The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1904-04-06

Incidents of Interest in the Iinznrd-
Gus Career OF Famous AUS
trallan Pioneer.


There was a jubilation in Queensland
on the last birthday Of the Grand Ol6
Man Of that state. He is the Hon.
Augustus Charles Gregory, SO years old.
and a resident Of Australia since he
was ten. He will be, says the New
York Sun, remembered as one Of the
greatest explorers Of the continent
All the maps OF Australia showing
the routes Of the explorers who solved
its mysteries mark tne tracks Of Greg
ory through north Australia, through
the irner part of west Australia and
along the southern edge Of the desert.
He brought to light important regions
that were ft for settlement and are
now among the prosperous parts Of the
commonwealth, though it was long
supposed they could not be turned to
good account
During the many speeches in his
honor on his birthday much was said
about the remarkable inventive genius
which stood him in good stead at crit
icai periods during his explorations.
Clocks were few and far between when
he went to Australia.
Young Gregory decided that his par
ents needed a clock and when he was
IA he made one out Of such materials
as he couia pick up, and it kept good
time for eight years. When he was Is
he built the first -four mill in Queens
land. forging all the ironwork for It
from old bedsteads and exploring the
mountains for millstones, which he
picked up and fashioned with his own
hands from the granite near his home.
He was scarcely more than a boy
when he designed the apparatus for the
first revolving light on Rotnest island,
where a lighthouse was needed for the
safety Of shipping. His contrivance
worked without a hitch for 35 years,
till 1t was replaced by a larger one.
During his explorations he discover
ed a bed Of iron ore in western Aus
tralia, fused some of the metal in a
blacksmith's forge. turned it into steel,
made penknife blade of it and mount
ed it on a handle Of kangaroo bone.
Some officials expressed doubt that It
was bona fide production. but Greg
ory was able to prove that the steel
was actually the product Of western
Australia ore.
| When his chronometer got out Of or
der he was able to repair It in tie des-
ert and continued the observations in
which 1t played an important part Not
few OF his astronomical determina-
tions Of geographic positions have
stood the test of later observations.
! One day when he was travelling in
the vast desert plains he decided that
his provisions were too heavy for his
party TO carry ana yet every ounce Of
food was needed. He set to work to
reduce the weight while preserving the
nutritive qualities.
He found that he could greatly re-
duce the weight Of his salt pork by
melting It. He also discovered by ex-
perimcntatiun that the flour he turned
into biscuits weighed more than the
biscuits
The bright idea occurred to him Of
making meat biscuits So he mixed
Tour with melted pork and timed beef
The biscuits turned out well and
weighed only about half as much as the
meat and -four separately.
These are onlv few Of the many
wavs in which HIS ingenuity and ready
resource contributed to The complete
success Of his enterprises. He was fol
many years surveyor general q
| Queensland: and in his peaceful OLD
are alI Australia delights TO homer him