Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-08-29

II should be remembered }aat IN addi-
tion 10 the difficulties and obstacles which
have described above and which the gold
fields have had to encounter and overcome
must be rackoned the most stupid, selfish
and incompetent government which ever
afflicted a community or q country. The
Transvaal possesses everything which man
can desire for comfort luxury and general
prosperity-an unequalIed climate, a soil
of exuberant fertility, mines OF gold, silver,
coal and iron, all OF great richness, The
Beers, in their stubborn and mulish Igno-
rance, have resolved In 40 tar as in them
lies that none Of this great wealth shall be
taken advantage of and developed. In a
country where millions Of acres might pro-
duce millions OF quarters # grain only
comparativelya few hundreds of thousands
of acres produce Indian corn.
Two years at the least will probably
elapse before Johannesburg, q town whose
life and growth depends on the cocstruc-
tion Of railways, is proper connection with
the sec. coast. with other South American
towns, or even with all of its one adjoin-
ing coal field. Millions Of tons OF ma
chinery, Of coal, of provisions, of all the
necessaries Of life have had 10 be Dragged
over hundreds of miles Of ground, in
groaulng and oyeraden wagons by ex-
haUsted and half starved oxen la such a
condition of things one might have
thought that the most simple and mex
perlenced government could at least have
maintained decent highway conmunica-
ton. On the contrary, the tracks are the
TJrst In the world, in many places almost
impossible in the best period of The year,
tali u l., A
comparatively small expenditure would
suffice to render traffic possible and even
easy.
1t is, | believe, fact that repeated ap-
plications have been made to the president
for money to be spent on improving or re-
pairing the roads, but all such applica-
tons are in vain. The president replies
that he has no money to spend on such
things as roads; that the tracks which are
in existence were made by and were good
enough for the forefathers Of the Beers,
and are, therefore, more than good enough
for the present day. The pegyerse sim.
plcity of these Beers in inconeeivable,
but TO it there attaches still darker stain
corruption. 1t is openly and publicly
asserted in the press, in public speeches
and IN society, and sways violently and
u,.ngnantly government circles
The vicious system Of concessions
abounds. Dynamite, an article Of prime
necessity in a mining country. has been
made the subject of a monopoly and grant.
ed to an individual who, for Considera.
tions unknown, is entitled TO exclude all
other dynamite from the country but his
own, and receives a royalty of Is Cd
ton on all his own dynamite which is
consumed To such pitch has the policy
of concession been carried that ! am in
formed that quite recently an individual
applied TO the government for d concession
to grant concessions, and that the propO-
sihon was gravely and seriously consider
ed, but has not yet been accepted
It this country had been in tie hands of
the English or Americans il would prob
ably now be peopled by some millions of
Europeans, would be giving forth every
variety in inexhaustible quantities of veg
etable, animal and mineral produce; inter
sected by railways and canals-in a word,
it might be the most wealthy and
prosperous spot upon the face Of the
earth.
have spoken of silver mines. These
are situated some forty miles to the east Of
Johannesburg, and are Of very recent dis
coyery. The history of them is somewhat
remarkable. A company was formed to
work them with, | believe, capital of
about a quarter of million The affair
was probably a fraud, the money was
mostly wasted; little was found and moth
ing was done and the silver mines of the
Iransyaal fell into disrepute and dlsfavor.
Some person or persons, however, dIscOv-
cred on the property specimens of ore of
singular richness. These being brought
to gentlemen possessing experience and
capital, were pronounced by tAem to be
good silver ore. A small syndicate was
soon formed shares of the old company
were quickly bought up, new capital was
expended, the reef has been opened up and
developed and ascertained to be of great
extent md fair richness. The average
yield of the ore mas been estimated 10y
assay TO be about thirty ounces OF silver to
the ton. In some places, however, it'll
reaches the high average of from two
hundred to three hundred ounces to the
ton. 1t contains about thirty per cent Of
lead
am informed by experts that the geo
logical formation of these ore deposit is
peculiar the presence in abundance of
N4A tlllNIN gu lI'il lit-l dtIl3rl ft' III hD7tlt
of zinc ana OF any excess OF silver render
ing smelling very easy. At present some
in working this ore at a profit
may arise from the necessity Of having to
use for smelling imported coke az the cost
Of some els per ton. In the Immediate
coal mines are being work
ed, but it is doubtful weather this coal can
be manufactured into coke sufficiently
good for smelling purposes. Il is known, |
however, that there exist hard by beds of
superior coal, and great hopes are enter |
tanned that sufficiently good coke may be
produced upon the spot. Silver reefs APP
pear TO abound on the properties adjoining
that of the Transvaal silver mines COM /
pany. One or two syndicates have been
formed 10 acquire and develop these prop /
critics, and 1T is quite possible that the
silver mines Of the Iransyaal mas become
a larger, a more important and a more
valuable industry than even the gold mines
Of the Randi.
made, IN company with some friends, /
a very interesting and pleasant expedition
to these silver mines, and the incidents of
the journey led me to offer few remarks
rn1u fra 1,rp-arrn 81 gr4ma and rna Dr1s-