Arizona weekly citizen., 1894-06-30
TIE AFRICAN GOLD MINES.

The world, says the San Francisco
Call, is indebted to the German govern
ment for late information regarding the
gold mines of South Africa. Herr
Schmeister was cent last fall to the
Traneyasl republic to report on the
subject, and his report has just been
pub ished in German blue book.
The mines first attracted public atten-
tion SIX years ago. Their output at
that time lin 1889 was 230,640 ounces.
Il has decreased from that time year by
year until in 1893 it was 1,47S.473 ounces,
aGd this year the product is estimated
at 100000 ounces. The gold is not
pure. 1t contains SO large an admixture
of other metals that it cannot be used
ct the mints without refining, and it is
only worth S17.l4 per ounce at the
mines. Even at this low price the
mines are yisldlng not less then $685.
000, 600 per year, with a prospect of a
large increase from year to year for time
To come.
Their future output is matter OF
such import that Herr Schmeister has
entered into elaborate calculations and
estimates on the subject. The Wit
watersrand, Nhicn is the name of the
ridge in which the gold is found, is fifty
miles long, but the tract in which
mining is conducted is 1nly eleven and a
aif milss long, so tn t fourths
of be Rand are unexploIed.
Herr Schmeister confines b's estim-
.ves TO lhe district which Is now being
Wov k d, and he figures that ii mining is
COZ d u cted on the two lodes now being
attacked 10 depth of 300 feet Sl,O20.-
$4,000 worth Of eoli will be taken cut
ia the next twenty-five years, and II
mining can be prosecuted TO depth OF
1850 feet the quantity OF gold extracted
in the next forty years will be worth
SI,7l0,506, 900. These estimates nearly
coincide with those OF Mr.. Hamilton
Smith, who was sent to the mine 10y the
Rothschilds, and whose report was
published in the London Times few
weeks ago. He figured that the amount
of god still remaining 10 the Rand down
to depth OF 5000 feet was s1,G44,9
900.
The published sta istics Of the gold
production of the past are sut!3ct 10
suspicion. But the aggregate product
of California aud Australia from 1851
to 1875 did not vary far from 31,OOO,OOO
ounces, say s62O,OOO.OOO. This Was the
yield of quarter of century. Ii the
next quarter of century should add
to the worlds stock OF gold Sl,000,C ,COO,-
OnO from the mines of South Africa the
coneequeDces on commerce aud indus
try would be important, and whenever
people became satisfied that the gold
was ccming they would not wait for its
actual advent to discount the future.
The gold in the Witwatersrand camp
is found in a copglomerate rock. Some
of the conglomerate yields nearly an
ounce to the ton, but in 1892 the average
was 13 penpyweights, and in 1893 Il
penDyweights. 1t is estimated that the
cost of working is equal to about ~
penuyweights, and that save urdel
exceptional circumstances, ore carrying
less than that will NOT pay to mine
| A large district, extending in almost
every direction from the Witwatersrand
is known to contain goldbearlng con
Qlomerats, but thus far 1t has not been
sufficiently explored to determine wheth
er the metal is present in sufficien
quantities to pay.
One point on which error may hsv,
crept into the calculations of the min
ing engineers is in relation to the depths
to which the minerals may be followed
We have found in this country that be
low a certain depth the grade of the or,
declines while the cost of mining in
creases. The lower workings of tn,
Comstock were never very profitable
and the same law may be found to b,