A New Field—Mertondale—Stupendous Richness—Gold, Gold
everywhere—A Lucky Prospector—Garden in the Bush—Murrin!
Murrin!—A Welcome Surprise—Western Australian Mount
Morgans—Golden Hills—Blackfellows on the Trail—The Lagoon.
My investigations at Mount Malcolm took me some days, so, after a good
rest and pleasant time at that very lively little township, I started one
Friday, at 7 o’clock, for the new goldfield of Mertondale, to which there
was a rush. One morning Malcolm folk woke up to the startling news that
a new and phenomenal rush had begun 18 miles off. Soon everybody was on
the _qui vive_ to see it. All the vehicles in the township were loaded,
and the male population started _en masse_ for the new find. It turned
out to be a great one, and many stories have been told me concerning
the richness of it. There was nothing of great interest on the road to
Mertondale. A bough-shed off the road in the distance, pointed out to
me as the place where a prospector had lately chosen to shuffle off
this mortal coil by cutting his throat, and that just as his claim had
struck gold, was about all that varied the monotony of the journey. The
Australian Peer Mine was the first seen on the road. It was the one at
which Merton and Gallagher were working when Merton went out one day on
his bicycle to look for a lost horse and found the lucky hill which has
since yielded so much gold. Mr. Merton said that when he discovered it
he did not think it was so good, until he commenced breaking the stone
he picked up on it, and found in every instance that it contained gold.
After discovering the reef he applied for a lease, and put on two men to
work at carrying out the quartz. The stone had to be taken two miles to
the Waitekari Battery, but in the short space of two months £3206 worth
of gold was crushed. A short time afterwards, Mr. Merton, who was a poor
man at the time of the find, purchased a 20-head battery, and now crushes
the stone on the spot where it is found. The reef of solid quartz is 100
feet wide, and traverses the whole of Merton’s area of 36 acres. He said
that he would want a higher price, cash down, for his holding than has
ever been paid for any mining property in Western Australia; so, from a
poor man, a few months have made this lucky prospector a millionaire.
On arriving at Mertondale the sound of the battery waked the stillness
of the morning. The township is very small as yet, merely a few Hessian
houses and tents, but I saw before me the hill, with the battery in full
work, in which I was interested. So I asked the driver of the coach to
take me there, which he did as a very great favour, for he was carrying
the mail and had not yet been to the Bush-house post-office. However, as
it was a very hot day, gallantry to the fair sex prevailed and the mail
had to wait. I got down from the coach at the foot of the hill, and at
the battery-house found Mr. Robinson, the manager, who kindly took me
round and showed me everything of interest. First he went to the spot
where Merton picked up the first rich stone. Plenty of it was still lying
about. We went down into the open cut (or quarries) where the men were
digging out the stone. I took a pick and dug out a piece myself, striking
rich gold at the first stroke. Several other pieces followed, and I keep
them as specimens. We then went down the underlay shaft, on the western
side of the big quarry. It was 12 feet deep. I got down by means of a
rope, two of the men at the bottom holding their spades against the sides
of the shaft for me to put my feet on. I managed to make a successful
descent and began to use the pick again with much success. I could see
the gold running through the rock quite plainly, so, having permission to
do so, dug out several nice pieces, after which I essayed to climb the
rope to the surface again, and, assisting myself by sticking my feet upon
the jutting pieces of rock on the sides of the shaft, I soon got out of
the rich hole. I then walked all over the hill and found many pieces of
quartz lying about, all containing gold. Mr. Robinson afterwards took me
to the battery and showed me the plates into which the gold and amalgam
run after being crushed by the mill. I scraped some of the rich stuff off
the plates; to my disappointment it looked like silver, but Mr. Robinson
explained to me that this colour is caused by the action of the mercury
used in the process, and that when smelted pure gold appears. Some idea
of the power of the mercury may be given by this fact: I put in paper
the piece which I had scraped off and placed it in my purse, in which
was a gold ring that I had just put there to take to be repaired. Next
morning, when I went to take it out, the gold ring was gone, but a silver
one remained. The jeweller had to retort it (put it in fire) to regain
its colour. Merton’s Hill is, no doubt, a perfect mine of wealth, and,
so far, all on the surface, as the deepest digging then was the 12-foot
shaft I have mentioned. Over £40,000 worth of gold had been taken out in
the few months since the beginning of the rush, besides fully 20,000 tons
of rich stone that will give 7 or 8 ounces to the ton, and as every ounce
is worth nearly £4, a nice little sum is looking at lucky Merton out of
the stone.[5] There are many other claims on the field, but the one on
the hill is the most valuable. It gives gold, gold everywhere. I was so
much taken with this wonderful place that I pegged out an 18-acre lease
for myself, and am hoping to strike a rich patch on it at some not far
distant day. In the Golden West one never knows when luck may come to one.
