REMINISCENCES OF A GOLD-DIGGER.

REMINISCENCES OF A GOLD-DIGGER.

Sam

" Well; howies it, Sam?" ," Oh, much about the same," he replied. This will be a good rush I think ; they appear to be getting some very good gold. I have just seen Stuttering Charley wash a tub with about an ounce," I continued. " Well, I always though there was gold about this place." This was Knowing Sam's opinion-for so he was called-but it was an opinion he always had with respect to anything that happened, if he chanced to find out that anyone was getting something extra in their claim, he would approach you, and, in a mysterious way, tell you "I always thought that Bill was doing a stroke." If one was unfortunate enough to get into trouble, as ho called it, he always thought he was not doing the square thing "Knowing Sam" was an old hand-had been digging for some time. Onoof' those quiet, lazy sort of people you meet, belonging to the class that puzzle you to imagine what they ' could possibly had nerve to do to warrant their being sent away for their country's good. But, if Sam was to be believed, it was something about the " factory riots ;" how true, I know not, for. it all of them speak tile truth, I think there are only three offences in England that have been visited with transportation poaching, factory riots, and prize fights, for I never heard one own to anything more serious. Knowing Sam seemed to have but one great aversion, and that was hard work. He was a " hatter,", for few could be found sufficiently lazy to mate with Sam. He did once, I believe, have a mate a newchum who, by some means or other told Sum that he was on a bit of gold, and Sam joined him, be that by his grout experience he could put him in the way of working" the claim, which consisted in Sam's sitting on the ton and giving directions to his mate below, washing the dirt in a tin dish, and very graciously giving him the half of it. This lasted very well for a short time, until even a new chum could not put up with it ; and on" Sam's getting chaffed about it I remember his saying, ""Well, I always thought we shouldn’t agree." "Whenever he got a payable claim, for in those days they were not such a rare occurrence as now, it would last him weeks, for he seemed to take a greater pleasure in walking from one claim to another, a short
back pipe always in his mouth, receiving and giving all the information and news he possibly could, than in working his claim. There was one thing I must give Sam credit for : he did not drink-he seemed to take great delight in showing his perfection in the culinary art-he was very great at a damper, and the cooking he could do with the aid of an old saucepan and a camp oven would have astonished a professional cook, with his scientific range, pots, pans, &c. ; but if he was great at a damper, there was one thing he was, indeed, greater at-I may say grand, almost sublime-it was a currant cake made after a peculiar receipt of his own, and baked in the camp oven. All the "Sayers" that ever existed could not surpass it, and many a night have I, with some three or four others, gone to Sam's tent to hive a yarn in the hope a current cake was on there; for Sam's weakness consisted in being unable to resist praise-and when smoking hot, he would put it on the table, saying, " I think that will last a day or two, chaps. " I should think it ought," one would reply. " By George ! it smells delicious" another would say. " Why, Sam, I never thought you were such a first-rote cook," chimed in a third, Sam's countenance would look triumphant. " Would you like to taste it," he would say. "It's a pity to cut it while hot, for that would spoil it." " Spoil it, indeed!" would Sam say; " Just taste that;" cutting a piece and giving it to one ; " does that taste as if it was spoilt?" then a piece all round, and we used to sit and praise Sam's cake, and smoke out pipes, and yarn, until, at leaving, Sam would find very little of the cake left. Sam had a great fancy for trade, for he would do anything that did not require much physical exertion ; he commenced to buy old tools and a few odd things at auction ; if you wanted any particular article Knowing Sam would get it for you ; he removed his tent and got a nicer one-in fact, made quite an appearance-a sort of Johnny all sorts ; at last, he got married, and saying to him one day, 'Well, Sam, I never expected to see you married ; how long have you known your present- wife?" "Known her," he replied, with a look of astonishment, " I knew her on the other side, and somehow or other I always thought I should marry her." How's trade with you ?" "Well, I can't complain, but it might be better. " I see," I continued, " they have rushed the ground in front of your tent." "I always thought there was some good ground there." ' After this it was very seldom I was in Knowing Sam's neighbourhood, and lost sight of him. About six months alter I was at Kyneton, and at that time all prisoners convicted on the gold-fields were handcuffed and placed in drays, sent down to Melbourne with an escort of mounted police. Some two or three drays, filled with about as interesting a specimen of the human face divine, were stopping at a public-house getting some refreshments, and the 'prisoners telling the bystanders and acquaintances their misfortunes and innocence, which any person could see marked in their faces. Approaching I found myself hailed by name, and looking toward one of the drays, there was Knowing Sam I must say I was a little surprised. He commenced telling me how innocently he had been convicted ; what he would do to his wife when he was liberated ; and was about entering into particulars, when I was very glad to hear the officer in charge of them give orders to proceed. Sam continued saying something or other, and at last, was summing up with, " I always thought that woman would-" What I know not, for by this time, Sam was too far away for me to hear the finish of the sentence. But as anything happened. Sam seemed always to think it would. I have no doubt he "always thought" that he had a few more years to do, and if so he was not mistaken. I afterwards learned that some goods that had been stolen were traced to Knowing Sam's tent, and his explanation was not such a hit seemed to satisfier the magistrate, he was committed, tried, and sentenced to five years on the roads,

