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Presents

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A Pictorial

Celebration of

Mount Isa’s 90th

Birthday A proud and accomplished review of Mount

Isa’s Historical, Social, Industrial, Cultural

and Economic Heritage

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Used to haul all the early construction equipment from

the railhead at Duchess...Over 100 tortuous

kilometres to Mount Isa.

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The completed Black

Rock open-cut

now covers this site.

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Height from formation to

coping – 328ft. 8ins.

Inside diameter concrete

shell – 13ft. 6ins.

Inside diameter of 41/2in brick

lining, 11ft. 6ins.

Shell thickness above flue

inlet at point 38ft. Above

formation, 1ft. 8ins.

Shell thickness at coping,

6ins.

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The ten thousandth

ton of blister copper

was produced during

cast 213 on

September 25th,

1953.

J. Skalicky loads the

last bar of the 10,000th

ton onto the railway

truck, 1953.

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The first casting

of blister copper

was done on

February 6th 1953

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Harry Ritchie, driller,

drilling holes in armour

plate liners for ore-chutes

underground, 1953.

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Stacking lead ingots from

the casting wheel ready for

loading onto railway trucks,

1954.

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“Mucking” in a 7ft by

5ft service winze,

was “Taffy” Davies.

This is one of the few

jobs not yet

mechanised in the

mine, 1954.

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Bob Grace, with 3ft drill

steels over his shoulder,

waiting at the head of the

supply shaft, is ready for the

day’s work, 1954.

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Stern and forbidding is the

entrance to one of the huge

storage magazines in the hills

behind the salvage yard,

1955.

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Johnnie Nikolic’s

mate was away for

the day, so he joined

Arthur Tinson and

“Scottie” Carroll on

their grizzly. Using a

special short air-leg

for drilling, they were

about to blast large

ore-chunks to free

the ore.

MIMAG, March 1955

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Grizzlies are massive go-no-go gauges built of robust Oregan supports and steel rails, usually measuring 12x10 feet. They are situated on special levels above the loading points on main drives.

Ore, ring-fired from stopes above, tumbles into giant bells and finally drops onto the grizzlies. The Grizzlyman’s job is to hammer or blast these into a size acceptable to the underground chutes, trains and crushers deeper down the mine. Thus, they keep the ore moving.

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M.I.M. uses about 55,000

super feet of timber each

month. Most of this is

oregon, which is imported

from Canada. Recently, a

shipment of 1 million super

feet landed on our doorstep

to keep the boys in the

timber yard busy. The

timber is neatly stacked

ready for use and painted

both ends to indicate

lengths.

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Driven by a 470 HP

synchronous electric motor,

the fan is capable of passing

400,000 cubic feet of air per

minute up the 18 feet

diameter shaft. Six hour jobs

have become almost a thing

of the past. The shaft

exhausts air from all main

levels below 8 L and from the

10 L grizzlies. Here, Matt

Ridley and Darby Rosevear

are shown working on the

huge fan during the

installation.

MIMAG, Jan 1956

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Construction at Lake

Moondarra, 1956

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A shift boss covers a lot

of territory underground,

walking up to ten miles a

shift. Here, shift boss

Reg (Honk) Goodwin

leads a working party

along a main drive on 10

Level.

MIMAG, February

1957.

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Drilling is one of the most

dramatic underground jobs

at Mount Isa. Here, a

percussion driller collars a

drill hole on the floor pillar of

G45/49 stope.

MIMAG, April 1957.

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The crib room is an important

institution underground. In

this picture, workers are

taking a well-earned crib

break, consuming their lunch

at 1400 feet below in the crib

room on 10 Level. Boiling

water is available on tap at all

crib rooms which are located

on each working level in the

mine.

MIMAG, June 1957.

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A fine example of the new

type of rounded drive in

X64 stope 6 sub. of 10

Level.

MIMAG, August 1957

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This aerial picture shows the

Black Rock Copper Oxide

open cut, 12 months after

operations commenced on the

project. In that period, 201,900

cubic yards of overburden

were removed and 18, 254

tons of ore extracted. An

estimated 13,500,00 cubic

yards of overburden, providing

approximately 1 million tons of

ore, will eventually be

removed.

MIMAG, January 1959

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This picture shows six of the

Company’s fleet of powerful earth-

moving Euclids. Each machine is

capable of carrying a load of 15

tons and travelling at speeds up to

35 miles per hour. The Euclids are

equipped with 2,000rpm Leyland

and Cummins engines of 170 and

154 horsepower respectively.

