Mohave County miner., 1900-02-17
Mining Interests Of South Africa.

where the greatest rapidity OF develop.
mont has occurred, is due to the dis
covery aud exploitation of extremely
raIuable mineral deposits. The most
valuable of these aIe gold and dia
mond,. though incidentally it may be
mentioned that the iron, coal. and 9TH
er mineral deposits of South and South.
east Africa give promise of great value,
when wealth-seeking man has time to
turn his attention from the gold mines
to those which promise less but per-
haps equally certain profits.
That the gold and diamond mines of
South Africa have been, and still are,
wonderfully profitable is beyond ques.
tiun. The Kimberly diamond mines,
which are located in British territory.
Just outside the boundaries of the
Orange Free State and about 600 miles
from Cape Town, now supply 9s per
cent of the diamonds of commerce, al.
though their existence was unknown
previous to 1867, and the mines have
thus been in operation but about thirty
years. 1t is estimated that 350OO0,OOOS
worth of rough diamonds, worth dou-
be that sum after cutting, have been
produced for the Kimberly mines since
their opening in lS6S-69, aud this euor-
nous production would have been
greatly increased but for the fact that
the owners of the various mines in this
vicinity formed an agreement by which
the annual output was so limited as to
meet but not materially exceed the
annual consumption of the worlds dia-
mond markets. So plentiful is the
supply, and so comparatively inexpen-
sive the work of production that dia-
mond diggings in other parts of the
world has almost ceased since the
South African mines entered the field,
aud the result is, as stated above, that
they now supply 9S per cent of the
diamonds of commerce.
Equally wonderful and promising
are the great "Witwatersrand" gold
fields of South Africa, located in the
South African Republic, better known
as the Johannesburg" mines. The
Dutch word, Witwatersrand, means lit
orally, white Water Range and the
strip of territory, few hundred miles
long and few miles in width, to which
it is applied, was but few years ago
considered nearly worthless ridge,
useful only for the pasturage of cattle
aud sheep, and for even this compara-
lively valueless. In 1888, however, gold
was discovered, aud in 1884, the gold
production was about 500O0s IL in
creased with startling rapidity, the
production of 1888 being about 5,OO0,.
OOOs; that of $780, l0,OOO,OOOs; 1893, over
20OOO,OOOs; 1895. over 40,OO),OO0s; and
1897 and 1898, about 55,0O0,0D0s. Other
estimates have been placed higher.
This wonderful development has at
traeted great attention to South Africa,
and drawn thither thousands of peo-
pie in the hope Of realizing quick for.
tunes. Development, however, showed
that the mines could only be success
fully worked by the use of costly ma
chinery, and while they have been ex-
tremely productive where machinery
has been used, they are not of such a
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 300OO0Oo0s;
aud careful surveys of the field, by the
use of drills and other processes of ex-
perts, show beyond question that "the
gold in sight" probably amounts to
3,jOOOOO,O0Os, while the large territory
particularly in parts of Rhodesia, give
promise of additional supplies, so that
it seems probable that South Africa
will for many years continue to be, as
it now is, the largest producing
section in the world. Recent discov.
cries lead to the belief that these won
derfully rich miaes are the long g-lost
gold of Ophir," from which Solomon
obtained his supplies, making navy
Of ships in Ezion-geber, which is OPP
posite Eloth, on the shore Of the Red
Sea, in the land of Edom, and Hiram
sent in the navy his servants, shipmen
that had knowledge of the sea, with
the servants of Solomon; and they
came to Ophir and fetched from thence