The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-06-09
A GREAT COLD. SCARE
When the Yellow Metal Was
First Found In Australia.
AFRAID OF THE CONVICTS.
The English Government Tried to and
Did For a Time Suppress the News
Because It Feared a General Upris-
ing In the Colony of Criminals.

ing In the Colony OF criminals.
Gold in Australia was discovered
one might almost be pardoned for say
ing first discovered-man 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 conyicts which
then composed the balance Of the pop
uation. Had a gold panic broken out
it was feared that 4 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 guam
tity 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
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 Jogging
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 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
n @
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-
Guided all possibility Of further Sc
crecy.
A convict was discovered with a 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 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
logged in public as a 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 1889, when a Russian nobleman
found a rich deposit in the Blue noun
tains. The British government again
became fearful Of the consequence of
such news upon a colony of convicts
and ordered the matter suppressed,
Yet sufficient people had heard Of it to
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 gold
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,
banning out their golden store and fill
ing the Golfers of lucky individuals
and governments at a rate never
dreamed of, awakened a thirst for
prospecting all the world over. In
every part of the earth men went out
with pick and pan. hoping to come
across the precious metal.
When the news Of CALIFORNIA; for
tune reached Australia, many took
ship to Americas shores. and among
these was Hammond Hargreaves, an
Englshman. native Of Gosport, who
had emigratcd to New South Wales in
1920 Australia ba pDr1rpI in
farming without much profit and was
among the first to rush for California.
On reaching the auriferous region the
first thing that struck him was the
similarity of the geological formation
in California and Bathurst, Australia.
and there and then he made up his
mind to inquire into the subject should
he ever return to Australia. He work
ed for something like a couple Of years
in California and then set sail for New
South Wales. Returning, he Of course
carried in his mind the thought that
perhaps there might be gold in Bath
urst. and when he landed he set to
work to make a thorough search.
Before this, however. he had made
the acquaintance Of William and James
Toms and J. H. .. Lister, who were
anxious to prospect for gold. Har-
Greaves taught them how to use pick
and pan. the dish and the cradle-in
fact, gave them a practical If rough
education into the mysteries Of gold
and gold bearing rocks and gravel.
These men struck out. and in April,
1871, the three pupils returned to their
old master, and, 10, in their pockets
they carried gold TO the amount of
four ounces, IIarCreaveS. knowing the
ropes took this gold and full diroC-
tons to the proper quarter. The news
went FORTH the rush began, rich finds
were made, and HarCreaves was hail
ed as the discoverer Of gold in Aus
tralia. In reality he had won the title,
for it was his knowledge that first ed
ucated the TomSes and Lister. and 1t
was his knowledge again that sent
them in the right direction.
Duty is what goes most against the
grain. because in doing that we do
only what We are strictly obliged to
and are seldom r77uch mrs iSp6 for If