MIMAG, May 1959

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503ft 6in., plus the height

of the photographer to be

exact!

Jim Fokker spotted this

interesting composition

looking earthwards

through the caged ladder

from the top of the

Company’s new Copper

Smelter stack –

Australia’s tallest!

MIMAG, July 1960

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Driven by loco driver, Mickey

Duc, the Underlander runs

underground at Mount Isa

Mines Limited.

MIMAG, July 1960

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Ross feeder chains of the

84”x60” primary crusher 2100

feet below the surface at Mount

Isa – the largest underground

crusher in Australia. The links on

the four chains are 34”x22” and

weigh 6cwt each. This size can

be compared with that of the

worker. This picture was taken

during the installation of the

crusher.

MIMAG, November 1960

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A two-man development

mining crew operate

percussion drills from a drill

carriage or jumbo on

13Level, 2000 feet

underground at Mount Isa

Mines Limited.

MIMAG, January 1961

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Ring-firing shift boss, Max

Kelly checks a restarter

detonator on a 2 sub cordtex

trunk line. Bottom trunk lines

are protected by sandbags.

MIMAG, August 1962

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Ventilating air is

distributed

underground through

this polythene

ducting.

MIMAG, September

1962

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Construction of the smelter stack

commenced late in 1959. It was

different from normal construction

jobs, due to many factors. All major

items were completed in March

1962

MIMAG, December 1962

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The black line

shows the limit of

the proposed

extensions.

MIMAG, March

1963

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This amazing photo was taken

looking down on the Copper

Smelter stack.

MIMAG, April 1963

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The photo shows

components of the ball

mill being manoeuvred

into position at No 3

Concentrator.

MIMAG, September

1963

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Fan installation at the AW84 exhaust shaft.

MIMAG, April 1964

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V. Laitinen and D. Majstorovic

shown working in the Z31 shaft.

MIMAG, April 1964

In June, 1963 a large scale mine

ventilation scheme estimated to

cost £1,400,000 was announced by

Mount Isa Mines Limited. The

scheme, now well under way, is due

for completion at the end of 1964,

and will more than double the

underground air circulation.

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The K57 shaft reached its

projected depth of 3800 feet early

in January this year. Work on the

200 foot winding tower had

already started. Below the

surface, the shaft was being

connected to existing levels and

other levels were being

developed. The shaft is due to be

commissioned in mid-1965.

MIMAG, August 1964

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Underground operations in Mount Isa are now among the

most highly mechanised in the world. In a lead stope

below 10Level, a two-boom drilling jumbo prepares shot

holes as the ST5 loads ore. MIMAG, March 1966

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Black Rock Open Cut where

mining operations, recently

completed, helped to boost

production during the

expansion.

MIMAG, March 1966

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Three of these fans, each

capable of moving one

million cubic feet of air per

minute, improved mine

ventilation.

MIMAG, March 1966

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In a test of the

computer’s executive

program, the equipment

was switched on and an

attempt made to bring it

into operation. The

equipment itself then

made the request “Date

please?”. The operator

deliberately fed in the

wrong date and almost

before his fingers left the

keys, back came the

word “error”.

MIMAG, June 1966

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More than 800 guests

attended the official opening

of the K57 Shaft and No.2

Concentrator. The opening

was officiated by the Premier

of Queensland, the Hon.

G.F.R. Nicklin on Tuesday, 6

September, 1966.

MIMAG, December 1966

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Pouring blister copper

into moulds in the

Copper Smelter aisle at

Mount Isa.

MIMAG, December

1966

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Long after the seasonal

“wet”, water remains in

the Leichhardt River to

help make a

picturesque scene

close to the centre of

Mount Isa.

MIMAG, September

1967

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Fine crystal like this

is dependent upon

lead.

MIMAG, September

1967

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Mount Isa’s Anna McLean tops

up a car petrol tank, and with

every gallon of fuel goes 2-3cc

of tetraethyl lead.

MIMAG, September 1967

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It’s bedtime and a

traditional time for

cleaning teeth. Here

lead is used as a

container in the form

of a collapsible tube.

MIMAG, September

1967

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Old method of

loading zinc

concentrate from

bottom-dump trucks

was replaced by

modern bulk loading

equipment.

MIMAG, September

1967

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Modern bulk loading

at the Mount Isa Zinc

Concentrator.

MIMAG, September

1967

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A new Gardner Denver

four-boom drill jumbo is

now speeding

development work on

17Level.

