i
The Home of a Heart
By MARTHA McCULLOCH WILLIAMS
-
M MM m SOttOESS mm A
4
if aloki nosni ifiass, nihil if
wn mm. bus
o
NB would hardly expect a mu
nicipality hatched from a
dozen stalo eggs over to
overcame the hnndlcnn of Its
malodorous beginning and achlovo a
position of respectability. Yet that
epitomizes the history of the begin
ning of Broken Hill, tho great silver
camp of Now South Wales, tho world's
groatcst sllvor camp in fact, although
Cobalt would fain usurp tho title.
This Is how It happened: Ono day
in 1884, when tho first of tho Broken
Hill mines were still a discouraging
prospect and a camp yet without a
name, a man drifted that way, looked
over tho ground and mado up his mind
that thero would soon bo othor strag
glers along, and that theso would
want to eat So ho hunted up tho
prospectors and offered them a dozen
eggs for a monopoly of tho restaurant
privileges on their loose. Eggs wore
as scarco as tho proverbial hen'B teeth
in that section of tho bush country,
and tho offor was hungrily acceptod.
Thus was tho commercial Hfo of Brok
en Hill inaugurated, and tho first
business venture launched. Never
was thero a worso beginning. Nino of
tho eggs wero gono past all hope of
redemption, and tho othor throo wero
open to gravo suspicion; but tho bar
gain held. Thus it happens that tho
city of Broken Hill, with a present
population of 20,000, and a rocorded
silver production of $300,000,000, was
hatched from a dozen eggs that wero
fit for nothing but tho discouragement
of incompetent barnstormers.
Of tho world's bonnnza mines, few
have given a better account of them
selves. than th030 of broken Hill.
Think of a mining region in which silver-load
ores aro quarried in open
cuts, liko sandstono or granito or
brick clay, and whoro ono remarkablo
mine, tho Consols, has a vein (albeit
a narrow ono) that yields ores that
nro 95 per cent, puro sliver! Tho
Broken Hill Proprietary Is tho largest
silver producer In tho world to-day;
and in the 25 years that have passed
slnco tho Barrier (as tho argentlforoun
lodo is called) was found, Its mines
have paid raor,p lhan $100,000,000 in
dividends. They havo yielded silver
to tho valuo of $300,000,000, to say
nothing of ship loads of lead and zinc,
and no inconsiderable quantity of gold
nnd copper, and thero Is moro high
grade oro "In sight" to-dny than at
any tlmo in tho past. Yet tho Broken
Hill mines nro raroly mentioned 1l
tho nowspapors, and tho average
American probably does not oven know
tho name of tho great silver-producing
lodo to which Now South Walos
owos its prosperity and the major
part of its population, as well as tho
commanding position it occupies in
tho world's mctnl markets.
Its Discovery an Accident.
Like most of tho world's great
mines, tho discovery of tho Broken
Hill Barrlor illustrates the proverbial
"luck of fools and tenderfeet," and
points no useful moral of a deserved
reward of expert knowledge In 18C9
Charles Rasp left his old homo In Ger
many to soek his fortune. Apparently
he didn't find it In n hurry, for In 1884
ho was only a "boundary rider" and
that is a bush country cuphomlsm for
sheep herder killing tlmo and ambi
tion on ono of tho dreariest stretches
of salt bush and mulga bush that oven
New South Walos afforded. The coun
try roundabout had boon prospoctcd
before, and was bellovod to bo barron
of valuablo mlnorals. Patrick Green,
a store koepor of Mcnlndle, with a
party of experienced minors and pros
poctors, had hunted for copper on tho
very spot where tho city of Broken
Hill now stands, as far back as in
1874, but found nothing that looked
good to hlra. Then, in 1883, Charles
Nichols wont in soarch of whatovor
tho flcklo goddess of tho mines might
see fit to bestow, walked over tho
spot where is now located tho main
shaft of tho mlno that yields one-sixteenth
of tho world's annual output of
silver, pegged a claim and worked it
for a few weeks, and then gavo up In
disgust Ho was willing to take a
solemn ooth that there was nothing In
that part of tho country worth discing
after,
MN ILL, TOE
FtW SAHIB Q
Tim Mas iMOMito
Whether Charles, Rasp, tho bound
ary rider, know of theso past failure
or not doesn't rantter. Ho took notice
thnt It was a peculiar country that ho
traversed day ntter day. Odd-looking
outcrops of "ironstono" wero distin
guishable through the growth of salt
bush, and malformed hills gavo to
certain sections an nppoaranco that
was almost uncanny. It was years
after Broken Hill had grown to bo a
great mining camp when tho discovery
was mado thnt even tho ( despised
ironstono was a rich sulphldo'oro, nnd
when men began "shipping tho scen
ery," quarrying, tho oro from open
cuts. Although Rasp did not suspect
that tho ironstono was worth anything
ho did think that so odd n looking
country must contain something of
moro valuo than tho desert shrubbery
that had grown, withered and grown
again for uncnlculatcd ages. He was
not a geologist, nor a mineralogist, nor
oven a prospector and had not tho re
motest idea what that "something"
might bo. However, ho mado n guess
that It "might bo" tin. So ho "pegged
a. block" (for no ono "stakos a claim"
in Austrnlla) and rustled for holp to
dovclop his problematical tin mlno.
