Iron Blow
Encyclopedia
Iron Blow was the site of the earliest major mining venture at Mount Lyell
on the west coast
of Tasmania
in 1883. It was above the location where Steve Karlson, Michael McDonough, and William McDonough were camped in the area on a ridge between mountains of the West Coast Range.
to the east of the Mount Owen
- Mount Lyell ridge as the townsite of Penghana, the present site of Queenstown - to the west was still thick rainforest.
Following the establishment of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
in 1893, the Iron Blow orebody was mined until 1929.
's smelters and methods.
The development of the West Lyell Open cut, and the later development of the Prince Lyell ore bodies removed all vestiges of the original workings.
Mount Lyell (Tasmania)
Mount Lyell is a mountain in the West Coast Range, Tasmania, named by Charles Gould in 1863 Charles Lyell was named during the nineteenth century controversy about the theory of evolution put forward by Charles Darwin, Lyell was a supporter of Darwin's....
on the west coast
West Coast, Tasmania
The West Coast of Tasmania is the part of the state that is strongly associated with wilderness, mining and tourism, rough country and isolation...
of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in 1883. It was above the location where Steve Karlson, Michael McDonough, and William McDonough were camped in the area on a ridge between mountains of the West Coast Range.
Original form
Geoffrey Blainey describes the appearance prior to its being mined:They (Those mentioned above) examined the strange formation. It jutted twenty or thirty feet above the surface and was split by deep cracks and crevices as if a great explosion had fractured the rock and flung slabs far down the hill...(they)... had seen no similar outcrop in their brief mining experience. What lay beneath the ironstone crust?
Mining
The first shot on the site was in January 1884 - and most local prospectors were camped in the Linda ValleyLinda Valley
Linda Valley is a valley in the West Coast Range of Tasmania. It was earlier known as the Vale of Chamouni. It is between Mount Owen and Mount Lyell.Linda Valley is the location of two historical settlements, Linda and Gormanston...
to the east of the Mount Owen
Mount Owen (Tasmania)
Mount Owen is the mountain directly east of the town of Queenstown in Tasmania, Australia.Like most of the mountains in the West Coast Range - it was named by Charles Gould after Richard Owen as the taller mountains were named after opponents or critics of Charles Darwin, the smaller after his...
- Mount Lyell ridge as the townsite of Penghana, the present site of Queenstown - to the west was still thick rainforest.
Following the establishment of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company was a Tasmanian mining company formed on the 29 March 1893, most commonly referred to as Mount Lyell. Mount Lyell was the dominant copper mining company of the West Coast from 1893 to 1994, and was based in Queenstown, Tasmania.Following consolidation of...
in 1893, the Iron Blow orebody was mined until 1929.
End of the era
The cessation of the Iron Blow mining was also linked in with the demise of the Mount Lyell pyritic smelting - the cessation of Robert Carl StichtRobert Carl Sticht
Robert Carl Sticht was an American metallurgist and copper mine manager, active in Colorado and Montana, U.S.A. and in Tasmania, Australia...
's smelters and methods.
The development of the West Lyell Open cut, and the later development of the Prince Lyell ore bodies removed all vestiges of the original workings.
Further reading
- 2003 edition - Queenstown: Municipality of Queenstown.
- 1949 edition - Hobart: Davies Brothers. ; ASINAsínAsín is a municipality located in the Cinco Villas comarca of the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, located a few kilometers west of Orés. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 106 inhabitants....
B000FMPZ80 - 1924 edition - Queenstown: Mount Lyell Tourist Association. ; ASINAsínAsín is a municipality located in the Cinco Villas comarca of the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, located a few kilometers west of Orés. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 106 inhabitants....
B0008BM4XC