The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-30

Product Steadily Enthusiastically 25,
tstD. 900 NAV Be Expected.

report by Mr.. Hamilton Smith upon
Witwatersrand gold fields was published
III The London Times rwo years ago. based
upon an examination OF the Rand in 1882.
lie has lately revisited the Transyaal. re-
naming there from August 20 December,
Issa Ia the former report his belief vas
STATED that IN a few years the geld pro
duct from the Rand would increase 20 q
value Of over f10.eng1 Der annum. and
that total yield Of En-. 1so go In gold
could be reasonably expected from this
one district
The Times adds: ''Since 1892 work has
been carried on more vigorously than ever
before In about sixty mines owning claims
RI Sn9 hear the surface outcrOp OF the
main rect series. Many vertical bore
Roles have been put down by diamond
drills. one having reached the great
depth OF nearly $50 fet- Mr.. Smith be-
heVs that at horizontal distance OF
three miles from their outcrup the reefs
o. the main series are probably 1880 feet.
or about mo miles. hcusath the surface.
At distance Of two miles their depth, as
a ruIe. VIII Got be quite one and half
miles
The vertical depth 10 which these
mines can he worked with profit will
chiefly depend upon the value Of the ore.
the amount OF capital required for plant
and development the quantity of water
ground With the abundant supply Of
coal In the Rand the cost % hosting the
ore from great depths will not be a very
important item. None of the mines on
the Rand have thus far encountered
large fnfiows Of water. In regard 10 the
heat Mr.. Smith was able TO make some
careful determinations of the tempera-
tUre In the deep bore-hoie before SPOKEN
OF. These show a temperature of So de-
grees Fahrenheit al a depth of 30 feet
Increasing In "A regular manner 70 a5.3 de-
grees al depth OF 2.4si feet: this indi-
cafes a temperature of about 100 degrees
al depth Of 100 feet. Supposing the
rocks 20 have this degree OF heat. when
a mine is opened up the current Of cooler
air from the surface passing through the
workings viii reduce their temperature
from 5 10 10 degrees: such a heat viii add
somewhat to the mining costs, but not
very greatly. At the depth OF $500 feet
the high temperature VIII probably
cause a serious addition 10 the mining
costs. Mr. Smith thinks that with most
OF the mines vertical working depth of
but little over 1850 feet can be assumed
as limit with which they can be oper-
ated at a profit. while with richer or
thicker ore, such as is now found In a
Few or the outcrop mines. limit of some
thing over 1850 feet In depth seems rea-
soBable. Should. however, the price OF
skilled labor and the cost Of supplies de-
cline IN time TO European level, still
deeper limits would be possible
AS 70 the continuance of the gold with
Increased depths there is no sign what
ever up 10 the present time of any change
In the grade of the ore. As all present
Indications show that the average values
OF the reefs remain unchanged TO a YER
teal depth OF 1000 feet-say 80 feet upon
their dlp-it IS not very daring expecta-
IN INF
grade to limit or 5000 feet vertical.
Mr.. Smith goes on 10 say: IN 1894 the
value OF the Rand gold bullion WAS
100000. and this without any increase
from the new deep level mises; these lat
ter will become fairly productive In 1897.
50 Tor that year a product OF fully no.
on0oo can be fairly expected Judging
from first Appearances the maximum
product Of the Rand will be reached
about the end OF the century. when Il will
probably exceed f12. $50 600 per annum. II
Is evident that the chances are far great
er now than they were in ls9.~of nv con-
lectures OF that date being realized. and
today nearly every one conversant with
the Rand considers them as being con-
siaerahly under the mark The Rand for
1894. with its product OF f70d0 90. stands
third IA the world. the United States
still remaining first with Its greatly IN
creased output OF over f. 600 90 and Aus
tralasia (Australja, New Zealand and Tas-
mania) being probably secord. with n
product OF about 100000. In 1919 the
worlds product of gold was about f6.o0o.-
oo. which increased TO something over
f3o 100000 I'm 1853. owing 10 the discovery
and working OF the rich placers Of Cal
ifornia and Australia; from 1853 the yield
steadily declined until in 1883 II had fall
en- 10 less than f2o0o0,0 10 Since 1887 the
yield has advanced by leaps and bounds,
the increase being chiefly due TO the new
discoveries in South Africa until in 1894
the product has most probably amounted
to fully S.sp0o no ounces OF fine gold
worth over t9s. 5O0. 010. an output certainly
much greater than that for any previous
II was evident that the great yield from
both California and Australia would he
short-liyed. whereas the probabilities now
are that this great product of fSs go. 600
will be fully main tanned FOR quite q num-
Der ~ years 70 come; and yet. in spite
OF this fact and this belief. the prices Of
commodities generally In use. such as
wheat. cotton. wool. sugar. iron. copper.
efc., are row lower than they have been
for the past one hundred years IL has
hc0n generally accepted that one on the
principal causes or the rise In the price
ri standard articles from lSi9 10 1851 was
due ~ the Influx OF gold from California
and Australia Nui the same rise IN
values measured hy che ounce Of gold
take place in the coming IKE years? This
Is s. question NJ vast Importance 10 All
~ us, from the richest capitalist 70 the
poorest iat,rrer.