The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-01-13
THE TRANsVAAL PRISONERS.
One of Them is an American Mining En-
gineer with Salary of S100, 900 Year.

cape Town. January ll.-Slr Hercules
Robinson, governor of Cape Colony, has
issued proclamation removing DR..
Jameson from the Office of Administrator
of Mashonaland and appointing f. j.
Newton, secretary and receiver general of
British Bechuanaland, in his place. Mr..
Newton is an imperial officer
The % members of the reform commit
tee who were arrested in Johannesburg
and taken to Pretoria on Friday on
charge of high treason, are now in the
Pretoria jail. where DR.. jameson and his
comrades are also confined pending the
complete disarming of the Johannesburg
Uitianders
MIR. John Hays Hammond, an Ameri-
can mining engineer, is among the mem
bers of the reform committee who were
arrested. A stringent passport system
is being enforced in Johannesburg.
There is very strong feeling there
against German interference IN the
Transvaal troubles.
Advioes from Johannesburg say that
several of the members of the reform
committee have fed and that one of them
has been allowed to deprat after deposit
ing surety for his appearance when want
ed in the sum of 20, 600 pounds.
1t is rumored that the government of
Transvaal will demand the cession of
Amatongaland from Natal This report,
however, is not believed.
Advices from Bloemfontein, the capt.
tai of the Orange Free State, say that the
delegates of the Orange Free State who
were sent to Pretoria to confer with the
government of the South Africa repub-
lie and proffer to the Transvaal govern
ment the assistance Of the Orange Free
State il 1T should be required, have re-
turned to Bloemfontein and reported TO
the Raad.
The delegation represent that docu-
ments have been discovered disclosing
q widespread plot, OF which Dr. Jameson s
raid into the Transyaal was part. The
delegates entirely absolve Gov. Robinson
of Cape Colony of all knowledge of the
conspiracy. Dispatches from Johannes.
burg dated January 9, say that the stu
sequence of the condition imposed by
President Kruger that the release OF
Jameson and his followers shall be con-
tingent upon the abrogation of the COLI
vention of 1884 thereby making the
Transvaal republic an absolutely indie
pendent state.
The average American probably does
not know that the development of the
greatest mines Of South Africa, and
hence large part of the development OF
tho country itself, is due chiefly to the
| ingenuity of the American mining en-
gineers The American mining engineer
stands at the head of his profession in
| the world. John Hays Hammond, one
of the reform committee of johannesburg,
who was arrested with the other members
Of the committee, and taken to Pretoria,
| probably heads the list of the mining en-
gineers OF the world, and he is an Ameri-
| can.
| He is an old Californian, as are also
Mr.. Collins, Mr.. Starr, Mr.. Jenkins and
dozen others sOf the great engineers EN-.
| ployed in superint ending or managing
Che mines of South Africa Some years
ago he was introduced to Ceoil Rho1es,
the premier of Cape Colony and the
money king of South Africa, by one OF
the Rothsohilds. He travelled with Mr..
Rhodes all over Matabeleland and Mas
honaland on prospecting tour. He was
employed by Mr.. Rhodes as superinten
dent of one of the greatest mines in
South Africa at salary of 800, 600 6
| year, which is double the salary Of the
| President of the United States 1t il
| because most of the great engineers oI
| South Africa are Americans that Anne
rioan mining machinery is SO much in
favor in the mines there. The engineers
| favor their own country.
| Men who know Hammond ard Other
engineers there were greatly alarmed
yesterday for their safety and they con.
sidered it the duty of the United States
| government to take steps for their safety.
The Boers, the mining mon said, care
nothing for Americans, and they were
| likely to take the satisfaction out of these
men they probably cannot get from the
Engishmen, who are likely to be turned
over to the English authorities to. be
dealt with.