The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-21
GREAT AUSTRALIAN ELDORADO.|
Francis Is car Society Chrian

BY Rev. Francis e. Clark, .
For d long time Western Australia was
tho Cinderella among the States OF tho
great island continent that lies beneath
the Southern Cross but ut last she found
her golden slippers and is now the most
prosperous and hopeful o. Oh the s.a.es
s III the great conmonwealt 18th. Ten years
ago she was looked upon as land or
arid desert, salt-brush and sand. Sin, sor-s
row, sand and sore eyes were said to pc
her nlliteratiye productions. The lew
fertile patches discovered vii thin tho limit
OF the rainfall we're not considered suhi-
clcnt to attract settlers from abroad, anu
she dragged on her weary way for more IRE
than half a century from the g,
OF the colony with q few Thousand se.-3s
tiers who had cstab lished homes near
tho coast. ;5 VI rs II 4. .3E9
But during all this time hard Y pioneers
ara prospectOrs had been making excuf-
u sions Into The awful desert OF the IN terror,
enduring hardships unimaginable, some
times leaving their bones to bleach upon
tto arid plains, somt times dying N 81
thirst yand hunger, but their successors pr
were always tolled on by the hope OF Q
trcfneUuOub EOluelL ~ Wtk ". ~ -
while these hopes seemed destined TO !
be blasted, for, though q few mines had
been discovered, nothing Of any large
value rewarded the ardous toll OF the
prospcctor. Ill, t 81 b T !. !, II S. u
Mpreover.$the colony had been blightedS
4 an lis earliei' days by being niade.a con-
yictsstation, and though many OF the con-,
victs were transported for very SINAI
and trivial offences. the fact that y was
a great prison yard did not add q ~, y az
Effectiveness in tie eyes OF the gworl 90 ~
r a dozen years ago there was scarcely
4 5000 people In all this great colony, oc--ls
8cupying a third OF all Austria more OF
than one-third as largo az the United
II stntes--a colony big enough for 8 rcat
Britain. France and Germany & 70 !. lose
themselves In hopelessl3,. WI IN te atI
enough round the edges out OF " men !tog
\ carve half dozen first class hStiroEea'lnt
4 powers. ..s !, 1, !, /,
THIS was the state Of things on Friday
morning. September 16. 1892. On Shttr-
( day morning, g writes Mr.. ohm Marshall a.
who has most vlyidly described these ga 81
u w days n. con Saturday Inorning 70, Sept en- Il
3tyer IA 1892. 4 solitary horse an nat:s.d
Arthur Bailey rode Into Southern Cross, q
town como ways from the coast, Wnere Is
little gold hid been found. he had pre-
Syiously been taking otit II nckerS TO ,1y
hack country. and y was w.. "
( fe ana his ma te were out prospectus
for gold He looked rou IN and rugged,
and there was nothing about him NJ 4 ina that
morning TO indicate tina t he was the M man
destined q to exercise a more spotcnt III m
fluence On the destiny Of The 8 tate haii
any4s other man. He made his way 70
the 6Warden's Office ana reported 5h "a w
discovered a new gold cid ~ miles from
& Southern Cross In an easterly dlrectllor..
and exhibited $40 Gun ces sofa gold wp TN.
s,ver $4,000 which he said he had
from The ground he had pegged out Y, y ne ne
following day says Nj. Ma rshat 81
Ter dinner the ~ hole popuiat ton Of Sou 4 N
ern Gross, With 4 thu exception 9 Z 8Ie ' "
Government officials and two OIL three "a "a
loon Keepers. left for What Is now known
as Coolgardie Horses w q cl, the previous w
day could have been purchfsed ZOE -, -
brought $50 apiece; but he great ma Or
fly had TO travel on shanks
ing their beds. food and & wa on on the eHl
ba cks.ii IA
y .Tyr alva years have passed a wa W. nd
x,hat haze ~ found on my " istt5 TO the
gold fields |? These hideous. SANDY plans
4 where the gold was discovered have been l
transformed into large, thru ing. u sttltis
cities, with paved streets ssa NJ 81 eiee.,,c
lights trolley cars and fine public 81 DUNG
Y 3ngs that would do credit TO any arGes
churches Il have seen which. are not q
whit behind the times The fortunes Is. 81:
r,oolgardte. to be sure, " here & the tlrst
discovered miners are located seem 70 !! 20
som : what on the swane. but 3 lSa lgoerillej
and Boulder lily. some went y.fiy ~ #mi mus
4 further east. low every dlcailo ,! 2 SO
having gold enough beneath theirB busy
streets 10 keep the crtshers and the5 roast
ara busy Tor many d decade to conc
Hi AZ
! ION weight year after yea = n
Hero tho famous Golden " N iles'sF5$ Of
boulder city. Tho richest mines in all the
world are here 81 tuated on a hill Soi npolil
Et hes size and shape OF the &copp per nincs
7 az Butte. Hero the mos t expensive and
date machinery In he 8Worid ist en-
TDioyed Here thousands OF men earn IN +
large returns for their day 81 ne
capital invested In the mines earns ~. ~ a
and 90 per cent per yea r. on the selling
price OF the stock, The gold product ton
81 Of estern AUS ALA has gone IL Or aru
~ Slea ps and bounds. In the year 1891 1881
only about $4,000 worth Of gold was vas
mined ms the whole State. g ast year
nearly Sac, 900 900 wort was - ne outg
from the reluctant earth la gely IN N >, ING
Yeighborhood OF hcse desert rs
81 Coolgardie. Kal goorlie ana i5ou'asr;
Tho greatest obstacle for a long W lhl
"a the development Of the gold fields Was
& the lack OF We ter. To be sure there was "a
water at certain seasons such as y vas (,
1ut IL Knocked the miners: thirst. 70
,yas 40 salty and bitter hat even q dyln
man could not touch At. At first icon n
densers we're erected at great cost g esT
tract the salt and to leave the wa NJ
Tor man and beast. But this process was was
very expensive, and even at the pest. G.
very Indifferent supply for large mining
c0nl1 sha famed
What was to be done ?aA The nearest are y
water suppl was nearly 100 miles away Z, I
cna a. TO carry the water for that dis,
lance and to pump 1t UP the hills from
that low level was "a herculean task X. tina :
might we'll dannt the boldest heart, But
{ a. West Australian Hercules was found.
ready to tackle the problem, while tho me
untold wealth Of the newly discovered %
gold fields spurred him on; and Sir John
Forrest, backed by the Leg stature ct MS
state set about the c0nstrgat T., q {, ny, ny
vast Undertaking. Valleys were damned
and billions ofs8gallons @ wat err were
impounded. pipes were aid and pumping