Salsburgh

Salsburgh is a semi rural former coal mining village in greenbelt farmland within the district of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The closest major town to the village is Shotts to the south east and Airdrie to the north west.
Salsburgh is perhaps best known for the Kirk O' Shott's Church (affectionately known as "The M8 Church") which sits on a hillock and is fairly visible as visitors enter the village from the east on the B7066 Whitburn to Newhouse road.
There has been a community in the area for over 600 years, although the present village dates back to 1729. At that time only a row of four houses existed, named "Muirhall, Girdhimstrait, Merchanthall and Craighead". Craighead was home to a Mr. Young and his wife Sally, and when Young sold some of his land to construct more houses it was decided that it would be named "Sallysburgh". Through time the name was shortened to Salsburgh.
Streets around the village are named after significant natives from its past relating to industry, mining, farming and agriculture all of which are part of the village's rich tapestry and make-up.
Salsburgh has various scenic walks, picturesque views for miles and areas which have remained untampered with by man such as the Riven Loch where much wildlife can be discovered.
The village is also well known and publicised as being rich in folklore, stories and tales of a giant (see Bertram de Shotts, a haunted cemetery Shottskirk
and a mysterious grey figure purported to be a lady are well published on the internet and indeed one caller to a local late night call in talk show on the now defunct Scot FM made a distressed call to the show stating they had just hit a mysterious grey figure, but upon going to make sure they were ok, the individual had just simply vanished into thin air.
Coal mining.
Duntilland.
Duntilland Colliery began production in 1896 with a workforce of just under 200. Their main production was specializing in coal types of/in manufacturing, anthracite and steam. It closed in 1951 and was owned and operated by Coltness Iron Co. Ltd.
Fortissat.
Fortissat Colliery began production in 1870 with a workforce of just under 300. Their main production was specializing in coal types of/in-house and steam. It closed in 1949 and was owned and operated by Shotts Iron Co. Ltd.
Ardenrigg.
Ardenrigg Colliery began production in 1926 with a workforce of just under 300. Their main production was specializing in coal types of/in anthracite. It closed in 1963 and was owned and operated by Ardenrigg Coal Co. Ltd.
Dewshill.
Dewshill Collierie began production in 1896. The population of their workforce is not known. Their main production was specializing in coal types of/in anthracite. It closed in 1943 after being redeveloped in 1923 and was owned and operated by Coltness Iron Co. Ltd. The pumping shaft eventually sunk in 1957.
Hirstrigg.
Hirstrigg Collierie began production sometime around after 1880 with a work force of between 200 and 300. It is not known what coal type they specialized in. It was originally owned and operated by Hirst Coal Co. Ltd (Glasgow) then latterly became under the ownership of Garscube Coal Co. Ltd (Edinburgh). It closed sometime around the 1940s.
Facilities.
Kirk O' Shott's (Shottskirk) Public/Primary School.
Kirk O' Shott's is the name of the local school which opened initially in 1700 in a rented building in the southern edge of the old Shottskirk churchyard; however, it was decided that a new school would be built opposite the church on what is now Newmill Canthill Road. It officially opened in 1799.
Due to an increase in school roll the original school was deemed no longer viable. A new school was built to the east end of the village and was opened in August 1912 as Shottskirk Public School, which later reverted to its original roots as Kirk O' Shott's in 1958 as a junior / secondary school.
Kirk O' Shott's Public School still thrives today as a busy public primary school serving the local community of Salsburgh and surrounding hamlets and proudly celebrated its centenary on 12 August 2012. Kirk O' Shott's remains a public school open to all denominations.
Kirk O' Shott's (Shottskirk) Parish Church.
Kirk O' Shott's Parish Church is the name of the local church which serves the parish of Salsburgh, Shotts and surrounding area. The church was formerly a Catholic place of worship under the name St. Catherines, taken from Catherine of Sienna. About 550 years ago Bothwell and Shotts formed one parish which stretched from the Clyde to Linlithgowshire, and from the North to the South Calder. In this large area there were four places of worship, one of which was situated in the middle Bothwellmuir at "a desert place called Bertram-Shotts". Bertram was reputed to be a giant who lived in the area and terrorised travellers on the Glasgow/Edinburgh road. A reward was offered for his capture - dead or alive - and was claimed by William Muirhead who lay in wait for Bertram when the latter came to his favourite drinking place, a spring of water on the hillside above Shottsburn. He hamstrung him and, as the giant lay laughing up at him, he cut off his head with the words, "Will ye laugh-up yet?"
It was on Bertram's plot of land that St. Catherine's Chapel was built in 1450. It was dedicated to "the blessed Virgin and Catherine of Sienna".
After the Reformation of 1560, Kirk o’Shotts, otherwise known as Shottskirk or the affectionately titled "M8 Church", became a Protestant place of worship. The old church of St Catherine's must have suffered many changes and required frequent changes since its foundation, but of these there is no account before 1640. In that year the Presbytery met at Shotts and ordered that the church be repaired and partly rebuilt, but it was more than eight years before the work was completed. The site of the old church is marked by the headstone erected to Samuel Meuros, who was session clerk and school master from 1794 to 1837. He was also Precentor, and it was his wish to be buried where his old desk had stood; thus he lies still at his post. On the back of the stone is the following inscription:
"Here stood the Precentor’s desk in the Kirk of Bertram Shotts which was rebuilt and extended in 1642".
This stone and the burial ground of the Inglises of Murdoston, which was inside the old church, give a clear idea of the site.
Shottskirk Cemetery is reported to be haunted by a mysterious grey figure who vanished to and from the mist when a driver reported having hit a grey figure on the B7066 road which runs adjacent to the Church and graveyard.
St. Catherine's Well / "Kate's Well".
St. Catherine's Well or "Kate's Well" is a natural holy spring well on holy ground at the foot of Kirk O'Shott's Parish Church, otherwise known as Shottskirk, in the village of Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire. The well dates back to the 14th century and derives from the church's former past when it was a Catholic place of worship as St. Catherines Chapel which has origins from Catherine of Sienna.
Kate's Well was also the scene of the local legendary giant Bertram de Shotts' demise where his head was decapitated as he drank from the well.
Skate Park.
In November 2019 it was announced that through successful campaigning thanks to the local community council, funding would be released for a new skate park, this will be located to the most eastward (bottom end) side of the King George Fifth park off Main Street and Jock's Road.
Miner Statue.
In November 2019 it was also announced along with the new skate park, would be a new miner statue to commemorate the villages rich mining history.
The statue location is being narrowed down to one of two locations, the first being the Jubilee Garden next to the community centre or the second being next to one of the village welcome gateways where it would be seen more prominently.
The Transmitters.
Salsburgh is the locale of the twin BlackHill Transmitters due to its high position towering above the M8 motorway opposite the church. They can be seen as far as Bathgate, West Lothian to the east and Glasgow to the west. The transmitters are quite a prominent feature after dark for miles around, due to the coloured red lights which prevent aircraft from striking the towers.
The Kirk o'Shotts transmitting station is also nearby, which formerly carried a TV service and today carries DAB radio.
Pre-fabricated buildings.
Salsburgh was one of the first places in Scotland to have a "pre-fab", a pre-fabricated building with corrugated steel walls built. The first ever pre-fab was built in the village in 1945.
Geography.
Climate.
Salsburgh has an oceanic climate (Köppen: "Cfb").
Homes.
Throughout the years there have been a variety of mixed styles of properties in the village, beginning with prefabs (prefabricated structures with tin roofs) which were then replaced with more substantial council authority brick-built homes.
The village today consists of detached, semi-detached, terraced, bungalows, cottages, miners' row cottages (most of which are council authority and/or privately owned former local authority properties) and also fully renovated former derelict properties and new builds such as Salsburgh Meadows and the new builds situated in sections of Main Street.
The mix of old (miners' rows) and new (Salsburgh Meadows) makes the village quaint and gives it a certain charm retaining the old buildings from years gone by.
Salsburgh is one of the only places in North Lanarkshire that does not have a gas main, as it was not cost effective when the pipes were being laid. Services are provided independently by oil/LPG and, surprisingly, coal suppliers.
Most if not all street names within the village have some significance to the village's history and/or former residents.
Landmarks.
Other landmarks include the footbridge which crosses the B7066 main road, which was struck by a careless crane driver in 2009. It was rebuilt and reopened in 2014.
Population.
The 2001 census recorded a population of 1310. It is now estimated as of 2018 that the village currently is populated by 1370 residents.
Government and local groups.
Local Fortissat ward councillors:
Local provost:
MP:
MSP:
Local groups.
There are several local groups in the village which have been set up to provide a service to the community.
Community Council provide information pertaining to planning, local interest surrounding the village and further awareness of events in the village.
Media.
STV have reported several times from the village, most notably in relation to extreme weather conditions such as snow, this is due to the villages elevated position and tends to get very bad weather. Salsburgh also has a MET office weather Observation Station: (Lat: 55.8667 | Long: -3.8667).


Ferris-Haggarty Mine Site

The Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site was one of the richest components of the Grand Encampment Mining District in Carbon County, Wyoming. The site was first exploited by Ed Haggerty, a prospector from Whitehaven, England, in 1897 when he established the Rudefeha Mine that would later be known as the Ferris-Haggerty Mine on a rich deposit of copper ore. Haggerty was backed by George Ferris and other investors, of whom all but Ferris dropped out. The partners sold an interest to Willis George Emerson, who raised investment funding for improvements to the mine. These facilities included an engineering feat of its day by developing a aerial tramway to carry high grade copper mined at the Ferris-Haggerty Mine (FHM) over the Continental Divide to the in Encampment. The tramway was longest aerial tramway the world had ever seen. The mine was eventually acquired by the North American Copper Company for 123 billion. By 1904 the mine had produced $1.4 million in copper ore, and was sold to the Penn-Wyoming Copper Company. However, even with copper prices peaking in 1907, the company had difficulty making a profit from the remote mine site. The company was over-capitalized and under-insured and was suffered devastating fires at the mine site in March 1906 and May 1907 which halted production. Business disputes and a fall in copper prices prevented re-opening of the mine even after it was rebuilt. Machinery was salvaged after a foreclosure in 1913. A total of 23 million pounds of copper ore was extracted from the mine during its life.
The George Ferris Mansion in Rawlins, Wyoming was built with Ferris' proceeds from the mine, though George Ferris was killed in a carriage accident near the mine in 1900.
The Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1973.
The Ferris-Haggarty Mine was purchased outright by Ferris-Haggarty Mining Corporation, a Colorado corporation, 24 April 2015. FHMC has plans underway and in process to place this very rich mineral property back into production in the very near future. Current in-ground asset valuation for its in-situ reserves and down dip potential resources are estimated at more than US$9 billion.


