More old Ruddygore old records with some important points: Good ore was found at the 225ft level (3.8% copper, 1.6oz silver per ton) and 300ft level (over 20ft wide and not closed off) yet there is no recorded production from these levels and almost no production from below the 125ft level. The later cross section from 1949 and report from 1960 do not recognise mineralisation near the main shaft at depth and the cross section shows unaltered monzonite at the main shaft which does not correspond to the old reports and early cross section. The lead carbonate production from No.2 shaft is interesting, also clay production. The records of production in 1912 indicates that production continued past the 1909 date usually used, and is greater than previously recorded, my search has shown greater recorded production than in Ballymore announcements.
The Critic Adelaide 16 September 1899 - CHILLAGOE - Notes on the Nature and Probable Origin of the Lode Formations and the Genesis of the Copper Ore they Contain.
3 ore types with Ruddygore being the main example of class 1, stockworks. Class I. Taking the Ruddygore as an example I find it to be a porphyry dyke, with, granite dykes coursing through it or into it. The porphyry dyke itself has been much faulted and disturbed. It is, so far as I can see, entirely surrounded with granite, and situated quite outside the boundaries of the limestone belt. The porphyry dyke is of great extent, and that sufficient work has been done on one side of the low hill, of which it forms a part, to disclose to some extent the nature of the dyke and the mode of occurrence of the ore it contains. The porphyry is of igneous origin, and probably either in cooling or by subsequent dynamic movements, stresses have been set up which have developed an intricate series of contraction cracks, or otherwise a rough and complicated system of faults. I think it is questionable whether these faults will continue into the surrounding granite. While the ore near the surface occurs in the form of oxides or carbonates, these have entirely given place to sulphides at the depth of the crosscut now going in from a shaft which is 100 ft. deep. Now, by the(at present mostly anticipated) occurrence of the ore, principally near the rough lines of fault and by the change of oxides and carbonates into sulphides at depth, deposition from aqueous solution circulating upwards from below is certainly suggested, more especially when it is considered that the dyke is full of small vughs, with beautiful and perfectly developed hexagonal crystals of quartz ''growing" outwards from the vugh walls into the vugh cavities. These vughs appear to be connected with a system of very small quartz leaders, and vughs and leaders alike appear to contain ore. Such features may be regarded as indicating hydrothermal action. The oxides and carbonates occurring near the surface were doubtless sulphides before denudation of the surface rock allowed atmospheric agencies to effect the change. Now, sulphur is an essential constituent of a sulphide, and whence was this sulphur element derived? On the one hand, it is not a constituent of the surrounding rock; therefore it could not have been leached therefrom. On the other hand, the connection between igneous rocks (such as porphyry dykes) and sulphuretted waters and vapours, is too intimate to be entirely disregarded. Inferentially both the copper and sulphur came up in some form of solution or combination through the dyke column from below, and the ores became deposited in or near those channels, which offered the weakest resistance to its circulating upward flow. I do not at present know of another deposit which bears an exact resemblance to the Ruddygore on the field, although I am as yet unable to definitely state whether the Ruddygore ore has been directly deposited from aqueous solution derived from below or whether it has been leached out of the dyke rock and deposited in cracks, joints and vughs, assisted by the agency of heated waters. At present, however, I favour the former theory.
Morning Post Cairns 21 September 1906 - Shipped to smelters 52t of No.2 open cut ore assaying 6.5% copper and 8.6oz silver per ton, also 114t No.1 open cut ore assaying 4.75% copper. Diamond drilling in progress, number 2 hole completed and number 3 in progress.
Morning Post Cairns 9 July 1907- 250t of ore, which returns a net profit of 3 pounds per ton, being sent to the smelter fortnightly.
Townsville Daily Bulletin 22 June 1908 - Main shaft now down to 138 ft, shipped 257t ore to smelters and 30t of clay. - (This shows the deep weathering or clay alteration present has clay good enough to sell.)
The Northern Miner Charters Towers 27 February 1909 - Ruddygore has proved ore at the 300ft level over 20ft in width and the drive is still in the lode. This is important because production is not recorded from this level, having a decent width of ore at the 225 ft and 300ft levels give me confidence that there is a body of ore that is unmined and not closed off at depth.
The Critic Adelaide 10 February 1909 - Ruddygore main shaft number 2 level at 225ft entered ore at 5ft from the shaft. Sample of boring from one hole from the 225ft level assayed 3.8% copper and 1.6oz silver per ton (I assume one of the holes for explosives for driving the level) - Note there is no record of production from the 225ft level, nor of much production after 1909. This means this 3.8% copper ore could well be intact.Daily Telegraph Launceston 27 November 1908 - Main shaft completed to 351ft (107m).
The Northern Miner Charters Towers 25 June 1909 - Carbonate of lead ore being mined from a 60ft long, 12ft+ wide ore body assayed 17oz silver and 35% lead per ton.
The Critic Adelaide 1 September 1909 - From No. 2 shaft, 31 to 61 ft levels carbonate of lead - 561t yielded 9771.55oz silver and 176.683t of lead.
The Northern Miner Charters Towers 27 April 1912 - Ore is being got from the shaft on the south side of the open cut (presumably shaft no 1). A few shipments of sulphides have been sent to the smelters and a small body of carbonates has been opened up. - There is no record of production after 1909 but clearly some production continued.
The Northern Miner Charters Towers 14 June 1912 - The lead sulphides railed to the smelters gave a net return of 2 pounds 16 shillings per ton. Management anticipate raising 150t per week.
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