The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-29
LOOKING FOR LOST MINES
DR.. Peters and His Party Max
ing an African Quest.
AFTER FAILED MILLIONS
These Prospectors Are on Rider Hag-
CARDS Trail Hoping to Strike
Some of King Solo
mons Stuff.

. DE- Carl refers mas taken a party OIL ex-
plorers into the Macombie country. in
South Africa, in search of the lost mines
of Ophir, of which it is written:
And King Solomon made a navy of
ships in Ezion-Geber. which is beside
Eloth, on the shores of the Red sea. in the
land of Edom.
And Hiram sent in the navy his ser
wants, shipmen that had knowledge Of the
sea. with the servants of Solomon.
And they came to Ophir and fetched
from thence gold, 42O talents, aud brought
it to King Solomon
The mines of Ophir, or King Solomons
mines, as Rider Haggard termed them.
have been lost to man for many centuries.
says the Chicago Inter Ocean. Lately
students of the scriptures and Biblical
history have called attention to pc
cular coincidence. In connection with
the description of the visit of Hiram's
navy to Ophir it has been found that
the ancient records tell of the SHIPS re-
turning to Edom with gold. silver, apes
and ivory and peacocks." Now all these
things are to be found in India and in
Africa. So most students have settled
on one of these two lands as containing
the lost treasure houses of the earth.
Others maintain that the land of Ophir
was in Arabia. But Africa is the favor
lite place now, and so hard-headed and
unvisionary a man as Cecil Rhodes be-
leves that not only are the mines on
that continent, but that he has reason to
feel assured that their location has been
established almost exactly, at least ex-
actly enough to make it possible to find
them. In communication which he has
just made to the shareholders of the
Chartered company he asserts that the
ancient mines are situated on the south
ern atfiuence of the Zambesi river, and
that their re-discovery is under way of
being made a fact.
Now there has Just come news from
the interior of Africa about strange dis
coveries that at least point to coming
revelations of vast interest. The report
comes from an exploring party under DR..
carl Peters, and is to the effect that in
Macombies country. which is in South
Zambesia-that part of British South
Africa known under the general title of
Rhodesia-he has discovered n huge
mountain on which there stand mighty
and ancient ruins of a character identical
with those discovered in Zlmbahye. All
the indications, according to the short
ment of miners and assayers, there hav-
ing been found enough evidences of their
work to warrant such conclusion as to
the profession of these forgotten inhabi-
tants of inner Africa Now it has been
fairly well established. as far as theory
aided by careful study and knowledge
coui,. do 1t, that the inhabitants of Zim-
babye were miners who worked for Solo
| mon, and as these newly found ruins are
Identical with them in character, they
furnish additional testimony in behalf Of
the belief that the world is on the track
of King Solomon's famous mines at last.
In his report DIR. Peters refers to the
old tradition that half a days journey
from the river Mansoro is a fort named
Massapa. and that near this is the great
mountain of Fura. very rich in gold, and
| there are people who say that t.tls name
of 'Fura' is a corruption of the name
| Ophir."
1t is a mountain in which are Cyclopean
ruins. according to the story. 1t was to
! find these ruins that DR. Peters made
| his journey from Zambesi. He con-
| Guided that the Muira is the Mansora of
the old maps, and he Investigated that
territory.
He found ruins there of which he says:
1.-THE ruin is about two miles distant from
1nja-ka-Fura. l went to this ruin in the
afternoon with Herr Gramann, and we
elSCtilutb IT. uiluoubltuly the llSl Whites
who have done SO for centuries. as Mr..
PuZey had only looked at it from the bot
tom. We stood in courtyard he
fore an ancient Cyclopean wall, partly
fallen to pieces partly rising up to Il
feet to 10 feet in height. With a feeling
of awe l stood in the midst of these re-
mains of ancient. very ancient. human
activity. We discovered toward the CEN
ter of the top another ground wall which
! had undoubtedly been part of a build
ing, maybe a temple, maybe a storehouse.
This wall had been worked into the nat
ural rock. The remains of a ground wall
along the edge of the top lead me to be-
lieve that second wall formerly ran
round the platform itself. Why the old
conquerors chose this spot for their fort
is easy to see. The Muira touches the
bottom of the hill, so water was handy.
A second river we have discovered at the