BUCKEYE BATTERY SITE
BUCKEYE GULLY HARRIETVILLE, ALPINE SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
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BUCKEYE BATTERY SITE - History
Heritage Inventory History of Site:
The Buckeye Reef was discovered in mid-1860 in the bed of the creek (a tributary of Upper Morse's Creek) near Richardson's Reef. It was one of several neighbouring reefs held and worked at that time by the partnership of Chalmers & Gitchell, who owned a battery at Morses Creek and another (erected late in 1860) at Richardson's Reef. It appears that the Buckeye Reef failed to develop beyond the prospecting stage at this time, as it disappeared from the records after a few months and just a couple of small crushings.
In about 1878, the Buckeye QMC (Page, Jones & Co.) took up the claim. A battery was erected in 1881, but was idle after less than a year. The battery house was burned down by bushfire in 1890, by which time the mine was long abandoned.
The Buckeye was taken up again in 1900. A 10-head Thompson's battery situated at Smoko was purchased, and the Buckeye ore carted there for crushing. In 1904, rich stone was struck, and the Harrietville GMC was formed to work it. The company installed a 5-head battery closer to the mine, on Morse's Creek - probably, according to Lloyd, the site of the earlier Buckeye battery - in about 1907. A small oil engine powered the winding machinery on the Buckeye shaft, and in 1909 a blower was fitted for ventilation. The Harrietville GMC had its last crushing in 1909. The Buckeye mine was recently held under lease.Heritage Inventory Description
BUCKEYE BATTERY SITE - Heritage Inventory Description
/nFeatures of the Buckeye battery are mine workings, Cornish boiler, and battery site.
Heritage Inventory Significance: Regional
Heritage Inventory Key Components: Mine - An open adit and large mullock heap. The mine was re-worked recently, but is now abandoned. Boiler - On a benched platform, on the south side of the gully, 350 m downstream from the mine, is a well-preserved stone boiler setting, in situ Cornish boiler and small stone chimney stack. The eastern wall of the boiler setting is bedrock, the western wall is constructed of local stone set in clay mortar. The boiler setting measures 20 ft x 10 ft, with its built side wall being 2 ft thick and 5 ft high. The stack, at the south-east corner of the boiler setting, is built against the slope. It stack stands 15 ft high, is 4 ft square and has a 2 ft square flue. The Cornish boiler has a diameter of 5 ft and is 20 ft in length. There are still some brass taps on the fire box and a section of safety valve rests on top of the boiler. Battery - The stampers have been removed - there is a possibility of buried foundations.
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BUCKEYE BATTERY SITEVictorian Heritage Inventory
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ROSE THISTLE AND SHAMROCK WORKINGS - BOILER SETTINGVictorian Heritage Inventory
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