Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-10-27
THE RALLARAT GOLD FIELDS.
Miners Kicked the Sand About and Picked

|
The Alaska gold fields are not tho
richest in the world for virgin gold;
nor are the finds" there more sensa-
tional than those. in the famous Aus
tralian fields in Victoria. The fevered
| excitement aid mad rush to the Klon-
dixie gold fields recall the scenes and
| human pictures Of the Ballarat and
Dendig6 tsandhurst) gold fields ofAus-
tralia. Ballarat and Bendigo proved
to be the richest finds, and the richest
auriferous bed the world has ever seen.
For more than three years after the
first discovery Of gold on the field,
"toe-pick" miners Walked the valleys
and the ravines hunting for nuggets
on tile surface; perhaps on no hundred
fields In the world were SO many and
valuable nuggets ever found than on
those neighboring fields Of Ballarat
and Bendigo; In the colony of Victoria.
"Toe-pick miners" were those with
out tool or pan, who simply walked
about the field and picked UP the yell
low "pebbles" as they could find them
among the sand and stones which they
scattered with the toes OF their shoes.
They kicked for gold, strange to Say;
they we're highly rewarded for their
silly effort-silly from a miners stand
point. A singular example Of the luck
of these "tee-picks" was young lover
who had heard the marvellous stories
of gold at Ballarat. He was new
chum," but he had sweetheart. One
morning he bade her fearful face good
bye, picked up big lemonade bottle,
and left Geelong for the fields, sixty
miles up the Black Hills, promising
her that he would return and marry
her as soon as he had picked up the
lemonade bottle full Of nuggets, which,
he assured her, wouldn't be much
longer than it would take him to walk
there and back.
Reaching Ballarat, the voting Ell.
thusiast began kicking the stones and
dirt about in search Of his treasure.
No more earnest or persistent miner
"dished" under the rod of Mount Bun
ingyong; where the rich find was first
made. He had no tent, 80 he slept in
the open, with his bottls Ii, his clutch.
Weeks passed in and out. On tie sixth
Sunday he walked into the home of his
sweetheart and handed her yellow
lemonade bottle. The virgin nuggets
made it yellow. 1t was full of gold,
$4,000 worth. The couple married,
and upon this foundation built their
fortunes in Geelong, where they now
live, unless the old home yearning'
has driven them back to their native
heath in England. Facts like these set
the public mind mad.
In less than eighteen months from
the sensational find at Buningyong,
50, 900 people tented on the Ballarat
field. picking. dishing or kicking Tor
gold. From that day. in 1854, until
now there have never been less than
10000 miners on the lield. There are |
tiow nearly 100000 people in the city |
of Ballarat living On the hundreds OF
miles of drives beneath it, the Band
and Albion claim alone having nearly
100 miles Of drives, and shafts nearly
1900 feet deep. So mad was the rush
and 50 eager the crowd that no one
thought Of taking time to build a
house. For years-until the alluvial
country was immeasurably turned over
or pegged into fixed claims and the
Bendigc rush" diverted the stream
the city # Ballarat was city of white
tents. The first brick chimney was
curiosity. 1t still stands.
The gold escorts which brought the
famous treasure into Melbourne gave
that 100 miles Of country the aspect OF
a military patrol. Every tongue told
of the new Eldorado, but no one told
of the suffering and chagrin Of the un.
lucky ones, and no one found his head
cool enough to figure out the loss an
alluvial field was to the country. Men
foolishly sold their farms, stock, stores,
boats, jewels or whatever, and rushed
pell-mell to this excited canvas city,
half prepared, and either ate and
trampled out their gold in search OF
more gold or had 1t mercilessly take"
from them