LINK BROKEN

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 110, 11 May 1935, Page 26

LINK BROKEN

COOLGARDIE GOLD

DEATH OF MINER

A link with the stirring days when gold in fabulous quantities was discovered in Western Australia has been severed by the death at his home in Crinan Street, Invercargill, of Mr. Michael Hogan. He it was who about forty-two years ago gave to Arthur Bayley, the discoverer of the Coolgardie goldfield, from which more than £115,000,000 worth of gold has been won, a cheque for £10 which enabled Bayley to register his claim (states, the. "Southland Times"). ■ Mr. Hogari came out to New Zealand from Galway in 1875 and joined his brothers at Invercargilll; but news of gold strikes in New South Wales lured him across the Tasman. He drifted to Queensland, but fortune did not smile upon his prospecting ventures there and he decided to go to Western Australia. While waiting in Townsville prior to embarkation he met by chance Arthur Bayley, who, like himself,.was heading.for the west. They had a couple of hours' conversation, during which neither had any premonition that years later their acquaintance was to be renewed in circumstances that were to produce farreaching results. > In the great wastes of Western Australia their ways for a time lay apart, for Mr. Hogan and two Iristt mates, Pat Sherry and Jack Keidy, remained prospecting and,working in mines in tfie Southern Cross district while Bayley roamed about further north in the Murchisoh district. RICH MINE DISCOVERED. It was when Mr. Hogan returned to Perth to arrange for equipment to go prospecting on a black boy's recommendation that he encountered Bayley, who after exchanging experiences, decided to follow up Mr. Hogan's party. This he did—a decision which led to his discovery of that rich mine known as "Bayley's Reward"—the forerunner pf the golden harvest of the nineties. Meantime, having worked for a while together, Mr. Hogan's party and Mr. Bayley and his mate Ford separated. Each found gold, but it was Mr. Bayley's discovery which was to prove sensational. It was on September 15, 1892, when Mr. Hogan was sitting in the reading room of the library at Southern Cross, that a man entered'and said to him: "Do you know Arthur Bayley? He's just come, in and is at Snaill's Hotel." Mr. Hogan went down to the hotel, shook hands with Bayley as if he had not seen him: for years, exchanged a few general remarks, but at the first opportunity; get down to business. 1. -."After. I.gPt back I tumbled on a great haul,".; confided Mr. Bayley. "But .everyone is. watching us.); What are 'we gbingitbdo?" '"■' . ■ \, •-''Tlietonly thing to do is to secure •qurselyesi-at the warden's office," answered' Mr. Hogan. "Have you got .theVstiifl with you?" . ' .■'gfes,:but I haven't a stiver." ■'■- 'Tve; got, a <few N pounds which you .can.jHaye. Hpw^much do you want?" ,5"0.h, say, ;ten pounds. That'll do for a few days, till <;we see how we get on;" ft::,; :-../.:■ \- -*. ■;...;•. - ;/-.' ' •■■ ■.- Hogan secured .his' cheque-book from his^s*wag,,Wrbte out.a cheque for £10 and cashed it -with the- publican. They went;'down to the warden's office, "followedlby a crowd of miners who at that'time'were on strike—arid who had scented > a different - kind of strike »on Mr. JBayJey's. part. ; \ ; : i-Mr^-feßayiey entered the , wardeh is offlce'^wnile Mr ■ Hogan remained with the horses outside, surrounded by the crowd. Mr. Bayley claimed the reward of 25 acre's offered by the Western Australian' Government for the discovery of alluvial gold. He had pegged this area out with Ford. Warden Finnerty said he would want' further proof /of the evidence of gold ibefpre he -would .'sign the'papers; for 'such^a- report" would' send hundreds of men into:the desert, quite probably to'theirMeaths: What was the track like? y. Were there, water-holes? , ; YOURSELF, THEN." "Oh; well;; come and see for yourself, '.'.then," finally, called -but Mr. Bayley...'/.;"Bring [the horses down to the bankjiMick.^ .• ; ■ ' ; ■ And ■down to the Commercial' Bank e9£, B.& yley^°gan.. Finnerty, ,the two horses, and. the icrowd of miners. Saddlebags-were taken into the bank arid from Taranaki butter tins gold'to the -weight.-of .575; ounces was poured into the scale ;pahs., • - . , "Have; you any 'objection to the crowd seeing this?", asked the manager. _ "Not a-bit,"said Mr. Bayley;. and into: the*room trooped- the miners," to Stare with/hyngry: eyes at the dish piled up' with g01d,5 and then to hasten away to prepate. for, tHe feverish rushjtatbe ne\v.field. r Eyenn the bank clerk deserted his -post to join .in the rush, but he lost .himself crt route. , .Messrs.^' Bayley. and^ Hogan had a great'advantage over the other men in that they alone possessed horses. They set out for their claims that evening and were well established there when two days later the big wagons began discharging their human freight. The eyes of the world became focused on Coolgardie and a new era of prosperity dawned fpr Western Australia. Mr. Hogan remained for some years in the goldfields but, the climate telling on him, he sailed for New Zealand ere the century ended and lived m modest' ease at his home in Crinan Street, with the rest of the world ignorant of the fact that but for him the history of Western Australia might have been written differently