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Leong Fee's New Tambun Mines
Leong Fee alias Leong Pi Joo emigrated from Kwungtung Province in China to Malaya in 1876. He was one of many thousands of penniless labourers who left China at that time seeking a better life and to find support for their poverty stricken families in China. Leong Fee story from labourer to Towkay is typical of many Chinese who came to Malaya and worked harder than most would ever believe. It is also said by his superstitious brethren that luck (or fook in Chinese) was on his side.
This photograph shows the New Tambun Mines, with the view of glacial clay faulted down against limestone. Not a great deal appears to be known about these mines. Leong Fee also owned the Tambun Mines, his earlier venture on land that was originally planted with coffee and owned by him in partnership with the Inspector of Mines, FJB Dykes, but the latter sold his share to his partner as they could not initially get permission to mine the land.
In 1901, Leong Fee hired Harry Nutter to manage the Tambun Mines; later (1903) Pearse joined, and the firm Nutter & Pearse came into existence. The Tambun Mines then set a world record for monthly outputs in May and August 1903, while the annual aggregate, amounted to more than 3,445 tons of tin ore. According the Ipoh Remembered, Nutter & Pearse were on Hugh Low Street in Old Town, near the intersection with Belfield Street. The building they occupied is still there, not far from 'Lim Kopi'.
Once the richest layers of Karang had been dug out by shafts and tunnels, connecting to and ventilating a huge underground chamber about 7 feet high, the mine turned to open cast mining.
To read the full story of Towkay Leong Fee, click here.
To read more about the book ‘Kinta Valley’, click here.