J, A. H. –

The Sydney Morning Herald
1860
Newspaper Article

James

Thanks yet again mate for another ripping good yarn from our goldfields past.
your input of tales and articles lately has been bloody excellent mate and ive enjoyed
every little morsel youve posted up for us.

The kalgoorlie video by "pugh" is a good one too and that bloke has done quit a few so far like
"mt magnet"- "leonora"- meekatharra"- "cue" etc.

I have been trying for yrs to find an online verion of "bill peach's gold" the tv series and apart
from the short video's from the aussi online film archive it seems the only option is to buy
the series from the ABC at $380 or so, if you do stumble across anywhere to download the series
could you please post up a link or send me a PM with the link mate..




Cheers & Beers
Pete in WA

Pete will do mate, and thanks for your kind words. Yep the old yarns are great and at times full of info. I just love them. cheers

Californian Redwood



The life of an old gold man must be experienced to be truly understood. These yarns are excellent reading and being new to this field I have been loving a new book called "Digger" by Max Anderson. This bloke went out west in the late 90's and his tales about the harsh characters, lifestyles and desperate people were amazing reading. He says the first "Suicide Bombers" were originally from WA in the late 1800's where life was so tough they would literally reach the roads end, put dynamite in their gobs and would blow themselves up. Being used as slaves without directly profiting from their fat bosses greed was a hard road. A strikingly sad and twisted story about greed and gold I read was a yarn about a 3 or 4 blokes digging a shaft for months in the early 1900's in outback WA. The bloke down the shaft would find a vein and would announce it with passion to the blokes above and then down would come the dirt and rocks to kill the vein finder so there would be one less bloke to share with. How can one be happy with one self after finding gold this way, probably to later spend it pissing it up against the wall and sleeping with hookers, each to their own and no experience is better or worse than any other.

An incredibly cruel and twisted story my mate Leif told me recently was about 3 blokes some years ago who sold most of their stuff, bought detectors and went out somewhere near Kalgoorlie to seek. Months of sweat, hope and work and then they found some, found a lot and one bloke new a bikie mate. The other blokes did not know this and the one bloke rang his bikie mate to tell him and then the next day 30-40 bikies rocked up in the middle of no where to steal all their gold, gear and said to them "**** Off or we will kill you". Nice people....

It is all experience and people live and die all the time, it is the cycle of life, planets live and die, rivers flow and dry, it is the way of the Tao and I have no sympathy for ones choices in life but can only offer understanding and compassion.



Many of us still walk this road today only modern slavery is cruel and sophisticated like many would not believe. Look around and slavery exists in most of humanity. Some would say times have changed for the better but also some say times have changed for the worse and I won't go down that rabbit hole now although Alex Jones from Texas is spot on when it comes to the latter and standing up and defending people freedoms and country's constitutions. Alex Jones has his own youtube channel too and has 80 million talk back radio listeners in USA(he is absolutely un-stoppable and fearless):

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAlexJonesChannel?blend=1&ob=5#p/u/71/11vGoETThFA

I have recently been to the Prospectors Patch because a mate Roy showed me a photo on his mobile about 4 months ago and since then gold fever has been developing, slowly but surely, and want to say how helpful people at Prospectors Patch are and sharing they are when it comes to learning about gold. Once about 5 years ago I went to Prospectors Patch to look around but it did not interest me then as I was into plants and medicines back then more than I was into gold. Pete, thanks mate for being such a good bloke and I will work hard to return your golden advice with my own golden yarns one day, it may be years from now or it may be within a few months as my travels have only just begun and I have the rest of my life to learn. Soon I will be visiting you to snap up a coil...



