Taylor, Henry George

HENRY GEORGE TAYLOR, mining engineer, expert, and prospector, Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, is the eldest son of the late Mr. George Taylor, of Inverness-shire, Scotland. He was born in 1867 at Ajaccio, Corsica, and at an early age came to Australia, where he received his education, chiefly at Stawell, Victoria. His schooldays completed, he immediately engaged in the mining industry, turning his attention mainly to reefing and alluvial workings ; and during the fifteen years of his residence in Stawell was associated in different capacities with all the important mines of the district. He went from here to the Croydon goldfields in North Queensland, and spent from three to four years in prospecting between the Croydon and Gilbert country, in his own interests and on behalf of others. This experience proved of great value, and was the chief training school for a career distinguished by the opening up of the mineral resources of a good deal of new territory.

Mr. Taylor had become known as a prominent athlete, and about this period devoted the greater part of his time and attention for a few years to the arena of sport. In 1896, after visiting Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia, he became concerned in some small syndicates operating at Roebourne, Marble Bar, and Nullagine, and even more distant fields, and whilst working in this connection he handled some exceedingly fine specimens of gold, and gained splendid results. In 1901 he returned to Fremantle, and after a twelve months' rest went back to Victoria for a year.

Towards the latter end of 1903 considerable prominence was given to the gem discoveries on Kangaroo Island, and Mr. Taylor proceeded to Hog Bay, where he spent eight months in a moderately successful search for the precious stones. Passing through Kingscote he moved inland to the locality of the Perseverance zinc mine, and setting to work with a band of nine men, struck a very good lode, carrying 45 per cent, of zinc sulphides. The water level was reached at eighteen feet, and at fifty feet they cut the lode fourteen feet wide, but the inflow of water here increasing from 200 gallons at the higher level to 3,500 gallons an hour, the work had to be abandoned. Three other shafts were sunk, with similar results; and though still convinced that rich returns would reward an outlay of capital sufficient to cope with the water trouble, Mr. Taylor deemed it expedient to continue his experiments on other territory. The Koh-i-noor gold lease had been worked as far back as twenty-five years, and £2,000 had been spent on its development. With the assistance of five men, Mr. Taylor began to open up this property, the reef of which had been lost at 40 feet. At the end of six weeks he picked up the continuation of the reef and followed it, putting in 1,500 feet of drives and 650 feet of shafts.

About this time he also picked up the Cygnet reef, ten miles distant, and spent upwards of a year prospecting this property. At the bottom of an 80-ft. shaft a lode 25 ft. wide was discovered, which was traced along the surface for twelve miles, and found to be metalliferous from end to end, carrying gold, silver, lead, and copper in different places. Mr. Taylor considers this one of the largest low-grade properties in Australia, and expects to realize good returns from both this and the Koh-i-noor fields. He also made periodical visits to the heart of the island, where he discovered a deposit of monozite on some abandoned workings, and in trying the drift-dirt found small oriental rubies, oriental sapphires, zircon, tourmaline, rutile, and a little gold. He expresses the greatest confidence in the mineral resources of the country, and prophesies that with a judicious outlay of capital their development will be of the greatest benefit to the State.

- Cyclopedia of South Australia, 1909, p.1018