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An Article From The Michaelian - A Vist To Choong Sam Tin Mine
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Subject :An Article from the Michaelian - A Vist to Choong Sam Tin Mine
Published By : The Michaelian 1952, Author Joseph Liew Meng Chee
Location : 3rd Mile, Gopeng Road, Ipoh
Estimated Year : 1952
Media Type : Article
Source : Brother Vincent Corkery, SMI, Ipoh
Remark : A VISIT TO CHOONG SAM TIN MINE
All ready! Proceed! Off we started for Mr Choong Sam’s famous mine, two or three miles out of the town. The sun was blazing. One would not have stirred a step that day if one had no business. Besides, the business had to be important or fascinating enough. Ours was fascinating. Excursions are always so. Beads of sweet rolled down our cheeks and backs. I must say it is not pleasant having sweat rolling down one’s back. But we did not mind this discomfort. To get to the famous mine was all we cared for. Once there everything would be interesting.
Even as we approached it, we were fascinated by its view. The office, a modern sturdy-looking building, standing on a hill overlooking the trunk road to Kuala Lumpur, looked just like a fort. I began to approach it as one would a fort. Would there be watch-dogs to pounce upon us or mata-matas to fire the warning shot? We were now in front of the office and instead of a hostile reception we were courteously requested to sit down. We were told that our host, Mr Choong Sam, was busy in town and had delegated the speaker to take us round.
Enlightened Employer
Without further ado, we were led to have a look at the labourers’ quarters - a permanent building of modern design. Music was audible. Besides necessaries, the labourers were provided with luxuries like radios, ceiling fans, spring beds and a cheery dining hall. Mr Choong Sam may be classed among today’s most enlightened employers.
After inspecting the miners’ quarters, we went back to the main building. We climbed two staircases and found ourselves on the flat roof. Another stiff climb, that of a steel ladder, bought us to a sort of look-out. From here we got a wonderful view of the mine itself which is about half a mile away, and a section of the township of Ipoh.
The mine is an open-cast mine, worked by gravel-pumps. Two and a half years’ working had dug up an immense pit where over a hundred workmen might be seen at work all the time. But they were hardly visible. Descending we found ourselves in the mine-pit. Before us was a man working a monitor. To him it was child’s play. He eyed us strangely. I smiled, and, in the rumbling caused by the spurting water, tried to talk to him. He was a pleasant man and kindly allowed me to try a hand at the monitor. It was no child’s play. Water was rushing out at a pressure of 80 lbs per sq in, and half the mine would be affected should it be handled badly.
In Pudding Mud
Next we went over to the engine-shed. Nearby was the suction pump - a very greedy contrivance that seemed to swallow up tons and tons of water, mud, pebbles and sand. Looking up we saw that the material was being sucked up to a great height through a large long pipe and deposited on a wooden trough, called a palong. The ground in a mine is treacherous. One of us stepped a little outside the beaten track and found himself a foot in puddling mud. A roar of laughter greeted his misadventure and we had to help him out. We were more careful after this little accident for who would like to be swallowed up in mud?
We had come up to the sluice-boxes or palongs. The mixture of mud, sand, ore and water flowed down through these boxes which had a gradient of 1 in 2. The heavy ore settled down on the floor and was collected once every five days. We could see hundreds of bags of tin-ore piled up in a shed, waiting to be taken to the dressing shed. Here the ore was washed in water to have the sand and other useless material removed. This was done by very simple methods but the men must be very skilful. When the ore was dry, it was passed through a magnetic-separator to remove the aluminate and haematite. Thus purified the ore was ready for packing in gunny sacks to be sent to shippers for exporting.
We had spent an interesting and instructive hour or two at the mine. We had had a strenuous time climbing up and down and we were thirsty. Each of us could swallow up a gallon of water. Imagine our joy when our gracious escort led us to the canteen and regaled us with iced drinks and fruits, biscuits and cakes. Orange crush, iced water melons and peanuts had never tasted better. It was a day to talk about.
