Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1901-01-02
BIGGEST IN THE WORLD.
History of the Discovery of the Worlds
 Biggest Chunk of Gold

blggeSt Cnunk or 60i0
 The largest nugget of which the world has any knowledge" says MT. Hurley, ir his recent book, twas found at Hill End, New South Wales, by Messrs. Eyer and Haltman. It meas ured four feet nine inches in length, three feet three inches in width, and averaged four inches in thickness. It sold for Sl4S,000. At the time of find ing it Messrs. Eyer and Haltman had exhausted their capital and were prac- tically living on charity. It is said that the discovery so unnerved one of the partners that he was unfit for work or business for long time.
 ''No part of the world has been so prolific in the yield of nuggets as Vic toria. Of many discovered in the early days no record has been pre- served, but prior to 1869 a list of finds was compiled by William Birkmyer, an Australian assayer of high stand ing. Among the most valuable finds recorded is that of the Welcome Stranger, which occurred about mile west of the village of Moliagul, in the neighborhood of Dunolly, on Feb. 15, 1869. The world-famed nugget was found by two puddlers, John Deason and Richard Oates, on the extreme margin of the patch of auriferous al luvium, within two feet of the bed rock (sand stone), in loose, gravelly loam. It rested upon stiff, red clay and was barely covered with earth; in fGct, it was in the rut made by the puddler's cart the treasure was mo- iced. It measured 10 inches in thick ness and 21 inches in length, and though mixed with quartz the great body of the Welcome Stranger was of solid gold.
 The lucky finders conveyed it to their hut and heated it in the fire, in order to get rid of the adherent quartz and thus reduced its weight before taking it to the bank of Dunolly. They also detached and gave to their friends number of specimens and pieces of gold before the nugget got into the hands of the bank managers. The melted gold weighed 2,26S oz. 10 dwt. II gr., and contained only I-75 of alloy, which was composed chiefly of silver and iron, so that 9S.66 per cent of the nugget was pure gold. Including the pieces given away to heir friends by the finders the mug get yielded 2.2S0 ounces, equivalent to 2.24S ounces of pure gold, its value at the Bank of England being SI1,61O. The neighborhood of Dunolly at that time was almost mprospected coun- t.y. Very heavy gold was character istic of the locality, and near the spot where the Welcome Stranger was dis covered two nuggets Of IA ounces and 36 ounces respectively were un- earthed soon afterward.
 The Welcome nugget, found by d party of p at Bakery Hill, Ballaiat on June i5, 1858, was sold by the dis. coverers in Ballarat for SJ0,00O, and after being exhibited for d season in Melbourne was again disposed of for S46,625. It then weighed 7, ,159 ounces so that the price obtai'ed was S2l per ounce. This nugget was .ound q: a depth of 1S0 feet. Ii vas apparently water worn, contained ~Hout l0pounds of quartz, clay and oxide of iron, and measured 20 inches long, 12 inches in depth. The " elcome was melted in London in Noyember, 1859, and contained 9920 per cent of pure gold. The other large nuggets, one weigh ing 4S0 ounces and the other 51l ounces were unearthed in the immedi az vicinity three years before.
 The Blanch Barkley nugget Q.74S O.. l3 oiwt.) of the value of S34.525. was found by a party of four al 6ia3ower at depth Of l3 feet and wuhin five or six fe;t of holes that were dug Shree years before. PIevi- GUS to its being melted the nugget was exhibited in Melbourne and al the Crystal paiace, London, where it was an object of great interest, owing 10 i,s bulk. brightness and solidity, ant ior some time the fortunate own CTS netted an average of S250 weei. gate receipts. On assay it yielded 95 lS per cent pure gold.
 Another party of four in the Cana dian gulley. Ballarat, at a depth of 60 eet found nugget weighing 1,619 ounces just after uneasthing a nugget oi 76 ounces. Two of the party had beel in the colony not more than three months when they returned to England with their prize, which yielded them S27.660. Near the same gully on September s, 1851, a nugget Of goid weighing I,l17 oz. 17 dwt, was found. and from the same hole upwards of 20 pounds of smaller nuggets were obtained, 90 that the volue of gold taken from this claim was not less than S05.000.
 The Heron nugget found by two young men near Old Golden PoinC, Flyers creek, Mount Alexander, was a solid lump of gold which drew the scale at Sl.00S ounces. and realized Sz0.400. The lucky finder had been only three months ih the colony.