The Savannah morning news., 1900-09-22
KING sOLoMoN's MINES.
Speculation ~ go There Discovery
aud Rtchness.

speculation ~ to ihefr bAscoNerA
aud Richness.
From the London Mail
This Is story quite on the modern 1T
orary lines. Tor it ends with a mote Of in
terrogsflon
n begins with the scene of Dr. Carl
Peters the German explorer. rummaging
about an old German castle few years
back
DO this ancient Teutonic schloss Dr
Peters came upon musty volume, to-
getber with a quaint Oh map published
in France in 1919 o. thereabout
This work and map. according 20 one Of
nr. Carl Peters associate. dealt with the
dcings % The Portuguese 2l0 year, earli-
fr ia the country bordering on the Fam
besi. and are 10 form the key TO the
whereabouts Of gold mines In the heart OF
Afiica. The course Of the Zlmhesi was
shown on the man roughly but accurate
IS, and on the south bank ~ the river
appeared Mount Fura Now. concerning
Mount Furl thirst for science and
thirst Tor gold had already bred In the
good doctor certain suspicious
So he set 20 work. Il T. recorded. IN sys-
temaur fahion 90 get a the works he
could ind on the subject lie Is credited
with possessing a wonderful memory and
hA AtH capture ct rec NfNNA'fA EAAtANIf
details for years afterwatd Some OF tho
Old VIZ. ings thus hunted up went back TO
tn seventeenth century. ana for two
years was the train followed M SAYS
an admirinE chronlcler. through the dim
ana dust -strewn realms OF centuries-old
bookland
The recent works were studied. too. and
at the end Of TWO years IN July is9s the
German traveller promoted in London a
comoany-the Dr. carl Peters Estates
and Exploration Company. Limlted-for
the purpose 81 purchasing properties ana
rights whch had been acqu red by him IN
southeastern and central Africa and for
the conduct by Or. Peters Of a well-equip-
pr and carefully selected expedition 90
the district where he hoped 20 discover
Mount Fura, aud TO test his surmses
ABOUT that myteTious locality
The vendors took 75.000 n shares In part
payment. and the expenses Of this expe-
dltion and sufficient working capital
would be provided. said the prospectus.
hy the issue OF 5000 shares
Well, the expedition. with Or. Peter al
iis head, and the clues afforded by the old
writings and the Old map in constant use.
duly discovered the mountain Of Fura. by
the middle Of 1899 aud DR. Peters was
convinced his cherished hopes were well
founded Those hopes were nothing more
nor less than that Fura was Ophir. the
Biblical land OF gold. the source Of Solo
mons fabulous riches.
Fura the good doctor commended. was
the native corruption OF the word Afur
By which name the Arabs OF the sixteenth
century knew the district. Afur was the
sabaean. or South Arabian. form OF the
Hebrew name Ophir. A. Dr Peters after
ward assured a representative OF Reuters
agency, Tor the information OF the world
az large. he had ample proof that the
Fura which his expedition had discover
"a and explored in the summer OF 1879 was
tho Ophir Of the old Tesfameut-she ophir
whose incalculahle wealth Is referred 10
Ia che first Book OF Kings. In both Books
Of Chronicles. In job In the Psalms and in
Isaiah.
4 chief the doctor said gave him val
liable Information regarding the position
OF ancient ruins and workings which he
az once investigated Going 10 the spot
Indicated be found ancient ruins o. an
doubted Semitic type Fura itself he
found TO possess a formation Of quartzitlc
slate and diorite. between which gold
reefs were running. The ancient work
mss which he found were not only sur
face workings hut there were also. he
declared shafts and roads hewn into the
rock
How the shareholders must have palpl-
lated when they read. in a report Or Pc
ters presented 10 the directors. thar when
the Portuguese arrived IN Fast Africa
about the year 1901 the Arabs called the
district Afur. and told the Portuguese Il
was the Ophir OF the Old Testament. For
a glance at l. Chronicles Chapter xxx.
verse I. would show chem that David gave
20 overlay the walls OF the temple son
talents OF the gold Of Ophlr. and upon the
authority OF r. W. Madden. NJ. r. A. s.
author Of History Of Jewish Coinage"
etc. they would know that a talcns OF
gold was worth f6000
Here. then. was 100000 worth OF gold
from Ophir. and 'he inexhaustIhie nature
Of tho supply would be apparent when
they pursued their Biblical researches 10
Hnd IN l. Kings. chapter tx. verse p. chat
there was brought from Ophir 70 Solomon
go talents OF gold equal 10 modern value
81 f2.5Ao0. and that. again. IN II. Chron-
icles. chapter VIII. verse lS mention g.
mode Of another dip by Solomon into the
Ophir mines 20 the extens Of so talents OF
gold. or f27o0o0o.
hut by now cold shlvers Of doubt may
have succeeded to the first warm thrills:
for q year has passed since the wonder
ful discovery WIS made. and two years
since the company was formed and no
millions ~ pounds. nor hundreds. nor tens.
nor even units have ycf come the way OF
tho expectau' shareholders.
bur instead come unexpected whispers
that what purported 20 he King Solo
mons mines are not works 81 thousa nds
~ years old. but Just a mere ordinary
collection Of sand and rock hills
Is h. vcrifHhly The Land Of Ophir. md "
so. have David md solomon lehs much
gold for the shareholders IN Or Peters
Estates and Exploration Company
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