Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-12-14
TRANSEAAL DEEP MINES
WORKING Tt.z GOLD DEPOSITS ATA
DEPTH OF 1900 FEET.

lection TO Ee Coasidered l.ela;Iye :.
Merits Of Vertical and Inclined Hoist,
Hour Needed 20 Lower The W orl.inen.
John Yates. II c paper read before
the South African Association oi En-
sineers at Johannesburg before the +
breaking out Of hostilitles, outlined q
plan 70 develop further the mines OF /
the Wltwatersrand, il the Transvaal, .
by sinking the shafts y depth OF .
l., 600 feet and working the ricu aurl- |
ferrous bankct beds.
In the Rand district there are al |
ready being worked the outcrop mines. |
the first and second deep levels, and !
work has been begun on a third row
Of shafts, which are to reach veins at
a depth varying from 1000 10 5000
feet. These last are known as the
Deep Deep" level mines. anl they
are expected to produce richly.
But IN the plan outlined By Mr..
Yates, it is proposed to 20 much be- i
yond the 5,00O-toot level, down to the
point where the telaper1tnre Of the
earth is such that work can no longer
be carried on. He proposes = 60
system OF inclines reaching down TO
the reef. lie believes that it Will be
Impossible to 90 to a greater depth
than 1900 feet. because the heat
will prevent ,.1en from doing effective
work
\ plan was outlined not long 400
for reaching very deep levels by means
80 Il, l., l. =
lifts. The calculation upCu which an
estimate Of the maximum depth to
which the inc.incs may be carried is
based upon an Increment Of heat OF
one degree Fahrenheit for every 205
feet Of increased depth, and at l. 900
feet, according to tlifa estimate, the
temperature would be 100 degrees
Fahrenheit.
By this plan IT IS proposed to work
stamps, by sinking only one shaft,
and connecting l. with another one on
an adjoining 1o00-claim site This
would nece:sitate haul Of half
mile in the underground trans, but
the saving IL cost as compared TO two
smaller vertical shafts would Justify
it. It is estimated that this shaft
would be thirty-e;ght by seven feet
inside measurement, and be broken
into vertical shaft extending down
5000 feet. and connected with an in
cline OF Il, 600 feet, which, II turn,
would be broken into three or four
stage windings Altogether the cost
would amount to 50, $50, 900, or about
$500 to the claim. when tle cost OF
underground power, ropes and equip
ment is taken into nsideratior.
The Engineering and Mining jour
nal believes that the mines In this
particular nelghborhool may be car
ried down to an even greater deptn
than II, 900 feet, and suggests ] ), 01o
as possible limit. With the open
ing Of the Workings, this paper de-
clares, the temperature would be ma
terialiy lowered, ana the feasibility 6
forcing an abundant air supply to that
depth and circulating It freely seems
to be settled
Should the Dankc. beds of the
Witwatersranl maintain their rich
ness over the extent which gcologi8ts
and mining engineers now attribute
to them, says tAe journal referred to,
''we think ii IS altogether possible
that III due time they may be worked
to depth of l5,U0o feet or more the
determining element being the p0ssi-
billty OF conducting wori, a a profit
and It may safely be assumed that the
reductions III cost through improve
meCtS in mining handling and trans.