Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-11-12
LErrEm FROM AFRICA.

August 30, 1889.
Mr.. GERARD dear
Triend:-I once more pen you few
lines to let you know that am still
numbered among the living, and
that have not forgotten Idaho and
my old friends that ! hope and ex
pect to meet again some day.
| am still in the same place as
when | last wrote you, about fifteen
miles from the town of Johannesburg,
where l have what l think to be
very good place to live in and also
a fairly good situation. My first en-
gagement with the company was for
six months. That has now expired,
and have made another for twelve
months at 80 per cent. increase OF
pay. can truly say that like this
place very well, indeed, and have
never enjoyed better health any
where. True, there are some disa-
greeable things in connection with
the place. The worst of the lot, in
my opinion, is the working of the
negroes, who do all the hardest part
of the work. The white miner has
only to do the necessary timbering,
spot the holes and work loose ground
after shots. All the drilling, picking
and shoveling is done by native la
Dor, and when they first come from
their xraals it is nice job learning
them to use their tools. The saying,
Z" as clumsy as a COW handling mus
ket," is not in it at all, and then by
tn time they get to be OFFS use away
they 60 to their kraals. The native
pay nere now averages about IL
shillings (s4 50) per week, and as
soon as one of them has f10 or fl2
(the sum necessary to buy wife),
he is, in his own opinion, far richer
than the whole Rothschild family,
with Commodore Vanderbilt, Jay
Gould, John Mackey, and few more
thrown IN. If things don't suit him
he doesn't go to the Office and look
for what pay is owing to him; he just
picks up his stick and blanket, if he
has one, and walks off Doesn't mat
ter to him when pay day is; whether
it is to- morrow or next week. They
can always get something to eat al
any place they pass, AS the companies
: feed all their natives, and gum.
sack is full dress suit for him. The
women are just as easily dressed as
the men. a band about two inches
wide around the waist, and if the,
T they can get trimming of beads one
or one and one-half inches wide
| around the bottom of the baud, it Is
: considered away up. A stalSkiu
r sacque and a silk dress isn't a cir
: cumstance III COMPARISON.
here in their own homes they are the
: easiest creatures in the world to make
/, perfectly happy. If there is all,
truth in the saying, "where ignor
ance is bliss It's folly to be wise," i
is certainly "A mistake to try to Chris
+ tianiZe the natives.
The mining industry in general /
. being pushed ahead at as great spec
u as anyone can expect under the eN
S isting circumstances. The town Q
:, Johannesburg is of course the center
and is building up very fast. A goo
many stone and brick building
d (three-story) are already up, an
:, many more are i'll course of erection
3" - buildings that would be considrre
st good oues anywhere. There are fou
II banks already doing a good bus'nes
II in the town. and | have seen da.
myself in one of them when, if yo
had any business to do, you woul
4 have to wait ten or fifteen minute
it for your turn, with ten clerks benin
the counter, at that.
~ The last month output from tt
~ whole camp was over $4,000 ounce
er or what would represent $6UO,ooo
round numbers, for the gold is all
good quality, averaging nearly y.
ut fine. The biggest shipment mac
As by any one mine for month hi
:. been 9,O67 ounces, or, in Americs
money, over $16o,UOO. The ma
reef has been opened and mines "a
ay ready working OH it for a distance
thirty miles. OF course it is not .
good, but there are some good pro
ell critics on it. 1t averages, whe
1is there have been mills on it, from
,al to IS, and then there is another re
no south of it that goes from one to TO
and five ounces. The main reef
es' on an average five feet wide, and Il
south reef from small stringer
~" two feet.
The mine | am oil is only smi
on concern as yet. 1t is not on the ma
~. reef. We are five miles south fre
it in direct line. We have lit
hosting engine aud l0-stamp b'
.. terv on it. The biggest output
date for one month was 5l2 ounc
PIE or little over $4,000. When
aid .o,,a on this nIace they had one