Monday, January 17, 2011

Thames Mining

An oversight to date to not have had an entry on MINING!

What would the history of Thames be with out this amazing period of history, when the discovery of gold saw Thames become a boom town (CITY!!) in 1860s-1870s New Zealand.

A summary of resources are available here.

Here is one example from the 1873 Chapmans Directory of Mines & Mine Managers/Secretary
MINING COMPANY Firstname Surname Extra Info

Albion: Charles TOTHILL Auckland
Alburnia: W N GARLAND Auckland
All Nations: Charles TOTHILL Auckland
American Eagle: E T WILDMAN
Aurora: J MOWBRAY
Ballarat & Rising Sun: W SULLY
Bank of New Zealand: E T WILDMAN
Bee Hive: H H WRIGHT
Bellmount: D PHILP
Bird-in-Hand (Limited): J H SALMON
Black Angel (Limited): D PHILP
Bright Smile: W SULLY
Brunswick: W SULLY
Cable: John BURGESS
Caledonian: Charles TOTHILL Auckland
Calypso: E T WILDMAN
Celt: D G McDONNELL
Central Italy: D PHILP
Christchurch: R M MITCHELL
City of Aberdeen: E T WILDMAN
City of Dunedin: J H SALMON
City of London (Limited): H N GARLAND
City of Edinburgh: D PHILP
Clarmont: W CARPENTER
Coliban (Limited): R G McDONNELL Secretary
Colonial (Limited): S HICKSON Secretary
Commercial: GM & QCC T HORSBRUGH
Comstock: T L WHITE Auckland
Crown Prince: J W PREECE Auckland
Cure (Limited): R HORNE Auckland
Cyclops: T HORSBRUGH
Dauntless & Sink to Rise: R McDONALD SCOTT
Dividend (Limited): Owen JONES Secretary, Auckland
Dixon's No 1: T L WHITE Auckland
Don Pedro (Limited): H N GARLAND Auckland
Durham Ox: D PHILP
Eldorado: F A WHITE Auckland
Flora McDonald: H C GILLESPIE
George Stephenson: C FLETCHER
Goldfinch: G LINDSAY
Golden Phoenix: W CARPENTER
Golden Crown: S E RICHARDS
Golden Age: R SOMERVILLE Auckland
Golden Calf: R McDONALD SCOTT
Golden Ring: E T WILDMAN
Golden Spur: T HORSBRUGH
Hand and Band: T HORSBRUGH
Herald (Limited): E A WHITE Auckland
Higland Chief: J H SALMON
Imperial Crown (Limited); Charles TOTHILL Auckland
Inverness: T L WHITE Auckland
Islay: E T WILDMAN
Italian: T HORSBRUGH
John O' Groats: F A WHITE Auckland
Junction: R SOMERVILLE Auckland
Kurunui: Charles TOTHILL Auckland
Kurunui Hill Tunnel Co: Charles TOTHILL Auckland
Lincoln Castle: George MAULE
Lion: E T WILDMAN
Long Drive: G M & Co Charles TOTHILL Auckland
Long Tunnel: R G McDONNELL
Lowland Lass: W PERCIVAL
Loyalty: G P HILTON
Mary Ann: D PHILP
Middle Star: G W JONES Auckland
Moanataiari: F A WHITE Auckland
Moanataiari Union: F A WHITE Auckland
Morning Star: John RAFFERTY
Morning Light: F C DEAN
Multum-in-Parvo: J F CLARKE Auckland
Ne-Plus-Ultra: George SLATER Auckland
Nebraska: R G McDONNELL
Nevada: R McDONALD SCOTT
New Caledonia: F WOODWARD
Nolan's Candlelight: W ROWE
Nonpareil: F WOODWARD
North Devon (Limited): F A WHITE Auckland
Number One: R M MITCHELL
Occidental: John MOWBRAY Auckland
Oriental: R G McDONNELL
Otago: J S McKELLAR Auckland
Phoenix: F WOODWARD
Pickwick: J A CHAPMAN
Point Russell (Linited): R SOMERVILLE Auckland
Pride of the Moanatairi: F J PIESSE
Pride of York: James SPRY
Prince Imperial (Limited): J S McKELLAR Auckland
Quebec: R HORNE Auckland
Queen of the May: D PHILP
Queen of the Thames (Limited): F J WARDELL Secretary
Red White and Blue: R McDONALD SCOTT
Red Queen: H N GARLAND
Red Jacket: W B HEATH
Rose and Shamrock (Limited): R SOMMERVILLE Sec, Auckland
Ruby R G McDONNELL
Shamrock (limited): H N GARLAND Secretary, Auckland
Shotover No 1: T L WHITE Auckland
Sir Walter Scott (Limited): F A WHITE Auckland
Smiling Beauty: D PHILP
Sons of Freedom: T L WHITE Auckland
Sunbeam: R McDONALD SCOTT
Thames (Limited): R SOMMERVILLE Auckland
Tookey (Limited): C TOTHILL Auckland
Twenty Third of June: W CARPENTER
Una: F F DAY
Unicorn W DOWDEN
Virginia City: R M MITCHELL
Waitemata: HUDSON
Waiotahi (Limited): F A WHITE Auckland
Watchman: R G McDONNELL
West Coast (Limited): D PHILP
White Rose: R HORNE Auckland
Wild Missouri: Charles TOTHILL Auckland
Windsor Castle (Limited): W PERCIVEL Auckland
Young Queen: E T WILDMAN

For further information on how successful the mines were and a more complete list, the best resources are:
Gold Mines of the Hauraki District by J F Downey. reprints of this book are available from Cadsonbury Publications Christchurch.

History of The River Thames NZ by A M Isdale

Mining Maps by Mr Isdale can be purchased at The School of Mines, Thames

View of mining activity at Thames
(looking south from Moanatairi area)