MIMAG, March 1968

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As part of the company’s

copper expansion programme,

F58 Shaft is being sunk to

permit haulage of greater

tonnages of ore. Here, shaft

sinkers drill holes at the bottom

of the shaft in readiness for

charging and firing.

MIMAG, December 1971

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Surface

operations at

the mine include

the Copper

Smelter in the

foreground and

the new No. 4

Concentrator in

the top right

hand corner.

MIMAG, March

1973

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The concrete

foundation block was

poured in four

sections. This photo

shows the

foundation block

completed.

MIMAG, June 1978

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A halt is made in the

concrete pouring to

construct the work

cocoon which, when

pressurised from

below, protected the

workers from the

emissions of other

stacks.

MIMAG, June 1978

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This photo illustrates the

work method on the

lower of the two decks,

before the cocoon was

installed.

Concrete is taken by

wheel barrow to the

formwork and then hand

placed around the steel

reinforcing.

MIMAG, June 1978

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The underside of the

work platform viewed

from inside the stack.

In the centre are the

two lifts which

transported men and

materials.

MIMAG, June 1978

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No other construction project ever undertaken by Mount Isa

Mines Limited, was more conspicuous than the new 270-

metre Lead Smelter stack and, in consequence, possibly

very few others ever attracted so much public attention.

As the concrete wind shield climbed skywards – by as much

as 6.6 metres a day – public interest reached the stage

when prizes were being offered for the person who could

most accurately forecast just when it would be completed.

In conjunction with a super-market, the local radio station ran

the competition based on just when the last shovel of

concrete would be placed.

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Shortly after construction of

the work cocoon, the

concrete wind shield had

passed the height of the

existing Lead Smelter stack.

MIMAG, June 1978

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The changing Mount Isa

skyline. The new Lead

Smelter stack now dominates

the scene but clearly visible

too, is the associated gas

cooler, to the left of the stack.

MIMAG, December 1978

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This striking photograph was

taken by John Shewan and

shows the layout within the

new, 270 metre tall Lead

Smelter stack at Mount Isa.

The flue is on the left and, on

the right, the lift nears the first

of the internal service

platforms.

MIMAG, September 1979

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The richness of molten

copper demonstrated in this

picture of anode casting at

Mount Isa.

MIMAG, March 1982

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Two miners wait for the cage to take them

underground.

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MIM’s largest single

shipment of copper – 8500

tonnes – left the Port of

Townsville recently in the

Scancarner vessel

“Tourcoing”.

MIMAG, March 1983

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A key development in Isa

Mine’s lead expansion

programme, was construction

of the Jubilee Heavy Medium

Plant, work on which was

completed during the 1982-83

financial year.

MIMAG, September 1983

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Zinc stockpiling at Mount Isa

Mines Limited. Japan

imported its first million

tonnes of Isa zinc

concentrate during 1985.

MIMAG, October 1985

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Ore crushed underground

joins the stockpile at Mount

Isa’s Hilton Mine.

MIMAG, February 1992

Mount Isa’s vision:

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No risk of sunburn for underground boaties Andrew McIlwain

and Paavo Laukkanen

162 162 1500m

Deep Copper mines

below 1000m

Copper,Zine-Lead-Silver

mines to 1100m depth

1000m

500m

R62 or U62 Shaft

Surface

MIMAG, March 1996

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Would like to thank the members of our community who contributed their historical photos for use in the

following gallery:

Ada Miller, Ex-Mount Isa Councillor

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Frank Aston, a local businessman, donated

his personal collection of Mount Isa

memorabilia to the City and which in turn

opened the Frank Aston Museum.

Present at the opening of the museum

were local businessmen, former Mount Isa

Mines Managers and employees, many of

who were original Rotary Club members.

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James

Foots

and Frank

Aston

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James Foots

and Frank Aston

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David Buchanan, former General manager of

MIM and various visitors

Ada Miller

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Cobi Born, Wife of Franz Born

(former Mayor of Mount Isa)

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James Foots,

former General

Manager of MIM

Ada Miller

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Jim

Smith,

Owner

of Star

Theatre

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From right to left –

Frank Aston and Unknown Man

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Glen Graham,

MIM Staff Artist

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Kitchener (Kitch)

Lowth,

former Works

Manager MICC

Larry Henderson,

former Owner of Isaco

Office Equipment

Don Cummings, former owner

of Cummings

Sheet Metal