The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-27

er, for he soon succeeded in getting to-
Gether syndicate composed of himself
ana SIX other employees of the sheep
ranch, That made seven members con-
shutting the syndicate. each owning one
snare, The maximum assessment that
could be levied was fixed at 10 shlllings
per share per week, or total OF about
SO week available for development
work Seven claims. or blocks" were
! pegged:' and the legitimate parent OF
the Broken Hill Proprietary Mining COM
pany embarked In mine development. with
.ess working capital than would suffice
to pay the, office rent and postage bill
of any really up to-date mining syndI-
showing free gold" or virgin silver"
from "the grass roots
1t was not long until some OF the flu
turc silver kings OF Australia began to
feel the weekly drain OF ten shlllings
unon their ,meager salaries So they
even twenty eighth interests in their
mine. Sometimes the boys" were care
less when going To or returning from the
mine, breaking down the fences and per-
mitting the sheep TO stray and that got
them into serious difficulties with the
ovcrseer who would have regarded that
tell him that the modest hole in the
ground In which the boys were sink
Ing their earnings meant more for the
future OF New South Wales than all the
sheep In Australia were worth
When Boundary Rider Game.
One day 2 boundary rider. named
Philip Charley. who had purchased n
fourteenth interest. went TO camp in
great excitement Look at that, boys
said he: were In luck at last" The
boys. looked, but couldn't see anything
TO get excited about; and one of them
remarked, disgustedly, that IL was moth
IN but bloomIn' carbonate of lead"
No said Charley, don't you see the
boys, to be really funny. Hold on to
your share, Charley, said one. you may
make thousand out OF IT." II wouldn't
Tder TS 0 ho eefed Sad anahep aaf
hold on TO mine for a year or two I may
make FIVE thousand" That was consld-
cred the. Widest possible flight OF the
imagination into the realms of the i'm
bic. but within three years a four
teenth interest In that mine was worth
on the open market more than fifty
II was worth half million pounds ster-
ling.
In 1884 it began TO be evident that
there really was silver In paying quanti
les on the Broken Hill Barrier. and a
little cluster OF tents sprang up on the
site of the future mining metropolis. One
day n man from distant mining camp
drifted that way. and offered the syndi-
cate a dozen eggs for the monopoly OF
the restaurant privileges on their lease.
Eggs were scarce-in fact. almost un
known-in that part Of the bush country,
and the proposition was hungrily accept:
ed. Thus was the commercial life of
Broken Hill inaugurated and its first
business enterprise launched 1t was
hopeless. and the other three open 10
grave suspicion-but the bargain held.
Thus II happens that the municipality of
Broken Hill. with n present population of
20, 600. was hatchcd from 4 dozen stale
eggs.
IL 1884. chlorides were discovered in
paying deposits. and then the boom be
gan. In q few months there were 5000
people on the ground and every man
was a trcspasser. The land was all re-
served from settlement and occupation.
but the colonial land department had no
wish to engage in wholesale prosecutions.
and allowed matters TO drift until late
in 1887. when n proclamation was issued
canceling the reserve. Then came a fight
for land.
Boom at It's Highest Pitch.
AS soon as the Battle of the Bar
riers" had been fought to a finish, the
great mining boom OF the camp rose 10
its highest pitch, 1t was just like all
other mining booms-lke the "kaffir Cir
Gus Of Johannesburg, or the more re-
cent Goldheld and Cobalt frenzies. Pro
moters traded upon the peoples credulity.
rather than upon the carths riches
and the amount of credullty available
passed human powers of estimation II
was all converted into cash by the crafty.
In twenty-five years the little S35-a-
week syndicate has developed into the
worlds greatest silver-lead corporation,
employing 5000 men at Its mines at Bro
ken Hill and It's reduction works at Port
PIric; and the municipality hatched from
"A dozen stale eggs has grown to be the
wcalthiest city OF New South Wales. Ten
years ago men began TO speak of the
camp as has been" because the car
donates and oxidized ores that had been
the making OF the mines seemed TO be
almost exhausted Then II was found
that on down below the carbonate ores
were sulphides extending indefinitely into
the bowels Of the earth and that the
"ironstone" outcrop that SCARED the face
of the whole surrounding country was
rich In lead. zinc and silver
AS n result OF the discovery of sui
phides and of a practical and economical
way OF treating them. a railroad was
built connecting Broken Hill with the
ocean at Port Pirie. where one of the
largest silver-lcad reduction works in the
world has been built Pig lead Is shipped
to Europe literally by the shIpload and
silver bullion by the ton. Most OF the
for treatment. but IL is probable that
before long these also will be reduced
at Port Pirie. Small quantities of gold.
copper and tin are produced, and great
tual finding OF important tin-producins
deposits somewhere in the neiehborhood,
as geological conditions arc said TO be
favorable To the occurrence of tin.
Although the Broken Hill Proprietary
Is the greatest of the mines on the Bar
rier. with an output greater than that
of all the others combined. yet the Broken
Hill Central, producing 100000 ounces
OF lead and zinc. is something or "A mine
too; and numerous others justify their
existence by paying dividends with un-
falling regularity, But when Broken Hill
is spoken Of. ones thoughts naturally
revert to the Broken Hln Proprietary,
which for years has held its place as
the greatest silver producer In the world.
Ill Health is More Expensive Than
Any Cure.