IN THE DAYS OF BALLARAT

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4259, 19 January 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

IN THE DAYS OF BALLARAT

BIG NUGGETS OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOLDFIELDS. All the great goldfields of the world have produced a largo yield of romances, nearly all of which turn directly or indirectly upon the queer and accidental discoveries of gold nuggets. Nuggets worth thousands liave literally been kicked about and trampled over for years until by some jmmpns coincidence persons utterly ihexppct, in the mysteries of mining have hwmibled upon them, picked them up, and reaped, in some cases be-

‘” ~ _ wilderiug rewards- There are instance* of men being absolutely kicked into foitunc, men who but for the weaknesses and indiscretions which gcneraly load ■■> failure would have gone on plodding mm toiling in the routine of work from which nothing more than a bare subsistence could have resulted. Thomas Jefferson Hurley, member of the Institute of Mining Engineers, has just published a little book, which in condensed form gives not only very valuable statistics concerning tho world’s gold prodnetou, past and present, but also the great facts, so far as they could he ascertained, about nearly all "of the great nugget finding within the last century. “The largest nugget erf which the world has any knowledge,” says Air Hurley, “was found at Hill End, New South Wales, by Messrs Bycr and Hallman. It measured four feet nine inches in length, three feet, three in widih. and averaged four feat in thickness. It sold'for . £29,000. At the time of finding it Messrs Byer and Hallman had exhausted their capital, and were practically living on charity. It is suid thnt the discovery so unnerved one of tin? partners that lie was unlit for work, or business for a, long period.” “No part of tho world has been so prolific iu tho yield of nuggets as Victoria. A mile west from the village of Moliagul, iu tho neighbourhood of Dmiolly. on February 10, 1869, a world-famed nugget was found by two ’mddlers, John Denson and Richard Oates. It routed upon, stiff, red clay, and was barely covered, with earth, in fact, it was iu the rut made by the puddlcr’s cart the treasure was noticed. It measured about 21 inches iu length and 10 inches in thicknosymuni though mixed with quartz tho great body of the Welcome Stranger was in solid geld. The melted gold weighed 22650 a fodwb 14gr., and contained only 1.7 b of alloy, which was composed chiefly of silver'and iron, so that 98.66 per cent, of the nugget was pure gold, its value at the Bank of England being £9300. The neighbourhood of Blindly was at thattime almost unprospected country. Very heavy gold was characteristic of the locality, many largo nuggets being ~ found there; and near the spot where \ the Welcome Stranger was discovered two nuggets of 114 oa and 36ck respectively wore unearthed soon afterward. “The Welcome nugget found by a party of 24. at Bakery Hill, Ballarat, on June 10, 1868, was sold by tho discoverers in Ballarat for £10,500. It then weighed' 21590 z. This nugget was found at a. depth of 180 feet. It was apparently watorworn, contained about 10 pounds of quartz, clay, and oxide of iron, and measured 20 inches iu length. 12 inches in breadth, and 7 inches in depth. The Welcome was melted in Loudon in November, 1859, and contained 99.20 per cent of pure gold. “The Blanche Barkley migget < IV'lflnz) Rklwfc.), of the value oi £7OOO, was found by a. party of four at -migowcr at. a. depth of 13 feet and within 6 or 6 feet of holes that, were dug three years before.

“Another parly of four in the (Janaclian gully, Ballarat, at a. depth, of 60 feet, found a nugget weighing IClOoz just after unearthing a nugget of 760 z. Two of the party had been in tljo colony not more than three months when they returned to England with their prize, which yielded them £5500. Near the same gully on September 8, 1854, a nugget of gold weighing U77oz T7dwt was found, and from the same hole upwards of 220 pounds of smaller nuggets were obtained, so that tho value of gold taken from this claim was not less tnan £13,000. “Tho Heron nugget, found by two young men near Old Golden Point, Fryer’s Creek, Mount Alexander, was a solid lump of gold which «drew the scale at IOOSoz. and realised £4400. The lucky finders bad been only throe mouths in the colony.”