It was great fun and hard work pegging out that lease. To enable one to
do so, in the first place one must be provided with a miner’s right,
which costs ten shillings per year; this document enables the holder
to take up any ground he or she desires (not previously taken) in
mining country; after the lease has been approved by the Warden of the
Goldfields, one may start and dig or put men on to dig, and the gold
found would be private property; if, however, any one dug and found gold
without these preliminaries, the precious metal would have to be handed
over to the Warden as the property of the Government.
Behold me then (knowing all this, and having secured a miner’s right
before I left Perth) accompanied by some kindly miners and the lady under
whose roof (canvas) I was domiciled, with my sleeves tucked up and a
spade in my hands digging holes for the pegs to be put in, which must
be done personally; as it was an 18-acre lease the distance between the
four pegs was considerable, and required some walking to be done in the
hot and dusty morning. However, I successfully planted my pegs, marked my
number on them, and after paying the fees in the Warden’s Court at Mount
Malcolm on my return, I became a leaseholder.
Another rich find had lately been made at Wilson’s Creek, 30 miles from
this place, by two prospectors named Paddy Crowley and Dick Donovan. Over
twelve months ago they found some alluvial gold there, but until a few
months since nothing phenomenal; then they found a lode at a depth of 10
feet, with rich leaders running in all directions. One of the partners
went into Malcolm the other day with a bagful of specimens weighing 372
ounces, and the other partner is digging out more as fast as he can.
Mr. Hamilton, of the Great Boulder Mine, Kalgoorlie, recently visited
Mertondale, and gave it as his opinion that the place would turn out a
second Great Boulder and the Flying Pig Mine a second Golden Horseshoe.
As yet all the gold obtained has been found near the surface, and if the
deposit continues down lower the possibility of incredible wealth lies
in this wonderful spot. As yet Western Australia’s surface seems only to
have been scratched in a few places. If the bodies of ore prove to go
down, Mertondale bids fair to outrival the Boulder, Kalgoorlie.
[Illustration: MR. ALICK FORREST INSPECTING DUNN’S SHAFT NEAR MOUNT
MORGANS]
The weather being intensely hot—109°—I decided to return to Malcolm in
the moonlight, and a friend succeeded, after a great deal of trouble (for
horses and vehicles are not yet very common here), in borrowing the only
horse on the field, and managed to get an old buckboard buggy to drive me
down. Camels are the usual mode of transit in this district, but I refuse
to ride these animals.
Starting the next morning by coach from Malcolm at half-past five for
Westralian Mount Morgans, I was fortunate in having the box-seat of the
coach. A cool breeze had sprung up in the night, no doubt accompanied
by a willy willy, which, as I told you before, is a terrific whirlwind
of dust that sweeps along everything before it, and frequently carries
verandahs away bodily and deposits them on the roofs of adjoining houses,
besides removing tents as it passes. On arrival at a little hotel at 8
o’clock I felt quite ready for breakfast, and wondered what kind of fare
we should get in these remote parts. Nearing the place, which rejoices
in the name of Bummer’s Creek, a fine vegetable garden surprised me. It
looked very refreshing to see the nice green garden after nothing but
sand and mulga-trees for 10 miles. On going into the hotel (a tin one)
evidences of comfort out of the usual order of “back-blocks” travelling
appeared. Many little dainties were on the table, and we were served with
an excellent breakfast, fresh eggs, fresh milk, and hot scones coming
on us as a complete surprise. There were two lady passengers besides
myself: Victorian girls who were on their way to an engagement at the
next hotel, where one of them was to be a “companion” at a weekly salary
of £2 10_s._
Twelve miles farther on we reached Murrin Murrin, where I stayed for a
day. Here I visited the Malcolm Proprietary, and was much interested in
the works and management of the mine, a fine one, giving good returns.