Robert Wilson Dron

Robert Wilson Dron FRSE MA MICE PIME (1869-1932) was a Scottish geologist and mining engineer, writing many authoritative books on coal-mining. He was Professor of Mining Technology at the University of Glasgow. He was founder of the mining company R W Dron & Sons. He served as President of the Mining Institute of Scotland from 1923 to 1925.
Life.
He was born in Glasgow in 1869, the son of Alexander Dron a manufacturing engineer.
In 1893 he appears as Manager of the Coal and Fire Clay Mine in Provanhall near Glasgow, owned by R & J Mather.
In 1901 he founded R W Dron & Sons, having offices at 55 West Regent Street in Glasgow. At this time he lived in a large mansion: Utica on Thorn Drive/Westbourne Drive in Bearsden. He was a member of the Glasgow Geological Society.
He advised on mining in various foreign locations from the Caucasus Mountains to Spitzbergen, andfrom Nova Scotia to California.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1917. His proposers were John Horne, Ben Peach, Sir John Smith Flett and Thomas James Jehu.
In 1922 he was appointed Professor of Mining at Glasgow University and continued this role until death. The university awarded him an honorary degree (MA) in recognition of his work.
He died at home in Bearsden on 16 April 1932.


Tudor Watkins, Baron Watkins

Tudor Elwyn Watkins, Baron Watkins (9 May 1903 – 2 November 1983) was a Welsh Labour Party politician.
Background.
Watkins was born at Abercrave on 9 May 1903. He worked as a miner from 1917 until 1925, served as a Labour Party constituency agent in Brecon and Radnorshire from 1925 until 1933, and was the general secretary to the Breconshire Association of Friendly Societies from 1937 until 1948.
Service in Parliament.
He was a Labour Member of Parliament for Brecon and Radnorshire from 1945, winning all succeeding elections (including two consecutive defeats, in 1950 and 1951, of David Gibson-Watt) until his retirement at the 1970 general election. He strongly supported the Parliament for Wales campaign in the early 1950s, and was also a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He visited the Soviet Union in 1961, and Patagonia in 1965.
He is also credited with preserving the only known population of the lesser whitebeam "(sorbus minima)" which was endangered in 1947 by British Army mortar practice in and around its habitat, by raising the issue in the Commons, and inducing War Secretary Frederick Bellenger to order the Army to pull out of the area.
After retiring from the House of Commons he was created a life peer on 10 May 1972 as Baron Watkins, "of Glyntawe in the County of Brecknock".
Death and legacy.
Lord Watkins died on 2 November 1983. He was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St David's Church, Llanfaes, Brecon. His wife's ashes are also buried there. His papers are in the holdings of the National Library of Wales.


