New-York tribune., 1911-01-29
Varied Adventure Has Been That Of John Hays Hammond
Mining Engineer Considered by Many Greatest of His Kind tn
World Has Ever Seem Has, Among Other Episodes Been Shot At
CAPTURED Sentenced to Death Fined Fortune and Has
Hobnobbed with Barney Barnao and Cecil Rhodes

I have avoided. However, he came TO me in
each instance to confess and express his
shame and regret.
Accordingly, I went to the Transyaal
taking a number of engineers with me
Before long we had the mines running IN
der American methods and were saving
money FOR Barney. Being very rich. Bar
ney became slothful. careless in his habits
ard very fond OF society. ! was in South
Africa in the hope Of extending my rep,i.
tation as miner but I couldn't get Bar.
ney interested In anything new. l saw n
great chance, but he put the matter aside
and lost an opportunity for making SO,
Ooo coo The East Rand syndicate procured
the property | had in mind, 10 my great
disappointment
"After | had been with him for six
months Barney came 10 Africa When he
left To- England 7 told him I would watt
until he reached the Madeira Islands for
/, an offer by cable. The offer must he so
LIBERAL | said as 10 he acceptable TO me
without any haggling Well he didn't
telegraph. and I resigned
Reaching London and hearing OF my
action. he kept The cable busy for two or
three Gays, UuL NltE'ul result .NONs th'
average man would have grown bitter In
spirit and been my enemy through life. but
Barney was not an average man. He re-
NAMED my loyal friend After 1 was ser.
fenced to he hanged at the order of Paul
KRUGER. President of the South African
Republic and an old robber Barney said
10 Mrs. Hammond L got your husband
into Africa. and shall get him out 80
When did your relations with Cecil
Rhodes Begin" ! asked
AT that time Rhodes was Prime Minis
ter of Cape Colony The son of a clergy
man. he had gone to Africa for his health,
lad made a tremendous fortune in the dia-
mond mines of Kimberley. and had become
the most powerful man in the country. He
owned gold mines near those owned BY
Barney. Two days after | resigned Rhodes
telegraphed me TO visit him at Cape Town.
| went and he took me to the top of the
mound back of his house. where he could
look all over the country. and where he
retired for thought and inspiration.
We had coffee and cigars. and I agreed
70 take charge of his mines at Johannes
burg I was 10 receive $4,000 year and
a percentage of the profits. Ny po,-r was
we're concerned except Rhodes himself.
Cecil John Rhodes was the greatest man
have ever known. He was great in all
matters of business especially mining Int
he had contempt for money simply in It's
aspect as money
You suggested that he sell his shallow
mines. buy adjoining lands and sink shafts
to the deeper levels?"
Rhodes, Dr. Leander Starr Jameson and
myself were travelling on the veldt At
camp one night l advised the sale OF the
mines and the opening of what has since
been called the deep level area. In Africa
mining claims go straight down into the
earth as skyscraper goes straight up into
the air in this country. l thought shares IN
rro'-s mines. then bringing high prices in
..J..-on, could be sold and the money used
for the purchase OF greater areas Of land
in the same region. The gold veins running
into the earth obliquely could he reached
by deep shafting
IT awoke my secretary and Rhodes die
tated a telegram 10 his business associates
In England. there on the veldt. He vas NJ
imperious man, and. without explanation.
he ordered the shares sold. simply stating
that he had another project and assumed
all responsibility. Next morning my sec
retary set off for the nearest telegraph sta
ton. three hundred miles distant. In t1o
weeks. following our trail, he brought MS
an answer. The London directors Of the
Consolidated Goldfelds Of South Africa
couldn't comprehend Rhodes's terse COM
mand So Rhodes thundered back pe-