Arizona republican., 1899-10-04
MINES OF AFRICA
More Than a Billion Dollars
in a Generation.
Something of the Kimberly Diamond
Fields and the WIfWaferSrsnd
where the Biblical Gold of Ophir
was Obtained.

mining interests Of Africa, espec-
tally the wonderful geld and diamond
mines which have attracted so much
attention. are the subject of a chap
ter in the monograph just prepared by
the treasury bureau of statistics, on
Commercial Africa in 1S99 Much of
the recently rapid development Of
Africa, especially in the southern part
! where the greatest rapidcty of develop
ment has occurred, is due to the d:s-
covery and development of extremely
valuable mineral deposits. The most
valuable of these are gold and dia-
monds, though incidentally it may be
mentioned that the iron, coal and
other mineral deposits of south and
southeast Africa give promise of great
value when wealth-seeking man has
time to turn his attention from the
gold mines to those which premise less
rapid, but perhaps equally certain
profits.
That the gold and diamond mines of
/ South Africa have been, and still are,
wonderfully profitable. however, is be-
yond question. The. Kimberley dia-
mond mines, which are located in
British territory Just outside the boun-
daries of the Orange Free State ami
about 600 miles from Cape Town, now
supply 90 per cent Of the diamonds of
commerce, although their existence
was unknown prior to 1867 and the
mines have thus been in operation
but about thirty years. 1t is estimated
that $3.50 600, 900 worth of rough dia-
monds, worth double that sum after
cutting. have been produced from the
Kimberley mines since their opening
in 1868, and this enormous produc-
ton would have been greatly in
creased, but for the fact that the own
ers of the various mines in this vi
cinity formed an agreement by which
the annual output was SO limited as to
meet, but not materially exceed the
annual consumption OF the worlds
supply and SO comparatively inexpen-
sive the work CT production that dia-
mond digging in other parts of the
world has almost ceased since the
South African mines entered the field,
and the result is, as stated above, that
they now supply over SO per cent of
the diamonds of commerce.
Equally wonderful and equally
promising are the great '-Witwaters-
rand" gold fields of South Africa, To-
Gated in the South African republic, |
better known as the johannesburg |
mines The Dutch word "Witwaters-
rand means literally 'SWhite Water
Range" and the strip OF territory |
few hundred miles long and a few /
miles in width to which it is applied |
was but few years ago considered |
a nearly worthless ridge, useful only |
for the pasturage OF cattle and sheep, /
and for even this comparatively value
less. In 1888, however, gold was dis
covered, and in 1884, the value of the
gold production was about $50, 900. It
increased with startling rapidity, the
production of 1888 being about S5,0OO,
900. that of 1890, $4,000, 900; 1892, over
500, 900, 900; 1895, over $40 1000, 900, and
1897 and 1898, about s55,OOO,O0O in
each year. This wonderful develop
ment has attracted great attention to
South Africa and drawn thither thous-
ands of people in the hope of realizing
quick fortunes. Development, how
ever, showed that the mines could
use of costly machinery, and while
they have been extremely productive
where machinery has been used, they
were not Of such character as to make
hand or placer mining profitable, as
was the case in California The gold
production in the Rand" since 1884
has been over 100000, 900, and care
full surveys OF the field by the use Of
drills and other processes of experts
show beyond question that the in
sight probably amounts to $3,500,000,
BOO, while the large number of mines (
which have been located in adjacent 1
territory, particularly in parts of
give promise of additional
supplies, so that it seems probable {
hat South Africa will for many years G
continue to be, as it now is, the larg- i
st gold-producing section of the s
world Recent discoveries lead to the {
belief that these wonderfully rich !
mines are the long lost gold of
)phir.' from which Solomon obtained /
,ic cunnliac MAKING SO navv IF ShinS i
n Esion-Geber, which is opposite A
Cloth en- the shore of the Red Sea in
he land of Edom; and Hiram sent in
he navy his servants, shfpmen that
lad knowledge of the sea, with the
ervants of Solomon; and they came +
q Or.hir and fetnhad from thenne gold G