The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-11
SOME GOLD STORIES.
WEST AUSTRALIA SAID TO BE RICHER
THAN ALASKA.
MT. Marks Says Lodes Fifty TO Sixty
Feet Wide Average 2.5 Ounces Per Ton.
Frightfui sufierings of Miners-Pecui.
lar Nature Of Deposits.

Frightfui suferings of Miners-Pecui-
lar Nature Of Deposits.
West Australia. said L. j. Marks at
the Brown hotel recently. lis the greatest
mining country of the earth. Klondike is
not to be named in the same hour with
West Australia The region is now pro-
ducing nearly 100. 1000 ounces of geld q
month, with evidences of steady increase
In output as new capital Is invested and
new territory opened ] have visited all
the principal mining regions, but the
greatest ore deposit ever saw Is in West
Australia Some of the lodes are 90 to 90
feet wide and the average output is two
ounces and nine pennyweights to the ton
Mining claims which were placed on the
London market at nearly 50 share were
within Is months bought back by the
same company for $50 share. Three min :
ing claims represent In London nearly
500, 900, 600 The area in which pay ore
has been found in West Australia is three
times as large as Great Britain and Ireland
combined Few people in America appre-
ciate the extent of the mining region of
West Australia or its wealth.
ut was four years ago l was mining
in the Broken Hill district when the news
of the finds in West Australia reached the
camp.
-Four of us at once outfitted for long
and dreary journey by water and after
ward for the goldfelds We were obliged
to carry our pro, isions and trust to luck to
find water on the route. The trip was al.
most as difficult as the trip now to klon-
dixie across unknown mountains and
plains. We accomplished the journey from
the coast on foot in IS days. and arrived
in the camp more dead than alive. The
country is dotted in places with salt lakes
in which the salt is six times heavier than
the salt of the sea We were obliged 10
depend on holes which we dug alongside
of % range of granite mountains for water
to drink We found by digging close to
the side Of tie granite rocks that we could
find small quantity of water at depth
of or . feet The quantity was not suiii
cient for horses or oxen. but il enabled us
to accomplish the perilous journey.
ION the route we encountered many
strange scenes and passed many parties of
gold hunters, some of them completely
dispirited and on the verge of suicide A
poor fellow blew out his brains one day on
account of lack of nourishment We heard
OF many similar cases. but no man could
waste any time in extending assistance TO
strangers as no man knew when his end
would come. A desert of unusually dreary
appearance lay across our path, where for
90 miles we were obliged to endure a tenn
perature of ITO degrees. This desert one
of the loneliest spots on the globe at a
certain season of the year blooms with the
fairest flowers and is changed to para
disc
'In places the country supports the salm-
on oak and the gimlet tree. The latter
looks like a gimlet, and the wood is al
most as hard as iron. For hundreds OF
miles not creek or stream of any kind is
10 be seen, and the country is singularly
destitute of animals. Camels have been
introduced ms beasts Of burden. One expe.
dition. which travelled / 800 miles on the
deserts and In the mountains, was for 80
days without water. The camels survived
the ordeal and are the only animals that
could have done so Lack of water for
drinking purposes has led to the introduc
tion of steam condensers, such as are in
use upon ships for extracting fresh water
from salt water. The condensers are 10
Gated on the borders of the lakes. and thus
fresh water Is supplied.
Lhc ihiitir anu pIusptttofs Va Ntst
Australia are the most intrepid class of
men ever met They will brave any dan
ger II they have hope that the yellow metal
may be found They will travel hundreds
of miles into an unknown county lured
by the ignis fatuus, and hundreds Of brave
men have died in West Australia in a vain
effort to return and report new gold finds
At one time, four years ago, an excitement
was raised on account of the discovery ot
a rich, alluvial deposit 60 miles from the
camp we were occupying.
Fully 1000 men rushed into the fields
and In few days the water gave out. men
began to faint and die from lack of water.
and II fell to my lot to be the first to
reach the old camp and give news of the
awful condition In which the miners were
placed A large relief party went to the
rescue. carrying the precious liquid Many
lives were saved by pryine open the mouths
Of the sufferers and pouring few drops
Of water down their throats =
Mr. Marks says that gold exists under
different conditions In West Australia from
those found In any other quarters OF the