An interesting feature is the tailings hoist, worked by a compressed-air
plant. Returning to the Murrin Hotel for dinner, I was surprised at the
delicate way in which it was served, at a table with beautiful napery,
elegant silver, and glass ware. On becoming acquainted with the little
landlady, I was no longer surprised, for I found her a cultured lady, who
invited me to stay a few days as her guest, and I thoroughly enjoyed the
quiet change from the roughness to which I can never accustom myself.
There is a great deal of copper about Murrin, and many copper mines are
being worked with good results, the Anaconda taking the first place.
On arrival at Mount Morgans I found it quite a flourishing township.
Twelve months ago there were no houses, but now the place is increasing
wonderfully. The Westralian Mount Morgans Mine is less than a quarter of
a mile from the township, and is on a hill overlooking the surrounding
country. The large machinery on it made it look very imposing. From the
hill Mount Margaret is visible, a township now quite deserted, all the
houses having been bodily moved to Mount Morgans, and the hospital to
Laverton, another rising mining place, the former name of which, British
Flag, was changed to Laverton in compliment to Dr. Laver, who has been
mainly instrumental in bringing the place into prominence and attracting
an inflow of British capital.
There are some very valuable mines here, as well as the Westralian Mount
Morgans, Guest’s Mine being the next in importance, and rapidly coming
to the fore as a gold-producer. A company in England has recently been
floated with a quarter of a million of money to deal with this mine. The
reefs are very large, and known to extend over 20 miles. The Westralian
Mount Morgans, which bids fair to be one of the biggest gold-producers
of Western Australia, is named after Mr. A. E. Morgans, the Member for
Coolgardie, the largest shareholder. There was an enormous quantity of
ore waiting to be crushed, and, although the gold is too fine to be seen
by the naked eye, it realises from ½ ounce to 3 ounces per ton. Thousands
of tons of this ore, sufficient to keep the battery going for five years,
are visible, waiting to be taken out. Occasionally some rich pockets of
gold are found, the rock simply glistening with the precious metal. The
output of this mine is very large, and nearly 200 workmen are employed.
Water for crushing purposes not being abundant, a pipe-line was laid
to an extensive lagoon 6 miles away, and now brings an ample supply.
The cyanide plant can treat 2500 tons of tailings monthly. Two thousand
cords of wood are neatly stacked by the mine ready for use, and more is
obtainable at a short distance.
[Illustration: Westralian Mount Morgans Mine]
The working-men’s club and library, a very nice building, built of
mud-bricks in their spare time by the men, who are very proud of it,
faces the mine. The term “mud-bricks” may need explanation: the bricks
are made from a kind of reddish soil found here, and when moulded into
shape look very well.
The first hotel in Mount Morgans had just been opened when I was there. I
had great difficulty in getting accommodation, and was obliged to share
the room of the landlady’s daughter. The proprietor was doing a roaring
trade. There was a large dining-room, which was turned into a dormitory
at night. Visitors were constantly coming and going, so much being heard
on the lower fields of the recently wonderful finds. The post-office is
as yet a very primitive place, merely a canvas tent with a bough-shed
over it; but new buildings are going up in all directions as fast as
they can be built. Land brings a good price, plots now fetching as much
as £300 (which six months ago could have been got for the pegging out).
