New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-05
A GREAT NEW GOLD FIELD
ROMANCE AND TRAGEDY ~ A SOUTH Az.
RICAN Ell DORADO

in Mashonaiand there have lately been found rich
deposits OF gold in what is known az the Tout.
pa nsberg district. This Is the northern portion Of
the Transyaai, between the Limpopo and Olifant
rivers. The actual gold fields. already staked out
as such, cover less than 1854 square miles. The
region. according to Frederick Jeppe in THE Geo
graphical Journal" was first claimed and occupied
by the Beers. led by Hendrix Potgeter, In lss and
the story OF their conquest and settlement OF II 10
full Of the most thrilling incidents worthy OF an
ample record by the future historian OF the Repub-
lic Surrounded and opposed by powerful native
tribes handful of brave pioneers pushed on 10 the
north and established village on the southern
slope of the Zoutpansberg, named Schoemansdaa.
Here the small community lived ana nourished. sur
rounded by hostile native tribes. Rita Montanha,
Portuguese priest who visited the village IN lsS.
mentions the number Of dwellings as 27s, accommo-
dating population OF 1900 souls OF whom 800 were
| 1T to bear arms. They lived principally from the
proceeds OF their hunting trips into the Interior.
bartering ivory and skins for guns ammunition.
| groceries and other necessaries OF lie with the
Portuguese traders from the coast or with the in
land merchants at Pretoria. In the year 1854 Her
| manus Potgieter, brother OF Hendrix Potgietef,
accompanied by his wife and children and some fol-
| lowers were surprised by the natives at Moord-
| drift In Makapanspoort. The whole party were
killed after being cruelty mutated when the
news of these atrocities reached the authorities,
Commando Of Beers. consisting Of 500 men, under
| NJ. W. Pretorius. of Potchefstroom. proceeded to
! Makapanspoort to revenge the murder OF their
relatives
| The natives did not wait for the Beers but fed
into some large in the mountains; these were
surrounded by the Beers in the hope that the ma.
tves would be forced to surrender for want OF
food and water. But II appears that the natives
| knew Of some outlets unknown TO the Beers. by
which they managed supply themselves with
water They held out for some time but when
! Potgieter was fatally wounded and the natives
openly deied the Beers. calling upon them to come
and fetch them out OF the caves. the Beers de-
termined to make end Of the affair. All the ap-
proaches to the filed with large bowl
ders and blocked up with wood, which was set on
fire. In this way the whole clan. numbering some
|, 800 souls. except few who managed to escape
were either starved to death or suffocated By the
smoke Numerous skeletons and heaps OF bones
and skulls may still be in the caves. But the
terrible revenge taken b. the Beers had little er-
feet on the natives, who were conscious Of their
vast superiority In numbers. The strife between
the white man and the black was kept up for years
until, in 1862 the Government resolved to abandon
Schoemansdaal for time. The inhabitants re-
moved their furniture and everything else that
could be moved. and retired 10 the southern portion
of the district But the people living in the valleys
Of the northeastern portion Of the district, called
Spelonken remained on their farms.
With the exception OF the tribes under the pow.
erful chief Magato and few Of his under chiefs.
all the natives OF the district have submitted to the
supremacy of the Government. and agreed to pay
taxes. The location Of the chief Zebedela Is suat-
ed partly in the Zoutpansberg and partly in the
Waerberg district. but has not been officially de-
fined. Negotiations still pending with regard to
the territory claimed by Magato, who occupies
stronghold in the Zoutpansberg considered almost
impregnabe. The Republic has been several times
on point OF deciding the dispute with this pug
nacious and impertinent chief by force of arms
but the wish to avoid bloodshed and arrange mat
ters in a peaceful manner has been predominant
with the authorities. Commandant Pretorius. who
lately visited the mysterious chieftainess Mojaje
who Is supposed 70 have furnished Mr. Rider Hag-
gard with the subject for She" describes her as
a very old woman. with long pointed and crooked
nose long face. thin lips closely cropped hair, blue
eyes, and almost white in color. In spite OF her
bodily infrmies she received with great re-
spect by the tribe.
No proper has been tak,n OF the
natives in the Transvaa. According to the last
estimate the approximate number OF the native
tribes living within the limits OF the district 10
1872 $685. consisting of 1901 grown-up males, 100.70
females. and 22. 534 children. The two principal
tribes the Basutos or Makatis. and the Mag
wambas Knobnoses the latter being 5000 strong
The tribes living in the Zoutpansberg range are
estimated by the German missionaries at 10000
souls The white population is put down by the
last official at 1865 of whom 2732 are males
and 1896 females. the density Of white population
| being 0l6 per square mile Numerous travellers
have visited the district. mostly on their way TO the
INTERIOR but large tracts Of country on the eastern
border UNEMPLOYED and only known TO the hunt
ers who visit this part of the country during the
winter to hunt buraioes CRATES, rhinoce-
roses and elephants. which are still found In
| these regions But owing to the tsetse fly and
| poisonous plants these hunting trips have to be
| done foot or with donkeys.
| Livingstone Is the first traveller on record who
visited the district. which he did in the fortiea
but he did proceed further than Makapanspoort
and Gassiot is the second who passed through tho
southwestern portion of the district In ISL on his
way to the Iimpopo. Rita Montanha coming from
| nhambane. visited the settlement At Ioutpansberg
| in 1865: I.ogeenry. French missionary from Ba>
| suto Land. passed through the Marabasstad dis
| rlct on his way to Mapela in ISIS; fMerensky. In
search Of the ruins of Ximbabwe discovered BY
Mauch in 1871. explored the district in 1862 Mauch
| in 1868. mis- way TO the interior. and Elton. In
1870. in his trip from the Tat settlement in Delasoa
J Bay. explored the southern bank OF the Lmpopo
| In the same year Button explored the region OF
the present gold fields. and year later discovered
| gold at Eersteing. near Marabasstad In 1879.
Erskne on his way from the Casa country to
Gutenberg. travelled along the banks OF the OIL
FAINT River Baines, his return from the Mataoele
country crossed the Impopo IN latitude p degrees.
/ 81 minutes. 10 seconds and passed through Maka.
panspoort en- route Pretoria In 1870: Cohen visited
Maraba in 1873: Rehmann explored the district
q few years later. describing lis physical features
| In an exhaustive way never attempted by any
| other explorer: Raddatz, who died AT Yersberg In
1890. explored the southern portion OF the district
in 1885, and last but not least. the Brothers +. and
| H. Berthoud during their long residence In the
speonken explored the district in all drsst,on;'
and published the first sketch maps OF the disrict
or all these Logegary, who travelled through me
country in 1865 in search of thieves who had stolen
| a large sum OF money and six horses from him was
the first who discovered gold in the northern part
| the Government Secretary of the Republic written
at Seches In October 1885, he reports the exstence
OF two gold mines In tn Transvaal and states that
| he Is In possession OF twelve samples OF quartz
containing gold. lie does not name the iocanty
| where he found them but as ne travelled through
! Sekukuni's country and the Marabasstad region 70
Mapela's Kraal. II mus, be assumed that ne iounu
/ the gold aiong this route. He wrote You may
| believe that II the English knew OF this no.n,,ns
! would stop them In their march TO Inc ltsnsNas,
And he continues, Wherever there Is go'a NIL h,e,1
L NM 1