The Coolgardie Rush.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 300, 28 April 1894, Page 4

The Coolgardie Rush.

A gentleman resident in Nelsoo h&B , placed at the disposal of the Colonist some i information received by him from a relative concerning Coolgardie. On the 2nd of last month the writer was at Perth, busily engaged with some partners in pre paring to do business with Coolgardie. They had experienced some little diffi* culty in eel ting a team of horses together, as from £25 to £30 wasbeiDg asked for any kind of a good draught horse. Their waggon was capable of carrying four tons, but as it was necessary to carry a 200 gallon tank of water, weighing a ton, the available 9pace for freight was moterial Iy reduced. As however, £30 a ton was being charged for carriage from the end of the railway at Burracoppin to Coolgardie, before the carters struck for higher rates, they calculated that they had a very good thing in view. The party were then anxious to reach Burra* coppin, in order io make a start when the rainj season sets in, and that was ex-pected-daily. There was at that time al> most a famine on the field. Flour was selling at £2 per 501 b bag, and defore the water failed oats were fetching £3 a bag. In this letter the ex Nelsonian reported that there was a splendid field aboul 100 miles from Coolgardie, where thousands were getting gold, and he said that two of his partners were to make for it, the other two being left to look after the team and do some trading. In Per'.h at that lime chaff was £4 10s a ton, oats 2s dd a bushel, potatoes 8s 6d per cwt, the latter selling at Coolgardie at 8d per lb. He proceeded to say : " There is no doubt that this colony will be flooded with men, as all the boats from Sydney and Melbourne for the next six weeks have all their accommodation engaged. A good steamer on this line would pay splendidly, as there is plenty of cargo and horses waiting for shipment. The passenger fare is £9 saloon, and £6 10s steerage, and horses £5 a bead from Melbourne. There is a chap staying in onr camp who has just come down from Coolgardie, and he has two friends who started last year on 10s capital and some credit in the store keeping line, and the/ are now worth €1,000 each The Home News and most English papers describe it as a new El Dorado, and every English boat brings crowds of passengers to Albany, bound for the fields. There will be plenty of demand for labour of all descriptions^both here and at Coolgardie, as everjone will be off to the fields when the wet season begins. The reefing companies at Coolgardie want an extension of time, as they cannot find hands to work on account of all the men leaving for the rush, but the Warden states that they must start work at once or forfeit the leases. Wages at Coolgardie are £4 per week, but it costs • man a lot for tucker and water. Oats bj the last adnce are selling st 6d per lb, and chaff L 2 7s 6d a bag. In fact there is every chance of a famine, and a chap with L2OO or L3UO could make a nig fortune in dealing during the next few months " Water cost half-a-crown a gallon at Coolgardie, and it was averted that some of the men on the fields were onlj able to wash their fbces once a month. From this it vould »eem that it is not all beer aud ikittles at CooLitrdie. .