The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-04

llAAANF H1HlNta 4 AiF tAtAAN eRaAA tAeANr sAAtAA
back chained by the neck, 10 appear In
a white mans court. under white mans
ideal Of justice. 70 answer 10 the cnarse
of breaking bis legally drawn and duly
1iEned contract FlOgEinE j. probably the
penalty. with a renewed term OF bondage.
In West Australia, az least, complete
system Of slavery lOathsome In the sight
of liberty. does exist and Is fostered- Only
last year. after the indignation or the
newcomers had expressed itself very for
Cloly. two brothers. Anderson BY name
were arrested and brought down for trial
for f0RRing two natives TO death on their
station. under conditions OF the most re-
voting cruelty Sentence OF death was
passed bat was afterward commuted 20
a life sentence. 4 blow has been struck
a. the system. however. and that portion
of West Australia Is now known as the
Black North"
Like Monks Shaven Head.
Australia has been compared 20 the
shaven head Of monk: a fringe around
the edge and barren area in the cen
ter. The rim of land along the coast Is
fertile and productive, clothed with lux
Uriant forests Of hard wood. blessed with
an abundant rainfall. Possessing all the
requirements for pursuits on a scale be-
yOnd the enterprise OF its ease-ioving in
habltants. The interior Is a blank void.
the map Of the continent being scored
"ith dotted lines marking the tracks OF
the various prosT Getting expeditions which
nave from time TO time essayeG the task
Of exploration IN the hopeless quest OF
country 10 for the habitation Of man. II
was along these tracks the hardy seek
ers after gold piCdded their way.
Surprise Il often EXPRESSED that rich
discoveries were not made earlier, but II
win us coast line OF three thousand
miles ana vast territory inland was in
hat:ted BY mere handful Of people set
tied along the more favored regions near
the coast, that the interior was as much
terra incOgnita as Central Africa itself
and That nature, With cOmpensating hand.
had planted her treasI res in the most
desO!ate and fOrbidding portion Of the
sterile wastes back from the coast
II was IN 1892 that two bUshmen. Bailey
and Ford, electrified the world with the
news OF mary elously rich find about
80 miles inland al place known as Cool
gardie. Almost at the enc OF their pvO-
visions. fCotsOre, and weary, they had
struck huge outcrOp of moss-cOvered
quartz I'm likely locality and had regOlv-
ed 20 camp and prospect in the vicinity.
| Next morning the first blow with a pick
uncovered a gsittering mass of the
precious metal. a few hours work made
them rich men; within d day OF two
lbdA4eN came fAoNT 10 E0HfNffH NfN0Ht ttlr
nearest settlement, with over $1,000 worth
/ Of gold packed In empty meat tins, milk
cans, and pickle bottles. one piece was
/ heWl out with tGmahaWk and folded
across; there was gold In slabs and
chunks. Within a few months. both r.en
were worth a quarter Of a million dol
| lars apiece. Then began such a r N as
| the world has seldom seen. Miners, pros
pectOrs. and Adventures from all parts
/ Of the globe, poured m by thousands.
. l. n
most of the best mines are managed BY
Men from the Western States. and lot
/ Of American money is invested IN the
ventures.
| As Hot "a Arizona.
! Imagine 10 yourself the rush Of many
: thousands of men possessed of little else
/ than what they stand up in. pouring into
! the hottest and most desOlate part of Ari-
ZOna, and you have a fair idea Of what
| those Western bushmen had 10 face.
Once over the cos'al range the rainfall
| dwindles 10 four or five inches a year,
with often two or three years of absolute
| drought The face of the country is bak
ed hard as stove lid, and the rain. when
/ ii does fall, runs off as il would from
house roof, leaving shallow soaks or wa
| ter holes In depressons alongside the
masses Of weather-wOrn granite rock that
protrude through the arid soil. The earth
4 is impregnated with alkali and the water
| is Of all c0lors and all shades of saltness
/ and of all degrees OF muddy thickness.
The face of the country is broken by
| vast stretches Of taWny sand bearing a
stratum Of salt which glistens in the
| blaze of sunlight like FURNISHED glass.
! These are the great salt lakes that run
| for hundreds OF miles north and south:
I inland seas that after the rains become
I Fah IN fFaFA tlf.rar
! Me fOOlhardv traveller who attempts to
cross them. The water is ten times saltier
! than the sea, containing thirty-tWo ounces
| or solid matter TO the gallon, yet the
| mirage en- clear morning is the sight OF
a lifetime; bays, headlands and islands,
| even ships with white sails appear IN
mimic preSentment-a hollow mCCkery to
/ the thirsty prOspector. Hundreds in the
| first rushes perished a miserable death
/ from thirst. Later the government erect
/ ed condensers, where water was sold
/ cheaply. The first arrivals at COolgardie
got their water from a soak twenty miles
/ away and paid from 25 10 50 cents a gal
/ Ion for it, Horse feed was selling for 50
/ a sack, and TO water a team of horses
! cost anywhere up TO $40. Liquor was al
4 ways plentiful at So a bottle In fact. a
/ saloon-keeper charged the same price 25
| cents. for either water or whisky. Min
| ing spectators, arriving late at night
| have often had, in default of water TO
| empty a dozen of English beer at 81 a
bottle into a bucket for their horses to
/ drink. Yet, in spite of all, the gold was
] there; fortunes were made and foreign
| capital attracted. The Australian applies
/ TO London when he wants money for in
! dustrial enterprise. The whole continent
/ Is hOpeleSSly mOrtgaged TO England, and
| all its resources are exhausted In scraping
| the annual interest together TO pay off the
| yearly obligation. London went mad over
| the new gold fields: money was lavished
/ like water on wildcat mines fioated on
the market on the strength Of bogus re-
/ ports.
Millions Invested i'm Mines.
| In 1898 and 1886 no less than $3.50 coo
were put up in Europe to open up mines,
many OF which had no gold within a hun
| cred miles of them. But il was glorious
while the boom lasted; every one made
money and spent it, too. FOur-in-hanl
| teams and champagne breakfasts were
the order of the day. Claims were staked
out at daylight sold in the morning, bond