Rasp must havo been a persuasive
talker, for ho soon succeeded in get
ting together u syndlcato composed of
himself and six others (all employos
of tho sheep ranch). That made sev
en members constituting tho syndi
cate, each ono owning ono shnro. Tho
maximum assessment that could bo
levied was fixed at ten shillings a
share per week, or a total of about $35
a week avallablo fo development
work. Seven claims, or blocks, woro
"pegged," and tho lcgltlmnto parent of
the great Broken Hill Proprietary
Mining Company embarked in mlno
development, with less working cap
ital than would suffice to pay tho ofllco
rent and postago bill of any really up-to-dato
American "mining syndlcato"
trying to float a Novada prospect
showing "freo gold" or "virgin sliver"
"from tho grass roots."
Promoters Get "Cold Feet."
It 'wasn't long until some of tho fu
ture sllvor kings began to feel tho
drain of ten shillings ovary soven days
upon their meager snlarlos. So they
were compelled to sell fourteenth and
even twenty-eighth, lntorestsi in the
mine. Sometimes tho boys wero care
less when going to nnd returning from
tho mino, breaking down tho fencos
and permitting tho sheep to stray;
and thnt got them into serious difficul
ties with tho overseer, who would
havo regarded that prophet a fool had
thero been ono to tell him that the
modest hole In tho ground in which
tho "boys" wero sinking their money
meant moro for tho futuro of Now
South Wales than nil tho sheep in
Australia wero worth.
Ono day n boundary rider named
Philip Charley, who had purchased a
fourteenth interest, went to camp in
great excitement. "Look at that,
boys," said ho; "wo'ro In luck at last."
The "boys" looked at tho ore specimen
ho exhibited, but couldn't see any
thing to got excited about, and ono of
them remarked disgustedly that it
was "nothin but bloorain' carbonato
of lend." "No," said Charloy, "don't
you seo tho sparks of chloride?" That
seemed to tho rest of tho crowd to
bo really funny. "Hold on to your
share, Charley," said one, "you may
mako a thousand out of It." "I
wouldn't soil out for that," tho bound
ary rider ropllod. "Ho, ho," Jeored an
other, "if I hold on to mlno for two
or three years I may mako flvo thou
sand." That was considered tho wild
est posslblo flight of tho imagination.
Yet within throo years a fourteenth In
torest in that mlno was worth on tho
markot moro than 50,000. In ton
years it was worth 500,000. It is
too bad to havo to rolato that Philip
Charloy couldn't resist tho temptation
to sell out his fourteenth for a' beg
garly 300, when a furthor wait of
threo months would have mado him
wealthy.
Thousands Flocked to Spot.
