It was at the height of ‘Wayanaad Gold-boom’ period and successive failures of many companies on Kolar field, that a giant mining firm of England descended and conducted intensive scanning for gold! All the earlier companies were confronting great difficulties and were not able to locate any vein or reefs. In order to further promote their operations and to determine if the deposits in the ancient works warranted large scale exploitations, there was a need to go deeper the ground. This required technological and managerial expertise of first order. It was at this juncture in 1880 that, Gen.Beresford requested M/s John Taylor & Sons—a leading firm of engineering consultants at London with their world wide experience in hard rock underground mining to undertake development of few of the properties on Kolar field. This firm bought a block of land from the Colar Concessionaires. It chose the field adjacent to the Kolar block and commenced the operations. Since then, the progress was so steady and soon this firm became operating agent for almost all the companies on K.G.F and the affairs of those companies were managed by them. It was by the determination and dedicated work of this firm which with a large work-force from the then Madras Presidency established the industry on Kolar Gold Fields. Credits for all successes achieved on K.G.F goes to this firm headed by a highly resolute and practical man with utmost degree of integrity—John Taylor III Esq. He was the founder and master of this Gold mine industry since 1880. His firm which ruled K.G.F until 1956 made this mine a world famous industry. The big township of Kolar Gold Fields, simply called K.G.F owes its birth, expansion and existence to this firm.
M/s John Taylor & sons who as mining engineers had unique record of achievement history throughout the world. Founded in 1798 by John Taylor I Esq. a young engineer from Norwich of England, this firm has conducted mining operations in many parts of the world. The establishing, developing and management of K.G.F mines was the ‘Master Work’ of John Taylor III Esq.—the grand son of the firm’s founder. This firm always had highly skilled engineers and dedicated workforce. Because of its sincere and constant efforts and with the ‘State-of—the-Art’ of the days, the science and practice of deep mining at K.G.F held a leading position in the world. One could see in K.G.F the most advanced technological innovations in the entire Asia which made it ‘A Model mine’ in the world. Many other mines of the world derived knowledge and guidance out of the experience gained under the ground of K.G.F. The efficient functioning of this firm made K.G.F the single largest and the most commercial enterprise in Asia.
KGF ARCHIVES 