Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-12-03
LETTER FROM AFRICA
JOHANNESBURG, TRaxsvAaL.
South Africa, Oct. z. 1890

n.' H. OAKEs: DEAR SIR.-I
dropped you line that / was on nv
way to South Africa, and would write
again. Well, here l am, and FEELING
well, too; but | must say that quite a
number are 'spassing in their checks. ,
although this place is about FIVE tboo.
sand feet high and the climate is fine
and dry. The water looks well. but
they all say it is not good to drink,
ana the most of them prefer whisky.
There IS considerable of the latter
consumed here.
ms IS not go-ahead country.
When a man leaves the United
states he leaves the go-ahead people,
tne good wages and the good grub,
ana more than all the good people.
hey don't know how to live on this
side of the Atlantic.
This country is rich one in min
eral. If this ledge was in the United
States it would be wonder. It's
traceable for over sixty miles. and
has mills on the most Of it, but sorry
to say that the stamps of over half
OF them are not dropping, on account
OF bad management, | think. A six
ty stamp mill on one end of this claim
turns out 6,000 ounces of gold per
month. On the other end of this
claim there is forty stamp mill
that turns out the enormous amount
of 5000 per month. Both of these
mills were manufactured by Fraser
q Chalmers. The latter is run by an
old Boise Basin man, but lately OF
Butte, Montana-Mr 4. G. Phillips.
The other IS run by Mr.. McVicker,
from the Black Hills, and your hum
BILE servant will show record when
the mill is finished. The Fraser &
Chalmers machinery is by far the
best and easiest to get around in this
camp, and those who have the Eng
lIsh make are sorry they did not get
the +. & c. mills. Work is done
here on very poor scale. it costs
one of the best regulated companies
about 1915 to work "a ton of ore.
This is on large scale-good hoist
ing works and forty stamp mill.
The common labor is done altogether
by Negroes, and very dear labor it is
too, but it don't show that wav on
the books. A Negro gets about 81
per week, and about So worth of corn
meal. Miners wages are from SO
to 500 per month, and they are fur
nished sleeping apartments. Me-
chanics average about IS per day,
when employed by mining compa-
MES. Board and lodging are from
81 per week up, and the very poor
est, too. Butter is cure for sore
eyes and it seems that the hens are
all on strike. Eggs are s3 per
dozen just now, and boarders can't
get 20 look at the shells. Then there
is milk, another luxury in this coun-
try. We have plenty of the con-
densed lacteal fluid, but the old cows
milk is so high the cream never reach
es the top, and other things are high
in proportion. This is a fine country
to stay away from. The laws are
very poor. This being the Boer gov
ernment, the people speak German.
Everything is done in peculiar man
ner. The government won't have
railroads in the country, although
there is plenty of capital waiting to
build them. The mining laws are al
SO very poor. A man can locate 100
feet in length on a ledge, providing
it is thrown open as mineral land.
He can locate as many claims as he
likes, if his money holds out. In tae
first place he has to take out pros
pector's hcense-S1.,5 per month;
then S. per claim. No poor man can
hold anything. Almost everything
is done by syndicates. There is
plenty of English capital to form
such combinations.
We had quite time IN London,
coming through. There were six of
us together On this side of the At
lantic they don't like an American.
Yours Fraternally,
NJ. J. SULLIVAN.
For