FINDING OF A 110 LB. NUGGET.--CAVING IN OF A MINE.
We had hardly dressed ourselves and made our scanty toilet the morning
after our arrival, when the inspector made his appearance, looking none
the worse for the tumult which summoned him away the night before.
"You are stirring early," he said, warming his hands by a fire which
Smith had started for the purpose of getting breakfast; "I expected to
find you sleeping off your fatigue, for men with nothing to do generally
like to lie abed mornings."
"Late sleeping will not earn the fortune that we expect to get," replied
Fred.
"So you still think of sinking a shaft here, do you?" inquired the
inspector, with a grave smile.
"Of course, such is our intention at present, if we can get a license
for mining."
"The license is obtained easily enough--government is very happy to
receive ten shillings per month for the privilege of allowing a man to
try his luck," the inspector answered, with an attempt at a laugh.
"Then if you will oblige us by getting a license, we will commence
operations to-day," Fred answered.
"Why, you are in a hurry," Mr. Brown replied, seating himself
composedly, and lighting a pipe which he carried in a small box in his
pocket.
"Wouldn't you advise us to commence mining?" I asked.
"To answer you frankly, I would not, because I know that you can do
better than by spending your days under ground, and emerge at night to
find that you are killing both mind and body."
"Why do you speak of working under ground?" I inquired. "Is not mining
the same here as in California?"
"Bless your heart"--and Mr. Inspector Brown smiled at my
ignorance--"don't you know that at Ballarat a shaft has to be sunk many
feet below the surface of the earth, and after you have reached the
layer of dirt in which the gold is found, you are obliged to work upon
your hands and knees, and excavate for many feet in different
directions, until at last you break in upon some other miner's claim,
and are compelled to retreat and sink a new shaft?"
This was all news to us, or if we had heard of it before we had not
given the subject any attention. A new light broke in upon us, and we
began to consider.
"Breakfast is all ready," said Smith, just at that moment.
We had brought a few luxuries with us from Melbourne that were unknown
at the mines, and I saw the eyes of the inspector sparkle as he snuffed
the perfume of the fried potatoes and warm chocolate.
"Will you join us, Mr. Brown?" I asked, extending an invitation that I
knew he was dying to receive. "We have not much to ask you to share, but
such as it is you are welcome to." "Well," he answered, "really, I
don't know as I feel like eating at so early an hour, but--"
Smith opened a hermetically sealed tin canister, which he had been
warming in a pot of hot water, and the steam of fresh salmon greeted our
olfactory nerves.
"What!" cried the inspector, with a look of astonishment, "you don't
mean to say that you have got preserved salmon for breakfast?"
"If you will really honor us with your presence at breakfast you shall
he convinced of the fact," Fred answered, politely.
"Say no more; I'd stop if all Ballarat was at loggerheads."
We were soon seated upon such articles as were handy, and after the
first cravings of our appetites were satisfied, we renewed the subject
of mining.
"All the miners," Fred remarked, "are not obliged to work so deep
beneath the surface."
"If they do not, their chance of finding gold is exceedingly slim,"
replied the inspector. "I have known stout, lazy fellows pick around on
the surface of the earth for weeks, and not earn enough to find
themselves in food. To be successful a shaft has to be sunk."
"And yet, according to your own showing, gold is not always struck by
such a method."
"True, and I can easily explain why it is so. Mining is like a
lottery--where one draws a prize, hundreds lose. We might dig deep into
the earth where we are seated, and it would surprise no one if we took
out gold by the pound; and yet no one would think of laughing if we did
not earn our salt. The case would be so common that no notice would be
taken of it." We sat and listened to the inspector's words in silence,
and began to think that we had better have remained in Melbourne and
entered into business of a more substantial nature.
"I know of a dozen cases," the inspector continued, "where not even
enough gold has been found by industrious men, who have sunk shafts, to
make a ring for the finger; and yet not one rod from the place where
such poor success was encountered others have grown rich, and left
Ballarat well satisfied with their labor."
"But we have certainly read of men taking a nugget from these mines
weighing over a hundred pounds," I said.
"And the account that you read was perfectly correct. I remember the
circumstance well. It was soon after my recovery from the wound
inflicted at the hands of Black Darnley. A man rushed into my tent one
afternoon with his eyes apparently starting from their sockets, and his
whole appearance that of a crazy man. He was breathless and speechless
for a few minutes, but I at length obtained information that two miners
had come across a nugget of gold so large that half a dozen men were
unable to lift it from the shaft. I hurried to the spot, and as I went
along hundreds of people were flocking to the scene. The news spread
like fire upon a prairie. Saloons and rooms were deserted--miners
crawled from their shafts--sick men forgot their ailments--even gamblers
desisted from playing for a short time, in their anxiety to look at the
largest lump of gold that had ever been discovered.
