Part 7: Letters from the Goldfields - 16th November 1896
Box 35
Post Office
Coolgardie
Western Australia
Sunday 16 Nov ’96
Dear old Billy,
Many thanks for your very kind and welcome letter of Oct. 14 and
good wishes. Your explanation re leaving Mrs B. I accept. I was
very sorry to hear you were out of collar and I hope your good luck
will pursue you wherever you go. Kindly let me know if you get in
as I shall be glad to know.
I am further back now, 7 miles from Coolgardie at “Burbanks”
working on the “Pioneer” mine so I got 14 miles to go (there and
back) to post tomorrow. I am working down the main shaft, down
100ft and driving to cut the reef. It’s awfully hot down there and
we come up wringing wet and fagged out. I am on the night shift
this week, go on at 4 p.m. and come off at midnight. I get better
money here, 12/6 a day and a gallon of water daily.
Went down and saw Tom a fortnight ago. He is well and we had as
jolly a time as one can expect in this miserable country. He wishes
to be specially remembered to “Billy” as per usual. I always show
him your letters and he enjoys them as much as myself. I had to
walk both ways, 20 miles each way. Went Saturday, returned dog
tired on Monday. It’s hard graft, Billy. In this country a chap
earns all he gets. There’s not a atom of comfort and living on
“tinned dog” is rough as well, to say nothing of snakes, scorpions,
lizards, centipedes etc. crawling over the shop at night. Oh! It’s
a beautiful life, all beer and skittles (with a hook). I am in
first class health at present and even heavier than before the
fever (I was 12 stone Saturday in Coolgardie). Re your enquiry
whether I was still corresponding with a “certain party”. Do you
mean Miss Beat. Bradford? I don’t think you too curious at all. If
you mean the above, I certainly am and I don’t think I could [do]
better, do you Billy? You say in your letter you had a Welsh young
lady!!! Rather a funny coincidence but I am working with a Welsh
mate now (I got him the job). Ge was working with me on the “Star
of the South” G.M. His name is Griffiths so perhaps your lady’s
name is the same? All Welsh people you know are either Griffiths,
Jones, Morgan or Davis. Is this the young lad Bill?
Coolgardie gold miners c.1895,
courtesy, Image
credit
I must take the opportunity of wishing you a Merry Christmas and a
Happy and prosperous New Year and I hope it may prove so to you. I
am writing Bern this same mail. Often think, round the camp fire of
a night, how you are all going on the other side of the world and
day dream of the good old times we have spent in each other’s
company. I hope to have many a pleasant day with you yet, old man,
if I get safely home some day. Things are not too bright up here by
any means tho’ you know, must hope for something better next year
1897. How I would like to be able to have a trip home to good old
England towards the end of ’97 but it’s a long time to look forward
to, and we don’t know what will happen before then, but must keep
pegging away in the meantime, keep our peckers up and look on the
bright side. Can’t help getting a bit down in the “mug” here
occasionally. Glad to hear of you getting your brother Harry into
that job and I hope he will get on well there. I am sure there are
a few youngsters at Horsham he is better away from à la Allen and
push you know what they are. Can’t see as far as the end of their
noses, and if there’s no work in Horsham they haven’t the go in
them to look for it but take it for granted that there’s none on
Earth. It will be the making of Harry as you say without a doubt
and you will please give him my best wishes and kind regards and
I’m jolly glad to hear of his shift.
I sent you a goldfield weekly paper last week. Hope it may prove
interesting to you. Again, thanking you for your kind letters and
papers, and hoping you will still keep up our correspondence. I’ll
do so as often as possible and am always only too pleased to hear
from you.
I’ll say goodbye for a while and Believe me, ever Your sincere
Chum
Arthur J. Baker
Ps. A glass of cherry Brandy, please Miss. Like a glass now,
forgotten the taste. AJB
Share this
page (third party services may set cookies)