In 18S4 chlorldos wero discovered In
largo quantities, and then tho boom
began. In a fow months thero wero
5,000 people on tho ground, and ovory
man wns a trespasser. Tho land was i
all reserved from settlement and oc
cupation, but tho colonial land depart
ment had no wish to cngngo In whole
sale prosecutions, nnd allowed mat
tors to Urlft until late In 1887, when a
proclamation was issued canceling tho
reserve Then ennio a free-for-all light
for land. No ono had any shadow of
a legal title, and every claim of any
possible valuo was hotly contested by
a dozen or more disputants. Claim
jumping, rioting, assassination nnd
gun fighting for n timo mado Broken
Hill ono of tho wildest nnd most law
less of tho world's mining camps.
Aa soon as tho "Battle of tho Bar
rier,"' as this period of strlfo was
called, had been fought to a finish, tho
grent mining booms Uko tho "Kaffir
circus" of South Africa or tho moro
recent Gbldficld and Cobalt frenzies.
Promoters traded upon tho people's
credulity rnthor than upon tho enrth'B
rlchcB, and tho amount of credulity
avallablo passed human powers of es
timation. It was all converted Into
cash by tho crafty. Everything with
in a radius of miles was "pegged," and
shares In worthless snltbuBh claims
were sold nt figures that would havo
boon extravagant for dividend payers
in old and well-established mining dis
tricts. Ono man wanted to bo in tno gam
ble badly, but, ho didn't havo a one
pound noto to his nnine. So ho wired
a Melbourne brokor to buy for his
account 1,000 shares In Block Number
Ten," In which It was expoctod that
tho lodo would bo cut at any moment.
Tho broker had unlimited faith In any
thing bearing tho Broken Hill label,
so. ho executed tho order, bollevlnft
that It came from a mnn with plenty
of money as well as sound Judgment,
nnd allotted to him a thousand shnres
nt tho market, which was then throe
pounds six shillings. In less than a
weok tho lodo was cut, proving to be
of phenomenal rlchnoss, nnd shnres
soared to 20 each. Tho man with
plenty of nerve, although with only
enough cash to pay for n telegram,
cleared 15,000 on tho deal.
Grows Into Wealthy City.
In 25 years tho llttlo $35-a-weok
syndlcato has developed Into tho
world's greatest silver-lead corpora
tion, employing C.000 men at Its mlnos
nt Broken Hill, and Its reduction
works at Port Pralrlo; and tho mu
nicipality hatched from n dozen stale
eggs has grown to bo tho wealthiest
city of Now South Wales, tho creator
of n hundred colossal fortunes. Ten
years ago oven export mining meu
regarded tho camp as rapidly ap
proaching the "haB been" class, be
causo tho carbonates and oxidized
ores that had been tho making of tho
mines seemed to bo verging rapidly
toward exhaustion. Then It was
found that on down below tho carbon
ates woro sulphides extending Indefi
nitely Into tho bowols of tho earth;
and that tho "Ironstono" outcrop that
scarred tho face of tho wholo sur
rounding country was rich In lead,
silver and zinc. To extract the sllvor
alono from tho Ironstono did not pay,
but to smelt tho ores for tho saving
of tho sllvor, lead and zinc values was
Uko rubbing tho lamp of Aladdin.
As a result of tho discovery of sul
phides und of a practical and eco
nomical way of treating thorn a rail
road was built connecting Broken Hill
with tho ocean at Port Prairie, whoro
ono of tho largost silver-lead reduction
works In tho world has bcou built
Pig lead Is shipped to Europe literally
by the shipload, and silver bullion by
tho ton. Most of the zinc ores aro
concentrated, and tho concentrates
shipped to Europe for treatment; but
It Is probablo that beforo long those
also will bo reduced at Port Plrlo.
Small quantities of gold, copper and
tin aro produced, and croat oxpoota-
lions aro entertnlucd of tho eventual
finding of Important tin-producing de
posits Bomowhcro In tho neighbor
hood. Although tho Broken Hill Proprlo
tary Is tho greatest of tho Barrier
mines, with an output larger than nil
tho others combined, still tho Broken
Hill Central, producing 1,500,000
ounces of silver annually and grent
quantities of lend and zinc, Is some
thing of a mlno, too; and numerous
others justify their exlstonco by pny
lng dividends with unfailing regular
ity. But when Broken Hill Is spoken
of, ono!s thoughts naturally revert 'to
the Broken Hill Proprietary, which for
years has hold its placo ns tho great-,
est sllvor producer In tho world.
