The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-12

each of which was historically of long
duration At the .dambo ruins, better
known by the name of Dhlolo, lying some
sixty miles east OF BulaWayo on the m
SEGA belt, the discoveries mad. indicate
mat these ruins We're Occuniea at two
dlHerent periods. The lower seoneworlx
exposed by excavation is similar in its
\ ei4Dofate character to that OF Zimbab we,
| whereas the additions done by the latter
4 lnnaDIJdntS are crude in design ard rough
IN execution, and more after the style Of
stonework done by the Basutos today. 1t
Was doubtless, therefore. built about 40
ssaIs ago Al this particular mine two
cannon OF Portuguese manufacture We're
discovered, one a brass breech-lOader, the
Sther an iron muzzie-lOader. Additional
mas mas We're the private silver seal OF a
JeSu1t priest, an incense censor, silver
DeilS, Egyptian bronze oil lamp jewelry
or modern manufacture. gold fiiig-ee
Mork earrings, portions of silver wrought
Win embossed work. in the design OF
VINE ana grapes and a gold coin or me-
dailon somewhat smaller than a E5
piece On one side of this the surface
was perfectly smooth, the other had a
design in relief, exqnisifelv wrought of
two birds fighting over a heart. and so
ciear that you could see the feathers fall
ing through the air. Unfortunately it is
believed that this beautiful relic which
Vas handed over to Dr.. Jameson, has
been lost.
In addition to the articles discovered
winch have been mentioned, a consider
manufactured
raw SOid was discovered. which goes TO
prove that in those days when cOmmun-
lcatlOn took so long the Jesuit mission
station of that period was self-support-
ing, and may even have been the medium
OK considerable amount of trade. 1t
Is probable that the inhabitants expected
q hostile tribe of savages, as very nearly
~ ounces OF gold were discovered in
these ruins, which would have been in
those days quite a large amount of
wealth. 1t would appear that the priest
and his people filed in the ruin as they
found il, for on eXeaVating TO a depth
of fifteen feet the old floors and walls of
the original ancientS who built these
forts, or whatever they may be called,
were found. Here on these old floors
gold beads, ETC., were found of an alto
gether different pattern from those dis
covered on the upper floors.
Throughout the whole course of Mr..
Meals previous Investigations in all the
ruins II has been his special aim and
object to locate the workshop and smelt-
ing furnaces, but hitherto all his efforts
IN this direction have been baffied, as,
although portions of gold crucibles-that
is, pots used to Smelt gold in-haVe been
found in some cases, yet the exact spot
| used by the workmen of the past has not
been identified. This time Su sceSS has
been attained which is satisfactory, al
though results were rather diSappoint-
/ ing. The crucibles, more or less broken,
with few small beads of visible gold still
adhering to the surface. were found, and
L
enabled to make a rough sketch of the
site of the furnace and It's immediate
surroundings. The result was disappoint-
| ing in two ways-irst, because no goodly
/ store OF gold was found, and, secondly.
| the smelling furnace was no elaborate de-
! vice, but simply constructed il the style
| Ike that adopted by the Asia-ic Indian
| geld and silversmith of today, and buile
| of clay. The effect is that no light is
really thrown on the question of whether
| these people were in an advanced stage
| OF civilization or were only very print
| tive workers. Were they thorough adopts
in their profession-in short, what and
! who were they2 The clay furnace, a
rudely shaped receptacle, contained the
amalgam to be Smelted in the pellets or
| cakes and any gold bubhling or splaShing
over settled In the clay, which gradually
accumulated, fresh layers Of clay being
| added from time to time. In one of these
! furnaces six separate layers were found,
which, on being broken up, disclosed
small pieces of smelted gold What ffuxes
were used 10 expedite the process it is i'm
| possible to say, but probably this could
| be ascertained by an analysis OF the resi-
! due adhering to the sides of the crucibles.
| The peculiar pellets. which at first sight
| look like lead or shot, if cut will be found
| to be alloy, and, further, On subjecting
| them TO fire, there will exUde tiny beads
of white metal, which is without doubt
mercury. AT last only the small, bright,
| yellow gold button is left Il appears,
| therefore, quite certain that quicksilver
Copper was also known, smelted copper
| having been found, and probably they
fashioned bangles out of copper and over
| laid them with gold bands, as portions OF
iron bangles treated in this way have
| been discovered. Mr.. Neal is of the opin-
| ion that silver was not known TO these
! ancient workers IN precious metals, as the
! only ruins where silver has been found
| so far are those of DhlOlo, and the silver
| bangles, beads, etc, are probably due TO
! the Jesuit priest. 1t is not improbable
| that he or his people exchanged silver for
/ gold. a large quantity of the former for
| a smaller quantity of the latter On an
! other point Mr.. Neal hazards coniec-
| ture, which is at any rate plausible, and
! in support of which some evidence can be
| adduced- 1t relates in the first place
! to the sheet of beaten gold, which was
/ probably OYerlaid on wood, and secured
( by the gold nails discovered, covering
either some sacred idol, rod or staff OF
Office.
The great question still remains. who
/ were these people?' Now, taking biblical
| history as the most authentic, gold was
very plentiful in the time of King Solo
mon. He and also the queen of Sheba
| possessed a great deal of it; III the great
temple it was largely used for decorative
| purposes, the expression beaten goId''
! being very noticeable, though gold nails
| are not mentioned. Now the queen Of
/ Sheba must have obtained gold through
the trading of her merchants Further.
it is a very curious fact that Mr.. Neal
mas discovered carved on DOWlS Hlduo o.
soapstone figures of the ibis, or Sacred
| bird of Egypt, as well as portions of
| Egyptian pottery, so there seems no
doubt there was a close connection be
tween these ancient metal workers and
the land of the Nile
Probably nearly the whole of the
worlds supply of gold came from Africa
during biblical times. Since this period
the SofaIa and Sabi have been familiar,
but even up to the present time SOfala,
on the east coast, is a rich port, and. al
| though the sea now covers the town or
city that used to be there. gold orna-
| ments. ETC. can be picked up for the
| search for them. and the Sabi is in
Rhodesia, so that these facts point to
- d l,axro