Sasol

Sasol Limited is an integrated energy and chemical company based in Sandton, South Africa. The company was formed in 1950 in Sasolburg, South Africa and built on processes that were first developed by German chemists and engineers in the early 1900s (see coal liquefaction). Today, Sasol develops and commercialises technologies, including synthetic fuels technologies, and produces different liquid fuels, chemicals and electricity.
Sasol is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE: SOL) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: SSL). Major shareholders include the South African Government Employees Pension Fund, Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited (IDC), Allan Gray Investment Counsel, Coronation Fund Managers, Investec Asset Management, and others. Sasol employs 30,100 people worldwide and has operations in 33 countries. It is the largest corporate taxpayer in South Africa.
History.
The incorporation of Sasol.
South Africa has large deposits of coal, which had low commercial value due to its high fly ash content. If this coal could be used to produce synthetic oil, petrol, and diesel fuel, it perhaps would have significant benefit to South Africa. In the 1920s, South African scientists started looking at the possibility of using coal as a source of liquid fuels. This work was pioneered by P. N. Lategan, working for the Transvaal Coal Owners Association. He completed his doctoral thesis from the Imperial College of Science in London on "The Low-Temperature Carbonisation of South African Coal". In 1927, a white paper from the government was issued describing various oil-from-coal processes being used overseas and their potential for South Africa. In the 1930s, a young scientist named Etienne Rousseau obtained a master of science from the University of Stellenbosch. His thesis was entitled "The Sulfur Content of Coals and Oil Shales". Rousseau became Sasol's first managing director. After World War II, Angovaal bought the rights to a method of using the Fischer-Tropsch process patented by M. W. Kellogg Limited, and in 1950, Sasol was formally incorporated as a state-owned company as South African Coal, Oil, and Gas Corporation. Commissioning of the Sasol 1 site for the production of synfuels started in 1954. Construction of the Sasol 2 site was completed in 1980, with the Sasol 3 site coming on stream in 1982. The Zevenfontein farm house served as Sasol's first offices and is still in existence today.
Coal mining.
To support the required economies of scale for coal-to-liquids (CTL) process to be economical and competitive with crude oil, all stages of the operations, from coal mining to the Fischer-Tropsch process and product work up must be run with great efficiency. Due to the complexity of the Lurgi gasifers used, the quality of the coal was paramount. The initial annual output from the Sigma underground mine in Sasolburg was 2 million tons. Annual coal production from this mine peaked in 1991 at 7.4 million tons. Today, most of the gasifers in Sasolburg have been replaced with autothermal reformers that feed natural gas piped from Mozambique. Natural gas generates about 40–60% less carbon dioxide for the same energy produced as coal, thus is significantly more environmentally friendly. Gas-to-liquids technology converts natural gas, predominately methane to liquid fuels.
Today, Sasol mines more than 40 million tons (Mt) of saleable coal a year, mostly gasification feedstock for Sasol Synfuels in Secunda. Sasol Mining also exports some 2.8 Mt of coal a year. This amounts to roughly 22% of all the coal mined in South Africa. Underground mining operations continue in the Secunda area (Bosjesspruit, Brandspruit, Middelbult, Syferfontein, and Twistdraai collieries) and Sigma: Mooikraal colliery near Sasolburg. As some of these mines are nearing the end of their useful lives, a R14bn mine replacement program has been undertaken. The first of the new mines is the R3.4bn Thubelisha shaft, which will eventually be an operation delivering more than 8M tons/annum (mtpa) of coal over 25 years. The Impumelelo mine, which will replace the Brandspruit operation, is set for first production in 2015. It will be ramped up to produce 8.5 mtpa, and can later be upgraded to supplying some 10.5 mtpa. This coal will be used exclusively by the Sasol Synfuels plant. An underground extension of the Middelbult mine is also on the cards, with the main shaft and incline shaft being replaced by the Shondoni shaft. The first coal from the new complex was expected to be delivered in 2015.
The Secunda collieries form the world's largest underground coal operations.
In conjunction with the continuous improvement in the Fischer-Tropsch process and catalyst, significant developments were also made in mining technology. Coal mining at Sasol from the early days has been characterised by innovation. Sasol Mining mainly uses the room and pillar method of mining with a continuous miner. Sasol successfully used the longwall mining method from 1967 to 1987. Today, Sasol is one of the leaders in coal-mining technology and was the first to develop in-seam drilling from surface using a directional drilling methodology. This has been developed into an effective exploration tool.
Working with Fifth Dimension, Sasol developed a virtual reality technology to help train continuous miner operators in a 3D environment in which various scenarios can be simulated, including sound, dust and other signs of movement. This has recently been expanded to include shuttle car, roof-bolting, and load-haul dumper simulators.
Fischer-Tropsch reactor technology.
The initial reactors from Kellogg and Lurgi gasifiers were tricky and expensive to operate. The original reactor design in 1955 was a circulating fluidised bed reactor (CFBR) with a capacity of about 1,500 barrels per day. Sasol improved these reactors to eventually yield about 6,500 barrels per day. The CFBR design involves moving the whole catalyst bed around the reactor, which is energy intensive and not efficient as most of the catalyst is not in the reaction zone. Sasol then developed fixed fluidized bed (FFB) reactors in which the catalyst particles were held in a fixed reaction zone. This resulted in a significant increase in reactor capacities. For example, the first FFB reactors commercialised in 1990 (5 m diameter) had a capacity of about 3,000 barrels per day, while the design in 2,000 (10.7m diameter) had a capacity of 20,000 barrels per day. Further advancements in reactor engineering have resulted on the development and commercialisation of Sasol Slurry Phase Distillate (SSPD) reactors which are the corner stone of Sasol's first of a kind GTL plant in Qatar.
From fuels to chemicals.
The fuel price is directly linked to the oil price, so is subject to potentially large fluctuations. With Sasol only producing fuels, this meant that its profitability was largely governed by external macroeconomic forces over which it had no control. How could Sasol be less susceptible to the oil price? The answer was right in front of them, in the treasure chest of chemicals co-produced in the Fischer-Tropsch process. Chemicals have a higher value per ton of product than fuels.
In the 1960s ammonia, styrene, and butadiene became the first chemical intermediates sold by Sasol. The ammonia was then used to make fertilizers. By 1964, Sasol was a major player in the nitrogenous fertilizer market. This product range was further extended in the 1980s to include both phosphate- and potassium-based fertilizers. Sasol now sells an extensive range of fertilizers and explosives to local and international markets, and is a world leader in its low-density ammonium nitrate technology.
With the extraction of chemicals from its Fischer-Tropsch product slate coupled with downstream functionalization and on-purpose chemical production facilities, Sasol moved from being just a South African fuels company to become an international integrated energy and chemicals company with over 200 chemical products being sold worldwide. Some of the main products produced are diesel, petrol (gasoline), naphtha, kerosene (jet fuel), liquid petroleum gas (LPG), olefins, alcohols, polymers, solvents, surfactants (detergent alcohols and oil-field chemicals), co-monomers, ammonia, methanol, various phenolics, sulphur, illuminating paraffin, bitumen, acrylates, and fuel oil. These products are used in the production process of numerous everyday products made worldwide and benefit the lives of millions of people around the world. They include hot-melt adhesives, car products, microchip coatings, printing ink, household and industrial paints, mobile phones, circuit boards, transport fuels, compact discs, medical lasers, sun creams, perfumes and plastic bottles.
In South Africa, the chemical businesses are integrated in the Fischer-Tropsch value chain. Outside South Africa, the company operates chemical businesses based on backward integration into feedstock and/or competitive market positions for example in Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Operations.
Sasol has exploration, development, production, marketing and sales operations in 31 countries across the world, including Southern Africa, the rest of Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East (West Asia), Russia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania.
The Sasol group's structure is organised into two upstream business units, three regional operating hubs and four customer-facing strategic business units.
Operating business units.
Operating Business Units comprise the mining division and exploration and production of oil and gas activities, focused on feed-stock supply.
Sasol Mining operates six coal mines that supply feed-stock for Secunda (Sasol Synfuels) and Sasolburg (Sasolburg Operations) complexes in South Africa. While the coal supplied to Sasol Synfuels is mainly used as gasification feed-stock, some is used to generate electricity. The coal supplied to the Sasolburg Operations is used to generate electricity and steam. Coal is also exported from the Twistdraai Export Plant to international power generation customers.
Sasol Exploration and Production International (SEPI) develops and manages the group's upstream interests in oil and gas exploration and production in Mozambique, South Africa, Canada, Gabon and Australia.
Regional operating hubs.
These include operations in Southern Africa, North America and Eurasia.
The Southern African Operations business cluster is responsible for Sasol's entire Southern Africa operations portfolio, which comprises all downstream operations and related infrastructure in the region. This combined operational portfolio has simplified and consolidated responsibilities relating to the company's operating facilities in Secunda, which are divided into a synthetic fuels and chemicals component, Sasolburg, Natref, Sasol's joint-venture inland refinery with Total SA, and Satellite Operations, a consolidation of all Sasol's operating activities outside of Secunda and Sasolburg.
The International Operations business cluster is responsible for Sasol's international operations in Eurasia and North America, which include its US mega-projects in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Strategic business units.
Energy business
The energy business manages the marketing and sales of all oil, gas and electricity products in Southern Africa, which have been consolidated under a single umbrella. In addition, this cluster oversees Sasol's international GTL (gas to liquids) ventures in Qatar, Nigeria and Uzbekistan.
Chemical business
The global chemicals business includes the marketing and sales of all chemical products, both in southern Africa and internationally. The chemicals business is divided into two niche groupings; Base Chemicals, where its fertilisers, polymers and solvents products lie, and performance chemicals, comprising key products which include surfactants, surfactant intermediates, fatty alcohols, linear alkyl benzene (LAB), short-chain linear alpha olefins, ethylene, petrolatum, paraffin waxes, synthetic waxes, cresylic acids, high-quality carbon solutions as well as high-purity and ultra-high-purity alumina and a speciality gases sub-division.
In South Africa, the chemical businesses are integrated in the Fischer-Tropsch value chain. Outside South Africa, the chemical businesses are operated based on backward integration into feed-stock and/or competitive market positions.
Group functions.
Group Technology manages the research and development, technology innovation and management, engineering services and capital project management portfolios. Group Technology includes Research and Technology (R&T), Engineering and Project Services and Capital Projects.
Major projects.
United States.
Sasol has granted final approval for a US$11 billion ethane cracker and derivatives plant near Westlake and almost the entire community of Mossville, both across the Calcasieu River from Lake Charles, Louisiana, and is the largest foreign investment in the history of the State of Louisiana. It was stated "Once commissioned, this world-scale petrochemicals complex will roughly triple the company's chemical production capacity in the United States, enabling Sasol to further strengthen its position in a growing global chemicals market. The U.S. Gulf Coast's robust infrastructure for transporting and storing abundant, low-cost ethane was a key driver in the decision to invest in America". The ethane cracker will also be supported by six chemical manufacturing plants.
By January 2015 construction was in full swing. At peak the project will create 5000 construction and 1200 permanent jobs and cost $11 billion to $14 billion.
Qatar.
The Oryx GTL plant in Qatar is a joint venture between Sasol and Qatar Petroleum, launched in 2007. The more than plant produces a combination of GTL diesel, GTL naphtha and liquid petroleum gas.
Uzbekistan.
The proposed Uzbekistan GTL project is a partnership between Sasol, Uzbekneftegaz and Petronas. Sasol reconsidered its involvement in March 2016
Mozambique.
Sasol is developing a 140 MW gas-fired electricity generation plant in partnership with power utility EDM. This gas project came into operation in 2004, and is a joint venture agreement between Sasol Petroleum International, Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH), and the International Finance Corporation.
Technology.
Fischer-Tropsch processes.
The Sasol slurry phase distillate process (SPDTM) transforms natural gas into energy and chemical products, including transport fuels, base oils, waxes, paraffins and naphtha. The three-stage process combines three proprietary technologies. Natural gas is combined with oxygen to form a syngas which is then subjected to a Fischer-Tropsch conversion, resulting in waxy synthetic crude. Finally, this is cracked down to produce the end product.
The strength of the process is not simply in the inherent quality of the three component technologies but more importantly how they are combined and integrated to increase efficiencies and optimise output. The liquid fuels produced through Sasol's GTL and CTL technologies are high-performance, low-emission products. The synthetic GTL-based diesel is an environmentally cleaner burning fuel as it leads to a reduction in carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and particulate matter without compromising NOx emissions even when compared to European sulfur-free diesel.
A high-temperature syngas conversion process is operated in Secunda in a series of 10 Sasol advanced Synthol (SASTM) reactors at high pressure with the aid of an iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalyst at about 350 °C to yield primarily C1 – C20 range hydrocarbons. The process also produces water and oxygenated hydrocarbons which are then purified and marketed. The C2 stream is split into ethylene and ethane. The ethane is further cracked to yield additional ethylene which are then converted into polyethylene for the polymer business. Propylene from Secunda and Sasolburg plants are also converted into high-value products such as polypropylene, butanol, butyl acrylate and ethyle acrylate. The acrylates are used to make superabsorbent polymers which are used in diapers. Through proprietary technology 1-hexene, 1-octene and 1-pentene are recovered from the oil stream. International customers use these as co-monomers for making speciality grade polymers. Some of the higher olefins (C11 – C12) are converted into detergent-range alcohols.
A low-temperature syngas conversion process is operated in Sasolburg based on an iron-based catalyst in fixed-bed tubular and Sasol SPDTM processes to produce mainly linear hydrocarbon waxes and paraffins. The syngas (mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) is also converted in methanol, butanol and ammonia. Ammonia is then converted into nitric acid and ammonium-based fertilizers and explosives.
Tetramerisation.
In 1997 Sasol Technology Research and Development began research on the selective trimerisation of ethylene to 1-hexene. This led to the development and patenting of 6 trimerisation catalyst systems. A groundbreaking innovation was made in 2002, with the discovery of a tetramerisation catalyst that could make 1-octene in high selectivity. This was considered impossible by international experts in the field. Construction of this first-of-a-kind plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is under way. The ready for commissioning date is August 2013.
Natref Refinery.
Sasol is also involved in conventional oil refinery. Incorporated on 8 December 1967, construction started on the Natref refinery in 1968 and commissioned in Sasolburg in 1971. It was built as a joint venture between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), National Iranian Oil Company and Compagnie Fransçaise de Petroles (Total) with financing by the Rembrandt Group, Volkskas and SA Mutual. By 1979, prior to the Iranian Revolution, the refinery was receiving seventy percent of its oil from Iran and National Iranian Oil Company owned 17.5 percent of the facility. Oil was piped 800 km from Durban via Richards Bay to the refinery. The refinery is now a joint venture between Sasol Ltd and Total South Africa (Pty) Ltd. Sasol has a 63,64 percent interest in Natref and Total South Africa a 36,36 percent shareholding. The refining capacity of Natref to 108,500 barrels per day. Natref is one of the only inland refineries in South Africa. It was designed to get the most out of crude oil and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology. The refinery uses the bottoms upgrading refining process using medium gravity crude oil and is capable of producing 70% more white product than coastal refineries that have to rely on heavy fuel oil. Some of the products produced from the refinery are diesel, petrol, jet fuel, LPG, illuminating paraffin, bitumen and sulfur. Natref has been certified in terms of the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.
Social investments and sponsorship.
Sasol devotes most of its sponsorship investment in South Africa to Sports. Among others, Sasol sponsors South Africa's national teams, including:
Sasol also sponsors the annual Sasol Rally, the Sasol New Signatures art competition, the Black Tie Ensemble, the South African National Youth Orchestra, Sasol GTC (Global Touring Cars) and the Techno X Festival of Science, Engineering and Technology.
Environmental conservation programmes, on the other hand, focused on:
Sasol also supports the following corporate initiatives:
Sasol Corporate Art Collection.
In 1983 the company began a permanent art collection comprising artworks from over 2000 South African artists. The collection focuses on collecting contemporary art but hosts some historical South African works. In 2017 Cate Terblanche was appointed curator of the collection which includes works by Luan Nel, Clive van den Berg, Kevin Brand, Kagiso Patrick Mautloa, Peter Schütz, Stephanus Rademeyer and Marco Cianfanelli.
The Collection also sponsors Sasol New Signatures Competition annually.
Controversies.
In 2009 Sasol agreed to pay an administrative penalty of R188 million as part of a settlement agreement with the Competition Commission of South Africa for alleged price fixing, in which a competitor alleged that Sasol was abusing its dominance in the markets for fertilisers by charging excessive prices for certain products. Sasol won an appeal on the case and will not be paying the settlement anymore.
Sasol also had to pay a €318 million fine to the European Commission (EC) in 2008, which is about R3.7 billion, for participating in a paraffin wax cartel. Despite its indication that it would appeal the fine amount, the full amount had to be paid to the EC within three months of the fine being issued.
Sasol has been levied with a R1.2bn tax provision by the Tax Court on 30 June 2017 on the back of its international crude oil purchases between 2005 and 2012. In its 2017 financial results announced on 21 August 2017, the chemical conglomerate agreed upon footing the R1.2bn tax liability. If the court's interpretation is implemented for the following 2 years - 2013 and 2014, Sasol Oil's crude purchases could result in a further tax exposure of R11.6bn, thus summing up a total tax figure up to R12.8bn.


