Just as the Minnow River gold rush of 1878–1880 was tapering off, two Railton prospectors – Henry Weeks and Thomas Shepherd – reported a silver-lead strike at Round Hill on the western extremity of Mt Claude range. In 1881, this ignited another local prospecting frenzy. They came from everywhere, fossicking the hills and pegging out their claims. The enterprising Grace Pease (widow of Peter Pease), who had lived at ‘Holly Hill’ on Lockwoods Rd for 20 years, began advertising ‘accommodation at reasonable rates, with good stabling and paddocks for horses.’ She commenced supplying the prospectors/miners with bread, meat, butter, eggs, etc. Among these new Mt Claude prospectors were several discouraged leaseholders from the Minnow goldfields. This new discovery commenced the very chequered ‘off again/on again’ mining history around Mt Claude.

Mt Claude Silver Lead Mining Co 1881–1884

Samples of silver-lead ore taken from Claude Creek gorge tested in Launceston proved so promising that a meeting held at John Sampson’s Retreat Inn in Latrobe led to the formation of the Mount Claude Silver-Lead Mining Company on 8 August 1881. Daniel Burke of Westbury was appointed provisional manager, Rob Bauld secretary, Thomas Hainsworth treasurer, with John Sampson, A Mitchell, A Cherry and Henry Weeks provisional directors. Shareholders were businessmen and influential people from Latrobe to Launceston. The company selected two claims covering Round Hill and the Claude Creek gorge. James Hancock, who had wide experience in the UK and at Mount Bischoff, was appointed mine manager. Commencing in Sep 1881 with 12 men, Hancock’s first task was to cut access tracks around the very steep sides of Claude Creek gorge to get tools and equipment into tunnelling sites. Lots of rock blasting was undertaken by Joshua Winter of Railton to construct a 1¼-mile-long wooden tramway around the precipitous hills to get the ore carried in horse-drawn wagons out to the crushing mill. Five acres of level land was chosen out on the front-side of Mt Claude to build the crushing mill, company offices and miners’ huts; the same site where, 35 years later, another mining company erected their township of Cethana. Six months after James Hancock became manager, he was dismissed for being absent from the mine over Christmas, not keeping correct accounts and for abusive language towards the directors. Stephen Hocking, a previous employee, was appointed as the new manager.

At a Mount Claude Company meeting held in Jan 1883, shareholders were told that the tramway into the mine had been completed at a cost of £800. That year, prominent company executive Thomas Hainsworth of Latrobe, a huge Cornishman, had a narrow escape from drowning while returning from a visit to the mine. Having entered the Dasher River on horseback, he was attempting to climb up the steep bank on the other side when his horse lost its footing and fell backward, plunging him beneath the water. His companion came to the rescue, but his horse sprang over Hainsworth, cutting his face with its hooves and submerging him again down into the mirky depths of the river. The operations of Mt Claude Silver Lead Mining Co ‘were not attended with success’, and in 1884 the mine was abandoned. Over its five-year lifespan, the Mount Claude Company had spent more than £5,000 and produced less than 20 tons of ore.

Tasmanian Silver & Lead Mining Company 1881–1882

Sheffield’s first storekeeper, Robert Manley, was another disappointed lessee at the Minnow goldfield who had moved onto Mt Claude. With his Latrobe hotel mates Frank Young, Wm Collard and others, they formed Latrobe Silver-Lead Company and began mining 800 yards to the northwest of the old Mount Claude Co property. Robert Manley took a large quantity of their mineral specimens down to Hobart with the aim of joining a couple other mining ventures to form one strong Tasmanian company. Manley was successful, and by October 1881, the new Tasmanian Silver & Lead Mining Company had been floated in Hobart, giving them more investment money. However, deep disappointment followed when their lodes fizzled out and a lot of money was lost.

Mount Roland Silver-Lead Co 1881

Following the mineral discovery at Mt Claude, the directors of River Don Co purchased all the Dasher River flats from Claude Road to Gowrie and took out several mineral leases at the eastern end of Mt Roland. The Don Company had just opened a wooden tramway from Don up to Lower Barrington and now planned to continue it to Sheffield and out to their mining site at Claude Road. But though the mine was initially worked day and night shifts for some months, eventually they closed the whole thing down. Today, this mine is part of the attraction of staying at Silverwood Retreat up Rysavy Rd.

