177 ounce gold nugget found near Ballarat,10.30am January 16, 2013

[littlemissmartypants]

http://now.msn.com/gold-nugget-weighing-12-pounds-found-using-metal-detector-in-ballarat-australia

A metal-detector-wielding amateur gold prospector is the envy of professional gold-diggers after unearthing this gargantuan 12-pound nugget. The $315,000 specimen is said to be the largest lump of gold ever discovered in Ballarat, Australia. Before you rush out to grab a cheapo detector, it’s worth noting that, according to the YouTube description, the unnamed prospector has a super-nerdy model worth around $6,000, "a Minelab GPX 5000 … with an Advantage Plus 'Sadie' mono [elliptical] coil, and a Rooster Booster audio enhancer." All that technology paid off: The guy detected his find buried 2 feet under, with a buzzing in his ears that sounded "like the hood of a car through the head phones."

[hollysmom]

1. wait, that is mione

It dropped out of my pocket when I was in Australia. he should return it.

[Granny M]

2. lol....

talk about deep pockets....

[left is right]

3. I’ll demand that he give it back to you if

you will pay me a facilitator’s fee of say 33%

[csziggy]

4. My gggreat uncle just rolled over in his grave!

In 1853 he ran away from home in western New York state, and sailed from New York to Australia to make his fortune in the gold rush. He actually worked out of Ballarat for a while.

He never made much money as a gold hunter. He worked odd jobs for years, ended up managing a saw mill in New Zealand, and eventually made his way back to the family when they were on Vancouver Island running a saw mill. He's buried in Victoria, BC.

What is cool is that we have letters that he wrote on the voyage to Australia and intermittently while there and in New Zealand. When ships would pass, they would exchange packets of mail to go back the other way, so there are several letters detailing the trip outbound.

According to my genealogy program he was my 2nd great grand uncle.

Uncle Sid would have loved to have found that nugget!

[Esra Star]

5. Maybe your ancestor was involved in the miner's uprising.

That would be amazing if any of his letters referred to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Rebellion

[csziggy]

6. He stayed out of it, but there is a reference in one of his letters

In his letter dated Nov. 27, 1854, he mentions the licenses required:

In this beautiful country of convicts and vagabonds (who are governed by some rascal that Her Most Glorious Majesty Victoria sees fit to send out), an honest golddigger is not allowed to have one word to say about the laws in the gold fields, nor will they permit him to remain on the diggings unless he carries a Golddigger's License for which he must pay at the rate of $40 per year. You are liable to be hailed by the "traps" (as the diggers call the police) at any moment and should you be so unfortunate as to be without one, you are marched to the camp and for the first offence fined $25 and then give $10 more for a two months’ license. For the second offence they will fine you $75, for the third $150, and if unable to pay it you will be locked up . This state of things cannot last much longer. The diggers are now waking up and are determined that they will no longer be treated like dogs.

He gives a good amount of detail of the murder of a "digger named Scobie" near the Eureka Hotel and the charging of the landlord with the murder.

The landlord, hearing that some harm was intended to him or his property, sent to the camp for a company of "traps” to protect his house . They came and were stationed inside, also a dozen mounted troopers were at hand. The diggers assembled and were harangued by several able speakers. A number of resolutions were passed, and a petition was drawn up to the Governor of the Colony, requesting him to cause the landlord to be arrested again and tried before higher and more competent authorities . On the meetings breaking up the most of the diggers were obliged to pass by the hotel, and in doing this they found it completely surrounded by troopers. The diggers feel very bitter towards all policemen, and could not resist giving them a salute. In a few minutes several windows were broken. At this time the cry was raised to bring the landlord out and hang him without judge or jury, but he, thinking "discretion's the better part of valour" had made his escape and fled to the camp. The hotel was soon fired and in a few hours nothing remained but a heap of ashes. Some of the police carried out some of the most valuable furniture in hopes of saving it, but as soon as it was brought out the diggers would throw it back.

There is a bit more about how Australia would soon be independent from England.

I need to finish editing the transcripts, add to my research on his travels and write and article about his travels!

[Esra Star]

7. Thanks very much for that.

A fairly large tome has just been written on the events in Ballarat at that time.
There are still gaps in the story. Some of these will be filled over time as more personal accounts of events emerge.
Cheers

[csziggy]

8. I corresponded with some women in Australia

That have written a history of the Americans who went to Australia for the goldrush. One of the men who traveled with Uncle Sid stayed in Australia and made some impact - I think he became quite wealthy.

They published their history on CD, which I purchased. The title is "American Fever Australian Gold: American and Canadian Involvement in Australia's Gold Rush" by Denise McMahon and Chris Wild (http://www.gould.com.au/American-Fever-Australian-Gold-p/wld001.htm).

It has an amazing amount of information about immigrants to Australia in the gold rush.