Vertical Bill’s
Vertical Bill’s is an opal field located southwest of Lightning Ridge, almost two miles along the road to the Three Mile. It was discovered around 1914 by a Swedish miner known only as “Vertical Bill,” reported to be a Count. He was known for insisting every shaft he sank struck a “vertical” fault line, hence the nickname.
According to The Lightning Ridge Book by Stuart Lloyd, Bill originally partnered with another Scandinavian, Ben “Long Ben” Burren (or Buren), and later sold the claim for £25 to Jim Denis and Burren. Together, Denis and Burren recovered opal valued at £2,000. One of the better finds was a gem quality 6 carat stone, eventually sold to Sydney jeweller Percy Marks, who described it as the best stone he had seen to that time. Other miners also did well; Bob Bishop and Jack Austin are among them.
Depths on the field ranged from 25 to 65 feet. The field produced good black opal but also a significant amount of black potch, and some of the opal proved difficult to face.
Vertical Bill’s also produced what Lloyd described as “the most attractive piece of petrified wood he ever encountered”. Total recorded production had reached £19,000 by 1967.
Article: Research by Russell Gawthorpe and Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: The Lightning Ridge Book, Stuart Lloyd, 1967, p. 67; Lightning Ridge - The Home of the Black Opal: Unique to the World, Gan Bruce, 1983, pp. 85-86; Discover Opals: Before and Beyond 2000 with Surface Indications, Stephen Aracic, 1996, p. 148.