The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-05-16
A GREAT GOLD SCARE.
When the Yellow Metal Was
First Found In Australia.
AFRAID OF THE convIcTs.
Tho English Government Tried to and
Did For Time Suppress the News
Because IT. Feared 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
jealously kept from spreading. The So
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 6rst gold found in
Australia was by convicts, in 1914,
near Bathurst, New South Wales. The
discoverers gathered together guam
tlty quite sufficient to lead them to be-
lieve that they had found gold mine.
but when they reported what they con-
sidered their good fortune to the keep
er he, instead Of undertaking to rec
ommend them for pardon or easing
their hard labors In any way, threat
ened to give them all sound flogging
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 1923,
not far from the spot where the con-
victs had come across 1t 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 a mug
get of gold In his possession. When
asked how he Ind come by the metal,
he said that he had picked It up in the
bush. He was cautioned and told that
the authorities had no doubt that he
had stolen the gold, but the prisoner
| stoutly held to his original tale. At
| length he was taken out and severely
| fogged 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 n Russian nobleman
found rich deposit in the Blue noun
| tains. The British government again
became fearful of the consequence of
such news upon colony of convlcts
and ordered the matter suppressed
Yet sufficient people had heard of dt tc
keep the story alive and give credence
to such rumors as arose from time to
time. So matters drifted on. Time
and time again bushmen. shepherds
convicts and surveyors picked up small
nuggets and brought them TO the cen
ters of population, but at that day peo
pie were nothing like so keen ON golt
mining as they subsequently became
and the subject of gold in Australia
was not pursued as one would expec
II to be.
The discovery of gold In California
changed all that Those rich fields
panning out their golden. store and oil
ing the Golfers Of lucky individuals
aud governments at a rate neve'
dreamed of, awakened thirst TO
prospecting all the world over II
every part of the earth men went on
with pick and pan. hoping to come
across the precious metal.
When the news of CALIFORNIA; for
| ,,,,o AnctpaIio pnonu tnpl
ship to Americas shores, and amonl
these was Hammond Hargreaves, al
Englishman, native of Gosport, wit
had emigrated TO New South Wales II
1892. In Australia he engaged II
farming without much profit and wa
among the first TO rush for California.
On reaching the auriferous region th
, first thing that struck him was tn
similarity of the geological Formation
In California and Bathurst, Australia
and there and then he made up hi
mind to inquire into the subject shoul
he ever return to Australia. He work
ed for something like couple OF year
I'm California and then set sail for NeN
South Wales. Returning, he of cours
carried in his mind the thought tina
perhaps there might be gold in Batl
urst, and when he landed he set
work to make thorough search.
Before this. however, he had mad
the acquaintance of William and Jane
Toms and J. II. .. Lister, who wer
anxious to prospect for gold. Hal
greaves taught them how to use pic
and pan, the dish and the cradle-i
fact, gave them a practical If roug
education into the mysteries Of gol
and gold bearing rocks and grave
These men struck out. and in Apri
1851, the three pupils returned to the
old master, and, 10, in their pocket
they carried gold to the amount {
four ounces Hargreaves, knowing Il
ropes, took this gold and full dire
tlons to the proper quarter. The new
went forth, the rush began. rich finC
were made and Hargreaves was ha
ed as the dlscoverer of gold in Au
tralla. In reality he had won the It'll
for It was his knowledge that first e
,,o,tod Iba unnoSaa an1 ictar and