Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-06-23
JoHANNEsBrRG.s GOLD MINES.
The Growth and Development Of the Gold
Industry In South A:.ica.

industry IN south A.ICI.
| with Lord Roberts ana his forces safe
| ~ across the Naal. and rumOr crediting
| General French with having reached JO-
| hannesburS Itself. public attention is nat
| urally directed ~ the present moment
! towards the centre Of the gold mining
| industry. II has been reported that tho
| Fcderals are resolved to max, a deter
mined stand here. but. having regard IT,
| similar undccpmpliShcl threats on the
| part ~ the enemy to offer strenuous re-
| SiStdnce at varIOur stages In the cam
pdi@n of late, fears have been expressed
rather for the security % the mines in
the Iurifernus district. IA this Cuunec-
| tiun. however. II should b.. borne i'm mind
That, however great might b. thr dam
dS' ana destruction wrought To rnI'hln-
| cry by vel planned explosion. the pre-
| cious metal itself. which has made the
! fortune Of the itWAtcrSrIud. would hc
| safe enough from the hands III the wreck
crs But apart from any sprCulationS On
this score, the moment Is uppurtu.c ~
| present q succinct outline Of the growth
ANA development ~ the industry which
| has done SO much FOR the Trans Ial ana
| led to investments upon a scale little
drcImt az IN IN" early days ui Johannez-
burg. \ matter Ui fact. aS Mr.. Thtu-
dore Rtuucrt points out. I'M hiS exhaustive
work on Tn, subject. the existence of gold
| in South Africa was known long before
| it was discovered that diamonds were to
w. found there. When The Beers tr.kkcd
| into the TrauSVaal they were well aware
| NO the existence Of gold deposits. but they
| GlSt outraged tDNlDllE III inc nature bl
! Prospecting. From thl~ cause, amongst
others. the discovery ui tht most valuable
| reefs was long delayed. In 1854 the re-
strivtipnS upon investigation We're with
drawn. and about Two years later. after
| the Tau Guldftld had been 'uncirthed,
| the existence NJ the valuable metal was
proved in the Klein Let,tba district.
| a word here with reference tU the ac-
| tual formation Of the Transvlal gold
| fields. seeing that Jncy present many
| striking features. In tn" older Lurifcrous
/ mo a
| Australia, half the gold produced-rough-
| ly spedkinE-h1s been found in great al
luVial deposits. ANA the rest in veins
| crossing the mountain ranges which have
Welded alluvial gold. Vastly different,
however are the conditions in South
| Africa. In the Johannesburg formation,
ana others like it. the gnld occurs IN con-
| glumcratcS. inttrhrdded with SandStuncS
| ana puartZit"-. ana tho production diners
| from that in any other Of the world $
snldtirIds. liza ~much a. the Weld from A.
uvial sources forms only an iniiNlttslmdl
| portion Of the whole. Incidentally, TOO
| il may bc recalled how the proximity or
large beds of coal % the NltWAtcrSrdnd
has been found to b" oI lntIt,NHthlr pen
| eft in the development of the industry
which * its chief pride ana strength.
1t was in l>12 that the gold law came
| into operation in the TrlnSydal. iy m
provisions the gold fields were declared
| ihe property of the state. subject n thr
privileges of pruspectors ana holders.
with the facts brought t. li-ht by inNcS-
m7linlv in the claims Of tine Witwaters-
rand. The excitement produced IN lN>t
by the discovery on ne GeIIy nnuiS arm
close to the present site IF johannesburg,
II auriferuuS deposits, is well rtmem-
bcrcd and il Is curious ut this date To- he
reminied-in the INTERESTING work COM
piled by MeSSrs w. +. PurviS ana Leon
ara Biggs-that just prior to that year
thu entire district might have been pur-
chased for tlu,"uo. and that. save fer
few farmers ana prpSpectorS. the barren
INLAND was lmppopled. NJ further back
than the close uf lN>d occurred the first
sale If "stinds'-lr building allotments-
when the sum Of El3,u1u was realized,
further sale held month later. produc-
ing C-u.ono. Thcrrlftc the business Ot
developing the Rand was set about in real
earnest, The year lNNS and that which
followed witnessed the first katfir
BOOM. concerning which it is not nee
eSsary to make any further reference ~
fresh Is II still in the public mind. The
report prepared some three years later bv
Mr.. Hamilton Smith. an American gentle
man who examined the gold fields for
Messrs. Rothschild, may be recalled.
practically amounted to this-that the
Rand contained gold to the value Of
c2l50o0,Oh', which would be raised at the
rate of about Gl6,00O 900 yearly.
History has shown to what extent thi,
expert opinion was justified. BY Dccem-
her, 1898, there were some forty-four com
p4nics actually al work IN tho district Vi
which Johannesburg is the heart. and
gold was then being yielded at the rate
Of from 1000 to 13.Wh ounces every month
whilst within a year the number Of com
panfcS ANA SNndlcateS more or less con
ncctcd with the Rand industry had in
creased to something like 80. Subsequent
developments brought about practically
Il revolution in the conditions Of the
worlds output of gold. as the following
figures sufficiently attest. From lNN2 IA
1891 the estimate was ElS001,00O per an
num- the lnited States coming first Aus
tralia second ana Russia third In 1870
it had risen t. f23 900. and six years
later to record OF fi0,60A 600. America
ami Australia then still standing first ana
second on the list and South Africa COM
ing third. But. in 1898. the country last
named came first. with an estimated OUT
put Of y per cent of the total world
production. To be precise. the report Of
the chamber Of mines for that wear
showed the Rand to have yielded ! ol5 COS
ounces. as against 3,03i .G7S ounces in 1877
an increase of 1,2Go. $50 ounces, and if was
added that the total production of gold in
the district since the commencement IL
mining operations amounted to Is 400 21S |
ounces. Up to september last il may
further be pointed out. the total Trans
vaal crushings for 1899 Were 4.lOl 4t3
ounces, representing an average up to
that period last year Of ass 7l5 ounces pcr |
month.-London Telegraph.
Their Use. Little Enoch: paw. what
are fools good for, anyhow" Farmer |
Flintrock: ITO teach US the results Of |
BLOWN into unloaded shotguns, buyin' |
cold bricks