By JOSEPH LIEW MENG CHEE,
School Certificate A
The photograph included with this article is shown above exactly as it was published. The page featured, clockwise from top left: In front of the office; At the canteen; On the Rooftop; Down the Palong; The Palong side-view; The Palong seen from above; Monitors at work; and Being conveyed to the mine.
To read more about Towkay Choong Sam, click here.
All ready! Proceed! Off we started for Mr Choong Sam’s famous mine, two or three miles out of the town. The sun was blazing. One would not have stirred a step that day if one had no business. Besides, the business had to be important or fascinating enough. Ours was fascinating. Excursions are always so. Beads of sweet rolled down our cheeks and backs. I must say it is not pleasant having sweat rolling down one’s back. But we did not mind this discomfort. To get to the famous mine was all we cared for. Once there everything would be interesting.
Even as we approached it, we were fascinated by its view. The office, a modern sturdy-looking building, standing on a hill overlooking the trunk road to Kuala Lumpur, looked just like a fort. I began to approach it as one would a fort. Would there be watch-dogs to pounce upon us or mata-matas to fire the warning shot? We were now in front of the office and instead of a hostile reception we were courteously requested to sit down. We were told that our host, Mr Choong Sam, was busy in town and had delegated the speaker to take us round.
Without further ado, we were led to have a look at the labourers’ quarters - a permanent building of modern design. Music was audible. Besides necessaries, the labourers were provided with luxuries like radios, ceiling fans, spring beds and a cheery dining hall. Mr Choong Sam may be classed among today’s most enlightened employers.
After inspecting the miners’ quarters, we went back to the main building. We climbed two staircases and found ourselves on the flat roof. Another stiff climb, that of a steel ladder, bought us to a sort of look-out. From here we got a wonderful view of the mine itself which is about half a mile away, and a section of the township of Ipoh.
The mine is an open-cast mine, worked by gravel-pumps. Two and a half years’ working had dug up an immense pit where over a hundred workmen might be seen at work all the time. But they were hardly visible. Descending we found ourselves in the mine-pit. Before us was a man working a monitor. To him it was child’s play. He eyed us strangely. I smiled, and, in the rumbling caused by the spurting water, tried to talk to him. He was a pleasant man and kindly allowed me to try a hand at the monitor. It was no child’s play. Water was rushing out at a pressure of 80 lbs per sq in, and half the mine would be affected should it be handled badly.
Next we went over to the engine-shed. Nearby was the suction pump - a very greedy contrivance that seemed to swallow up tons and tons of water, mud, pebbles and sand. Looking up we saw that the material was being sucked up to a great height through a large long pipe and deposited on a wooden trough, called a palong. The ground in a mine is treacherous. One of us stepped a little outside the beaten track and found himself a foot in puddling mud. A roar of laughter greeted his misadventure and we had to help him out. We were more careful after this little accident for who would like to be swallowed up in mud?
We had come up to the sluice-boxes or palongs. The mixture of mud, sand, ore and water flowed down through these boxes which had a gradient of 1 in 2. The heavy ore settled down on the floor and was collected once every five days. We could see hundreds of bags of tin-ore piled up in a shed, waiting to be taken to the dressing shed. Here the ore was washed in water to have the sand and other useless material removed. This was done by very simple methods but the men must be very skilful. When the ore was dry, it was passed through a magnetic-separator to remove the aluminate and haematite. Thus purified the ore was ready for packing in gunny sacks to be sent to shippers for exporting.
We had spent an interesting and instructive hour or two at the mine. We had had a strenuous time climbing up and down and we were thirsty. Each of us could swallow up a gallon of water. Imagine our joy when our gracious escort led us to the canteen and regaled us with iced drinks and fruits, biscuits and cakes. Orange crush, iced water melons and peanuts had never tasted better. It was a day to talk about.
School Certificate A
The photograph included with this article is shown above exactly as it was published. The page featured, clockwise from top left: In front of the office; At the canteen; On the Rooftop; Down the Palong; The Palong side-view; The Palong seen from above; Monitors at work; and Being conveyed to the mine.
To read more about Towkay Choong Sam, click here.
Filename : 20090510-013