Opal fever at Lightning Ridge, Australia

Feb. 25 Back to the Good Old Days- Its Opal fever at lightning Ridge.: It's a bit like going back 50 years in time just now at lightning Ridge, Australia - for the town has been hit by Opal Fever! For a 28-year old German digger recently discovered one of the best finds of Opals in the area for half a century - word got round, and withing days the Opal Rush was on. The population of the lightning Ridge Ross rapidly from 50 to 1, 500 - a third of them professional miners, and the rest part timers. Claims were staked, and 434 holes were sunk straight down, ranging in depth from 10ft to 90ft. Men, women, and children are in the lightning Ridge. Opal Rush - housewives are abandoning their housework to become miners and really doing man sized job. And though nost of the miners are loth to admit it, not trusting their fellow-miners- many of them are finding Opals, Worth thousands of dollars. Photo shows Mrs. Lohse, who is called the Opal Queen, has a drink with her miner mates at the Diggers Rest Hotel, after a hard day's digging at her mine shaft

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10ft 28-year 90ft Abandoning Admit Claims Depth Digger Diggers Digging Discovered Doing Dollars Fever Finding Finds Holes Housewives Housework Lightning Lohse Loth Mates Miner Nost Opal Opals Ranging Rapidly Really Ridge Shaft Sized Staked Sunk Though Timers Trusting Withing Word Worth

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