The Portland daily press., 1896-06-20


ban annex of johannesburg, away from
the hustle and noise, but near enough tt
be III close touch with all the life of tbs
busiest place in South Africa.
I'VE began our sightseeing the follow
ing morning, and made the Acquaintance
of gold mining as carried on above and
below the surface of Witwatersrand, as
TIE reef is called that bears the gold
quartz. We drove from the Rand club
along the ridge and passed several mines,
but did not stop until I'VE came to tho
Simmer and Jack mine. about seven
miles from the Market square of johann
nesburg. Here we found more familiar
looking faces, alert and independent, and
heard the accent that goes with the face
In fact, so many of the most important
places in the gold mining community
are heId by Americans that there is some
ceiling shown, and there is good deal of
jealousy. After visiting the shops for re-
pairing and reftting the machines and
tools that every large mine possesses, we
went on to the compound, or inolosure,
where the native laborer lives. The COM
pound is an institution peculiar to South
Africa, and deserves more than a passing
mention. 1t is rect angular walled in
closure, with one large gate and inside
this Enclosure are the buildings in which
the kafr boy sleeps, eats, and has his
being. The outside wall generally forms
one side of the rooms, although there are
smaller squares inside of all this, and
the Enclosure is divided into smaller COM
pRrtments. In to this is gathered a mot
ley array of the different tribes that had
their origin in this part of the world, the
Zulu, Kafir, and occasionally a Hottentot
or Bushman. There are MANY tribes
that occupy middle position between
the warrior Zulu and the more peaceful
and laboring Xafr, and their name is
| legion. The Zulu are generally police
men. hedgemen. or runners, this latter
o1hce being most necessary adjunct to
mines. RUNNERS being the righthand
men OF the compound manager. The
| position of compound manager is an inn
portant one, and Is always filled by
| Caucasian. His worde is law with some
fifteen hundred natives, and he is the
one who Is looked to for Justice In the
matter of pay and rations by the native
laborsr. and also the one who grants
privileges. No amount of pay will bring
labor to mine II che compound manager
Is unpopular and mines may be shut
down because of the want of the right
man in the right place. A native wants
strict justice, snd doesn't mind If It ia of
q rather stern quality, bat double dealing
is something that he cannot and will NOT
understand.
"One cannot rule Zulu and civilized
and Christianized Kafr boy In the
same way, SO it requires q man of wide
Intelligence and even temper to be a sue
cessful compound manager. A word hero
about the Zulu, who are considered by
many OF the best authorities to be the
nnest race OF savages in the world. A
Zulu Is perfectly honest; his word is to
be trusted, for Zulu will part with his
life before he will break 1t; be comes of
race OF warriors who do not know the
name OF fear and whose perfect discipline
under arms Is lesson tn the finest m ILL.,
tary system In the world. The native
laborer goes to the gold fields and SIGNS
a contract for such time, gives himself
up to work, and when he Is worth so
many COWS and the equivalent in blanket
cloth stuff, etc., he goes home and bays
a wife from her father, the quality of the
wife increasing or diminishing ths
amount he has to pay. After while hs
comes back and works for another period,
and if he is thrifty and doesn't drink too
much gin and Cape smoke he will soon
own three wives. He then becomes more
OF less independent, and if he can possess
i've wives he sits quietly down beneath
his vine and fig tree and rests for the re-
mainder of his life; his wives suppors
him, his daughters are a source of wealth
and he Is a free and Independent savage.
"The provinces of the runner is to act
as sort of roper.in for the compound
manager. When laboreIs are wanted the
runners 50 out into the veldt and gather
them in It is their business to praise
up the compound and the mine to tell of
the fair treatment, good pay. good food,
and, more than all, prompt payment of
all that is promised. At the Simmer and
|
dance. and a very good one the dancers
being principally Zulus and of kindred
tribes of warlike repute.
'We started down an Inclined shaft
which ran ct about the same anglo with
the horizontal as the gold bearing reef,
and, passing down to the third level,
went off along the length of the reef.
Here is done the work Of removing the
quartz from the little oH-shoots from
the main gallery and moving it down to
the level to which the vertical is sunk.
The ore is hoisted up the vertical shaft
and dumped on the sorting table, where
everything bEt the quartz pebble is
thrown out, the ore goes to the sorusher,
is crushed, and from there Is carried to
the stamps. Here it is pulyeri7ed and
washed on the sluioes by the never as
ing stream of water. The sluices, or
washing tables, are simply plates of cop