The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-05-18
A GREAT GOLD SCARE
When the yellow Metal Was
First Found In Australia.
AFRAID OF THE CONVICTS.
The English Government Tried to and
Did For Time Suppress the News
Because 1t Feared a General Upris
ing In the Colony of Criminals.

Did For a Time Suppress the News
Because It Feared a General Upris-
ing In the Colony Of Criminals.
Gold in Australia was discovered
one might almost be pardoned for say
ing first discovered-many times. But
the news Of the earliest discoveries was
jealousy kept from spreading, The Sc
cret of this reticence lay in the pres
| ence of the army of convicts which
| then composed the balance Of the pop
ulation. Had gold panic broken out
1t was feared that general uprising
Of the prisoners would take place.
! Nevertheless the first gold found in
Australia was by convicts, in 1914,
near Bathurst, New South Wales. The
discoveries gathered together a guam
| uty quite sufficient to lead them to be-
| lieve that they had found a gold mine.
but when they reported what they con-
! sidered their good fortune to the keep
or he. instead of undertaking to rec
ommend them for pardon or easing
their hard labors in any way, threat
ened to give them all a sound fogging
I If they ventured again to say word
about the matter or to spend any more
time picking up gold. The next find
was made on the Fish river in 1928.
not far from the spot where the con-
victs had come across it nine years be-
fore. This news, being reported to the
authorities, was also ordered sup
pressed Within the course of the next
two years finds were so frequent that
the London government began to take
great interest In the affair But the
fact that another region of the yellow
metal might be at the disposal Of such
as might seek was kept rigidly secret
until In 1925 a dramatic incident pre-
cluded all possibility of further Sc
crecy.
A convict was discovered with mug
get OF gold in his possession. When
asked how he had come by the metal
he said that he had picked it up in the
bush. He was cautioned and told thst
the authorities had no doubt that he
had stolen the gold, but the prisoner
stoutly held to his original tale. II
length he was taken out and severely
flogged in public as thief. There is
now no doubt that the man told the
truth. After this. although the public
was every now and then keyed up to
great expectations by some reported
find. no further veins were discovered
until 1880, when a Russian nobleman
found rich deposit in the Blue noun
tains. The British government again
I became fearful Of the consequence OF
such news upon a colony of coDvicts
and ordered the matter suppressed
Yet sufficient people had heard of it tc
keep the story alive and give credence
to such rumors as arose from time tC
time So matters drifted on Time
and time again buShmen. shepherds
convlcts and surveyors picked up small
nuggets and brought them to the cen
tiers OF population, but at that day PEG
pie were nothing like so keen on golC
mining as they subsequently became
and the subject OF gold In Australia
was not pursued as one would expect
it to be.
The discovery Of gold in California
changed all that Those rich fields
panning out their golden store and fill
ing the Golfers OF lucky individuals
and governments at rate neve,
dreamed OF. awakened a thirst To-
prospecting ali the world over. Ir
every part of the earth men went out
with pick and pan, hoping to come
across the precious metal.
When the news Of California's for
tune reached Australia. many tool
ship to Americas shores. and among
these was Hammond Hargreaves. ar
Englishman. native OF Gosport. who
had emigrated to New South Wales II
1882. In Australia he engaged II
farming without much profit and wal
among the FIRST to rush for California.
On reaching the auriferous region thu
first thing that struck him was thu
similarity of the geological formation
In California and Bathurst. Australia
snd there and then be made up hi.
mind to inquire into the subject should
he ever return to Australia. He work
ed for something like couple of year,
In California and then set sail for New
South Wales. Returning. he of course
carried In his mind the thought thai
perhaps there might be gold in Bath
urst, and when he landed be set te
work to make a thorough search.
Before this, however, be had made
the acquaintance Of William and James
Toms and j. II. y. Lister. who were
anxious to prospect for gold. Har
i greaves taught them how to use picb
and pan, the dish and the cradle-ir
fact. gave them a practical II rougt
education into the mysteries of gold
and gold bearing rocks and gravel
These men struck out and In April
1851, the three pupils returned to theil
old master and, 10. in their pockets
they carried gold to the amount OF
four ounces Hargreaves. knowing the
ropes. took this gold and full direc
lions to the proper quarter The news
went forth, the rush began. rich finds
were made, and Hargreayes was hail
ed as the discoverer of gold In Aus
tralia. In reality he had won the title
for 1t was his knowledge that first ed