IDEA ALWAYS TO SAVE TIME
American Business Man Moves Rap
Idly Be4ause He Has His Work
Systematized.
Tho high stimulation of will power
In America has had tho effect of quick
ening the Kcneral pneo of Hfo to a rato
lhat always astonishes nnd some
times annoys tho Europcnn visitor.
Tho movement of things nnd peoplo Is
rnpld, Incessant, bewlldorlng. Thero
Is n rushing tide in tho streets, n ner
vous tension in tho nlr. Business is
transacted with swift dispatch and
clouo nttontlon. Tho preliminary com
pliments and courtesies nro elim
inated. Whether you want to buy n
paper of pins or n thousand sharos of
stocks, it Is dono quickly.
Tho American moves rnpldly, but
if you should Infer from this that ho
Is always In n hurry you would mnko
a mistake. His fundamental philoso
phy Is that you must bo quick somo
times If you do not wish to bo hur
ried nlways. You must condense, you
must eliminate, you must savo tlmo on
tho llttlo things in order thnt you may
havo more timo for tho lnrger things.
He systematizes his correspondence,
his office work, nil tho details of his
business, not for tho sako of system,
but for tho snko of getting through
with his work.
In his office hnngs n printed motto:
"This is my busy day." Ho docs not
arrive at tho railway station 15 min
utes beforo tho dopnrturo of his train,
because ho has somothlug olso thnt
ho would rather do with tlioso 15
minutes. Ho does not Uko to spond
an hour In the harbor shop, becauso
ho wishes to get out to his country
club in good tlmo for n gamo of golf
nnd n shower bath afterward. Ho
likes to havo a full Hfo, in which one
thing connocts with nnothor promptly
and nently, without unnecessary inter
vals. His characteristic attltudo Is
not thnt of a man In n hurry, but thnt
of a man concontrnted on the thing In
hand to savo tlmo. Dr. Henry Van
Dyko, In American Magazine
Saving the Situation.
Dr. Hilary Llttlo Laycock of Wheel
ing, at tho recent diocesan convention
In Now York' said of a certain resolu
tion: "It was, perhaps, unintelligible, Uko
tho Whoollng mnn's prayer.
"This mnn, praying In meeting for
a brother who lay very 111, cried:
" 'Oh, Lord, rcstoro unto us our
brother, if it doth not lntorfero with
thy porqulsltos.'
"Tho situation was saved by a dea
con who shouted:
"'Hallelujah, tho Lord knows what
ho means!"
Vain Femininity.
First Sportsman Woll, how do you
like thnt now marc of yours?
Second Sportsmnn Oh, fairly woll.
But I wish I had bought a horso.
She's always stopping to look at hor
self in tho puddles.
(Copyright, 1009 by Associated literary I'rcss.)
An tho black fiddlers swung with a
grand flourish Into "Trenton," Eliza
both set up an airy balancing, though
tho prompter had not opened his
mouth. John Lane, hor partner,
touchod hor hand lightly, saying:
"Walt! What makes you In ouch a
hurry?"
"You can dnnco when you like! You
don't havo to run away I And you
don't love danclngl Not as I do,"
Elizabeth pouted.
Sho was nlwnys protly, tho prottlost
girl in tho neighborhood. To-day In
her crisp bluo frock, her eyos spark
ling, her cheeks of a wlld-roso red,
sho was simply enchanting.
John Lano felt It, without oxactly
knowing thnt ho did. Ho had always
ndmlrod hor distantly, always liked
her in carolens, youthful fashion. But
ho had told himself nlways, llkowlso
his mother, that whon it came to mar
rying it would bo to moro than a
pretty fnco. Ills wlfo must bo nbovo
tho nvorngo way. Thon, furthor, sho
must havo some money; not a fortune,
but n dowry that would savo her from
tho suspicion of being morconary, Tho
Lanes wero rich. John, only son and
heir, wns a plain plodding follow, with
a sense of human vnluos. Ho could
never, ho told hlmsoir, qulto bollovo
thnt a vory protty and very poor girl
would lovo him disinterestedly.
