The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-09-13
The Worlds Biggest Nugget.
IFrom the. New York Sun.

One day last week the body of a man
who discovered the largest nugget OF
gold the world has ever seen was
brought down from a lumber supply
station 200 miles up the Gatineau coun-
try. in the pine woods. and buried at
Desert. Samuel Hawkins Napier ended
his days in a miserable cabin after hav-
ing once amassed fortune and become
the Hon Of Great Rritain's capital
When in 1852 the world was startled
by the reports of fortunes won in Aus
tralia by inexperienced miners Napier
was purser on a clipper ship plying be-
tween Liverpool and Melbourne. He
withstood the temptation for five years,
but in 1857 gave up the sea and Joined
his brother. then at the Kineowar dig
gings, not far from Melbourne Their
claim was Just S6 feet square. but be-
meath the surface lay q hunk of treas
ure that made the eyes of kings and
queens sparkle when they saw it,
Napier and his brother worked their
claim with varying success until August
Is OF that year. when they unearthed
the nugget that made them famous
throughout the world and yielded them
fortune. Samuel returned to Bath
urst, New Brunswick where he became
one of the leading men and was elected
member of the provincial parliament
for his native county of Gloucester. The
fortune which came so easily slipped
through his hands almost as quickly.
and before long Napier was glad Of the
chance to earn his bread by working
at any job he could find. Three or four
years ago the man was sent into the
pine woods by a lumber company. with
only dog as his companion. and there
he died sitting at a rough table
Napier once told the story of his great
find. and it was written down by John
Lambert Payne. secretary to the minis
ter Of railways here. Napier said:
I'VE had got down to the pipe clay
bottom, which marked the bed of an
ancient river diggings in Australia
when my pick struck something hard
knew at once 1t wasn't boulder. for
there was not the same ring in it. It
struck dead Scraping the dirt away 1
caught sight of the bright yellow of
pure gold. 1t was then about 10 o'clock
in the morning, and 1 Immediately CALL
ed to my brother. My first thought was
that some one would come along and
see what We were digging out, SO we
tried to keep 1t partly covered while We
dug away with pick and shovel
when the nugget was at last free it
was all that could do to lift it, and I
saw that It was solid pure gold. 1t was
feet inches long by 10 inches wide
and from an inch and a half to three
inches thick. 1t weighed exactly 146
pounds ounces pennyweights and
was actually the largest and finest
nugget OF pure gold ever found anv
where in the world. One or two others
were found that weighed as much, but
they were not solid or pure gold
The knowledge that it was enor-
mOusly valuable made us afraid that
some one would discover what we had
found and rob us of it. The FIRST thing
we did was to cover it over with loose
dirt and then we sat down to plan how
we would get it out so as to prevent
any one from knowing it. We discussed
scheme after scheme until we worked
ourselves into great state OF an-iety
AT last we hit upon a plan. We re-
membered that we bad lent . tub to the