Arthur Richards died in a nursing home in Leeds on November 13th, 1926.
His mining experience was largely obtained in Australia, where his first appointment was with the Cloncurry Copper Co., Queensland, in 1885-7, as assayer and assistant metallurgist. From 1888 to 1891, he held the office of public assayer and manager of the Queensland Smelting Co.’s works at Bavenswood, and assayer to the North Queensland Pyrites Co. For two following years he was manager of the Old Man gold mine at Ravenswood, in 1894 becoming assayer to the Irvinebank Tin Mining and Smelting Co. In 1895-6 he was general manager of the Montalbion Silver Mining Co., Herberton, and in 1897-8 he was reporting on gold, tin, and bismuth mines in Queensland, and on silver mines in New South Wales, besides acting as assistant metallurgist to the Australian Smelting Proprietary, Ltd., Adelaide, S.A.
In 1898 he went to the Dutch East Indies as manager of the Soemalata Gold Mining Co. and until 1907 he was general manager and metallurgist of gold mines and smelting works in Celebes.
He came back to England in that year and thenceforth became closely associated with Cornwall, particularly in connexion with the re-treatment of old stacks of tailings at Carn Brea by the Cornwall Tailings, Ltd., a company formed at his suggestion for this purpose. On conclusion of this work, he undertook other duties at Killifreth, Wheal Busy, and Geevor, which need only to be referred to as they are well known.
Mr. Richards was elected a Member of the Institution in 1899.
Vol. 36, Trans I.M.M., 1926-27, p.534