Now behold! Elizabeth, who was
very pretty and very poor, wns tang
ling horsolf in his heartstrings to a
degroo that made him uncomfortable.
Worso thnn tho poverty wns tho fact
that sho carried weight tho weight of
n blind child, born of hor dead fAth
cr'n luckless second marriage. Com
passion had gtvon hor tho placo of
schoolmistress, ns It had llkowlso won
for her tho sheltor of tho Walker
ASMS 3HtM- arc
home, at a nomlnnl cost. Old Miss
Abby Wnlkor was very charitable;
also sho was vory narrow. It was
from her that Ellzaboth had run away
to tho barn dnnco n reckles proceed
ing thnt might cost her dear.
"Balance nil! Swing! Cornersl
Pnrtuors! Forward and back! Swing
throo," chanted tho prompter.
Elizabeth glowed and thrilled. It
was n year slnco sho hnd danced In
stinctively hor mind flow to last year's
partner. Would sho over soe him
ngaln? Sho had met him away from
tho neighborhood, upon her ono heav
enly but brlof vacation. Ho had
danced with hor only, all through the
long arternoon, nnd at tho vory last,
there had como a waltz hor first
waltz slnco tho days of dancing
school. But she had not thought of
him ns n lovor whllo thoy floated to
gether of nothing, Indocd, savo ns
tho component of somothlng too ex
qulalto to Inst. Afterward at part
ing, ho nnd kissed hor hnnd, and
looked down Into her eyes. Ever
since, sho had boon dreaming of tho
glnnco wondering if her own eyes
bad said to him as plainly: "I lovo
you, lovo you, lovo you!"
Tranced In memory, sho floated
through tho first dnnce, tho second,
tho third. Sho wns hardly conscious
thnt John was waving away other
partners. But prosontly, when ho
drow her nway and sat down with her
upon a big mossy lodgo, sho awoko
with a start to a sense of somothlng
Impending It might bo a crisis in hor
fate.
Intuition did not deceive. Briefly,
haltingly, yet with a ring of doop feel
lng, John told hor of his own nwakon
lng, and nskod hor to bo his wlfo. For
a mlnuto after ho ceased spoaklng sho
could only look at him helplessly, her
wild rosds fading to whlto. At last she
said breathlessly:
"Don't, please. Things aro hard
enough already. I I am "
"What?" John asked a llttlo un
steadily, as sho stopped, choking.
Sho locked hor fingers hard. "I am
trying to see straight," sho said.
"You can't know the temptation, when
ono Is tired and burdoned, to to let
go everything even tho right"
"I don't seo " John Began, bowll
derodly. Sho had turned away her face
now sho flashed round upon him, all
her struggle gone. "No anfi you
novex will understand," boo said al
ipi
most saucily. "You see, you aro
both a tomptntlon and nn opportunity.
To tnko you or to loavo you Is vory
upsetting. Either way I. am bound to
bo sorry. Whatever mado you dp, It,
sir? As long as I know thoro was no
escnpo I worked without whining."
"Thereforo it's my duty to say you
slin'n't keop on working," John said,
masterfully, possessing himself of tho
locked hnnds. Sho blushed beautifully,
hut did not draw them away. Ho got
up, saying bMU moro masterfully,
"Now I'm going to tako you back to
tho arbor but mind, you aro not to
dnnco oftoner thnn every other sot I
don't think, clthor, I shall lot you
danco with nny othor follow on tho
ground then everybody will under
stand." "Yos, Blrl" Ellzaboth answerod, hor
fnco tho pntlern of meekness, but a
wicked twlnklo in tho bottom of her
oyen. She tried to look unconscious,
to Jest nB gnyly as over with the oth
ers, but In sptto of herself hor color
mounted under tho significant smiles.
