The herald., 1897-03-28
RAND. MINES
By One of the WOman's
Press Club
PROGRESS OF HHE CAMPS
LADY SCRIBBLERS GENEROUS
LY ENTERTAINED
Grand Rough scenery---Valuable In.
formation and Interesting Side
lights on Mining Life

To be prepared in ones mind for hard
nights ride on the desert, half perishing
with cold, with prospective shelter I'M
der some sort of rough board structure,
with the keen wind bowling through the
open cracks, is one thing. To be driven
over a road as smooth and firm as a city
boulevard, with no special discomfort,
and at the end of the journey to be greet
ed by friendly faces and cordially usher
ed into a modern hotel, provided with
| electric call bells and satin damask fur
| niture, to wide-armed rocking chairs,
around a big, warm stove, is quite an
other and a very agreeable surprise.
Yet this is precisely what occurred to
the nine members Of the Woman's
| Press club who visited the Rand
mining district the week before last.
The ride Of seven hours on the Santa
Fe railroad from Los Angeles to the
little town Of Kramer, is one of variety
and sharp contrasts.
From the orange groves and green
fields the roses and blossoming fruit
| trees of the south, up to mountain tops
white with snow, then down through
endless stretches of giant cactus to the
boundIess desert, is a vivid panorama
of beauty, majesty and desolation.
THE LONG DRIVE
For half the distance after leaving
| Kramer, where the stage route begins,
for the long drive of thirty miles to the
Rand, there is nothing but low hills to
| relieve the monotony of grease wood and
bunch grass. which the brilliant moon
light of this altitude brought out with
| startling distinctness.
Soon after passing the halfway
house." which is really big white tent,
| where the horses are changed, the hills
increase in size,a and gradually the high
er mountain ranges rise in the distance.
The driver had views of his own as to
where visitors ought to go. and insisted
on taking the party to Randsburg, but
after expostulation, argument and dire
| threats of walking if worst should come
| to worst from nine voices in chorus,
he consented to turn around the hill and
go to Johannesburg, where we were
| expected, though protesting that he
| didn't like to have his mind changed by
| women.
THE DESERT AT ITS BEST
| Whatever the desert may be later In
the season, It is now at it's best, and not
at all, in this section, the bleak stretch
| of white alkali and sand that the word
conjures in the mind
The soil appears loamy and fertile
enough to transform the region into
grain fields and orchards AS has been
done in some of the valleys farther
south that could have been no less un-
| promising decade ago, if sufficient wa
ter could be obtained. 1t is claimed,
however, by those inclined to take more
| prosaic view, that the hot sun of the
summer would burn and bake what veg
citation the high winds did not blow out
Of the ground, even were water abun-
| quer the desert with forces now dor
mant and appliances undreamed of by
even the active brains of today.
JOHANNESBURG
| The new namesake of the South Afri-
| can city Is one and half miles west of
sRandsburg, to which 1t is doubtless in
| debted for its existence, for had there
| not been the rapid growth of the older
| camp the latter would not have been
dreamed of. It. lies in a sloping valley
surrounded by hills, whose hearts and
veins are treasure stores of shining gold
The townsite is owned by the Johan-
nesburg Milling and Water company,
| which has laid it out in lots 40x11O feet.
intersected by wide streets and ave-
nues, for which the selection of names
has been most happy. Though scarce
two months old, considerable number
of white tents and rough cottages are
scattered over the lots, and the one
business street begins to assume quite
| an air of commercial Importance
| In addition to the commodious offices
of the company there is a general mer-
chandise store, restaurant lodging
house, two saloons. barber shop, laun-
dry. meat market, bakery, real estate
| offices, four lumber yards and a building
nf orc !
bank, three store rooms and real es-
| tate office
The special pride of the young town
is its hotel, built by the company, which
coptains some forty large. airy rooms,
| handsomely furnished. 1t is finished
| in Oregon pine and redwood, papered
throughout and is under the efficient man
| agement of Mrs. Squires, a we'll known
lady formerly of Redlands and Mr. N.
s. Mullan, recently of the hotel San Ca
briel. Several ladies from Los Angeles
and other parts of the state, with their
husbands. are guests of the house.
Persons desirous of visiting the new
mining territory need fear neither the
lack of comfortable hotel accommoda-
| tions nor pleasant society. A building
has just been completed in which the
newly established post office has ample
| space and Is furnished with fittings that
would be. creditable to a much older
town.
The Water and Milling company is
composed of the the following gentle
men, we'll known in Los Angeles: Henry
A. Darling, president; Geo. H. Curtis,
vice-president and treasurer; Geo. e.
Pratt. secretary; Frank p Flint, attor-
ney; Chas. L. Morrill,. engineer; Ray
Hutchins. acting assistant secretary.
THE ST. ELMO MIME.
On Tuesday morning, after hearty
breakfast relished by desert appetites,
the Press club party escorted by Messrs.
Hutchins, Eremins and Conner were
driven to inspect one of the most valus-
BILE possessions of the Rand district, the
johannesburg water works. About a
mile from the settlement on the slope of
a hill, waiter was obtained at depth of
1877 feet, soft, pure water and free from
alkali While not in over-abundance,
1t is more than sufficient to supply all
present and prospective demands for do
mestic purposes for some time to come.
On the top of the hill reservoir of 30. 900
gallon capacity was blasted out of solid
rock, into which from seven to eight
thousand gallons per day is pumped,
from where it is piped to the camp.
An oil drilling apparatus is on the
ground. to bore other wells, upon the
success of which depends the size of
stamp mill soon to be erected.
From the reservoir to the st. Elmo