The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-06-25

3 " tAtTdCl ore iToiu tHe STbunu. MOST
of the young and lusty men that rush
ed 10 California had never seen a
mine but that does not matter. They
went TO do the work Of mining, and
with the washing Of the first painful
of gold bearing gravel they won the
badge Of Agricola. They had the ma
chinery most used in mining. human
muscle; they had the science most ap-
proved in that ancient art. organized
common sense; they achieved the
fundamental purpose of mining. to eX-
plot mineral probably. They came,
they worked, they conquered, and
from their labors has arisen a great
and glorious commonwealth.
The Victorian Go,dfieIds.
| Among those that went to Califor-
MIA was f. II. Hargraves, an Austral-
ian, who was led by the analogy of
geologic conditions to suspect the &C.
currence of gold in his own country,
New South Wales Returning thither,
he was able on April g. 1851. to inform
the colonial secretary that gold exist
ed at Lewis Ponds and other localities.
He furnished ample proof Of hts state
ment and was suitably rewarded.
Hargraves was man Of exceptional
intelligence, and the discovery that he
made was among the least fortuitous
Of those that have changed history. 1t
led Immediately to search for gold
elsewhere in the Australian colonies,
then consisting of few small and
scattered settlements along the south
eastern coast. In August of the same
year a discovery at Bunnyong, near
Ballarat, started the first big rush to
the Victorian goldfelds Sailors left
their ships at anchor in Port Philip
bay; clerks jumped off their stools to
rush to the diggings; every able bod
led man shouldered his blanket and
trudged through the bush to engage
in the treasure hunt After all the To-
cal population had stampeded. the
news reached Europe and melted an
other economic Hegira. The gold
seekers came in shiploads and they
deed, many of them We're simple
enough to believe that gold in quartz
meant gold in double pints. They had
much to learn and most of them
learned it without delay from the Sc
verest of all teachers, der herr ober-
bergrat professor experience. In the
year 1853 Victoria yielded $54,SS2, 900
in gold.
From the mining camps eager eX-
plorers plunged into the bush or euca-
lyptus forest, which, like sea Of per-
ennial foliage, then covered the hab-
liable portions Of the Australian con-
tinent outside them they found the
grassy uplands on which the Austral-
ian was to grow later golden fleece
and beyond these pastoral tracts they
invaded the never-never land in which
the rivers lose their way. The allu-
vial mining for gold was the beginning
of a new era, it led to the discoveries
of tin in Tasmania, of golden iron
stone at Mount Morgan of silver leaC
ore at Broken Hill; it started wide
spread mineral industry on the islan(
continent; with it came rapi(
growth of population of kind super
Tor to that of the first settlements
agriculture waited on mining, the neet
for foodstuffs stimulated husbandry
towns arose as If by magic, hastil.
CONSTRUCTED camps became permanen
communities a new civilization swep
the aborigines into the interior, race
the primeval forest, furrowed the soil
cleaved the quarry, built docks, ware
houses and dwellings. Australia wa
born again. Captain Cook saile'
Ialong the coast and placed Austrian;
lon a naval chart; Hargraves PLACED
her on the map Of the world.
Among the more remarkable ex
,plorations of later day l may in
|stance western Australia. The inter
Iior of that state is an arid plateau; !
lis the oldest land surface in the globe
land represents the basal wreck OF
larger continent. 1t had been crossed
by several parties of explorers, in th'
Ihope Of finding some oasis In the des
ert or some outlet of the rivers tina
fail to reach the sea. In 1887 dis
covery of gold was made by Anstey a
Yilgarn. This attracted a few pros
pectors, who scattered farther inland
In October, 1892, Bayley and Fore
found a rich outcrop 500 miles from
the coast at Coolgardie. The outcroI
was so feet long, feet wide and
feet high, spangled with coarse gold
lin the March following they sold thei
claim for 100000 and a sixth interest
During the ensuing year the new own
Iers extracted 25,S72 ounces Of golt
from 4S tons Of ore, which, therefore
Averaged 539 ounces per ton. Tha
started the boom.
Then was seen a strange spectacle
The sandy plain was covered with
monotonous scrub, sparse enough t
be traversed easily, yet tall enough tt
restrict the view and render it easy TO
the careless to lose their bearings
Many were pushed and persisted mis-
erably. Emerging from tracts o
aalo fn,y 4