"The United Pyrites Company's Works are situated about three quarters of a mile from Spargo Brothers, and are on the northern side of the Marong road, in Pinch-gut Gully. Two processes are followed at these works, viz., the amalgamating process and the treatment by means of chlorine gas. The latter is called the Newbery-Vautin system, and the mode pursued is that laid down by Mr. Cosmo Newbery and Mr Vautin, whose names have been given to the process. Mr. Edwards manages these works. Three reverbatory furnaces are used to roast the pyrites, which is weighed in the truck before being put into the furnaces. At this weighbridge a sample of each lot is kept, and if the yield is not equal to expectation, the works are carefully gone over to see where the fault occurs. Care is taken at the furnace to regulate the heat, otherwise the pyrites might slag instead of roasting evenly right through. An immense revolving furnace (made of boiler iron) was used at these works. It was found to be suitable for treating blanket sand, but was not a success for roasting coarse pyrites. The process of amalgamating by means of Chilian mills is the same in these works as at the Western Works, but the United Works are on a larger scale, and eleven mills are utilised. It is the chlorine gas process which is most interesting here. The gas is made from sulphuric acid, black oxide of manganese, and common salt, and the gas is introduced into huge vats, where it works its way through a filter of pieces of quartz and then through the bed of roasted pyrites lying above. The action of the gas transforms the gold into chloride of gold. This is easily dissolved in water, and in that form is drawn off into huge delf jars, where the use of sulphate of iron precipitates the gold to the bottom. A small battery—eight head of stamps in two boxes—is in use here to crush small consignments of stone sent for trial. Test crushings come from all the Australasian colonies, and even from India. The jars used are manufactured at Epsom, and some of the salt used is also of home manufacture, from the Salt Lakes on the Northern plains. Mr. Edwards took us over a new building in course of erection, and in which the chlorine gas is to be generated in the midst of the pyrites— a still further advancement in the new process. There is some very good machinery in this new building, and the tailings from the ordinary pyrites works will also be treated by this chlorine gas system, which has been found to work well at Mount Morgan, in Queensland. The purest of gold is obtained by this process, the gold passing in solution into a charcoal filter, from which it emerges in the shape of metallic gold. We saw some nice cakes of retorted gold at the works. One of 26oz. was from some New Zealand pyrites (2½ tons), and assayed over 23 carats. There were also cakes of Avoca gold, of silver, and of the tremulous amalgam." (The Argus, 4 February 1887)Two handwritten letters to the Ballarat School of Mines on Bendigo United Pyrites Company Letterhead.bendigo united pyrites company, pyrites, ballarat school of mines, j.j. deeble, joel deeble, joel james deeble, a.m. dean, fred j. martell, martell, s.h. cowan, letterhead

The Spring Gully Gold Mining property consists of Gold Mining Lease No. 2986, Castlemaine, of about 21 acres situated on the Emu Reef, in Spring Gully Fryers. There are two shafts, distant about 300 feet from each other. From one of them large quantities of gold were obtained in former years by previous companies. ( Prospectus of the Spring Gully Mining CompanyMaroon hard cover book, brown leather binding on spine and corners, three hundred and eighty pages. Written on spine of book in gold leaf : 'Minute Book'. Handwritten minute entries from 14th September 1903 to 30th August 1915. Affixed to first page, newspaper clipping from the 'Herald' 13/9/05, with information about the Spring Gully Mine Fryerstown. Page eighty-one has two quotes affixed from 'The Yarraville Chlorination and Ore Reduction Works' High Street Yarraville, July 1905, for works associated with pyrites and blanket sand. Page nine, a handwritten letter affixed to minutes, applying for a block of land 250 feet north of main shaft. Signed by J.S. Potter, H. Hancock, G Murray and T. Tumney. 1.Page one hundred and one: three quotes from 'Edwards' Metallurgical Works' Specimen Hill, Bendigo for pyrites and blanket sand. 2.Page one hundred and fifty five: handwritten letter (copy) from A. Schonfelder re shaft work on the mine and mention of tributors 3. Affixed to inside cover: letter from the 'United Shire of Mount Alexander' April 15th. 1907, regarding the reconstruction of the Vaughan bridge over the Loddon River. 'the benefit that the mines in your district derive from the bridge being open for wood waggons and this being the main traffic and this being the principal cause of the bridges present condition'. 4. Prospectus of the Spring Gully Mining Company, Spring Gull, Fryerstown, two page folded document enclosed inside back cover of book. Prospectus incomplete. (10746.93a) 5. Carbon copy of letter to D.E. Williams Esq, Castlemaine from GlenAthol, Casewick Road, London, January 25th, 1907 regarding two gentlemen who were 'called upon to carry the 'Spring Gullys' through - Mr. H. 'is making a determined effort to bring the matter to a successful issue' Letter signed by George Allan. (10746.93b. 6. Carbon copy of letter from E. Williams, London re proposed new company to acquire the properties of Spring G.M. Coy, Spring Gully G.M. Coy. No. 1, Sth Spring Gully G.M. Coy, Sth Spring Gully G.M. Coy Extended (10746.93c) 7. Handwritten letter to the Chairman and Directors of the Spring Gully G.M. Co. re the appointment of 'Mr. Samuel Morse Battery Manager at once, or accept my resignation as Mining Manager, for we can't agree any longer' Signed by A. Schonfelder. 8. Notice of extraordinary meeting of shareholders in Spring Gully Gold Mining Company No Liability, 22nd November 1906 at Beehive Chambers, Bendigo. Signed W.G. Blackham (Blackham & Garvin) Manager of the Company. (10746.93e) The Minute Book is part of the Margaret Roberts Collection of mining documents.bendigo, margaret roberts, , goldmining, castlemaine, spring gully gold mine, fryertown