Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1910-01-22

airy rider, knew of these past failures
or not doesn't matter. He took notice
that it was a peculiar country that he
traversed day after day. Odd-looking
outcrops of "ironstone" were diStin-
guishable through the growth of salt
bush, and malformed hills gave to
certain sections an appearance that
was almost uncanny. 1t was years
after Broken Hill had grown to be a
great mining camp when the discovery
was made that even the despised
ironstone was a rich sulphide ore, and
when men began shipping the seem
cry" quarrying the ore from open
cuts Although Rasp did not suspect
that the ironstone was worth anything
he did think that so odd a looking
country must contain something of
more value than the desert shrubbery
that had grown, withered and grown
again for uncalculated ages. He was
not a geologist, nor mineralogist, nor
even a prospector and had not the re-
hottest idea what that something"
might be. However, he made a guess
that it might be" tin. So he "pegged
a block (for no one stakes claim"
in Australia) and rustled for help to
develop his problematical tin mine.
Rasp must have been a persuasive
talker, for he soon succeeded in get
ting together a syndicate composed of
himself and six others (all employees
of the sheep ranch). That made sew
en- members constituting the syndt-
cate. each one owning one share The
maximum assessment that could be
levied was fixed at ten shillings a
share per week, or total of about $35
week available for development
work. Seven claims, or blocks, were
"pegged,' and the legitimate parent of
the great Broken Hill Proprietary
Mining Company embarked in mine
development, with less working cap
ital than would suffice to pay the office
rent and postage bill of any really up
to-date American mining syndicate"
trying to float a Nevada prospect
showing free gold" or virgin silver
from the grass roots"
Promoters Get "CoId Feet"
1t wasn't long until some of the flu
ture silver kings began to feel the
drain of ten shillings every seven days
upon their meager salaries. So they
were compelled to sell fourteenth and
even twenty-eighth, interests in the
mine. Sometimes the boys were care
less when going to and returning from
the mine, breaking down the fences
and permitting the sheep to stray;
and that got them into serious Difficult
| ties with the overseer. who would
have regarded that prophet fool had
| there been one to tell him that the
| modest hole in the ground in which
| the boys were sinking their money
meant more for the future of New
| fhon oil he IN
Australia were worth.
| One day boundary rider named
Philip Charley, who had purchased a
| fourteenth interest, went to camp in
great excitement Look at that
| boys" said he; we're in luck at last .
I The boys" looked at the ore specimen
he exhibited, but couldn't see any
| thing to get excited about, and one OF
/ them remarked disgustedly that il
was "nothin' but bloomin' carbonate
of Lead No" said Charley, don't
you see the sparks of ch1oride?" That
seemed to the rest of the crowd &C
be really funny Hold on to your
| share, Charley" said one, you may
make a thousand out of it, SO
wouldn't sell out for that" the bound
airy rider replied. ''Ho, no." jeered an
other, -tif I hold on to mine for two
| or three years I may make five thou
| sand" That was considered the wild
est possible flight of the Imagination
Yet within three years fourteenth in
terest in that mine was worth on the
market more than 6 sc, 900. In ter
years it was worth e 100000. 1t i:
too bad to have to relate that PhiliI
Charley couldn't resist the temptation
to sell out his fourteenth for beg
carly e 800, when a further wait O
three months would have made hin
| Wealthy.
Thousands FIocked to Spot.
In 1854 chlorides were discovered IL
large quantities, and then the boon
began In a few months there were
200 people on the ground. and ever,