Usinsky coal mine

The Usinsky Coal Mine is a coal mine located in north-western Russia in Komi Republic. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 620 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Asia and the world. The mine has an annual production capacity of 5 million tonnes of coal.


Bougainville Island

Bougainville Island (Tok Pisin: "Bogenvil") is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. It was previously the main landmass in the German Empire-associated North Solomons. Its land area is . The population of the whole province, including nearby islets such as the Carterets, is approximately 300,000 (2019 census). The highest point is Mount Balbi, on the main island, at . The much-smaller Buka Island, , lies to the north, across the wide Buka Strait. Even though the strait is narrow, there is no bridge across it. But there is a regular ferry service between the key settlements on either side. The main airport (or airstrip) in the north is in the town of Buka.
Bougainville is the largest island in the Solomon Islands archipelago. Most of the islands in this archipelago (which are primarily concentrated in the southern and eastern portions of it) are part of the politically independent Solomon Islands. Two of these islands - the closely connected Shortland Islands - are less than south or southeast of Bougainville, and about west of Choiseul, one of the a settlements of which, Poroporo, faces Bougainville.
Buka has an outcropping that is from New Ireland. Among the large islands of Papua New Guinea, New Ireland is the closest to Buka.
History.
Bougainville was first settled some 8,000 years ago. Three to four thousand years ago, Austronesian people arrived, bringing with them domesticated pigs, chickens, dogs, and obsidian tools. The first European contact with Bougainville was in 1768, when the French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville arrived and named the main island after himself.
British and American whaling ships visited the island for provisions, water and wood in the 19th century. The first on record was the "Roscoe" in 1822, and the last was "Palmetto" in 1881.
The German Empire laid claim to Bougainville in 1899, annexing it into German New Guinea. Christian missionaries arrived on the island in 1902.
During World War I, Australia occupied German New Guinea, including Bougainville. It became part of the Australian Territory of New Guinea under a League of Nations mandate in 1920.
In 1942, during World War II, Japan invaded the island, but allied forces launched the Bougainville campaign to regain control of the island in 1943. Despite heavy bombardments, the Japanese garrisons remained on the island until 1945. Following the war, the Territory of New Guinea, including Bougainville, returned to Australian control.
In 1949 the Territory of New Guinea, including Bougainville, merged with the Australian Territory of Papua, forming the Territory of Papua and New Guinea, a United Nations Trust Territory under Australian administration.
On 9 September 1975, the Parliament of Australia passed the Papua New Guinea Independence Act 1975. The Act set 16 September 1975 as date of independence and terminated all remaining sovereign and legislative powers of Australia over the territory. Bougainville was to become part of an independent Papua New Guinea. However, on 11 September 1975, in a failed bid for self-determination, Bougainville declared itself the Republic of the North Solomons. The republic failed to achieve any international recognition, and a settlement was reached in August 1976. Bougainville was then absorbed politically into Papua New Guinea with increased self-governance powers.
Between 1988 and 1998, the Bougainville Civil War claimed over 15,000 lives. Peace talks brokered by New Zealand began in 1997 and led to autonomy. A multinational Peace Monitoring Group (PMG) under Australian leadership was deployed. In 2001, a peace agreement was signed including promise of a referendum on independence from Papua New Guinea. This referendum was held between 23 November and 7 December 2019, with results being declared on 11 December. The referendum question was a choice between greater autonomy within Papua New Guinea, or full independence. Of the valid votes, 98.31% were in favour of full Independence. The vote is not binding; the Government of Papua New Guinea has the final say on the status of Bougainville.
Geography.
Bougainville is the largest island in the Solomon Islands archipelago. It is part of the Solomon Islands rain forests ecoregion. Bougainville and the nearby island of Buka, are a single landmass separated by a deep wide strait. The island has an area of , and there are several active, dormant or inactive volcanoes which rise to . Bagana () in the north central part of Bougainville is conspicuously active, spewing out smoke that is visible for many kilometres. Earthquakes are frequent, but cause little damage.
Ecology.
Bougainville Island is primarily forested with a diverse tropical ecosystem. Copper mining on the island by a Rio-Tinto owned mining operation caused significant detriment to the immediate and downstream ecology from the destruction of forest and heavy metal contaminated mine tailings, resulting in an uprising by the islanders to protect their land and native ecology. More recently, deforestation in order to feed the growing population has affected the flow of many rivers on the island. The United Nations Environmental Program has offered to facilitate the clean up of the Rio Tinto owned Panguna mine and explore reopening the mine with more stringent environmental standards.
Economy.
Bougainville has one of the world's largest copper deposits, which has been under development since 1972, but was shut down in a popular revolution against the foreign-owned mining interests. Due to a seven-year blockade of the island by the Papua New Guinean Army during the Coconut Revolution, the island was cut off from the outside world. This pressure forced the islanders to develop self-sustaining systems from salvaged parts and foraged resources, including village-scale hydropower, coconut bio-diesel, diversified forest-garden farms, and neo-traditional herbal medicine. These ingenious innovations were a major focus of the documentary film "The Coconut Revolution".
Demographics.
Religion.
The majority of people on Bougainville are Christian, an estimated 70% being Roman Catholic and a substantial minority United Church of Papua New Guinea since 1968. Few non-natives remain as most were evacuated following the civil wars.
Languages.
There are many indigenous languages in Bougainville Province, belonging to three language families. The languages of the northern end of the island, and some scattered around the coast, belong to the Austronesian family. The languages of the north-central and southern lobes of Bougainville Island belong to the North and South Bougainville families.
The most widely spoken Austronesian language is Halia and its dialects, spoken in the island of Buka and the Selau peninsula of Northern Bougainville. Other Austronesian languages include Nehan, Petats, Solos, Saposa (Taiof), Hahon and Tinputz, all spoken in the northern quarter of Bougainville, Buka and surrounding islands. These languages are closely related. Bannoni and Torau are Austronesian languages not closely related to the former, which are spoken in the coastal areas of central and south Bougainville. On the nearby Takuu Atoll a Polynesian language is spoken, Takuu.
The Papuan languages are confined to the main island of Bougainville. These include Rotokas, a language with a very small inventory of phonemes, Eivo, Terei, Keriaka, Naasioi (Kieta), Nagovisi, Siwai (Motuna), Baitsi (sometimes considered a dialect of Siwai), Uisai and several others. These constitute two language families, North Bougainville and South Bougainville.
None of the languages are spoken by more than 20% of the population, and the larger languages such as Nasioi, Korokoro Motuna, Telei, and Halia are split into dialects that are not always mutually understandable. For general communication most Bougainvilleans use Tok Pisin as a lingua franca, and at least in the coastal areas Tok Pisin is often learned by children in a bilingual environment. English and Tok Pisin are the languages of official business and government.
Human rights.
Cut off from the outside world for several years by a Papua New Guinean blockade during the Coconut Revolution, the islanders suffered many deaths from a lack of medical resources.
A 2013 United Nations survey of 843 men found that 62% (530 respondents) of those have raped a woman or girl at least once, with 41% (217 respondents) of the men reported having raped a non-partner, whereas 14% (74 respondents) reported having committed gang rape. Additionally, the survey also found that 8% (67 respondents) of the men had raped other men or boys.
Popular culture.
"The Coconut Revolution", a documentary about the struggle of the indigenous population to save their island from environmental destruction and gain independence, was made in 1999.
"An Evergreen Island" (2000), a film by Australian documentary filmmakers Amanda King and Fabio Cavadini of Frontyard Films, showed the ingenuity with which the Bougainvillean people survived for almost a decade (1989-1997) without trade or contact with the outside world, because of a trade dispute.
"Mr. Pip" (2012) is a film by New Zealand director Andrew Adamson based on the book "Mister Pip" by Lloyd Jones.
Independence referendum.
In late November 2019 a non-binding referendum was held to decide whether Bougainville should be a sovereign state independent from Papua New Guinea. The result was overwhelmingly in favour of sovereignty for the island, with 98% of the votes supporting secession.


