Written by Carrol Lawrence on 27 Apr 2005
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Did you know that tin was mined in Perlis? The fact that tin was mined in Perlis was an interesting revelation, as most of our history books in school failed to mention tin mining in Perlis. Tin mining has long been associated with famous mining areas around Perak, Selangor and Pahang. To add to this discovery is the fact that there is nowhere else in the world where caves have been mined so extensively using such a unique method.
Prominent Personalities
The mining history of the area began with a Malay entrepreneur named Nanyan. He started mining in the Sungai Pelarit area in the late 18th century. Nanyan was a Thai national who had married Aminah, a local woman from Kampung Wang Kelian. The couple mined for tin with a predominantly Malay workforce. However, they eventually sold off their mine to a Chinese mining company called Kong Fatt Company. Since then most of the mines have been owned and worked by Chinese miners. The Chinese mined on a small-scale basis using the conventional methods of open cast mines.
Loh Seng Heng was the patriarch of the oldest mining families in Kaki Bukit. He was sent to Kaki Bukit by his employer from Ipoh to prospect and oversee the mines in Perlis. He ended up owning four to five mines there; half the number of productive mines then and had invested in land in the surrounding area. He went on to become one of the wealthiest men in Kaki Bukit.
The news of Kaki Bukit's tin mining drew the attention of European miners who brought with them modern methods of mining, thus increasing the production of the mines. Sir J. Campbell, an Englishman and Mr. E. Graf, a Swiss, are prominent names in Kaki Bukit's mining history. During the war, Sir J. Campbell fled the country for his safety whilst Mr. Graf, who had mined in the area for more than 30 years, stayed. The mines were closed during the Japanese occupation although Mr. Graft, being Swiss, was allowed to operate. After the war, Mr. Graf resumed the mining operations and took up position as the leader of the mining community. However due to poor health he died soon after.
Loh Ah Tong, who had been the assistant of Sir.J Campbell, had inherited some of his property in the pre-war days, resumed the operations of the mines left behind by Sir J. Campbell. This young assistant, who was also the son of patriarch Loh Seng Heng, used his skill and business ingenuity to build up a tin mining empire and became a prominent leader in the mining community. Datuk Loh Ah Tong and his family have become the pillars of society in Kaki Bukit. It is said that there are about 600 members of the Loh family still residing in Kaki Bukit.
How tin-ore enters caves?
Cassiterite or tin-ore is a hidden treasure that is difficult to find in the darkness of the caves. It is formed by the mineralisation process, which happens when limestone and molten granite come into contact. In the case of Perlis, the contact between limestone and granite at the Bukit China Granite Formation area located at the northern end of the park is the main source of tin bearing alluvium. The mineralisation of cassiterite or tin ore when limestone comes into contact with molten granite and the leeching effects of streams and rivers lead to accumulation in pockets.
Streams that flowed through the area picked up sediments rich in cassiterite and deposited the tin ore in wangs and caves. Over thousands of years, the heavier ore would fill up cavities in caves. This formed what is known as cassiterite or tin ore pockets. Some pockets were a few feet deep and rich in ore content, whilst some were just a few inches thick. As the streams flowed out of the caves it deposited its alluvial deposits into the wangs. Alluvial Deposits was common in places where the river flowed out of the caves into the valleys or wangs. The alluvial material deposited in these wangs was extracted using the normal gravel-pump methods of conventional aboveground opencasts mining techniques commonly used in other parts of the country. This method was employed in Wang Tangga and other above ground areas.
The Wangs of Perlis
There are many places in Perlis that carry the name 'wang' which is also the geological terminology for valleys. The wangs of this area hold a historical significance. As the streams flowed out of the caves it deposited its alluvial deposits into these wangs. The production of tin ore from the State of Perlis in comparison to the area mined was quite substantial in the 1960s. The areas of Wang Kelian, Wang Tangga, Wang Mu and the rivers and caves around these places were famous for the high tin-ore production in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Wang Kelian has two meanings to the name. One means "kalian" translated to mean for all from the Malay language and the other "galian" for tin ore. In view that tin was mined from the depths of the caves surrounding this area the literal translation of 'Tin Valley' seems more appropriate.
Wang Tangga, which is located south of Wang Kelian, contained a bigger expanse of alluvium compared to Wang Kelian. This wang was heavily mined until all the resources of ore were completely depleted in 1961. Tasik Meranti is a remnant of a mining pool, which is now a famous tourist attraction in the state park.
