The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-14

IN which We're Jeff Mcclellan, an old Com
stocker; Fred Smith, "UncIe Billy Reed
Shaw, gravel-miner, Mr.. Harrington
and number of others who were fitted for
special work in connection with gravel
mining.
Mr. harrington, in speaking OF their ex
perience yesterday, said:
- we lett here January II, 1884. On our
way out from England we stopped at Ma
uelra, and there Crittenden received tele-
gram from Baron Grant saying that he
mac Deen offered the Moody's Farm mine,
winch is the present site of Johannesburg,
Tor t400O0, and instructing him on his ar
rival at Cape Town or Natal to leave the
men and divide the machinery, sending
one-hah on to the Pilgrim Rest and stor-
ing the other half at Cape Town to be for
warded to Moody's farm in case he pur-
chased that Crittenden was also in
structed to proceed Immediately to
Moody's farm and examine the mine. He
did SO, taking with him Jeff Mcclellan
and Guinness, a brother of the Dublin
brewer. When they returned they con-
demned the property and advised
the Baron not to touch it. The for
nation was SO different from anything
that they had seen in the Comstock or in
California that they thought it worthless
and we all lost an opportunity to make our
fortunes.
linen we all went on to Pilgrims Rest.
The mines were really worthless. Baron
Grants company had spent immense
Sums OF money in machinery and build
lngs and very little in development work,
ano when We arrived there there was little
money left to pay the men. Williams re-
ported to his company that the Pilgrims
Rest was worthless and gave up his posi-
ton.
II stayed out there some time at art
work, and on my way back met Gardiner
Williams on Trafalgar square in London.
he SAID that he was going out on $10,-
oOO salary to another mine, but if it did
not turn out well he would try the dia-
mond mines at Kim berley, and now he is
in charge OF the biggest mines Of that sort
in the world.
Dwight Crittenden, the last / heard of
him, had gone to Norway and was making
a fortune"
Speaking of the Beers and English
there at the time and their relations, Har-
rington said:
themselves that it was only question of
time when there would be enough of them
to turn the country over to the Queen and
they expected all Uitlanders to join them.
The result OF the present troubles is bound
to be the absorption of the country by the
English. They are too strong and pro-
Pressive and the Beers are not. 1t would
be good thing for the country if it had
English rule or any other rule except that
OF the Beers. The Beers themselves have
been anticipating trouble of this sort and
made preparations for it. While / was
there learned from some agents of the
Government going to Germany that a Sc
cret treaty had been made between Krue-
ger and Emperor William / of Germany
by which it was agreed that in case of an
other English invasion he would turn over
his country to Germany"
Mr.. Harrington has many sketches made
while he was there. Among them is one
OF prison for the confinement of Kaffirs.
''All the PRISONS" he said, 'are Enclosed
within stone walls, at the gate of which is
a portcullis with moat running round,
such as those at old fortresses. The most
common punishment melted out is fog
ging. The poor Kaffirs cannot be fined
for they have nothing and they rather en-
Joy life In the PRISONS so confinement is
hardly punishment. The stocks and fog
ging are the principal means of inhicting
punishment. Every Monday at o'clock
in the morning the logging occurs. This
sketch was made while two Kaffir women
were being fogged for arson"