Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1895-07-27
soUru AFRICAN GOLD FIELDS.

day contains Q very interesting articiefe-
carding the South African gold fields.
The article occupies two columns and a
half space in that paper, and is therefore
too lengthy for reproduction in the
SENTINEL. However. we extract the
following which will give our readers an
idea Of the extent and richness OF the
southern portion Of the Ozark CONT
nent:"
For q year London, and for that mat
ter all England. have been slowly grow
ing mure and more excited over the gold
mines of South Africa. Within . year
mining shares that were worth about s.
have sold as high as sl65. and it is not
improbable that South African properties
will be listed on the New York Stock
Exchange in the neal future.
1t lie strange that this country, which
has so keen an interest in booms OF every
sort, should have thus far paid so little
attention TO the rise OF South Africa. In
exactly ten years a state then wild, IN
explored almost, from producing no gold
OF all has risen to the first gold produc-
ing country Of the world. The single
little district known as the Wit
watersrand in the Transvaal or South
African Republic will yield this year up.
ward of $40, 600, 900 worth of gold. This
district lie not over fifteen miles wide and
about sixty miles long. and ten years ago
il was laid out in stock farms that were
selling for a few pounds per acre. To-
day the mines located on this narrow
strip have q market value OF about $780,.
900, 900.
The principal gold fields are grouped
about the town OF J~ohannisberg,
which lies inland just q thousand miles.
1t is reached by rail from either Cape
town, Port Elizabeth or East London. 1t
has now a population Of 10000 whites.
1t lie situated nearly 5000 feet above the
level Of the sea; is surrounded by a roll.
ing grassy country. The town is lit by
electricity and an electric tramroad is be.
ing built connecting ell the surrounding
mines and villages with the central town.
The mines are equipped with perhaps the
finest mining machinery in the world.
and the mines are worked 10 the most
scientific manner.
Johannesburg presents absolutely none
OF the characteristics that we used to
read Of in the flush days of Leadville or
Virginia City or Phoebe. The climate for
the most part is rather mild, though dur
ing the rainy season u is sometimes un-
pleasant. Still. the place 10 healthy, and
one u~ndergoes no hardships in living
there.
The discovery Of the auriferous "blan.
kst" or oongIomerate beds on the Wit
watersrand came in 1885. The news OF
The discoveries soon reached Kimberly,
and It was mainly the Kimberly people
that took hold of and developed the
mines. The deposits were found in a
uhale unlike anything else anywhere in
the world. They are not in quartzite
veins, bat in associate beds OF q sort Of
conglomerate which is known a. . reef.
The main reef lie about /, 200 feet wide, and
the principal workings have strung along
for about eleven miles. Here lie the great
Robinson mine, the Victoria Rand and
others which have given fame to that re-
gion. II was on account Of the peculiar
geological character Of the formation and
the unexpected presence Of gold in q con-
glomerate bed that ct first led ever ex-
pert engineers to declare the fields worth
less. Indeed, one celebrated engineer,
sent out at heavy expense, pronounced
the alleged find an absurdisy. From the
very reef on which he stood, millions
upon millions of dollars worth Of gold
has been taken out, and ID was AZ exam
ination of this reef. when IL had been de-
veloped later, that led Hamilton Smith.
the well-known mining engineer, to de-
clare that ''There have often been mines
oil short length far richer than these Of
the Rand. but nothing approaching them
ever have been. so far as regularity and
extent are concerned"
The deposit is held in a broad bed OF
vein that takes the shape Of something
like an bowl. So ID happen,
that the same deposit will be found at
deep level some miles away from the out
crop of the reef. The English law is thai
q claim extends into the earth on verti-
cal lines and not according to the
'sstrike" Of the vein as in the American
system. So knowing that the vein could
be tapped at q distance, an American en-
gineer. Hennen Jennings, conceived the
idea Of sinking a long shaft at q distance
from the main reef. This was the be-
ginning of the deep level workings and
from these many of the richest mines
have been and are now being developed.
Hamilton Smith estimated that along
the stretch Of eleven miles Of the main
reef which he saw-it having been pros
pected by diamond drills to the depth oil
$500 feet lone mile)-there were at least
100, 900, 900 tons which would yield co.
900. 900 ounces Of gold, or q value Of
81, 075. 900, 900. He estimated that the
mines outside of this area would produce
half as much more.
The mineral wealth Of the Trsnsvaal,
however, is not confined to the Wit
watersrand. There are other gold fields
along the northern and eastern edge Of
the republic, and not very far distant
from Johannesburg are extensive coal
49, Thoaa lafkar nccnr mot In n