Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-02-27
NAP|ER'S BIG GOLD NUGGET.
His Remarkable Story of Find
ing the Large and Fam
Gus Chunk
1T WEIGHED 14o POUNDS.
1t Got Him an Introduction to Queen
Victoria and Was the Cause
of His Ruin.
7 WEIGHED 14o POUNDS.

tied in the British Museum-was Even
tuaiIy Sold to the Bank of England for
$4,000.
The recent shipment to England of
a klondike nugget valued at $4,000
recalls the famous Napier nugget
found in the Australian diggings forty
years ago. The front end of Mr..
Napier's name is Samuel ii. He re-
sided in Bathurst, n. b. nearly all his
life and was once elected to the Legis-
lature, but his chief fame rests on the
fact that he once upon ii time picked
up the biggest chunk of gold that ever
gladdened the heart OF man.
1t was in 1904 said Mr.. Napier,
that | left this country for Australia
on the bark Marco Polo, which, when
condemned was believed to be the
oldest sailing craft atloat. She was no
chicken, even in the fifties | sailed
four voyages from Liverpool to Mel
bourne, chiefly as purser and second
mate, before l caught the mining
fever. In 1857 | started for the dig
gings and remained there II year and
Il half. went to Bendigo first and
then staked claim at Kingower,
about forty miles from the Bendigo
diggingS, on an arm of the Murim-
bedgic called the Loddeu. | had been
at kingower about six months when
! found the celebrated Napier or
Blanche Barkely nugget. My brother,
Charles III. Napier, was i'll partnership
with me, and our cook and general
handy man about camp was an Eng
lishman, 10 years of age, Robert AM
brOSe. He is dead now, or if he isn't,
it's plenty time he was.
The Kingower diggings was a small
one compared with the Bcndigo, and
didn't pan out much mt first. 1t was
on August. II, at 10 O'Clock in the
forenoon, that we made the big strike.
We had dug down about fourteen feet
to the pipe-clay stratum and were
shuiilng around in the bottom of the
shaft more dead than alive from the
heat. Old Ambrose lit his pipe and
leaned against the side of the hole for
a rest Just then | struck something
with my pick. | turned it up so the
light could strike it, and by jimminy
frost it was hunk of gold us big
as Il hubbard squash.
well. that minute | knew our fort
une was made. Old Ambrose got eX-
cited, and jumped around till | thought
he'd have the whole diggings down
upon us. Charley and | kept cool and
covered the" nugget up i'll the earth
and didn't 90 nigh it for the rest of
the day. After night we lugged the
beauty to our tent and covered it up
in the bedding.
, About midnight we set to work as
quiet as possible with our picks and
sunk shaft down about six feet
underneath the table in the tent and
IL .,F
. three long months it stayed there, with
us eating over it, walking over it,
sleeping on it and dreaming on it, and
. not II soul at the dggings any the
= wiser Ambrose used to talk in his
0 sleep, but we found that II good dose
Q of gin would settle that, and he
generally got all he could cleverly
8 stow away. Sometimes we lay awake
:. all night with our guns handy in case
Il we We're molested, for there were
plenty Of tough subjects ut the dig
2 gings that would have made short
" work of us if they had guessed our secret.
y well, about the middle of Novem-
N bcr we bought horse and cart and
= lit out for Melbourne, having in the
Z meantime dug out our claim and piled
up enough OF the yellow stuff to carry
~ us to London. 1t took us four days
10 and four nights to reach Melbourne,
% and | hardly slept a wink on the way
IS ne udsSet Was paGheu up III rough
" pIN Nl'l Solle oiu ciotnes' ana we
Do toiu every Que we met 1Lat we We're
81 gong ~ ne" Aeaiahu' we carried no
" arms with us for fear of being suspect
Il ed. When we reached Melbourne we
ro took private lodgings, and the next
y. y. morning iusSeu het iauSShip down 10
- the hahh Vi Nlclorla anu Llaue All the
necessary arrangements lor shlpplhg
ler' ana we never saW hef again until
prouuceu liie necessary documents
at 'he Bank OF England IN London,
sl course u! this 'lliie the thlhg had
icaheu out anu III no tllne the city OF
Melpourhe was crazy with excitement.
we soid our neauty 10 lhe Bank OF
Ehsi'nu lor hlV'ooo sterllhS, my
protner ana diViulhg the profits
equ"liy anu pooiiis III handsomely Tor
~