"When I reached the opening of the shaft I found many hundred people
present, and fresh arrivals were joining the crowd every moment. I
organized a force, and drove the excited throng from the opening of the
mine, for I feared that the chambers which had been excavated would not
stand the pressure, and that those above and below would be buried
alive.
"After I had succeeded in my efforts, we set to work and raised the
mighty nugget to the surface, but instead of its weighing two or three
hundred pounds, it weighed one hundred and ten. But it was a splendid
lump of gold, almost entirely free from quartz and dirt, and of rare
fineness and purity.. The finders were overjoyed, as well they might be,
and guarded their treasure with great care until they saw it safe in the
custody of the government agent. A gentleman from Melbourne, who was on
a visit to the mines for the purpose of collecting rare specimens of
gold, offered the lucky finders four thousand pounds for the nugget, but
they got an idea into their heads that it was worth more, and declined."
"And was that the largest nugget ever found?" I asked.
"As far as my knowledge is concerned. At the other mines I have heard
that immense pieces have been found, but I consider the rumor as
exaggerated."
"You would be greatly surprised if we should happen to discover a piece
worth as much," I remarked.
"I think I should," answered the inspector, dryly, slowly filling his
pipe, and apparently dilating on the subject mentally.
"Well, we will not pledge ourselves to make such a strike as the one you
have related, but we will guarantee to get more gold than two thirds of
the miners at Ballarat," Fred said, confidently.
The inspector shook his head.
"You don't know the kind of work that you will have to undertake," he
said. "In the first place, you have got either to buy a claim, or begin
digging at some spot where no one would think, unless a new arrival
looking for gold. All the dirt that you wanted to work out would have to
be carried to the water, and you can see that our lakes and rivers are
not very extensive.
"We will imagine that you have resolved to commence operations, and that
a suitable spot has been selected. After a day's digging, you will find,
that to prevent the earth from caving in and burying you up, timber is
wanting. You make application, and find that to buy staves and planks
will cost you as much as a small house in the States. Even a few cracked
branches are valued at the rate of five or ten shillings per stick, and
you can calculate how much the cost would be after sinking a shaft a
hundred or two hundred feet, to say nothing of the chamber work."
We began to comprehend that mining was rather difficult and uncertain
work.
"Then, according to your showing, the best thing that we can do, is to
pack up our traps and return to Melbourne," Fred said, after a long
pause.
"By no means; you are not going to start so soon, I hope," the inspector
replied.
"We see but little use of remaining here and wasting our means on an
uncertainty," I answered.
"Have patience, my lads," replied the inspector, softly; "are there no
other ways of making money besides mining?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, with a suspicious glance.
The inspector laughed, and slowly refilled his pipe.
"I don't propose to rob the specie train, or to waylay travellers. I
think that money can be made in an honest manner, and without working
very hard."
"But how? Show us the _modus operandi_."
"I will, with great pleasure. Make an agreement with your companion
here, Smith, and let him return to Melbourne and load two teams with
goods, such as I will give you a hint to buy. By the time he returns,
you can have a store or large tent to receive them. Paint on a huge
piece of canvas that you have fresh goods from England and the United
States, and call your place the 'International Store." It will sound
well, and half of the fellows here won't know what it means, and of
course they will patronize you for the purpose of finding out."
"But where is the capital to come from?" I asked, thinking that I would
test his friendship by pretending that we had but little money at our
command.
"A thousand pounds will be enough; I will recommend you to dealers in
Melbourne who will be glad to give you three months' credit," the
inspector answered, promptly.
"That may be true, but a thousand pounds is a large sum of money, and
where are we to find it?" I asked.
"Why, I have five hundred pounds that I don't want to use, and I am so
certain that what I recommend will succeed, that you are welcome to it
without interest for a twelvemonth."
Mr. Brown seemed so sincere and honest that we were compelled to shake
hands with him in token of our appreciation of his offer.
"We are comparatively strangers to you," Fred said. "How dare you to
offer to trust us with money, when you don't know but we may deceive
you?"
"Because I have met a number of Americans here at Ballarat, and I never
knew one to do a dishonest action, no matter how hard he strove to make
money. But what makes me feel positive in this case that I shan't lose
my funds, is the honesty expressed in your faces."
"Pray spare our blushes, Mr. Brown," Fred said, laughing, "for we have
not met with so much praise since we have been in Australia."
"Then you have been thrown in contact with rogues, who didn't give
honest men their due. But speak; is my offer accepted?"
"We will consider on it, and let you know how we feel disposed, in the
course of the day. But of one thing rest assured. We shall not call upon
you for money, as we can manage to raise enough of our own to commence
business."
Mr. Inspector Brown looked disappointed, and seemed to think that we had
been playing with him.
