Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-06-09
THE CHICAGO E;AGLE.
FORTY MILLIONS PER YEAR.
Value Of the Output from Gold Mines In
the south Of Africa.


Value Of the Output from Gold Mines In
the south Of Africa.
1t will soon be twenty years since
the great gold fields of the nineteenth
century in California and Australia
ceased their phenomenal yield. 1t Is
only now that there seems to be
prospect Of a gold yield from a new
source, which may materially help to
restore the old relations between the
precious metals. That new source Is
In South Africa, in the South Afri.
can Republic, near the twenty.sixth
degree of south latitude. This Is
probably the oldest worked gold field
In the world, says q writer In the San
Francisco Call. Commentators are
inclined to place the land Of Ophir
In Southern Arabia; but they prOba.
bly, attach too much importance TO
the texts which are vague: recent
discovery makes IL almost certain
that the gold which abounded In
Egypt and Palestine in the time Of
Rameses and again In the time OF
Solomon came from South Africa and
was shipped north In vessels from
ports on or near Delagos Bay. 1t
need hardly lie said that the mining
appliances Of 1900 years ago we're
rude and that the miners merely
scratched the surface for Outcrop gold
or washed the gravel for nuggets.
When the first prospectOrs went to
work In earnest In the Orange Free
State, the Transvaal and Natal some
ten years ago they found ridges OF
gold. bearing rock carrying from three
to i've ounces to the ton, which was
practically virgin. These ridges ap.
pear to out.crop all over the belt Of
country from the twenty.sixth to the
thirticth parallel, but the miners
seemed to have settled down to the
conviction that the richest Of them
are in the South Africa Republic (the
old Transvaal) In the neighborhood
Of johannesburg, and upon Q range
Of mountains known as the Wittc
Water Rand.
As in Nevada the gold 10 found 10
the quartz OF this veins dipping
At various angles cut through o con.
glomerate rock In which water.worn
pebbles are imbedded. The ore Is, OF
course, q milling ore A line OF mills
within short intervals between them
extend along the main reef for dis.
lance Of twenty miles. How busily
the stamps fall may be inferred from
the fact that their cleanup in Jan.
uary was 149, s84 ounces Of gold,
which at S22 an ounce would repre-.
sent %, 300, 900. At this rate the an.
nual output OF the mines would be
nearly $40, 900, 900, but the miners
figure that the gold. bearing veins OK.
tend further than the present linn /
OF operations and that monthly
output OF 200, 900 ounces, worth
81, 400, 600, may 10 expected before
long. This would be the yield Of the
new FL Dorado up to the average
yield of Californ,a during the last
days OF the boom. The South Afri.
can Republic is An indie pendent State,
recognized aS such by Great Britain
by the treaty of 1854. Its afea Is
about the same as that Of Nevada.
lts population II 10 impossible tV esti.
mate, In conseq of the recent
rush Of miners TO the gold fields.
Labor IL abundant Tho natives,
who supply It ut the rate Of 82A cents
per day, are pronounced rs good
workers In the mines as white men.
Thus there IL no inducement for
working miners to 20 there, but OK.
perta possessed Of scientific knowl.
edge and with small capital, will
probably find o better chance Of for.
tune there than anywhere else In tho
world ut this moment Of time.
Skilled LABOR will probably find EN-.
plOyment there In building railroads
which the mines will require. The
country Is u good one independent
OF tho mines. 1t will grow wheat,
suvar, and cotton, and on the hills
cattle and sheep are being reared. 1T
Is abunaantly watercd by streams
which feed the rivers flowing into
the Indian Ocean. The climate Is
hot out not unhealthy. The only
drawback to the future prosperity OF
the country 10 tho danger Of wars
with England, whose territory and
protectorates encircle 1t all around.