Coal Creek Historic Mining District

The Coal Creek Historic Mining District (Hän: "Zhùr näddhä`ww juu") is a gold-mining area in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve of Alaska dating from the 1930s. It features a gold dredge and a supporting community of several dozen buildings, established by mining entrepreneur Ernest Patty.
The listed area includes the last of Coal Creek before the Yukon River, where, at the mouth, the roadhouse Slaven's Cabin is included. It includes two former locations and the current location of the gold dredging operation. It includes 26 contributing buildings and 12 contributing structures and three contributing sites. The architecture is strictly functional, besides the roadhouse.
The district contains buildings, structures, a dredge, water system, tailings piles, and other mine engineering sites and objects that together represent Alaskan dredge mining operations of the 1930s. The majority of buildings and structures were built between 1934 and 1940. The mining camp has been moved twice from its original site. The design, materials, and construction of the buildings all reflect the utilitarian and remote nature of the camp. Except for Slaven's Roadhouse, workmanship is strictly functional: competent but uninspired. Nothing detracts from the feeling of a remote placer mining operation of the 20th century. The district contains 26 contributing buildings, 3 sites, and 12 structures. The noncontributing items include 5 buildings and 2 structures.
In 1941, the camp was apparently moved from its original location near the mouth of Cheese Creek to a hillside location near Snare Creek, and in 1952 to the present location at Beaton Pup. The original camp site was dredged over in 1941. The creek has since changed channels and today flows through a portion of the first site.
The dredge is the most significant relic in the district. It is a medium-sized diesel-powered floating dredge. It was built by the Walter W. Johnson Company of Oakland, California and shipped in pieces to Skagway, then by rail to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and by barge down the Yukon River.
The encampment moved three times. It was first established near the mouth of Cheese Creek in 1934, then moved to a location near Snare Creek in 1941. The final move brought it to its present location at Beaton Pup. The first site has not survived, having been dredged over. The second site has been altered by changes in the course of the creek. The Frank Slaven Roadhouse, separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is nearby and is included in the district. The third camp survives nearly intact, with its equipment and historic context preserved.
The placer operation was managed by mining engineer Ernest Patty, who arrived in Alaska in 1922 and had become an instructor at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. Patty was to return to what had become the University of Alaska in 1953 as president of the university, retiring in 1960.
Contributing Properties.
The main contributing properties to the historic districts are:


Dylife

Dylife is a former mining settlement in Powys, Wales, located at the head of Afon Twymyn in the Cambrian Mountains, one mile west of the road between Llanidloes and Llanbrynmair (B4518). It is in the historic county of Montgomeryshire. The nearby lead mines intermittently sustained mining communities from Roman times until the early 20th century. During the late 19th century, as mining declined after the 1860s so did Dylife's population. The remaining buildings are two former chapels converted into homes and the Star Inn.
Mining.
Lead mining around Dylife took place in Roman times (there is a Roman fort on nearby Penycrocbren) and recommenced in the 17th century on a small scale until the early 19th century. In 1809, the two managers, Hugh Williams and John Pughe, started to negotiate for the lease which they obtained in 1815. The two men operated the mines until the 1850s, although not harmoniously.
The mines were expanded with new shafts and machinery was brought in to assist productivity by bringing ore to the surface, pumping out the shafts and processing the ore on the surface. Large waterwheels provided the power source, including Rhod Goch (Red Wheel), which, at 63 feet in diameter, was one of the largest in Britain.
The high price of lead and the low wages paid to the workers, compensated for high transport costs over difficult country to the nearest port at Derwenlas on the Afon Dyfi.
The difficulties between the operators, Williams and Pughe, eventually led to the sale of their mining interests to The Dylife Mining Co. Ltd in 1858. Two prominent politicians, Richard Cobden, Williams' son-in-law, and John Bright, were involved in the transfer. In the next few years, conditions greatly improved at the mines. New vertical shafts, lifts, cable systems to move ore to the processing areas and waterwheels to power them were installed as were changing rooms for the workers, a highly innovative change for the time. In 1864, the new railway from Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury, with a relatively easily accessible station at Llanbrynmair, provided an easier route to the smelters in north-west England.
From 22 tons in 1809, production peaked in 1862 at 2571 tons and declined thereafter. The price of lead also declined and as the mines' profitability dropped, the owners sold up in 1873. In 1884, two companies having failed to make a success of them, the mines were closed. "Informal" and small-scale efforts were made until 1901 to continue production. Thereafter, they finally closed and soon became flooded.
Community.
From the 1850s, Dylife became a more permanent, settled community with a church, chapels and a school; services were provided by three inns, one of which also had a grocery and butchery, a smithy and a post office. There were also visiting traders and a monthly fair. The company was obliged to house its workers and there were rows of cottages at Rhanc-y-mynydd, towards the western end of the village, and at Bryn Golau. About 300 workers – men, women and children – were employed at the mines in the 1850s. By 1864 the population was about 1000.
Health services are not recorded but it is likely that lead pollution affected the population.
After 1864, as the mines declined, so did the population, moving to more secure work elsewhere. Some stayed on after the final closure in 1901, but the school closed in 1925 and the last baptism was celebrated at the church in 1926 – it was demolished in 1962. The last pub, the Star, remains in business.


Byker Hill

"Byker Hill" is a traditional English folk song about coal miners, that has been performed by many contemporary acts. There are at least three different tunes to which the song is sung.
Byker Hill is in the east end of Newcastle, as is the adjoining district of Walker, also mentioned in the song. "Byker Hill and Walker Shore, Collier lads for ever more"


Fred Miller (rugby)

Fred Miller (1873–?) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Mountain Ash; and was the first player to represent an international team whilst at the club when he was selected for Wales in 1896. Miller later 'Went North', joining professional rugby league team Hull F.C.
Miller was a collier by trade, working at Nixon's Navigation Colliery in Mountain Ash, and was described as "a stalwart specimen of the Welsh collier".
Rugby career.
Miller was first selected to play for Wales while representing Mountain Ash at club level. He was chosen for the final game of the 1896 Home Nations Championship, against Ireland; one of only two new caps to be brought into the Welsh team along with Llewellyn Lloyd. Wales lost the game due to the Irish overcoming the Welsh kick-and-rush tactics employed by the forwards, and the next game Miller was replaced by Jack Rhapps.
Miller found himself out of favour with the Welsh selectors until he was recalled four years later for the 1900 Championship replacing Llanelli's David Daniel. This was the beginning of the First Golden Age of Welsh rugby, and Miller was part of the team that won all three of the 1900 Championship games to lift the Triple Crown. Miller played in all three matches, and did enough to secure his reselection for the entire 1901 Home Nations Championship. Wales won the opener against England and the final game to Ireland, but were outclassed against Scotland at Inverleith. Miller was replaced in the 1902 tournament by Arthur Harding.
International matches played.
Wales


List of mines in Portugal

This list of mines in Portugal is subsidiary to the list of mines article and lists working, defunct and future mines in the country and is organised by the primary mineral output. For practical purposes stone, marble and other quarries may be included in this list.


Wanfeng Auto Holding Group

Wanfeng Auto Holding Group Co., Ltd., headquartered in Xinchang County, China, is a parts and equipment manufacturer for the automotive industry, aerospace industry, military industry, and energy saving.
It manufactures lightweight metal parts: aluminum wheels and magnesium alloy materials, and provides environmental protection coatings, hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle assembly and powertrain systems, technical services and control systems.
It is involved in aircraft manufacturing and research & development, airport construction and management and general aviation operations: aerial sightseeing, air sports and flight training services.
It supplies industrial automatic gating systems, low pressure and gravity die cast machines and auxiliary equipment, with consulting and maintenance and repair services, and provides automation for auto and heavy industries and industrial robot intelligent equipment.
It provides private equity, hedge fund and finance leasing services.
It designs, develops, and constructs real estate properties and services high-rise buildings, multi-story residences, villas, office buildings, community and commercial buildings and government properties.
It is amongst the Chinese Private Enterprises Top 500 (#123) and China Auto Industry Top 30 (#18).
It is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and is a part of the SZSE 200 Index.


