San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-05
SCENES IN SOUTH AFRICA
WONDERFUL TOWNS GROWN UP IN
ITS GOLD CENTER.

| johannesburg, a City Only Three Years
Old, Yet 1t Rivals the Chief Towns Of
England-A Coach Journey of Three
Hundred Miles.
johannesburg is reached by coach jour
| ney from Kimberley of more than 800 miles
| The coach service is in the hands of two con-
tractors, and is an excellent service. The
coaches used are after the Cobb pattern, each
| coach carrying twelve inside and from six to
| nine outside passengers, besides mails and
luggage. They run daily, completing the
| journey in three days and two nights, and
are usually full of passengers, both on the UP
| and down journey. The fare either way is
el2 lbs, which, with the additional charges
for extra luggage, twenty-five pounds only
being allowed, and extra charged at the rate
! of a penny per pound, and the charges for
the mails, leaves a very handsome profit for
the contractors.
The coaches are dragged by horses or
mules, and finer cattle are not to be found in
this colony than those employed in this SER
vice Fresh horses are taken on every hour
or hour and half, and the teams run only
one stage per day, thus giving them every
chance of being kept in good condition The
roads in dry weather are good and easily
| traversed. After rain they are in some parts
heavy.
SEEN ON THE WAY
The country through which they travel is
in the highest degree monotonous, not tree
nor a bush, not river nor hill, to be seen
for miles, except when some old farm house
stands out from the surrounding baroness
with circle of dropping willows around it.
There are only two places of Importance on
the whole route-Klerksdorp and Potchef-
strom The former consists of an old village
with a few scattered houses covered by
clumps of trees, and a new township, which
is the growth of day and has sprung up in
consequence of the gold discoveries recently
made there. Already several pretentious
stone houses have been erected. A neat and
commodious exchange occupies prominent
site. Churches, schools and a court house
are in course Of construction, and several
large and commodious hotels offer accommo-
dation to the chance traveller. The chief ho-
tel, called the Palace, would do credit to
many an older established town At this ho-
tel the coach stops to rest the passengers for
the night, and, a result of the enormous
traffic passing through the Transvaal, it Is
difficult to get bed.
The town of Potchefstrom was the old cap
ftal of the Transvaal and was the seat of gov
eminent until it was removed to Pretoria.
Like all Dutch towns of old standing, the
houses are built in the midst OF lovely gar
dens, thickly planted with trees, which also
grow luxuriantly in the roadways and lend
charm and freshness to the scene quite ex-
hilarating to those who have been journeying
for hours on the bare veldt
This town, too, has felt the influence of the
gold fever. Gold fields have been discovered
in its neighborhood, and in consequence the
town is full of prospectors, diggers and spec
ulators, ready to pick up the first good thing
they can find. Between Potchefstrom and
Johannesburg there is nothing worthy OF
note. AS one approaches the latter city the
face of the country undergoes gradual
change, becoming more undulating and billy.
till all at once the famous Ell Dorado bursts
upon the view, stretching along the base OF
low ridge of hills, along whose sides the smok-
ing tunnels betray the busy work that is going
on in unearthing golden treasures
The city of johannesburg is a surprise to
all One hears often its praises sung and its
streets and buildings pronounced indescriba-
BILE, but this is set down to exaggeratlon aris-
ing out of the enthusiasm of the speakers. No
one expects to find broad and regular streets,
with noble piles of buildings erected on both
sides-buildings and streets rivaling in size
and style of architecture those of some of the
chief towns of England. The principal bust
ness street, Commissioner street, extends for
nearly two miles 1t contains some of the
finest buildings of the city-the new club, the
Bank of Africa, the new Exchange buildings,
two large hotels, and several two and three
storied erections occupying whole blocks and
intended solely for business and for offices for
the hundreds of brokers and spectators who
find occupation there. All the empty spaces
are being rapidly filled up with buildings Of
brick and stone, and the chief sound that is |
heard above the shouting of the brokers on
Change is the noise of the bricklayer's trowel |
and the clink of the stonecutters chiseL
THE WONDERFUL TOWN.
The town proper is almost entirely occupied |
with business premises: the inhabitants have |