Reading James101 yarns and advice on this site have been invaluable to me and to hear and read about the simplicity of bush cooking making damper and fruit loaf in the old days one can only reminisce how it really was back then. Some of the photos you have posted are incredible James and this one I found today is brilliant: (Thank you James101)



It is a unique path to walk in life and we all walk our own unique paths. We are all unique jewels of the Cosmos and I know deep down in my Heart that in a higher level each being is unique and prized no more or less than any other being and the purest most beautiful cosmic nuggets and gems are unique Cosmic beings including all of us humans.



The Wingmakers works are amazing and include music, writings, poetry and artwork(The music is supposed to be encoded and is supposed to mutate DNA but dunno about that - I just enjoy the tunes). The work he has produced as a New York based wingmaker is the biggest gift I have ever found or could give to anyone worth more than the weight of any gold in all of the Cosmos. James says we are all wingmakers and basically that is just our future selves who already exist in timelessness connecting with us now in time. It is an easy concept to understand and James work is mathematics based with no fluff or mumbo jumbo. It is very practical and down to earth and I want to make it clear to those who do not know Taoism and Wingmakers teachings are about nature and observing the wisdom nature, just how water flows down the creek, it flows the easiest way without struggle to eventually empty to it's first source or origin.



I would love to share many yarns for many years here at this forum as for the last 11-12 Winters since I was about 20 years old I have been picking Gold tops from the forests near Balingup where my friends from Margaret River introduced me to many years back. For me I have recently let go of all substances after many years of smoking, drinking, mushrooms and ayahuasca which I would harvest from the local Acacia acuminata trees that grow from Grass Valley in WA and beyond, raspberry jam trees they are and the loacal aboriginals have used this specific bark and leaves for smoking ceremonies or burning bush ceremonies for thousands and thousands of years(they must absorb the DMT in the smoke from the fire).



They are the oldest culture on earth to use this extremely powerful Ayahuasca plant medicine and for only 5000 years the Amazionians discovered it too and mix it with Harmala to make it work when you drink it although drinking local Acacia acuminata will kill because it is poison so burning the bark to sit around the fire may be ok... This path for me has only lead to destruction, excess, paranoia and disillusionment which could have killed me many times. I have found after years of substance abuse I am no where and again find my self picking up the pieces... I am like a man who exists in the dry desert of himself and is slowly back on the path to purity by detoxing and living healthy and happy once again. How happy I am to live once again with nature and not against it by being self destructive creating poor health in my entire being.



So that is why I am so grateful to local gold men who have helped me to find a new direction and passion in life, a new way, a simple way where life is easy and hard work pays off and I don't mean financially. The greatest reward for me is finding kindred spirits and seeing new dreams and futures developing into my eternal future.



This is my first post and I wanted to share my 2 people where I have collected all the art work and knowledge over my life. Hua Ching Ni and James from New York, there sites are:

James:

www.sovereignintegral.org
www.eventtemples.com
www.wingmakers.com
www.lyricus.org

Hua Ching Ni:

www.integralway.org/about-us/our-founders/hua-ching-ni.html

One day my goal is to have an art gallery in the states south west maybe near Balingup somewhere with horses and I want to grow Californian Redwoods and my friend grows these in NSW, they are the tallest tree on Earth. I want to grow these on a property one day with a wingmakers art gallery with music where people can share their peace and love with each other in a simple sensible way, some day, some way....



I have recently taken a personal loan to begin my gold quest and my Sister who said to me the other day "if it was that easy Jase everyone would be doing it" I replied "It's not easy". I have myself a Minelab GPX 5000 and a few other tools up my sleeve and my quest for gold has only just begun...

Lyricus good post mate I enjoyed the read. Cheers