Wang Mu is another area that was known to have been rich in tin. Underground passages were blasted and the tin trailings were flushed out to open palongs to be panned manually. In 1938, a cassiterite pocket, which contained 90 per cent tin-ore, was found in a cave at Wang Mu. This made the lucky miner an instant millionaire.
Mining Methods
Before the use of generators and pumps, the miners used to fill the cave sediments rich in tin ore sacks know as 'karang timah'. These sacks were heavy laden and had to be carried outside the mines to be broken washed and cleaned. Wooden structures called palongs were built outside the cave to enable the tin-ore to be separated. Palongs allow water and the sluice containing mud, sand and tin ore to flow over it, as tin ore is heavier it flows at a slower pace and remains on the palong. Separation of tin-ore can also be done manually by dulang-washers.
In the larger mines, generators and mechanical pumps were placed outside the cave entrance to pump and channel water to the working surface within the cave mines. The rocks, sand and mud were sluiced using the force of water. The washings were then pumped out of the cave for processing to the palongs at the cave entrance. In cases where the deposits were too hard to be sluiced with water, it was mined using pick and shovel and carried out manually, or in some sections of the cave, rail carts and trolleys were used.
Makeshift palongs were also built in the larger chambers of the cave. Water was channeled to the palongs using pumps. Water storage tanks were built in the cave. In some sections, the use of vertical pumps allowed water to be recycled from one storage tank or abandoned tin-ore pocket to another as the search for tin ore led the miners deeper into the caves.
Small Scale Miners
The mining companies employed miners to work the mines. The miners were paid RM1.70 per day for an eight-hour shift. The mines were worked throughout the day. During the rainy season some sections of the mines were closed for fear of flooding. The miners put themselves at great risk to travel into the very depths of the caves. The unpredictable flash floods, falling rocks and suffocation were just some of the perils the miners faced. The incidences of accidents and mishaps in the caves often went unreported. These caves, which promised wealth, sometimes become the tombs of these bold and fearless miners. Most of the caves were almost mined to exhaustion by the 1960s and it was no longer cost effective or lucrative for the owners of the Mining Certificates (MC) to mine the caves.
The owners of the MC would then authorize individuals to mine certain sections of the caves. A letter of authority was given with a predetermined agreement on the percentage to be given to the owner based on the output of tin ore mined. These miners worked in small teams, equipped with only a carbide lamp on their head, a small food ration, armed with a pick and shovel, rope and ladder to ascend and descend deep shafts with no other form or safety equipment. Many of them spent days on end exploring every crevice possible in hopes for a lucky strike of a rich tin-ore pocket. When a tin-ore pocket was found these miners would continue to work and guard their treasure troves day and night. Family members are said to have brought in food rations to these miners and would even spent the night in the caves to keep them company.
Caves in the Perlis State Park
There are approximately 30 known caves in the state park and almost all the caves have a history of tin-mining. The caves that are accessible to visitors are Gua Wang Burma and Gua Kelam.
Gua Wang Burma is a cave system that has become one of the main attractions of the park. The cave is divided into two main sections. The upper passage of this cave system, boasts of many interesting passages with majestic limestone formations. The cave is home to a small colony of bats and used to be famous for the nutrient rich guano deposits which the locals harvested for fertilizer. The lower passage of the cave is a bit more adventurous as the trail leads through narrow, wet and muddy chambers and passages. The trail would require one to crawl or squeeze through small crevices in order to access river passages and chambers with beautiful water-worn sculptures. The cave is open to visitors who must be accompanied by a guide.
Gua Kelam is famous for the unique experience of walking through the cave over a wooden hanging bridge. This hanging bridge was built across the stream passage as a means of transporting tin ore and other supplies needed to the mines at Wang Tangga. The bridge also served as the main access route for residents of the remote village of Kampong Wang Kelian. The walk through the cave is accompanied by the sound of flowing water, smell of bat guano and the impressive sights of stalactite, stalagmite, gaur pools and other limestone formations. Recreational facilities have been built at both entrances of the cave and the cave has become a major tourist attraction for Perlis.
Gua Kelam II holds the record of being the longest surveyed cave in the Peninsular. It is approximately 3.6km in length. Gua Kelam II has four entrances, two high on the cliff face and two on the valley floor. The lower entrance follows a river section influenced by floodwaters during the rainy season. The cave is made up of a honeycomb of interlinked passages and chambers that had been mined extensively with cave formations and mining features to be observed along the way. The route ends at an upper exit, which emerges at the cliff face over looking the western entrance of Gua Kelam at Wang Tangga.