Nigeria and its tin fieldsCalvert, Albert Frederick
History
Nigeria and its tin fields
Calvert, Albert Frederick
Tin mines and mining -- Nigeria
Mr. Lush reported that the pannings from the river bed gave very high
values, and four shafts sunk to a depth of 8 feet averaged 6 lbs. of tin
to the cubic yard. One shaft, which bottomed at 5 feet, went 30 lbs. of
tin to the cubic yard. An open-cut on the river bank exposed 17 feet of
gravel, which went 6 lbs. to the cubic yard. The overburden thrown out at
the shafts sunk by the Lireuis, where tried, gave an average of 5 lbs. of
tin to the cubic yard. At the southern end of this property Mr. Lush says
the river comes down from a hill with a fall of some 350 feet through
a rocky gorge. By working a dam at the top of the rapids sufficient
water could be conserved to run a plant by electrical transmission. This
country is mostly granite sand, no stiff clay or pug. Mr. Lush states
that nearly the whole of the 632 acres are an alluvial deposit, and in
his estimates, in order to be well within the mark, he estimates that the
payable dirt extends over 300 acres and averages 6 feet in depth. The
manager reported on August 29 that he had 300 men employed, and for the
four weeks ending August 27 he had recovered 31½ tons of tin, and had cut
735 feet of water leads.
_Rafinsiroma_ adjoins Dubbo to the south, and the manager, reporting on
August 29, said he had just started work on this property. On September
4 the manager reported that he had already shipped 505 lbs., and a
cablegram received October 9 states that a further shipment is being
made.
Work has been started on Polchi, and on October 9 a cablegram was
received stating that the first shipment had been made.
On the _Bilidi River_ property Mr. Lush reported that he made several
tests from wash exposed on the river bank below the Kofai crossing, and
obtained payable tin results in all. He then followed up the river for
about three miles, and in one part he says he got gold as well as tin
in the concentrates. In five pannings he reports there were from six
to ten colours of gold in every dish, which in his opinion was highly
satisfactory. Two miles below the Kofai crossing he found some very
promising flats, where he also got eight colours of gold in one dish. At
the time of his visit he says there was sufficient water running in the
Bauchi River for centrifugal pump work.
As regards _Kurdum_ and _Dila Rivers_, at the lower end of the ground,
near the village of Bundas, Mr. Lush says he obtained very good prospects
of tin in gravel from the river bed. At Dawka, some eight miles upstream,
the wash taken out of the river went 80 lbs. to the cubic yard. Several
pits were sunk on the banks, but owing to soakage water only one
bottomed, the depth of which was 8 feet, and gave the following result:
Overburden 7 feet went 3 lbs. of tin to the cubic yard.
Bottom wash 1 foot went 60 lbs. of tin to the cubic yard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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