The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1896-11-13
DIGGING GOLD IN AFRICA
Eight Thousand Whites and Eighty
Thousand Negroes Engaged.
GREAT PROGRESS IN MINING;
How the Mines are WorkeG--The Deep
est Shaft Down About 1900 Feet
Output OF the District

A recent number of Owens Regis |
ter, an English publication, contained
the following interesting sketch of gold
mining il South Africa:
'The Witswatersraud, or White
Water range, is an elevated plateau
having a range Of hills running nearly
due east and west through the Trans
vaal territory Of about 120 miles i'll
length. Johannesburg stands about
670O feet above the level Of the sea.
East and west of Johannesburg
stretches Il low range If hills, or what
are popularity kuJwn as The Reefs.
These are beds Of auriferous conglom-
crate, AID Hte locally known as
'banket. T,.ese beds have been traced
for a distance of 100 miles, of which AS
are now being worked upon All the
reefs underlay to the south at an angle
of from 70 to 10 degrees, but 30 degrees
is the accepted average. Tie beds do
not crop out as do our lOdes in Corn
wall, but are being found at 1000 feet
below the surface by means Of bores
aud shafts. The deepest shaft, at pres
ent, from whence stuff is taken is
about 1900 feet below the surface.
There are now three parallel lines of
exploitation. On the first are about 70
companies. Then, about POO feet to
the southwark, are other companies
| sinking on the underlay. On the third
series of hills, form 5000 to C0) feet still
beyond the middle range, are other
companies which have reached the
same deposits at depth of over 1000
feet by means of bores.
"a claim is 100 feet on the line of
reef, and 400 feet in the direction Of
the underlay, the mining laws Of the
Transvaal not giving the claimholder
the right Of the lateral pursuit but
confine the prospector to the ground
vertically below his surface boundaries.
Hence we see the amalgamatiOu Of the
smaller concerns by the formation Of
syndicates. Some of these companies
hold the leases of 100, others as many
as 1000 claims, thus securing an enOr-
nous extent of ground to operate upon.
1.-The call system is unknown in the
Tarnsvaal. The working capital-frOm
e1O0,O 900 to e1,000 900, generally 81
shares-is all subscribed right from the
start.
''It has been found advisable in a
great many instances to work with in
cline shafts, that is, shafts inclined the
way the reef underlies. Workmen can
Chamber up and down these shafts
without making use of either trolly OF
tub, such as is necessary in descending
or ascending an upright shaft.
" Rand gold is only valued at 6:
lOs. per oz.. as 1t retains traces OF
alloys after being amalagmated anC
cyanided. The actual gold production
of the Transvaal for 1892 was ovel
200. 900 ozs. In 1893 the yield rost
to over 100000 ozs. in 1894 tC
1880, 600 ozs. and, in 1895, the outpu
equalled 2,3OO, 600 ozs. There are
about $500 stamps in full working
order, crushing about 300, 600 tons pei
month. The stamps are the heavies
kind used. They range form 700 lbs
to 1850 lbs. per head. The larges
mills have from 100 to 200 stamps con
stantly at work day and night. Srn
days not excepted. 1t has been esti
mated that within the next four years
5000 stamps will be at work crushing
l",OOO'OOO tOuS pcI auuuIll, pIOiuCIut
6, 900, 600 OZs., estimated val G2O,
900, 600. The total money value of th'
whole companies now at work repre-
sents nearly f1OO, ,O0O.O 600.
"These figures are given because
they are the accepted figures relating
to the industry, the gigantic proportion
of which, few-except EXCEPTIONAL.
we'll Uniformed mining men-have a
yet thoroughly grasped.
'There are about 5000 European
miners on the field and so, 900 natives
The white men earn G23 per month ant
the natives G2. There is no shortag
of labor where there is plenty 0
money, and the Transvaal will fo
many years to come afford opportun
tiles to the intelligent mining in
vestor. -
In summing up the unknown ant
improved possibilities of Charterlan'
the writer very pithily makes use O
the following expression
ut yet remains to be seen whethe
even Mr. Rhodes may rear anothe
Johannesburg upon yet another Soutl
African Rand. -