Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-10-15
LIFE IN JOHANNESBURG.


More News Of Interest About the Me-
tropoiis OF the Trausvaal.
The Transvaal and its wonderful CO.'S
mopolitan center. johannesburg. are
just now of greater interest than ever
Emigration there from all enterprising
civilized nations is still on the increase,
says the Home Journal
The railway journey from Cape
Town to Johannesburg OF about three
days is through a seemingly endless,
candy country, with range succeeding
range OF distant mountains, all alike,
and strikes a greater sense OF vastness
and desolation than an eXpansc OF
naked ocean itself First and second
class have sleeping accommodation.
lowest class Dutch. Well. we reach
johannesburg. which has not even yet.
with all its wealth, covered in-railway
station: while, by way of contrast in
the progress Of the place, just across
the road is huge club, with tennis
gymnasium, military band, halls for
dancing, operas, oratorios. ETC., which
viii bear comparison with any you
please. Its members are millioniares
and clerks, dodgers and their lodging
house keepers, all equal there; for we
have left behind caste, cliques and
cathedral cities and are cosmopolitan,
or, in word, colonial. An institution
like this gives us the state Of society
there in a nutshell, for, as wages are
very high, any one in anything like lu
crative employment can belong to it.:
and the grades in society are deter
mined by money and money only.
Johannesburg, the London OF South
Africa, which was nine years ago bar
rem veldt. eight years ago miners
camp, Is now the center OF some 1O0,-
600 inhabitants and Increasing about
as fast as bricks and mortar can be OBJ
tanned. 1t Is situated directly on top
OF the gold and, on looking down from
the high ground above, it looks to an
English eye like huge, long -drawn-out
mass OF tin sheds, with it's painted iron
mine chimneys running in a straight
line all along the quartz gold reef as
far as you can see in either direction,
The largest or main reef runs for thir-
~ miles uninterruptedly, bearing
and honeycOmbed with mines through
out. This, even were it alone, could
speak for the stability and continued
prosperity of the Transvaal gold trade.
On mail steamer arriving only a few
days ago from the Cape was said to be
between 100000 and f4OO, 900 worth of
gold and the newspapers show that
usually about 100000 worth is con-
signed by each mail boat.
To young fellows going out with
few hundreds to try their luck, the old
Australians advice, think, holds good
for Africa namely, to put your money
into safety for year and not go into
business or specializing until you know
your country. johannesburg business
morality is certainly not London bust
ness morality and leading business
men at the former place will tell you
themselves that honesty is not expected
there. For those who go there to earn
their livelihood or to make money I
would say do not go out without fixed
trade or handicraft, or money to start
upon or a good introduction to some
friend already there. But remember
that the Transvaal Is a veritable para
disc for the workingman who knows
his business All the heavy part of the
labor is put out: the Kaffirs do it, di-
rected by him in few kaffir words and
generally many English explosives.
Wages are paid monthly. Miners make
there f25 to EGO a month. II first rate,
and the blacks drill their holes for
blasting where and as they order them.
Carpenters, blacksmiths, masons can
get about the same and whenever a bill
let is lost or cannot be obtained a short
tramp along the mines generally brings
success.