, 1889-08-23
IN SOUTH AFRICA.
VIM. Wilson, a Muskrat Canyon
Miner in the Transyaal.
He Writes an Entertaining Letter to
Wyoming Friends.
o. D. Holiday a High SaIaried Mine
Superintendent.

To the Editor of The Leader.
RAwHDE BUTTEs, Wyo Aug. 81
The following extracts from a letter Just
received here may be of interest to the
readers of The LEADER. The writer is
a man well known in the mining localities
of the West and is one of the original
owners of the Michigan mine in Muskrat
Canyon. Mr.. Wilson has promised to
write a long letter on the resources of At
RIGA touching directly upon the mining IN
terests and prospects of the T~ransvaeal
Republic OF South Africa. Whatever
"Bill' says the boys can rely on.
HENRY CHASE.
JoHoNHEsBURG, Transvaal Republic
S. A, July IL, 1SS9.-Fnends Tom
Steue, Shel and Johnny, (oId mining
partners in the Michigan aud other mines)
I arrived here on the Both day OF June.
l am well and haven't been sick an hour
since [ left Wyoming. Johannesburg is
quite a pretty town OF over 20, 600 inhabi-
tants, but African like, the streets are
dirty.
The mining belt is thirty miles in
length. running from east to west, and
situated on a high divide of rolling prai-
RE; no mountains to speak of. The
country is higher but looks something
like the hills situated around the govern
ment farm in Wyoming, except for miles
and miles the soil is as red as a brick
yard. l have examined this belt for a
distance of twenty-fv miles.
There seems to be three distinct gold
bearing veins, varying from two to SIX
feet in thickness, running almost parallel
from two to twenty-feet apart. 1t is said
that there are 1000 stamps running on
this belt besides some in other camps
that | have not yet visited.
Carpenters, masons and bricklayers get
from s. to 81. so per day. White miners
get from SO so to IS per day and all they
have to do is to boss the negroes. but this
is a hard job for n new beginner. The
native Kairs get from 25 to so cents per
day.
Except the peach and orange orchards
there isn't timber enough in a hundred
miles square to make a swab stick.
| don't think there are any placer dig
gings in this section and if there were
there is no fall or water to work them,
but there is IN abundance of cement and
quartz and some that is very rich in gold.
In a few days | am going to look at
some placer d~iggings, 260 miles distant
from johannesburg in another district. |
can take these to work on favorable terms.
If they are good l will try them for the
present. These placers are near Bar
berstown and are called che Devil s country.
l would not advise anyone to start now
to this country for it is midwinter and by
the time they would reach here it would
be hot. Advise anyone coming to this
country to start so as to arrive here in the
winter season. Let them also provide
themselves with passports for war is
liable to break out any day, The wisest
and best men here say there will be a war
very soon.
The living here is very poor, the poor
est hal | have ever struck. There are no
vegetables fit to eat and the country that
1 have seen will never grow them. There
is a great deal of staging and freighting
in this part of Africa. There are plenty
of horses and mules here but of an infe-
rior quality, but they say there is no use
of bringing a better quality here for they
will not stand the climate.
Horses and mules hat will stand this
climate must be natives of the m o.
d. Holiday is superintendent of a mine
and is getting $500 per month. | will
send papers occasionally. Pounds, shll-
lings and pence are all the go here. Put
rs cents postage on your letters. haven't
received a scratch of a pen from any one
since | left Wyoming. l will write to
Thorp soon.
would not stay in this country long if
it were not for the mines. Best respects
to all. WIN. WILSON.