"Whnt n pity you settled things
right off the reel this way," Charley
Gray snld tcaslngly, sitting down be
sldo hor. John hnd loft her for a mo
ment. Chnrloy, his host friend, wao
graciously excoptcd from tho rule
against other partners. "Lindsay
Holmo is coming nftcr dinner on pur
pose to seo you. Ho told mo, so only
yesterday you must havo bowltchcd
him for fnlr. A hard-headed citizen,
old mnn Lindsay; but say, he's moon
ing Hko a calf over n plcturo ho'B got
of you."
Ellzaboth's henrt boat madly. .Lind
say Holmo, tho partner of hor drenms!
Sho turned Imploringly to Gray, Bay
ing: "Tako mo nw'ny! Qulckl Homo,
nnywhorol John must not knowl'V
Grny looked hard athor-sotnethlng
In her faco compelled obedience. Soon
they woro whirling away to the
Walkor homestead, but fast nB 'thoy
went gossip had gono faster. Miss
Abby sat stony-faced upon ,tho piazza
with tho blind child wrapped and
hooded upon tho steps nt her foot and
n huddled llttor of corded trunks and
boxes Just Insldo tho yard gate.
"As you see I am ready for you,"
sho admonished Elizabeth sternly,
waving her back bb sho mado to
mount tho stops. "My roof Bhall not
bo profaned by sheltering an lngrate
and n wanton. You would dance, for
sooth! You must pay tho piper."
"I nm ready to pay," Ellzaboth sold,
proudly, stooping to gather tho blind
child in her nrms. Phoobo had sobbod
horsolf almost sick sho was slight for
even hor flvo yonrs, and nestled
ngalnst hor Bister ns n chlllod blrdllng
nestles to Its mother. Elizabeth turned
about, tho tiny crenturo huddled
against hor breaBt. Gray hold out his
anus, but sho clung to hor burden.
"Wo wlll'go back, If you please," sho
panted. "I I hnvo nowhoro olso to
go."
But thoy never got back to tho dan
cing crowd. By tho tlmo Phoobo was
woll nsloop thoy mot two men, ench
riding hard. John Lano and Lindsay
Holmo had sonsod whnt lay back of
Elizabeth's flight and had followed her.
Under tho shadow of big oaks thoy
halted.
Elizabeth looked from ono to tha
othor, her wot oyoo suddonly clearing
of nil troublo.
John Bpoko first "Como homo with
mo," ho said. "Pleaso God It shall be
a happy homo or you nnd Phoobo."
"I offer you both-rtho homo off!?,
heart It lc all I havo,'! Lindsay- Bald
huskily. "Ellzaboth darling poverty
linn hold mo silent oven now I ought
not to speak but you sha'n't Btarvo."
Ellznbeth smiled softly.
"John," sho said, hor volco vibrant
as a harpstrlng, "If if I could marry
you, I shouldn't desorvo your lovo. I
want to deservo it I tried to keop
faith but but Fato Is strongor than
any of us."
"I understand," John said, looklnc
from hor faco to Lindsay's. "God bless
you both!"
Victorian Gods.
If Thackeray, with n brain weigh
ing 58 V4 ounces, had tho biggest head
among Victorian wrltors, who had the
best features? Tho choice would
seem to llo between Tonnyson and
Honry Taylor. "That man must be
a poot," romarked ono of his Cam
bridge contemporaries whon ha first
saw Tennyson como Into tho hall nt
Trinity, nnd nnothor friend describes
him In his undergraduate daya as six
foot high, broad chested,' strong
limbed, his fnco Shakespearian, with
deep eyelids, his forehoad ample,
crowned with dark, wavy hair, hla
head finely poised, his hand tho ad
miration of sculptors, But tlmo dealt
nono too gently with Tonnyson, where
no Henry Taylor, always a distin
guished looking man, seoms to have
grown singularly majestic with years.
Grant Duff, meeting him whon ha
wno over 80, notes that "Taylor looks
moro like Jupiter than over," and con
temporary memoirs aro full of refon
onces to his Jovollko appearance
Their Reality.
"Are thoso two sisters fine girls?
Woll, ono is a pattern and tho othet
a model." "Are they so good as all
that?" "Good In each ono'B own way.
Tho pattern girl Is n dressmaker and
tho modal ono with a cloak manufacturer."
