Poppet Head of the Fiery Cross Gold Mine at Capleston.

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DescriptionThe historic Fiery Cross gold mine is 16 kilometres north of Reefton, as part of the Kirwans Track. At the end of this road was the former town of Capleston, which held 1000 people in 1877.

The Fiery Cross Mine was the tenth richest for gold production in the Reefton district, producing 52 943 tonnes of quartz, for 27 843 ounces of gold, at a grade of 34.8 .
The lode was discovered by M. and J. Ryan in 1872, along with the nearby Alexandra and Hopeful lodes. A company was formed, and they jointly built a 15 head battery with the Just-in-Time Mine in 1873. The first crushing for Fiery Cross was so rich, it paid off their share of the battery costs, and generated a dividend.

The Fiery Cross shoot averaged 3 to 4 feet wide, and was 400 feet long in the upper levels, but this decreased at depth. In 1887, the Fiery Cross Mine absorbed the neighbouring Alexandra lease, and then the Hopeful Extended lease in 1888. Several tributers followed, and a company reconstruction, but to no avail, and the company was liquidated in 1893. The blame was placed on the company handing out dividends to shareholders, rather than retaining money to go prospecting for more ore.The plant and claim was purchased by Rooney and party who extracted ore for two years, considered too low a grade by the company, but profitable to a small party of miners.

The Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand Limited purchased the mine in 1895, and cleaned out the Fiery Cross and Just-in-Time shafts in 1899. By 1910, the above two mines and Welcome were all under one owner, supported by a government subsidy, although it did not eventuate into any mining.Map^[1]External LinkMindat.orgContributorBlacks Point Museum

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Location (city or town)Capleston (aka Boatman's)Organisation (eg business) Fiery Cross gold mineEventPoppet Head of the Fiery Cross gold mine at Capleston.

Category Information

Category TagGoldmining

From Facebook

CommentsMalcolm Gollan
Looks like during construction of the winder. The drums are in front and various driving wheels lying around and a horse team just arriving.

Allan Archer
Malcolm Gollan it is indeed, and the winding engine is the one on display at the Isite on Broadway in Rerfton City

Malcolm Gollan
Allan Archer where those ladders are looks to be the boiler tubes and the tank above. I don't think any of it remains but it must have been a substantial boiler.

Allan Archer
Unusual looking arrangement Malcolm tubes have quite a steep angle and the tank.being so high and separated, must be a pressure vessel ? Dont know much about it ,could the winder have been air powered?.need a steam enthusiast's opinion on it all

Gary Blackhawk
Allan Archer Internals of a Babcock Wilcox water tube boiler which will be all bricked in to complete. The tubes are arranged on an angle to provide convective circulation to and from the main header drum above. Blacks Point have amakers plate off a similar Babcock Wilcox boiler. This type was used at Waiuta also.

Allan Archer
Cheers Gary. What is the vessel on top ?

Allan Archer
Is it a water reservoir?
Marjorie Mckenzie
Peter's great grandfather Tom McKenzie probably supplied the logs for the poppet head as he had a sawmill in Capleston around this time.

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Poppet Head of the Fiery Cross Gold Mine at Capleston.

Editing is temporarily disabled