Chew Boon Juan’s Gunong Lanno – The Golden Mountain

Ignatius Chew (r) and cousin Chew Yew Kong with a view of Gunong Lanno at back..

Boon Juan, now the sole proprietor of his business decided to take bigger risk for better returns by venturing into tin mining.

His first mine Gunong Lanno was located in the vicinity of Kampong Kepayang.

It was a partnership with the Kinta Land Office Contract Surveyor named Charles Alma Baker.

Mining Partners

Alma Baker had found an area that an earlier Mining Prospector named C. Fincham had discovered but had not been mined.

The area in question was “Gunong Lanoh”.  Mining the area would undertake mining on a plateau-like hilly area, not a typical limestone hill, with jungle-covered cliffs, sharp gullies and ravines. This involved extra costs in wire ropes, pulleys and other equipment.

Charles Alma Baker. A view of Gunong Lanno then, sharp gullies and ravines.

In 1900 he applied and was granted a 40-acre mining lease.

He persuaded two Chinese brothers, Chew Boon Juan and Chew Boon Seong, to mine the land on his behalf. They would provide the capital, employ the workers and pay him the chabut (tribute)

In 1903 in partnership with Chew Boon Juan, Alma Baker opened the mine and was an immediate success.

The mine, they soon discovered, had heavy accumulations of tin between the granite base and the heavy limestone formations had an equally rich deposits in the labyrinth of caves running through the limestone.

 

Gunong Lanno lies behind this temple, Kong Fook Nam.

The Mosque at Kg Kepayang built in 1905

Alma Baker quickly acquired another 120 acres and in 1905 a further 170 acres to cover the remaining area of Gunong Lanno with Boon Juan holding the sub lease.

Gunong Lanno was mined continuously until the mid-1920s and made the partners very rich men.

A note from Alma Baker might give an indicator of their returns from the mining venture.

It read “The Lano Block has been worked by me for many years with a large number of men, engines, wire ropes, washing boxes and pullers.

The block has turned out to date: Pikuls 42,291 which has sold for $1, 463,693. 31 and $175,643.16 has paid to Government in Duty”.

The returns from this mining activity enabled Chew Boon Juan to venture into other enterprises which have left a legacy till today.

End