When a goldfield is proclaimed, the warden of the place gives permission
for people to take up ground for residential areas. Then comes a wild
rush to get in the first pegs. These pegs are to mark the ground which an
applicant desires to take up. When the warden’s permission was given, at
a court held at Mount Margaret, numbers of men hurried to Mount Morgans
to peg the best plots of land. Some went on bicycles, some on horses, and
those who arrived first of course got the best choice. One well-known
man had an old racehorse which he had “kept dark,” as they say, and he
outpaced them all and got the choicest plot on the township. He has since
erected the second hotel there, and sold it, I am told, for a very large
sum before it was completed.
Very few women are yet on the field, and as I sat writing in the only
little parlour, all the male population seemed to walk past the open door
(the room being too small and hot to shut it) and to gaze at me as if I
were something rare and remarkable.
With the exception of the few golden hills, the country was very flat,
and cyclists were constantly arriving. The country around Morgans is very
pretty in some parts, and there is plenty of nice grass growing. Every
coach coming up from Menzies was crowded with miners and prospectors,
who, having heard so much of this wonderful district, where a plentiful
supply of water is to be obtained, were getting out as fast as possible.
Not far from Mount Morgans, a mine, which is reported very rich, has
lately been discovered by Mr. Dunne, who found the Wealth of Nations Mine
at Coolgardie. Mr. Alick Forrest is largely interested, and lately paid
a visit of inspection to it.
It is a very pleasant drive of six miles to the now deserted township
of Mount Margaret, and three miles farther on is the Mount itself, from
which a grand view of the country is obtained. The enormous Lake Carey
(salt) stretched far away in the distance. This is one of the innumerable
salt lakes of Western Australia, and with the glorious sun shining on it
it looks like a lake of gold. Sir John Forrest was the first white man to
set foot in this district, and stood on the Mount 30 years ago, when he
named it Margaret after his mother and his intended wife.
As I returned to Mount Morgans in the cool of the evening, a very large
tribe of blacks (natives) appeared on the scene, but they were very
peaceful, and asked me for “bacca” and sixpence, which the king having
obtained, they all appeared satisfied. They were dressed in civilised
clothes, and looked quite fat. “White-man’s tucker,” as they call it,
and which they beg for as they go along, seemed to suit them. They
had just lit their camp fires. The aborigines’ means of fire lighting
is by wood friction, and as it takes a long time to get a spark they
usually carry fire-sticks, which keep alight a long time and save them
much trouble. They often bring into the townships or camps pieces of
gold which they have found in the bush, for they know they will receive
something, although they do not know the real value. They know, however,
the superior value of silver to copper, being aware that they can get
much more “bacca,” or food, for a silver piece than for a copper one,
and when they take their finds to any one, asking “how much this fella?”
meaning “what is it worth.” If it is a small find, and they are told the
value in pennyweights, they will say “Bael (no) pennyweight, that fella
shillingweight.” (The native, in his attempt to talk English, terms
nearly every person place, or thing “fella.”) They told me in their
broken way that this tribe had travelled from Kalgoorlie, and was going
to the Murchison, looking for a renegade blackfellow called “Kangaroo,”
who had transgressed their laws, and whom they meant to kill. Let us
hope, for “Kangaroo’s” sake, that they never found him.
Mount Wilga is a very rich property which lies on the other side of Lake
Carey, is in a country that might almost be called undiscovered. But Mr.
G. W. Hall has discovered its richness, and sent up a manager and gang of
men, who are working away with great vigour. The lode is as big and rich
as any one could desire. Some of the ore from a good depth that has been
assayed has yielded 20 ounces to the ton; how much equally rich will be
got remains to be proved.
Although the supply of water for mining purposes at Mount Morgans is not
adequate, there is plenty for domestic purposes, the wells sunk in many
parts of the township giving a good supply. In the rainy season, which,
however, seldom comes, the lagoon that supplies Westralian Mount Morgans
Mine with water is a huge lake, and teems with waterfowl. Kangaroos and
wallabies sport around its banks, and give great opportunities to the
sportsmen, who during other parts of the year have to let their guns lie
idle.
[Illustration: Mine at Laverton]