 Southern Cross Pty SM Company, Mount Claude, 1891–1892

Early in 1891, the Southern Cross Proprietary Silver Mining Co was floated in Melbourne to work the leases of the old Mount Claude Company. Commencing Dec 1891, they extended one tunnel by 198 yards, hoping to find a new lode. The only thing found was a strong flow of water. By July 1892, the company was in financial difficulty, and their mining efforts were abandoned. The company assets were seized and auctioned off.

Kentish Pty Silver-Mining Company 1892–1893

George Hartrick from Melbourne, a former adviser/manager of the above Southern Cross Co, seriously believed they had been within a few yards of discovering a valuable lode of silver. At the auction, Hartrick purchased the mine’s entire assets and, in Sept 1892, persuaded Sheffield locals to buy shares in his Kentish Pty Silver-Mining Co to take over the lease of the Southern Cross site. All directors were from Sheffield: RR Roberts (Australasian Bank), Chris Spotswood (National Bank), JT Wilson (Sheffield Hotel), Elvin Atkinson (coach proprietor) & George Cruikshank (drapery manager). Largest Sheffield shareholders: John T Wilson (1,875 shares) and Thomas J Clerke (760 shares). Others: RR Roberts, Chris Spotswood, James York, A & S York, Constable John Burns, Elvin Atkinson, Geo Cruikshank, Robert Manning, Mrs Alice White, Mrs Mary McNamee, Miss Alice Wilson, James Manning, Malcolm Campbell & George Day. By the end of 1893, the tunnel had advanced 46m but no lode. When the silver price crash of August 1893 happened, it put an end to all investment interest in silver-lead mining for well over a decade.

Round Hill Silver & Lead Mining Company (1907–1927)

After Llewellyn Thomas’s prospecting party discovered some fine specimens within the 200-acre site of old Mount Claude Co mine, the Round Hill Silver & Lead Mining Co was formed in Devonport in April 1907. It was the most successful mining company on this site and lasted 20 years. Most shareholders came from Devonport, Launceston and Melbourne, with Wm Innes (chairman), Captain Holyman and Hector McFie (directors). Underground mines were opened on both sides of the Claude Creek gorge, with an aerial steel cableway to carry the ore buckets across the gully.. The rock crusher machine, manufactured by Finlayson Bros Engineering Works, Devonport, took Wm Davies three days to haul it behind his traction engine to the Round Hill mill site. Dan Davies, delivering cut timber for the manager’s house along the narrow tramway track, lost his horse and loaded wagon over the side of the precipice. The wagon snagged on rocks 80ft below, but his horse fell a further 100ft into the bottom of the gorge.

In just under two years, the Round Hill Mining Co spent £1,746 to get the mine operational so that in March 1909 Wm Davies could cart the first 25-tons of ore to Railton for rail to Devonport and trans-shipment to smelters in NSW. For three months, the mines and mill worked well, despatching 20 tons of ore weekly to the Railton Railway Station. Then in mid-June 1909 came a significant drop in world metal prices. The company could barely cover costs, and shareholders became nervous about ever receiving a dividend. In Nov 1909, the directors closed the mine and didn’t reopen it until metal prices began to rise in May 1911. Production progressively increased, and the company was now operating profitably – ready to pay off all its debt. Carting bags of ore over bad roads during winter months was very costly, so the opening of the Railton–Roland railway line in Nov 1914, bringing the train terminus to within eight miles of the mine, was cause for jubilation.

In 1915, the discovery of new lodes of high-grade ore at Round Hill was the catalyst for the mining company to benefit from the sale of £10,000-worth of shares to the Hon Frank Bond MLC and his investor friends in Hobart, who had been keenly watching the company’s development. With this large injection of funds, they appointed John Craze, with wide management experience on the West Coast, as the new general manager and began to greatly enlarge the mill’s capacity from 25 tons to 150 tons of ore per day. An 8ft-wide bridge was constructed across the Claude Creek gorge, upon which was temporarily stored a partly installed engine, machinery parts and a boiler. Unexpectedly, in Dec 1916, a disastrous flood severely damaged the half-renovated mill and washed the engine & machinery off the bridge into the creek below. Fortunately, most of the engine was retrieved from the creek, but, despite dredging efforts, some smaller parts were not recovered, and spares had to be sought. This event was the likely reason for Claude Creek being renamed ‘Machinery Creek’.