Jock Cunningham

Joseph Wallace "Jock" Cunningham (20 December 1902 – 22 February 1969) was a British volunteer in the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. He became a battalion and brigade commander and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He played a key role in the Battle of Jarama, one of the principal military actions of the Spanish Civil War.
Early life.
Jock Cunningham was born along with his twin brother Thomas Michael Cunningham on 20 December 1902 at 17 Balgray Road, Glasgow, to John Cunningham, a Stationary Engine Keeper, and Mary (Annati) Cunningham, who married in 1890 in Malta. He was one of a family of twenty-two with military tradition. His father was a Second Boer War veteran and six of his brothers also served in the British Army. As a young boy the family moved around Lanarkshire before settling in Coatbridge, Scotland. He was brought up in "The Whifflet" and lived at 77b Whifflet Street, Whifflet, Coatbridge.
In 1928-29 Cunningham led a mutiny of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in Jamaica against the unacceptable conditions imposed on the men. He was sentenced to six years and imprisoned in the Glasshouse at Aldershot, a British Military Prison with a reputation for brutality. He made a considerable fuss while incarcerated including going on hunger strike three or four times and eventually when a letter he had smuggled out of the prison was published in a Fife newspaper questions were asked in the Commons. Hearing of Cunningham's plight and impressed by his determination the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) campaigned for his release. His release was something of legend as it is noted in "The Spanish Civil War" by Hugh Thomas that Cunningham has the reputation of being: "the only soldier in a military jail in England who made such a fuss that the authorities freed him to rid themselves of the trouble of looking after him". He was released after serving two years and four months of his sentence.
While with the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders he was company champion in many events including: 1 mile, 2 mile track events and also welterweight boxing champion. Edinburgh City Councillor, Donald Renton's older brother served with him in Jamaica and described him as "the gamest man in the British Army". Prior to 1936 he was active as an organiser in the London area for the National Unemployed Workers' Movement during which time he led an unemployed march to Brighton in 1933. He worked as a miner and labourer.
Spanish Civil War Years.
At the time of Franco's attack on the democratically elected government of Spain Cunningham was one of many Scots who volunteered to fight alongside the people of Spain to defend their freedom and democracy. As Britain and many other democratic nations of Europe refused military aid to the Spanish Government and maintained a policy of "non-intervention" such an act of volunteering was illegal. Nonetheless volunteers recognised the threat Fascism would post to all democratic nations and as the war went on volunteers from many countries were organised into the International Brigades.
He arrived in Spain 19 October 1936 and was involved in the early defence of Madrid after joining the Machine-Gun Company of the Commune de Paris Battalion, part of the XI International Brigade. He rapidly rose to Captain. In December 1936 he fought at Lopera as a section commander with the British and Irish Company of the XIV International Brigade. He was made a Major and Commander of the British No. 1 Company and as a Lieutenant Colonel he was in charge of the entire English-speaking brigade.
The small 34-year-old played a key role in the February 1937 Battle of Jarama. He was wounded after leading the January 1937 battle at Los Rozas and in order to fight at Jarama it is reported that he "left hospital with a fever to go and fight". The battle at Jarama was one of the principal actions of the Spanish Civil War. If the Jarama valley were surrendered, the road from Madrid to Valencia would be cut off allowing Madrid to be taken by the Fascists which for all intents and purposes would cost the Spanish government the war. Along with Frank Ryan he rallied the remnants of the British Battalion in a defensive action which held the line outside Madrid. Cunningham led a bombing raid down a trench held at one end by the Fascists and at the other end by the Spanish government troops. They took this trench and with six men and a Lewis gun, cut off a group of some 80 Fascists from their own lines. This almost impossible defence blocked Franco's attempt to seize the capital. The Jarama action had left him with three rifle wounds through his left upper arm and another rifle bullet under his shoulder blade that had entered his left chest, passed through, and lodged there. Cunningham was hospitalised from 15 March 1937.
He later served as Chief of Brigade Staff of the XV Battalion, but after the battle of Brunete the Communist Party of Great Britain recalled all the leaders of the British volunteers back to London. Spanish Government supporters praised Cunningham's military skill and en route to London he was welcomed back to Glasgow on 31 August 1937 by 2,500 Communist Party members.
Controversy and Resignation from the Communist Party.
Jock Cunningham was a popular and courageous commander. His military influence was praised by Harry Pollitt, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) during his speech at a Unity Campaign meeting 15 March 1937 in Liverpool: "One day we shall tell our children about the defense of Madrid, this epic story that can never die in the pages of World History. I think of Jock Cunningham leading his men fearlessly and unafraid…dancing with death. A word of encouragement here...ceaselessly moving among his men until everyone has become influenced with the mighty unconquerable spirit of a worker blessed with a fiery hatred of Fascism…this is Jock Cunningham. Our Chapaev". In "The Spanish Civil War", Hugh Thomas, explains the reference to Chapaev. Speaking of Cunningham he said: "He was a man of great physical strength and possessed marked qualities of leadership. He was nicknamed the "Chapaev" after the guerrilla leader of the Russian Civil War – and there could not at that time have been a greater compliment."
After differences arose in the CPGB, Pollitt decided Cunningham and fellow Scot Commissar George Aitken were not to return to Spain. It was a controversial decision because it was the two most capable and respected men who were not allowed to return to Spain. The official explanation was that, due to the obvious difficulties of the war, differences had arisen between the group of leaders and it was decided they could not all work together again. Aitken was appalled by the decision. Nonetheless, Pollitt stuck by it. Cunningham was placed on extended recuperation and was given a place on the Party executive.
Fred Copeman revealed many years later that there was a political motive for Cunningham's removal from the front line. Pollitt feared that he was too independent and single minded to be easily controlled.
In response to the cynical disregard for all he had done, he chose to resign from the CPGB drift away and lead his life in anonymity. He was last seen in the 1950s on the fringes of a political meeting in Aberdeen. Jock spent the rest of his days working as a casual labourer travelling across Britain. He was very close with his siblings, particularly his sister Annie and older brother John. He had residence in the family home on Old Post Office Lane in North Queensferry, although he rarely stayed longer than four weeks at a time.
Death and legacy.
He had long suffered pain in his chest which he believed to be due to the bullet lodged there. On invitation of his older brother John to come to Canada, he decided to enter hospital to deal with the war injury which troubled him. It was discovered he had carcinoma, most likely the source of his pain. He died of bronchial carcinoma at Pavilion 11, Mearnskirk General Hospital, Renfrewshire, Glasgow on 22 February 1969.
Writing of Jock Cunningham to "The New York Times" in April 1937 Ernest Hemingway said "For what he had done he would have had a V.C (Victoria Cross) in the last war. In this war there are no decorations. Wounds are the only decorations…"
In the 1990s the Scottish playwright, Hector MacMillan, wrote a play about Jock Cunningham entitled "A Greater Tomorrow", focusing on his service in the Spanish Civil War and speculating about his later years. Cunningham was portrayed by Derek Anders.
In 2010 he was subject of a BBC Radio Scotland documentary.


Tranquille River

Tranquille River is a river located in the Thompson Country region of British Columbia. The river is located on the north side of Kamloops Lake almost west of Kamloops, near Tranquille, Kamloops. The river was discovered as gold-bearing in 1852. The river has been mined and the total value of gold mined is estimated at $250,000.
The river was named by fur traders of the Hudson's Bay Company for the Secwepemc Chief Pacamoos and nicknamed Tranquil for his quiet easy manner.


Paragominas mine

The Paragominas mine is a large mine located in the northern part of Brazil in Pará. Paragominas represents one of the largest bauxite reserve in Brazil and one of the largest in South America, having estimated reserves of 1 billion tonnes.


Great County Adit

The Great County Adit, sometimes called the County Adit, or the Great Adit was a system of interconnected adits that helped drain water from the tin and copper mines in the Gwennap area of Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. Construction started in 1748 and it eventually reached a length of over of a tunnel, providing drainage to over 100 mines at an average depth of .
The adit was the brainchild of John Williams (born 1714) of Scorrier who was the manager of Poldice mine. Although work was started in 1748, it did not reach Poldice mine until the late 1760s. By 1778 the adit had been extended past Wheal Busy to Wheal Peevor, and another branch, known as the Consols Adit was driven west in the 1770s and 80s to drain the Consolidated Mines and United Mines. By 1792 a branch from Poldice extended to Wheal Unity.
The portal of the adit is in the Carnon Valley below the hamlet of Twelveheads. In 1839, probably at its peak, it discharged over 14.5 million gallons (66 million litres) of water per day into the Carnon River. At that time the adit had more steam engines pumping into it than were used by the whole of continental Europe and America combined.
The Carnon River empties into Restronguet Creek (a tidal arm of the Carrick Roads upstream from Falmouth). Major floods in the winter of 1876 caused large quantities of gangue and silt to be washed into the higher part of Restronguet Creek, permanently damaging navigational access to the upper quays at Devoran.
Although all the mines served by the Great County Adit have closed and it is unmaintained, it still drains many of their underground workings today; in the summer of 1980 the flow was 500,000 gallons per day.


Polyus (company)

PJSC Polyus () is a Russian gold mining company. It is the largest gold producer in Russia and one of the top 10 gold mining companies globally by output (2.84 million ounces of gold production in 2019). It is headquartered in Moscow and is listed on both the Moscow and London Stock Exchanges.
Polyus’ main assets are located in Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East - in the regions of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, Magadan Oblast and the Republic of Sakha.
The company is controlled by Said Kerimov, son of Russian billionaire and politician, Suleyman Kerimov.
History.
Polyus was founded as Polyus Gold () in March 2006, as a result of a spin-off from the gold assets of Norilsk Nickel.
In May 2006, shares of Polyus Gold were admitted to listing and trading on the Russian stock exchanges RTS and MICEX (both of these later merged to form the Moscow Exchange). In December 2006, ADRs of Polyus Gold were listed and admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange.
In 2009, the businessman Suleyman Kerimov bought a 37% stake in Polyus Gold from Vladimir Potanin. In 2015, the family of Suleyman Kerimov acquired 59% of Polyus Gold International Ltd (the parent holding company of Polyus Gold) and became the controlling shareholder of Polyus Gold. On 3 December 2015, Polyus Gold International Limited announced the delisting of its shares from the London Stock Exchange.
In 2016, Polyus Gold changed its name to "Polyus".
In June 2017, Polyus’s shares were re-admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange.
In April 2019, Polyus sold a 3.84% stake worth US$390 million in a secondary public offering on the Moscow Stock Exchange.
Operations.
Polyus holds the world’s third largest gold reserves with 64.4 million ounces of proven and probable gold reserves, and the second largest mineral resource base globally with 193 ounces of gold.


Monte Cristo, Sierra County, California

Monte Cristo was a mining camp in Sierra County in the U.S. state of California, near California State Route 49 and Downieville. Monte Cristo can be reached by trails from Downieville. One of the main trails is at the ridge between Goodyears Creek and the North Fork of the North Yuba River. There are views of the Excelsior Mine on Goodyears Creek four miles northwest of Downieville near Monte Cristo. Goodyears Bar, California is nearby. The mines at Fir Cap, two miles from Monte Cristo, were once rich with gold.
History.
Monte Cristo was one of the richest mining camps from 1855 to 1860. In the 1859 election, almost one thousand votes were cast. Monte Cristo produced from the 1850s hundreds of thousands dollar's worth of gold.
In 1855, B. C. Stevens was the owner of a livery stable at Monte Cristo, Sierra county. He had a livery stable, which became insolvent. As a result, Isaac Stevens attempted to recover possession of horses, mules, hay, barley, and saddles, which the town sheriff levied upon.
On April 22, 1859, the "Sacramento Daily Union" reported:
On September 29, 1859 there was a major fire in the town of Monte Cristo. The "Sierra Democrat" gave a description of the fire:
On February 28, 1860, the "Sacramento Daily Union" reported delegates from Monte Cristo for the Democratic State Convention. Mining claims were made along the Goodyears Creek, as well as a half-dozen mining tunnels.
There were several businesses in Monte Cristo, including a saloon, drug and variety store, an attorney's office, a physician and surgeon and a butcher shop, among others.
Mining continued to be active through the 1860s into the 1870s at Monte Cristo. Placer mining was the most prevalent mining. There are reports of miners at Monte Cristo in the 1900s as well. In 1903, the White Bear channel was discovered that ran to Monte Cristo. The Monte Cristo Company worked the channel taking out $200,000 worth of gold. In 1911, the Monte Cristo Gravel Mines Company took out gold from the gravel they excavated.
Geography.
The former Monte Cristo Mine is located above sea level at .
The White Bear channel runs through Saddleback Mountain and Fir Cap, passing through Cooper Ranch under Monte Cristo. The characteristics of the gravel of this channel is a large amount of clean white quartz boulders.


