The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-31
GOLD MINING IN AFRICA
1T is VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE
KLONDIKE REGION.
"Reef" Gold Only FOund-How II Is
Located and Notwithstanding
Laws-Rhodesia's Prospects.

Gold is found throughout the world in
two distinct forms: the alluvial gold, con-
sisting of nuggets varying from few
grains to many pounds in weight, or Of
gold dust mixed with the sand of rivers.
This class of mine. which appeals most
strongly to the popular imagination. and
may be called the poor mans chance, does
not exist in Africa, or. at least, no alluvial
gold fields rich enough to pay the individ-
ual digger have so far been discovered
The reef gold is found disseminated in
quartz formations In quantities often too
small to be visible to the naked eye. and
to extract 1t expensive machinery is re-
quired. and complicated chemical opera
tions have to be resorted to. 1t takes,
therefore. long time befre practical re-
suits can be obtained.
Reef gold being the only kind which has
been so far discovered in Rhodesia, will
try to explain briefly the methods which
are pursued to find it and extract it. First
of all comes the prospector. Anyone hav-
ing taken a shilling license can prospect
for gold in Rhodesia. This license gives
you the right of pegging out ten claims.
but the right of pegging out more claims
license: each extra payment of sS gives
you the right to peg out ten more claims.
Usually a couple of men start together.
their outfit consisting Of a few donkeys
carrying tent provisions and tools. Chief
among these are picks. hammers, strong
iron pestle and mortar, and pans-black
iron basins, the use of which 1 will pres
emily explain. The prospectors are gen.
orally accompanied by a few native boys,
whose number varies according to their
masters means.
Some prospectors have couple of boys,
while others are accompanied by as many
as twenty, or even more. The party starts
across country noting carefully the
ground, and whenever they come across
quartz sticking out-what is called an out
crop-they pick up a sample and examine
it first with the naked eye and then with
a magnifying glass. If specks of gold can
be detected, or if the quartz seems Of
kind likely to bear gold, certain quantity
of IL is taken, crushed in the mortar until
IL is reduced to the finest powder, and
portion Is then passed through the pan. AS
1 explained, this is of black iron the size OF
an ordinary washing basin, with raised
rim running all around the bottom. Water
is mixed with the dust, which Is washed
a
ing allowed to run out with the water.
More water is then put in the pan, and the
operation repeated four to six times until
there remains but few grains. The OBJ
ject of this operation is simple enough.
Gold, on account of its heavy weight. Ee-
mains at the bottom Of the pan, while the
rock crushed into fine powder runs out
with the water so that should the quartz
contain gold. small grains Of the precious
metal remain and shine on its black sur
face. Sometimes rich quartz is found, and
out of couple of handfuls of dust as
much as a few shillings' worth of gold can
be panned, but as a rule such rich quartz
is but accidental and of no practical value
as a test of the bulk of reef.
For centuries the natives around the
Zambesi have been i'm the habit of collect
guese traders, and the method by which
they obtain it as almost similar to the one
1 have described.
BEGINNING WORK.
Having discovered a gold-bearing reef,
the prospector pegs out his block of claims.
To do so he plants in the ground six pieces
of wood, on which he writes distinguish
ing letters. Each license holder has the
right to peg ten claims adjoining each
other. each claim being 80 feet along the
reef. in the direction in which it runs. and
COO feet perpendicular to it. He has then
at the office of the mining commissioner of
the district.
His next step is to test the reef For this
purpose he sinks a shaft. If, after going
down a few feet, the results are not salts
factory-for instance, if he finds that the
reef pinches, 1. e., gets narrow, or If ii
does not contain gold in payable quanti-
ties--he abandons his claim and has then
the right to peg out another ten blocks of
claims. Within four months from the date
OF registration he is bound to sink shaft
thirty feet deep, falling which he forfeits
hrs rights. Having sunk his thirty-foot
shaft, he gives notice of the completion
of the work to the mining commissioner,
who inspects the mine, and gives him a
certificate, which constitutes his title of
property, subject to the mining regula-
lions in force. According to the present
law the holder of block of claims must,
within four months from the date of reg
istration. have sunk a shaft or driven a
tunnel thirty feet deep, in default of which
he must pay penalty of G5 or forfeit his
claims. Within the year following this
first inspection sixty feet of further work
must be completed or penalty of so
paid, the third year sixty feet of further
work must be done, and the same amount
of development work has to be completed
every subsequent year Failing this. pay
ment of &20 has to be made to the COM
pany on the third well as the fourth
year, and the penalty is raised to $50 per
annum on and after the fifth year. This
applies to each block of ten claims. Any
one holding more than ten claims can,
however, complete the total COM
pulsory annual work In one single
place; for instance. if man holding
ten blocks of claims has at the end of three
years SUNK a shaft 200 feet deep and cut
100 feet of drives on one of his claims he
is deemed to have completed the amount of
work required by law to enable him to re-
tain his rights over his 100 claims without
payment of penalty. The company having
a direct interest i'm the future of the mines
passed this law to encourage the rapid de-
velopment of the mining industry. Two
pounds may be recokoned the average
cost OF a foot of work, so that $50 must be
spent on each block of ten claims during
the first four months, and fl20 during each
subsequent year; failing this penalty of
els has to be paid for the right of holding
ten claims on which no work has been ac-
complshed during the first seventeen
months of their ownership. This is eauiva-
lent to monthly royalty of l shilling 10
pence per claim per month, instead of 10
shilings per claim which have to be paid
every month on other gold fields.
Reefs sixty feet thick have been found in
some parts of Rhodesia. Under the pres
ent conditions reef of an average thick
ness of three to four feet which runs down
to a depth of 800 feet, carrying an average
of pennyweights of gold (24s) to the ton of
quartz can be worked at remunerative
profit. Most of the Rhodesia mines on
which large amount of development work
has been done show an average far supe-
rior to this Oh penpyweights to the ton
| fairly represents the average). and the fu-
ture of the country as gold mining GEN.
| ter is no longer a question of doubt. / am
not "A gold mining expert, and TO express
| an opinion may seem presumption on my
| part, but as journalist whose business IL