The Prescott daily news., 1910-01-15

dozen stale eggs ever to
 overcome the handicap of its malodorous beginning and achieve a position of responsibility. Yet that epitomizes the history of the. begin ming of Broken Hill, the great silver camp of New South Wales, the worlds greatest silver camp in fact, although Cobalt would fain usurp the title
 This is how it happened: One day in 1884, when the first of the Broken Hill mines were still a discouraging prospect and camp yet without a name. man drifted that way, looked over the ground and made up his mind that there would soon be other strag- glers along, and that these would want to eat. So he hunted up the prospectors and offered them a dozen eggs for a monopoly of the restaurant privileges on their lease. Eggs were as scarce as the proverbial hens teeth ill that section of the bush country and the offer was hungrily accepted Thus was the commercial life of Brok en Hill inaugurated, and the first business venture launched. Never was there worse beginning. Nine of the eggs were gone past all hope of redemption. and the other three were open to grave suspicion; but the bar gain held. Thus it happens that the city of Broken Hill. with a present population of 10000. and recorded silver production of $300,000,000, was matched from dozen eggs that were it for nothing but the Encouragement ot incompetent transformers.
 Of the worlds bonanza mines, few have given a better account of them selves than those of broken Hill. Think of mining region in which sill Ver-lead ores are quarried in open cuts, like sandstone or granite or brick clay, and where one remarkable mlne, the Consols, has a vein (albeit narrow one) that yields ores that are 90 per cent. pure silver! The broken Hill Proprietary is the largest silver producer in the world today; ana In the 9 years that have passed since the Barrier Gas the argentiferous lode Is called) was found, it's mines nave paid more than S100000.000 in dividends. They have yielded silver to the value of $300,000,000. to say nothing of ship loads of lead and zinc, ana no inconsiderable qusatity of gold ana copper, and there is more high grade ore in sight" today than at any time in the past Yet the Broken hil mines are rarely mentioned in tue newspapers, and the average American probably does not even know tne name of the great silver-produc- Ing lode to which New South Wales owes its prosperity and the major part Of its population. as we'll as the commanding position it occupies in the worlds metal markets.
 Its Discovery an Accident.
 Like most of the worlds great mines, the discovery of the Broken ii'ii Barrier illustrates the proverbial luck Of fools and tenderfeet." and points no useful moral of a deserved reward of expert knowledge In 1869 Nharies Rasp left his old home in Ger many to seek his fortune. Apparently "e uldnt find it ill hurry, for in 1884 ne was only boundary rider'-and 'uat IS bush country euphemism for sheep herder-killing time and ambi uoh on one of the dreariest stretches oi salt bush and mulga bush that even New South Wales afforded The coun- u! roundabout had been prospected oeiore, and was believed to be barren oi valuable minerals. Patrick Green. d store keeper of Menindie. with a party Of experienced miners and pros ee''ors, had hunted for copper on the