Uranium in Western Australia

Western Australia has considerable resources of uranium, but to date there has been no commercial mining in the state.
Mining proposals.
Two uranium mining projects in the state are closer to production, the 750 tonne U3O8 Lake Maitland project, pursued by Mega Uranium, and the 680 tonne U3O8 Centipede–Lake Way project undertaken by Toro Energy, located at Lake Way.
Deposits.
Major development projects include:
Public opposition.
There has been some opposition to uranium and nuclear industries in WA, especially since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, including anti-uranium campaigns from the Conservation Council of Western Australia, Nuclear-Free Alliance, and the Anti-Nuclear Alliance. In the past WA Greens leader Giz Watson and Labor MP Sally Talbot have spoken out against uranium mining, nuclear power and radioactive waste disposal in WA.


Pierre Pringuet

Pierre Pringuet is a French businessman. He was the chief executive officer of Pernod-Ricard from 2008 to 2015. He serves as its vice president, as well as the president of the French Association of Private Enterprises (AFEP).
Early life.
Pierre Pringuet was born on 31 January 1950 in Paris. He graduated from the École Polytechnique and Mines ParisTech.
Career.
Pringuet began his career as a corps des mines. He was an advisor to Minister Michel Rocard from 1981 to 1985. He joined Pernod-Ricard as development director in 1987. He served as its chief executive officer from 2008 to 2015. He now serves as its vice president. In 2014, he was appointed as the chairman of the Scotch Whisky Association.
Pringuet serves on the board of directors of the Avril Group. He has served as the president of the French Association of Private Enterprises (AFEP) since 2012.
Pringuet is a knight of the Legion of Honour and the National Order of Merit. He is also an officer of the Order of Agricultural Merit.
Personal life.
Pringuet has two daughters.


Muruntau mine

The Muruntau mine is one of the largest gold mines in Uzbekistan and in the world. The mine is located Located in the mountains of Murintau in the south-west of the Kyzylkum desert, on the territory of the Tamdynsky district of the Navoi region of Uzbekistan. The mine has estimated reserves of 71.4 million oz of gold.
History.
The field was discovered in 1958, industrial mining process started on July 21, 1969. Navoi Mining and Metallurgy Combinat is one of the largest Uzbek companies had control over the mine.
General information.
It is the leading deposit of the Zarafshan gold mining complex, which ranks second in terms of gold production (after the Grasberg enterprise in Indonesia). During the mining process, the mine became largest gold mine in the world (length - 3.5 km, width - 2.7 km, depth - 600 m).
In 2001, production was 53 tons per year and 61 tons in 2014. As of 2007, the residual gold reserves were estimated at 1,750 tons.


Tooele Valley Railroad Complex

The Tooele Valley Railroad Complex, 35 N. Broadway in Tooele, Utah, dates from 1909. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The complex is currently operated as the Tooele Valley Museum and Historic Park (formerly Tooele Valley Railroad Museum and prior to that as the Tooele County Museum). Opened in 1983, the museum is operated by the city and features preserved locomotives, equipment and artifacts from the Tooele Valley Railway, International Smelting and Refining Company, and other railroad & mining artifacts.
The complex is significant for its historic role in conversion of Tooele from a farming-based to an industrial town. The railroad depot was the headquarters of the Tooele Valley Railway; and is the most significant surviving artifact with association to the smelter east of Tooele that operated from 1910 to 1972.
The listing included three contributing buildings and four contributing objects.


Enoch Tranter

Enoch Tranter (27 April 1842 – 23 September 1910) was an English cricketer active in the mid-1870s. Born at Old Park, Shropshire, Tranter was a left-handed batsman and left-arm roundarm fast bowler who made three appearances in first-class cricket.
During the 1870s Tranter played his club cricket for Sefton Park in Liverpool, and was selected to play for Lancashire in 1875, making his debut in first-class cricket against Derbyshire at Old Trafford. He made two further first-class appearances for Lancashire, one in 1875 against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's, and against Kent at Rochdale in 1876. Tranter took 3 wickets with his roundarm bowling, with best figures of 2/11. When fielding he would often field at slip.
His occupation outside of cricket was as a coal miner. He died at Donnington Wood, Shropshire on 23 September 1910.


Steve Morris (rugby union)

Steve Morris (1 September 1896 – 29 May 1965) was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Cross Keys. A hard man, Morris was extremely physical in the way he played the game, sometimes over physical and he was unafraid to turn to violence if it was warranted. It is reported that he once knocked out a Welsh heavyweight boxing champion in a sparring session. At 6 foot and over 14 stone in weight, Morris was a hulking player, but he was still recognised as a cheerful and genial person.
A coal miner by profession, Morris would work down the pit at Risca Colliery on a Saturday morning and then turn out to play for Cross Keys in the afternoon. Morris spent his entire playing career at Cross Keys and later became the club's chairman. On his death his ashes were scattered at Pandy Park, the team's home ground.
Club career.
Morris began playing rugby before the outbreak of World War I and continued playing when he could as a recruit in the British Army. After returning to Wales he turned out for Cross Keys in April 1919 against the touring New Zealand Army XV. Twelve years later, Morris was still turning out for his club and in 1931 he was part of the joint Abertillery / Cross Keys team that faced the touring South African team. Morris was extremely loyal to Cross Keys, never the most fashionable of rugby clubs, and on one occasion it is said he turned down a £1,000 contract to turn to rugby league.
International career.
Morris made his international debut against England in 1920, the first Cross Keys player to represent his country. In the game against France in 1920, Morris played alongside his Cross Keys team mate, Fred Reeves, made all the more special as the two of them were also co-workers at the Risca Colliery. Morris gained 19 caps in total and should have gained more but missed the Ireland match after being sent off in a club game. Morris's aggression was used to good effect in other games; when in 1923 against an overly violent French team he and Swansea's Tom Parker were called upon to fight back to subdue their opponents. In his penultimate game against France at St. Helens in Swansea, Morris was given the captaincy of Wales, but the team suffered a fairly heavy defeat even after a late Welsh surge masterminded by their new captain.
International matches played.
Wales


Cliff Slaughter

Cliff Slaughter (1928 – 3 May 2021) was a British socialist activist and writer. His best-known works are "Coal is Our Life" (written with Norman Dennis and Fernando Henriques) and "Marxism, Ideology and Literature". Index Books published his "Not Without a Storm: Towards a Communist Manifesto for the Age of Globalisation" in 2006.
Early life.
Slaughter was born in Doncaster. From 1947 to 1949 he was conscripted to work in a coalmine, before taking up a scholarship at Cambridge. He became a lecturer and writer on sociology and Marxism.
As a lecturer at the Universities of Leeds and Bradford Slaughter joined the Communist Party of Great Britain. He left in 1956, following the Soviet invasion of Hungary, and joined Gerry Healy's group The Club. Slaughter remained with the group for almost 30 years, during which it became known as the Socialist Labour League and then as the Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP). He came to be regarded as one of the group's leading intellectuals, and remained on its Central Committee throughout.
Split in the WRP in 1985.
In 1985 Healy faced allegations of sexually harassing female members of the WRP, leading Cliff Slaughter and Michael Banda to oppose him. This broadened into a more general criticism of the party's direction. They were able to gain the support of a majority of the group, and forced Healy to retire. When Healy again tried to exert authority Slaughter and Banda led a call for "revolutionary morality" and expelled Healy and his supporters. This effectively split the organisation between their supporters and those of Healy and his ally Sheila Torrance.
Slaughter and Banda's group at first called itself the Workers Revolutionary Party (Workers Press). However, Banda soon left the group and repudiated Trotskyism. The international supporters of the group decided to call themselves the Workers International to Rebuild the Fourth International (WIRFI), and published both the "Workers Press" and the "International" journal. In the 1990s the members of a sub-group within WIRFI influenced by Slaughter decided that the creation of an elite vanguard party was not the way to build towards socialism.
From the 1990s, Slaughter was increasingly influenced in his theoretical work by the writings of Istvan Meszaros. In 2006 Slaughter published "Not Without a Storm: Towards a Communist Manifesto for the Age of Globalisation", a book intended to open discussion of contemporary issues and the responsibility of socialists. Slaughter followed it with "Bonfire of the Certainties: The Second Human Revolution", published by Lulu.com in 2013.
Death.
Slaughter died, aged 92, on 3 May 2021.


San Manuel Copper Mine

The San Manuel Copper Mine was a surface and underground porphyry copper mine located in San Manuel, Pinal County, Arizona. Frank Schultz was the original discoverer, in 1879, but the main body of the deposits were discovered by Henry W. Nichols in 1942. The exploration drilling went on from 1943 to 1948, with the first mine shaft built 1948. Louis Lesser developed a mining city to service Nichols’ newly discovered deposits, and the development was completed about 1954. The first major production began in 1955, and the mine and smelter were permanently closed in 2003.
Geology.
Faulting of the original ore body created two main segments, separated by an area of minor sulfides. The original ore body was cylindrical, but the San Manuel fault caused the division into two main parts, called the upper San Manuel ore body and the lower Kalamazoo ore body. The bodies are now separated by about . The mineralized zone that contains the ore deposit is about to wide, and more than long, trending east-north-east. The mineralization is a porphyry copper deposit, with the ore body being tabular and thick. The Kalamazoo ore body is U-shaped, with a depth of to the top.
The mineralization is related to a Laramide monzonite porphyry stock and associated dikes which were intruded into existing Precambrian quartz monzonite body. Mineralization occurs within the Laramide intrusive and in the surrounding Precambrian porphyry.
The Kalamazoo portion of the deposit was discovered by an exploration drilling program based on the "missing" portion of the presumed symmetrical hydrothermal alteration/mineralization pattern of the San Manuel portion of the deposit. Geologist J. D. Lowell who directed the program for Quintana Minerals Corporation and John M. Guilbert went on to develop this work into a general pattern for porphyry copper deposit exploration.
Operation.
The mine was operated by the Magma Copper Company before being bought out by BHP Billiton, which ultimately closed it. Over 700,000,000 tons of ore were extracted using the block caving method. It was a large disseminated copper sulfide deposit mined with five shafts each over deep. Headframes are over high. The operation of mining was divided into mining the hypogene sulfide mineralization (chalcopyrite) at depth and the shallow supergene (chalcocite) and oxidized deposit (chrysocolla, malachite, native copper and cuprite).
The entire large site is now scheduled for reclamation.


