The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-11-05
The Miners Of Copper Island.
BY s. J. REA.

that we were goldminers togetner AT
Benligo. tried silyermining at Broken
Hill. and at later date worked side
l,s side In the tin mines at Mount
Zeehan. in Tasmania, besides conduct
ing several prospecting trips on our
own account.
O'Conncll was a man for whom had
n wholesome respect He was quiet,
reserved, good.natured fellow. who
never drank too much. and who mated
nothing i'm this woriu more than q row.
He was a man of immense physical
strength. an expert boxer. and mag
r,ficent swimmer His placid demean-
or hid an indomitable spirit, and |
would as soon have fought steam
ro,ier as Jim OConncll; the one would
have been as uncompromising as the
other.
IL was on one of our prospecting
tripa that Jim told me the particulars
of his strang experience on Copper
island, brief hint of which I had al
ready obtained from police court par
agraph some time before in the Bris-
hane Courier
IL seems that Jim was In Sydney,
out of work. when he saw one day an
advertisement in the sydney Morning
Herald asking for a half-doZen miners
f0 proceed to Copper island-an un-
inhabited island lying between Bris-
lane and Thursday island-and there
prospect ior copper OConnell imme-
dlately made application to the adver-
tiser, one Captain D., a mining ex-
lert. D had control of the busi-
ness on behalf of a well-known Sydney
firm of shpowners, who held con-
cession for mining on the island.
O'Connell being IA practical miner of
wide experience, was made the boss
of the gang and five other men having
been engaged and contracts signed for
six months, the little party were ta-
ken by Captain D to the scene of
their operations in schooner char
tered for the purpose.
Having duly landed the men on the
island. whose sole inhabitants they
were to be. D. left them. promising
to return at the beginning of each
month with rations, etc. For time
ali went well. The men were amply
pfovisioned and, besides, there was
some feathered game TO be shot fish
to be caught, and a fair supply of eggs
Of various kinds. The men soon settled
down to work in earnest, meeting with
considerable success in their search for
copper. But the month expired. and,
contrary TO their expectations, Captain
D-s schooner came not. There was
still plenty of food on the island how
ever, and the men kept at their work
and were hot at first uneasy. But when
a second month elapsed and still there
was no sign of the schooner they be-
gan to ee. seriously alarmed.
The stores became exhausted, and
soon after n far greater evil befell.
Hitherto plentiful supply of water
lad been obtainable, at a spot where
the islanders fondly imagined a spring
existed, bUL no rain had fallen since
their landing, and the basin becoming
empty 1t was seen that there had been
merely surface supply and now not
a single drop was TO be found on the
whole island,
In this awkward difficulty O'Con-
nell's resOurcefulness soon showed it.
self. Everybody naturally looked to
him; even had he not been their boss"
1t would have been just the same.
Digging for water proved barren of re-
suit, and, as there was evidently no
water on the island, O'Connell deter
mined to look elsewhere Tor it. About
q mile TO the westward lay another
small island and thither O'Connell de-
teTmined to make his way. He sug-
sested that one of his mates should ac-
company him, and that they should
take an empty cask in tow and bring
back 0upply of water If any We're
found. Four of the men acknowledged
one volunteered for the mile swim
through the shark-infested sea.
AS it was more than one mans work,
however to tow a laden cask, in the
event of success, lots were ultimately
cast, and man called Gange set forth
with O'COnnell. The two reached the
island without any misadventure, were
fortunate TO find an ample supply OF
water, and brought back theirwellfiiled
cask in safety. They had but one cask,
ara, as 1t held only soanty supply for
one week, it became necessary to make
periodical visits TO the other island.
1t was, of course. impossible for them
10 take up their residence there. Not
only was oDe of their number a nom
swimmer, nut they had no means of
transferring their firearms and ammu-
niuon-upon which they now largely
depended FOR subsistence-thelr tent.
cooking utensils, tools. etc Every
Saturday, therefore, visit was paid to
Water island" as it came to be
known, and each time the voyage was
made lots were cast for who should
accompany O'Cornell-for the brave
"boss" always insisted upon personally
conducting the expedition. There are
probably as many sharks in these wa
tiers as anywhere on the face of the
glObe, anil the first few trims were