Donald John MacDonald died in Coomassie Hospital, West Africa, on October 7th, 1922, at the age of 50.
He entered the Royal School of Mines, London, in 1890, and passed out three years later with the Associateship (A.R.S.N. 1st class in mining). In 1891 he obtained an appointment at the Mount Charlotte Gold Mine, Kalgoorlie, as assayer and surveyor and in charge of a dry-crushing plant, afterwards running a 10-stamp mill until 1900. In the latter year he joined the staff of the Australasian Prospecting Syndicate, examining and reporting on properties, and later as assayer and surveyor to the Childe Harold Gold Mine, Laverton, W.A.
In 1903 he moved to West Africa, with which country he was henceforth identified, to become reduction officer and assistant manager of the Wassau (G.C.) Mining Go., Ltd. In 1909, he was appointed mine superintendent of the Fanti mines, and successively engaged in independent mining work and acted as mine superintendent of the Cinnamon Bippo Co. until 1914, when he became a member of the firm of limes, MacDonald & Scale, Ltd., contractors and tributors, who were working that mine and directing other mining ventures in West Africa.
Mr. MacDonald was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1911, and was transferred to Membership in 1917.
Vol. 33, Trans IMM 1923-24, pp.534-5