Prognoz mine

The Prognoz mine is one of the largest silver mines in Russia and in the world. The mine is located in Sakha Republic. The mine has estimated reserves of 205 million oz of silver.


John Draper Perrin

John Draper Perrin (August 26, 1890 – September 19, 1967) was a Canadian entrepreneur, mining executive and civic leader.
Life and career.
Perrin was born in Medicine Hat, North-West Territories, to William Perrin, a former British soldier in the Wolseley Expedition, (1st Battalion, 60th King's Royal Rifles) and Sergeant in the North West Mounted Police and Sarah Lytle; both parents were Irish immigrants. Perrin attended school in Regina and Winnipeg, including Aberdeen School.
He worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway land office from 1906 to 1908, eventually embarking on a mining career. Perrin founded and developed the San Antonio Gold Mine, serving as president from 1931 to 1962. The San Antonio mine was the first dividend paying metal mine between the Great Lakes and the Rocky Mountains in Canada. He financed development of the mining town of Bissett, Manitoba.
Having successfully secured the financial support of Noah Timmins and Hollinger Mines Perrin took the stock public in 1934, one of the first in Manitoba on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The offering made him one of Canada's wealthiest citizens. He was also an early adopter of commercial aviation, organizing charter service Wings Limited, later purchased by Canadian Pacific Airways. Perrin has been credited as the first person in the world to use an aircraft to access a remote mining site. He was financier and president of the minor pro Winnipeg Warriors Hockey Club in the 1950s. Perrin was inducted with the 1955-56 Warriors team into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in the Champions category as winners of the Edinburgh Trophy.
Perrin was Chairman and a key leader in the Greater Winnipeg Victory Loan organization, which put on If Day on February 19, 1942. He also served during the Second World War as National Vice Chairman of The Canadian Red Cross Prisoners of War Parcels Committee. In this capacity Perrin was the organizer and sole Director of the Winnipeg Prisoners of War Parcels Packaging Plant (the only such facility in western Canada) which packaged 2,604,990 parcels for shipment overseas to POW's. Beginning in 1948 he was also Chairman of The Children's Hospital of Winnipeg Building Committee, which successfully raised the funds necessary to build the Children's Hospital on William Avenue, opened in 1958 and now part of the Health Sciences Centre. Perrin served as a Director on the Board of the Children's Hospital from 1946 until his death in 1967. He was President of the Manitoba Club in 1953-54. At one time he owned the rural property that now makes up the largest portion of Beaudry Provincial Park (Manitoba), on the Assiniboine River near Winnipeg.
Perrin died in Winnipeg and is buried at St. Johns Cathedral Cemetery. He is commemorated by John Perrin Marsh at Beaudry Provincial Park (Manitoba) and in the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame as president of the Edinburgh Trophy champions Winnipeg Warriors Hockey Club.
Family.
Perrin was married for 53 years to Ruth Taylor Litle; they had one son and three daughters, Alix Elizabeth, Sarah "Sally" Ruth and Marion Joan. His son J. D. "Jack" Perrin Jr. worked in the family businesses and in their hockey operations, for which he was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. He owned Winnipeg's Olympic Rink and Fort Garry Hotel. Perrin's son-in-law Duncan Jessiman served as Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Winnipeg and was appointed to the Senate of Canada from Manitoba. Perrin's son-in-law W. J. "Jack" Hopwood served in the 1967 Winnipeg Pan American Games organizing committee and as President of the St. Charles Country Club and the Winnipeg Squash Racquet Club. Musician Johnny Perrin is his great grandson.


Aneka Tambang

PT Aneka Tambang Tbk, colloquially known as Antam, is an Indonesian mining company. The company primarily produces gold and nickel, and is the largest producer of nickel in Indonesia. Until 2017, Antam was a directly state-owned company, before its ownership was transferred to PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Persero) (Inalum), a government-owned holding company.
History.
Antam was established in 1968 by the Indonesian government under Suharto by merging multiple state-owned mining companies. It became a limited company in 1974, and began listing in the Jakarta Stock Exchange in 1997. In 2017, its ownership was transferred from the Indonesian government (which controlled 65 percent of the company's shares) to Inalum in a move intended to create a national holding company.
Due to a government ban on the export of unprocessed ores, Antam has began construction of smelter facilities for ferronickel and alumina.
In 2020, it was announced that Antam would form a joint venture with Pertamina and PLN to form an electric vehicle battery company, to be dubbed Indonesia Baterai. Antam's position in the venture is as a provider of upstream raw materials and metals. There are plans for the company to partner with Contemporary Amperex Technology and LG Chem in two projects worth US$ 12 billion.
Operations.
As of 2015, Antam was a producer of bauxite, ferronickel, gold, nickel and silver. It is Indonesia's largest producer of nickel, and it lost considerable amounts of revenue and profits following a nickel ore ban. Antam's gold operations was the primary contributor of the company's revenue, making up 71 percent of its Q1 2018 revenue. Antam is the only Indonesian gold refiner to be accredited by the London Bullion Market Association.


Battle Branch Mine

The Battle Branch Mine, sometimes referred to as the Battle Creek Mine, was located near the town of Auraria in Lumpkin County, Georgia. During the Georgia Gold Rush, before the Gold Lottery of 1832, men from several different states were all working in the same stream when a dispute over the possession of the place ended in a fight in which a number of men were seriously wounded, providing the name for the mine ultimately located there. After the American Civil War, William John Turner Hutcheson, who served with the Blue Ridge Rifles, a Confederate fighting unit from Dahlonega, Georgia, became superintendent of the Battle Branch gold mine. The mine continued producing gold well into the 1900s, producing 661.28 ounces (20.568 kg) of gold in 1935.
There is some confusion as to the actual location of the mine. The United States Geological Survey lists two mines named Battle Branch Mine. Both are to the west of Auraria, but one is on the west side of the Etowah River and the other is on the east side of the Etowah River.


Amarillo Starlight

The Amarillo Starlight is the largest diamond found by a park visitor in the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas since 1972, when it was established as a state park. The Amarillo Starlight was found by W. W. Johnson of Amarillo, Texas in 1975 while he was vacationing at the park with his family. When unearthed, it was a white diamond, but it has since been cut into a marquise shape. Its value has been estimated between $150,000 and $175,000.


Damar mine

The Damar mine is a large mine in the east of Turkey in Artvin Province, 465 km east of the capital, Ankara. Damar represents one of the largest copper reserves in Turkey having estimated reserves of 15 million tonnes of ore grading 1.11%. The 15 million tonnes of ore contains 167,000 tonnes of copper metal.


Parkside Colliery

Parkside Colliery was a coal mine in Newton-le-Willows, in the historic county of Lancashire, but from 1974, until its closure in 1993, it was in the metropolitan county of Merseyside. It was always described as being in Lancashire, and was the last deep coal mine operating in the Lancashire Coalfield upon closure.
History.
The sinking of the shafts started in 1957, with at least one fatality before any coal had been wound to the surface. The site commenced operations in 1959, when the groundworks had been completed. Developing the site had cost the National Coal Board (NCB), over £13 million; however, the first coal brought to the surface did not occur until 1964, seven years after the initial groundworks on site. A pair of Koepe winding towers, both high, were installed above the shafts, both were made of concrete and destroyed fairly quickly after closure.
Production from the mine peaked in the 1970s, when over 1,600 miners were employed at Parkside. On average, over of coal was mined during this most productive time. The deepest shaft was , and coal was mined using the longwall mining method.
The mine suffered from methane in the coal faces, with it being piped above ground where it was used in the mine's boilers, or vented into the atmosphere. It was later piped direct to a chemical works in Warrington via a pipeline that carried between 12 and 15 million therms of gas per year.
In its final years, the mine employed 750 to 800 people, and its output was railed in merry-go-round trains from the site to Fiddlers Ferry power station north of the River Mersey, in Cheshire.
Closure.
The mine was ceased production in October 1992, but kept open on a care and maintenance programme whilst the 1990s pit closures were assessed by British Coal. During the unworked period before final closure, a group of four women, led by Anne Scargill (the then wife of Arthur Scargill, staged an "occupy protest" against the pit closure. They stayed underground for four days before resurfacing on 12 April 1993. The story was later turned into a play, "Queens of the Coal Age", by Maxine Peake, which was also later dramatised on Radio 4.
The closure of the colliery caused 84 MPs to sign a motion protesting about the ending of coaling operations. They stated that the mine had been in profit for the last six years, and that a new seam had recently been opened which had involved the procurement of over £6 million worth of machinery to work the new seam. Another issue raised was that of closure without proper consultation; British Coal announced the intention to close loss-making pits, and "Less than 36 hours later, at 7.15 am on Friday 23 October [1992], the president and secretary of the Parkside branch of the National Union of Mineworkers were called to the colliery deputy manager's office and told that, as from 7 pm that night, all coal production would cease. That was the total extent of the Secretary of State's 'genuine consultation.'" The High Court decided in May 1993, that the colliery could legally be closed. The rush to destroy the winding towers after the protest, left all the valuable equipment unrecovered below the surface.
Parkside Colliery was the last working pit in the Lancashire Coalfield; when it closed, it was the last one in a history of coal-mining in the county that had stretched back for 700 years.
The miners later took British Coal to court over the fact that they were made to accept the terms of redundancy, rather than being offered the chance to be redeployed to other coal mines.
Regeneration.
After closure, the site lay dormant, but it was elected as a possible Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) by the rail industry with applications submitted covering an area of of warehousing, sidings and roads. This venture was withdrawn during the economic downturn of 2008. The site was still being proposed as an SRFI in 2016, with approval being granted in December 2019.