"We only plead poverty to see if you would lend us your powerful
assistance," Fred said. "If we should conclude to follow your advice, we
will be sure and ask aid from you if we require it."
"Well, on such conditions I forgive the little trick you have played
upon me; and now I will explain more fully the idea that I entertain
regarding my money-making scheme. You must set Smith at work, in company
with another driver or freighter, and let them bring such articles as
will find a ready market. A stock must be laid in, sufficient to last
nearly all winter, for during the wet season the roads are next to
impassable, and provisions go up like a rocket, only they forget to fall
until good weather begins, and freighting gets brisk."
"But what articles are best for the market of Ballarat?" I inquired,
beginning to grow interested in the inspector's scheme, in spite of
myself.
"Smith can tell you as well as I, but I may as well answer the question
while my tongue is loose. Flour is our great staple here, and is selling
at a large profit on Melbourne prices. Let Smith, or some one that he
may select, watch the potato market closely, and often great bargains
may be picked up. Ship bread is also paying a big profit, while pork and
rice can be made to cover all expense of freighting other articles.
Pickles and vinegar, and even preserved meats, sell well, and, in fact,
more money is gained by selling luxuries than dispensing more
substantial articles. A large stock of tea, coffee, and liquids of all
kinds, will enable you to open the most extensive store in Ballarat"
"That is so," echoed Smith, approvingly.
We were about to make further inquiries, when, breathless with haste, a
miner rushed into our tent.
"In the name of God, Mr. Inspector, come and help me!" he gasped.
"Why, what is the matter, Bill?" Mr. Brown asked, quite coolly.
"It is matter enough. Our mine has caved in, and both Sam and Jack are
buried alive! Help me get them out and you shall have a share of the
gold they have got on their persons."
"Did I not tell you, no longer ago than yesterday, that you was not
shaping your shaft properly?" demanded the inspector, sharply.
"I know that you did, but we thought that we could save a few pounds,
and run a little risk," replied the miner, in a humble tone.
"And a pretty mess you have made of it with your meanness. I have a
great mind to let you do your own work, and save the lives of your
comrades as best you can," and Mr. Brown looked cross.
"Don't say that, sir, when two poor human beings are probably dying.
Hadn't you better help them first and scold them afterwards, if alive?"
I inquired.
"Your advice is too good to go unheeded," returned Mr. Brown; "Bill, I
will go with you at once, and do all in my power to assist you to rescue
your comrades."
The miner led the way towards his claim at a brisk trot, and while we
followed at his heel's, Mr. Brown explained what we afterwards found
often happened at Ballarat. Through neglect to buy staves, or heavy
pieces of timber to keep the sides of the shaft from caving in, the poor
fellows had been suddenly buried, and it was a question whether they
could exist long enough to allow of a force to remove the earth which
blocked up the entrance of the shaft.
When we reached the scene of the disaster not more than a dozen people
were present, and they did not display any intense affliction at the
catastrophe. Five or six were smoking and lounging about, discussing the
probabilities of the miners being alive, yet showing no great
inclination to commence work and put all doubts to rest.
One miner--an aged man who had worked in the coal mines of Newcastle,
England--expressed a decided opinion that both Sam and Jack were alive,
and proceeded to demonstrate it by saying that the mine had been worked
for some time, and it was probable that the men were at some distance
from the shaft when the earth caved in; and when I asked how they could
exist without air, he pointed out a large shaft that had fallen in such
a manner that it prevented the dirt from filling up a large space,
although it appeared to me as though hardly a ray of light could
penetrate the crevice.
"If you think the men alive, why do you not commence working for their
rescue?" I asked, indignantly.
"Hoot, man, who's to pay me for the time I'd be losing, while helping
other folks. It's me own bread and butter I hiv to earn widout running
after strange kinds of jobs," answered the old miner, a Scotchman; he
was determined to be paid for his labor, and did not believe in
charitable deeds unless one of his countrymen was concerned.
"Why, you don't mean to say that you require payment for helping dig out
the men buried?" I demanded.
"Hoot, and why not, man? It's mickle a man gets here for his work, that
he should be after throwing it awa."
"Is this a fair sample of the charity miners exhibit towards each
other?" Fred asked of the inspector.
"I am sorry to say that it is; but this is not unusual; before you leave
the mines you will see cases of selfishness that will make you think men
have turned brutes, and possess the hearts of stoics," replied Mr.
Brown, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"I confess," Fred said, speaking so that those present could hear him,
"that I have not lost all feelings of humanity, and that I never turned
a deaf ear, or calculated what I should make by assisting a person in
distress. The customs of Ballarat may be just, but I must say, that in
my humble opinion, they are heartless and cruel."
"Hoot, man," replied the Scotchman; "you are but a boy, and have not
been long enough here to understand us. It's little silver or gold ye
will git if ye run after other people's business."
