It was called ‘Holtermann Nugget’ (Holtermann nugget) and is considered to be ‘the biggest nugget of gold ever found’. Her discovery took place in the ‘Star Hope’ Mine New South Wales (Australia) at two in the morning of October 19, 1872.
The surname is derived from Bernhardt Otto Holtermannmine manager and company partner ‘Beyers & Holtermann Star Hope Mine’ beside Ludwig Hugo Beyers (better known as Hugo Louis Beyers).
The ‘Holtermann Nugget’ was 144.8 centimeters high by 66 centimeters wide, and its gross weight 285 kilogramsthough to tell the truth it could not be regarded as a lump, but as a mass of gold, quartz and slate from which the total precious metal was 93.2 Kg and its current price would be around five million euros.
There has been much speculation as to why only the surname of one of the mine’s partners appeared (when the profits were distributed at fifty per cent), which was in fact unknown. ‘Holtermann-Beyers Nugget’ or ‘Beyers-Holtermann Nugget’if we include the order of the surnames in the name of the company that was both partners.
Apparently, when the aforementioned nugget was found, Beyers was traveling and taking advantage of being the manager of the company, he only registered it with his last name. It did not come to light if there was any kind of dispute between them on this matter, but there is evidence that Holtermann left the trading company a year later (1873).
Another important detail that is sometimes overlooked in the stories about the ‘Holtermann Nugget’ is that its discoverer was not Bernhardt Otto Holtermann (always described as the miner who found the largest gold nugget in history), but at the time of discovery (two in the morning ) he was asleep and three of the miners, called Mark Hammond, Moses Bell and William Huntwho made the trace.
Furthermore, if Holtermann had given it for the work and exploration instructions, a large mass of gold of almost one hundred kilograms could not have been found (at least at that time).
In the hours leading up to the discovery, Bernhardt Holtermann instructed Mark Hammond, Moses Bell, and William Hunt to continue the work within it. Star Hope Mine vertically, ignoring the views of his miners who told him that it would be more convenient to do it horizontally by opening a path to the west.
Miners Hammond, Bell and Hunt ignored their manager’s orders and, late at night, opened the way to the mine extension to the west, finding a large mass of gold a few meters away.
The discovery was an event and Bernhardt Holtermann used it to register it in his name.
Another strange fact is the photo (which shows the header of this article) and which became very famous, in which Bernhardt Holtermann appears in the photo next to the huge gold nugget. The image is really a photomontages of three different images that the man ordered a mining business in the Beaufoy Merlin photo studioa few years later, he put together the original photo of the ‘Holtermann Nugget’ on one side, on the other the one taken by Holtermann himself (his hand was resting on an iron support) and the background belonged to the third photo taken. on the terrace of his house which he built after earning a fortune with the discovery of the gold stone.
Bernhardt Otto Holtermann and Hugo Louis Beyers became so popular that, a few years later, they devoted themselves to politics, holding important positions in the local parliament as well as councilors and even the mayor’s office (in Beyers’ case). ).
Holtermann could not enjoy his fortune for too long, dying in Sydney two and a half years after the discovery, the same day he died at the age of 47 (April 29, 1885) due to cancer stomach.
The ‘Holtermann Nugget’ melted and his gold was sold for a fortune. Only a small piece remains on display at the Hill End Museum from Australia.
Image source: Wikipedia Commonage
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