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

All 70 nicipality Matched from
u - dozen stale eggs ever to
overcome the handicap of its
malodorous beginning and achieve
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
name, a 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 monopoly of the restaurant
privileges on their lease. Eggs were
as scarce as the proverbial hens teeth
An 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 $30O, 200, 900, was
Matched from a dozen eggs that were
fit for nothing but the encouragement
of incompetent transformers.
Of the worlds bonanza mines, few
have given a better account of them
selves than those of broken Hill.
Think of a mining region in which sill
ver-lead ores are quarried in open
cuts, like sandstone or granite or
brick clay, and where one remarkable
mine. the Consols, has vein (albeit
a narrow one) that yields ores that
are 95 per cent. pure siiveri The
Broken Hill Proprietary is the largest
silver producer in the world to-day;
and in the 25 years that have passed
since the Barrier (as the argentiferous
lode is called) was found, it's mines
have paid more than 800, O0O, 900 in
dividends. They have yielded silver
to the value of s300, 200. 900, to say
nothing of ship loads of lead and zinc,
and no inconsiderable quantity of gold
and copper and there is more high
grade ore sin sight" to-day than at
any time in the past. Yet the Broken
Hill mines are rarely mentioned in
the newspapers. and the average
American probably does not even know
the name of the great silver-produc-
ing lode to which New South Wales
owes its prosperity and the major
part of its population, as well as the
commanding position 1t occupies in
the worlds metal markets.
Its Discovery an Accident.
Like most of the worlds great
mines, the discovery of the Broken
Hill Barrier illustrates the proverbial
luck of fools and tenderfeet," and
points no useful moral of a deserved
reward of expert knowledge. In 1868
Charles Rasp left his old home in Ger
many to seek his fortune. Apparently
he didn't find it in a hurry, for in 1884
he was only boundary rider"-and
that is a bush country euphemism foI
sheep herder-killing time and ambi
ton on one of the dreariest stretches
of salt bush and mulga bush that even
New South Wales afforded. The coun
try roundabout had been prospected
before, and was believed to be barren
of valuable minerals. Patrick Green
a store keeper of Menindie, with q
party of experienced miners and pros
pectorS, nau hunted IOr copper On IAe
very spot where the city of Broker
Hill now stands, as far back as III
1874. but found nothing that looked
good to him. Then, in 1888. Charlie:
Nichols went in search of whatever
the tickle goddess of the mines nigh
see fit to bestow, walked over the
spot where is now located the mair
shaft OF the mine that yields one-six
rteenth of the worlds annual output o
silver, pegged claim and worked L
for few weeks, and then gave up IL
disgust. He was willing to take I
solemn oath that there was nothing IL
that part OF the country worth diggin,
after