Ferd Kayser

The Mount Bischoff tin deposit was discovered in 1873 by James "Philosopher" Smith, who formed a company two years later to extract the ore.

Professor G. H. F. Ulrich[3] was brought in to assess the find, which was positive, and William M. Crosby was appointed mine manager, but was soon forced to resign on grounds of ill-health.

Confounding the doubters, Kayser built the township of Waratah and a railway to the coast, allowing the mine to prosper, making around £1,250,000 for its investors.

[4] Kayser was made Justice of the Peace in 1877, which meant he was frequently called on to adjudicate as a magistrate in less serious breaches of the law.

Kayser and Ulrich remained friends until the latter's accidental death in 1900, but an enmity arose between him and "Philosopher" Smith which was never resolved.