The period through 1918 to 1920 proved very satisfactory for the company. Under the wise management of John Craze, the increased production of the plant along with a sharp rise in the silver price all pointed to success at last. For something like 30 years, this mine site struggled for survival, reaching death’s door several times, but in this post-WWI period, it ranked as the richest mine in the state.                     

About 40 men were employed at the mine, many of them coming from nearby Kentish farms. They included Ern Eagling, John McCoy, Geo Dunn, Bill Knowles, Perc Cox and John McCorey, whose two-year-old daughter Sylvia fell into the water-race and drowned. Others were Betts, Storey, Elliott, Foley, Davis, Campbell and the Carey, Crawley & Humphrey brothers. The underground miners – wearing helmets with candles attached – worked eight hours, while above-grounders worked nine hours on a 5½-day week roster. Despite the hazards of underground blasting, horses pulled the ore-filled wagons out of tunnels and along the tram tracks to the crushing plant. The crushed silver-lead ore was placed in 1-cwt bags and carted in 3-ton wagonloads by one of the two five-horse teams to Roland Railway Terminus. Carters included Sam Pointon, Ted Blake, Les Day, Maurie Byard and Reg Byard.

In 1920, Cethana had become a healthy little township on the northern slopes of Mt Claude. John & Elsie Rogers had taken over its boarding house and local store. Life was not easy for Elsie Rogers. Up at 4am, she had to feed the first shift of single men with breakfast, cut their lunches and later prepare their evening meal. Each miner paid her £1 each week. A new state school opened in Feb 1920 with Miss Roberton in charge of over 20 children. The first church service in Cethana was conducted by Sheffield’s new Presbyterian minister Rev John Higginbotham in May 1920. Cethana PO commenced in the Round Hill Silver & Lead Mining Company’s office, but in 1922, the mill manager, Stan (Bill) Hetherington, had his wife, Muriel (née Mainwaring), join him at Cethana to run the Post Office/telephone and bank agency. Dan Davies had the mail contract. John Jackson of the Roland general store delivered groceries in his Model T Ford.

A fire at the mine in Oct 1920 destroyed the compressor building and did other damage. In May 1921, the directors considered paying out the first ever dividend when another sharp drop in metal prices forced them to suspend mining operations for five months until prices improved in October 1921. Popular mine manager John Craze used this break to retire to his substantial home Montana, High St, Sheffield, where he maintained a high profile. A fatal accident occurred in the Round Hill mill in Feb 1926 when Doug Mainwaring (19) was pulled by belts into the machinery, resulting in several mangled bones before it could be stopped. The make-shift mine ambulance paused at the Cethana PO so Doug could speak to his postmistress sister, Muriel Hetherington. His last words to her were: ‘It ain’t gonna rain anymore.’ Doug died that night in Latrobe Hospital and was buried in the Claude Rd cemetery. The courts awarded £200 to be paid to his mother.

Continued low silver-lead prices throughout the 1920s caused the company to operate at a loss. So, early in 1927, the company directors closed the mine. The Cethana PO closed in Dec 1927, and Cethana school closed in May 1930 but reopened in Feb 1931 as a small, subsidised school for over a decade. In 1946, Wm French of Barrington hauled the building to the Wilmot school. Between 1948 and 1951, nine Sheffield residents, including Alf Rowe and Ray Parker, formed the West Mount Claude Mining Syndicate to operate a small mill that processed about 20 tons of ore.

Although the mining fever that led to the opening of the Mt Claude mines has long since dissipated, in Sheffield, our two most elegant and impressive two-storey buildings are the Sheffield Hotel and York, Schmidt & Co. Both were built in 1883 by incredibly over-optimistic mining investors; today they still serve as magnificent memorials to Mt Claude’s glory days.