Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-09-22

GUS of the efforts of the state of Queens
land TO handle the territory. SO when,
about 1870, it was decided that direct
Communication with England by wire
was desirable, South Australia set out
to build the telegraph line that should
connect the cable end with the popu-
lated southeastern corner Of Australia.
A cable had just been laid between
the United States and Europe II was
proposed to connect England and Aus
tralia Already a cable was laid be
tween the continent and Java. Natur
ally it would touch Australia on the
north, when extended. as that was the
shortest route end permitted the most
land wires, which are cheaper to main
tain and repair. So South Australia
started in to build a telegraph 1.-The from
Port Darwin, capital Of the Northern
Territory, to Adelaide, work being done
at both ends along the route which
Stuart's explorations had taken. 1t was
a gigantic undertaking, for much Of the
country was unknown; 1t was difficult
to get supplies to the laborers, and hos
tile blacks were to be reckoned with.
Finally, however, the 1000 miles of
telegraph line were completed at q
cost Of 5000, 600 and met the cable there.
This was at a time when the colony Of
South Australia did not have more than
people " ueu the tdDle 4AOLi
Java reached Port Darwin Adelaides i'm
partance increased.
It is along this route that it is pro
posed to build the railway which will
cut Australia from north to south, its
southern terminus being Port Augusta
and its northern end being Port Darwin.
South Australia has shown its desire to
help build this line by giving to the
commonwealth government ga miles Of
state-owned railways between Port Au
gusta and Oodnadatta, near the Northern
Territory border, and more than half
million square miles Of adjacent lands.
BY utilizing this railway the common
wealth will be able to construct the north
and south railway across Australia al its
narrowest point
At the time that we were in Adelaide
an advance party had been sent out
with donkey trains and camels to
traverse the route and Leave gasoline
for motorcars which later wiz convey a
royal commission OF experienced en-
gineers over the route before final de
cision is made
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
NOTED RAILWAY BUILDER.
South Australia has been noted for its
railway building. 1t laid the first
stretch of state-owned tracks in the
for traffic in the state are 2,242 miles
long. The most difficult feat Of rail
road building In the state was the line
which connects Adelaide with Mel
bourne. Adelaide is surrounded by hills,
the Mt Lofty range they are called,
and to get the railroad through them
1t was necessary to bore nine tunnels
to,aling 1000 yards in length, and built
an iron viaduct over gorge that is
? Gu feet across. The road now is
operated jointly by the Victorian ana
South Australian governments. On the
same line it was necessary to bridge the
Murray River and its adjacent swamp
y lands which was done by building five
spans Of 120 feet each, while the APP
breaches consist of twenty three spans,
each of which is sixty feet long.
Before the railroad into Victoria was
built Adelaide already had achieved
prominence as center of communication
with the Old World. 1t became the dis
tributing point for the gold mined at
BaIarat and 8endigo, two famous gold
mining camps in the state of Victoria,
which in early days we're famous through
out the world and attracted thousands
of miners and Adventures from the
United States. SouN Australia cleared
q road to the Victorian border through
fSs tie gold shipments
From Port Augusta, South Australia.
starts the commOnwealth-owned transcon-
tinental stretch OF railroad which con
meets with the line to Perth, on the west
coast, at the once famous gold mining
town Of KaIgoOrlie. 1t is 1888 miles long
and was built under great difficulties be
cause for hund eds of miles it crosses the
desert and one stretch Of it runs for 900
miles in a straight line without a single
curve. It's completion linked the CAPT
tails Of all the states by rail.
BUILT ANOTHER INTO
SILVER LEAD MINES.
South Australia displayed enterprise
too, when it built a railway northeast
across the border Of New South Wales
and made 1t possible to bring out the
product of the huge Broken Hill silver
lead mines, which is smelted at Port
Prize.
Mining plays a large part in the in
dustry of the state and its great copper
mines long have been famous. The
Eapunda mines, discovered in 1912 and
eclosed down in 1873 by a large influx
of water. are to be reopened in the be-
lief that great bodies of ore still are to
he found there. Before they closed
down they had produced more than
100000 worth Of copper. Almost five
times that amount was produced by the
sBurra BuTra mine before 1t. too, was
CLOSED down, and when capital is avail
able il is believed Burra Burra also
may come back again. Two big copper
mines, the Wallaroo and Moonta dis
covered in the early COS, still are being
worked and have produced some $780,
100000 worth Of copper already. Ore
from both these mines is smeIted at
Port Wallaroo. There also are copper
mines at a number of places in the
FLINDERS range and the completion of
sthe ranscontinnnental railway line has
aopened the way for the shipment Of cop
per from the at. Gunson mine, near Port
Augusta.
Two almost solid mountains OF iron
sore, Iron Knob and Iron Monarch, are
owned by the Broken Hill Company and
y Saey ore Is shipped by the company's pri-
gate railway Of thirty-six miles to False
Bay and then conveyed by steamer to
Newcastle, on the east coast, where II is
smelted and used in the great steel plant
of the Broken Hill concern.
South Australia Is the principal pro-
Queer in the commonwealth Of salt and
rock phosphates and possesses the only
radium mines. which are being worked
in Australia. High grade gypsum, gran
lite, freestone, slate, marble and ochre
for the making Of paint are other min