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Archiver > CORNISH > 1999-02 > 0919798455


From: terry pritchard <>
Subject: Broken Hill
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 14:34:15 -0500


Judy,
Broken Hill was and I believe still is a mining town in Australia, as
the Cornish miners left for various places around the world, taking their
talents with them they settled and worked, or they moved on. one of the
things about miners is they are a mobile group, and mines and ore fields
are not. Many miners were "contractors" being paid by the ton of material
shifted, and in some cases by a share system. Mining the base metals was
almost always a by the ton system.
If you were a skilled "rock and tunnel" miner, the lure of the
precious metals was enormous. You had experience enough to do some
Prospecting, and the skills to extract the precious metals, you could start
your own mine, and with some luck live like the Squire. In England, most of
the land was owned by someone, so opportunities were rare. So you headed
out to the New Worlds to try your luck. Many of the miner who worked the
California 1849 gold rush moved on to the Cariboo 1858 gold rush, Then on
to the Yukon, and Alaska. As well some went to South Africa, and
Austrailia, some stayed, some moved on, some struck it rich, some starved.
Where there were mines, the miners moved. To this day the mining industry
is full of accents from all over the world.
This is way too long an explanation, but perhaps it helps explain why
these people are so far flung.
sincerly,
Terry

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