The Scotchman relighted his pipe, and was walking towards his tent, when
Fred stopped him.
"What shall I pay you per hour for assisting to rescue the miners?" he
asked.
"Ah, now man, ye is talking to some purpose, now. What will you give?"
"Two shillings per hour," answered Fred, at a venture.
"Ah, well, I don't mind helping the poor fellows, at that rate. I never
could stand distress. But, Misther, ye wouldn't mind paying in advance,
I suppose?"
"I will be responsible for your pay," the inspector said, seeing that
the man hesitated from fear that he should get cheated, after he had
performed his part of the bargain.
The fellow, luckily, had an axe with him, so, without more delay, we
lowered him into the shaft, and set him at work shoring up the sides, so
that others could work without danger of the earth caving in.
We had just got him employed, when Bill, the man who had first appealed
to the inspector for help, again joined us, having been absent in search
of friends to lend assistance.
"I can't get a man to aid me," he cried, "unless I promise to pay them
for their labor."
"Well, then, you must pay them," briefly rejoined the inspector, who,
with coat off, was hard at work cutting timber in proper lengths for
shores and supports.
"And ruin myself by so doing," the heartless wretch exclaimed, in a
sulky manner, and with the expression of a fiend.
The inspector made no reply, but continued his labor, and without delay
we joined him.
"I don't suppose these young fellers would be willin' to allow me two
shillin's per hour for workin', would they?" the impudent scamp asked,
appealing to the inspector.
"Hark ye, Bill," Mr. Brown said; "if you are not stripped and in that
shaft in less than five minutes, I'll not only drive you from the mines,
but I'll levy on your property to pay all the expenses of this job. I
know where you keep your dust, and can lay my hand on it at any time."
The brute, without a moment's delay, removed his heavy guernsey frock
which he wore, and was lowered to a place beside the Scotchman.
By the time we had got fairly at work, we were joined by Smith, who had
remained behind to attend to the wants of his cattle, and the honest
fellow, without a moment's delay, lent us his powerful aid.
The novelty of seeing three strangers at work endeavoring to save the
lives of unfortunate miners, began to attract attention, and we soon
found that a large crowd was assembling.
Fred, in his eager and impetuous manner, appealed for volunteers; and he
painted the duty that man owes to man in such fine colors, that a dozen
or twenty burly fellows presented themselves, and demanded a chance to
assist in the benevolent work.
It was a great triumph for us, and so Mr. Brown informed us, for he
declared that he had never known the people of Ballarat so liberal
before. Just as the old Scotchman was about to leave the shaft for
dinner, he requested silence, as he thought he heard the voices of the
imprisoned men.
We all listened, and found that he was not mistaken, and the knowledges
that I the men were alive was a sufficient incentive to urge us all to
renewed exertion.
Men forgot their dinners, and worked as though their own lives depended
upon their labors, and without stopping to rest or eat, we continued on
until four o'clock, when we raised the poor fellows to the surface of
the earth, and found, with joy, that they were as well as could be
expected, after so long an imprisonment.
Shouts rent the air, and hundreds of miners rushed towards the shaft to
congratulate the rescued men, and amid all the confusion, Fred, Smith,
and myself walked off quietly, and sought that rest at our tent which we
so much needed.
We were just engaged drinking a pot of coffee, when, to our surprise,
all three of the miners, Bill, Sam, and Jack, entered our tent, without
ceremony.
"We are not very rich," Sam said, wiping his heated brow, and remaining
uncovered while he addressed us, "but we can't let three strangers, who
have worked so hard for our deliverance, go unthanked. Bill, here, has
told us all about it, and how the d----d Scotchman refused to work
unless paid. Don't let the latter affair trouble you, 'cos we've settled
with him, and now we want to fix things with you."
"We are already settled with," I answered; "it's pleasure enough to us
to know that you are both safe, and for that object we would work as
hard again."
"Would you, though?" demanded the speaker, a look of delight
overspreading his face. "Well, if I ever see my children or wife again,
they shall learn to pray for you, and I would, if I knew how."
"When the shaft caved in," Jack said, "we had just found three nuggets
of gold, and even during our extremity, we retained our hold of them. We
are not rich, as Sam states, but if you will accept of the nuggets, and
keep them as a remembrance of our deliverance, we shall feel thankful."
They laid them down and were gone before we could remonstrate, and just
as they left the tent the inspector entered.
"Well," he exclaimed, "what have you decided to do about the store? The
patronage of the whole of Ballarat is at your disposal, for, go where I
will, I can hear of nothing but the two Americans, who fight duels with
one hand and rescue people with the other."
"We have decided," replied Fred.
"That you will commence business?" eagerly inquired the inspector.
"Yes."
"Good!" and without another word the inspector left our tent abruptly,
as though he had forgotten some important business.