in the operation of steam engine equipment. But the five-stamp mill in Renfrew is set up with the diesel engine in the same fashion, as the ten stamp-operation would be with steam.

Additional photographs as well as mining artifacts may possibly be borrowed from Frank Jordon, Sherbrooke Village, and the Sherbrooke Historical Association. Mr. Jordon has a number of twentieth century photographs of mining activities:

• 2 stamp batteries of the Ventures Gold Co. Mill, Goldenville
• Interior of Liscomb Power Plant
• Goldenville shaft and mill, c.1920s
• Construction of houses in Goldenville
• Construction of power dam at Liscomb

A. Lomas, Sherbrooke Historical Society has a collection of late 19^th century as well as 20^th century gold mining photographs:

• N. S. and Mexican Gold Mining Co. Office, post. 1912
• Small mining operations, pumps, etc., c.1860 - 1890
• Letter from John H. MacDonald to his father about mining activities in another district in Nova Scotia, c.1884.
• Collection of mining artifacts