The Washington herald., 1911-01-29
THRILLING LIFE STORY OF JOHN HAYS HAMMOND;
GREAT MINING ENGINEER HAS MANY ADVENTURES

owned by Barney. Two days after I re-
! signed Rhodes telegraphed me to visit
him at Cape Town. 1 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 inspira ton.
We mad coffee and cigars. and l agreed
to take charge Of his mines at Johannes
burg. | was to receive $4,000 year and
percentage of the profits. My power
was 10 be absolute. so far as all the
owners were concerned. except Rhodes
himself. Cecil John Rhodes was the
greatest man I have ever known. He
was great in all matters of business. es-
pecially mining: but he had contempt for
money simply in its aspect as money"
You suggested that he sell his shall
low 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 a Skyscraper goes
straight up.intO the air in this country.
/ thought shares in Rhodes mines. then
bringing high prices in London, could be
sold and the money used for the purchase
of greater areas of land in the same re-
gion. The gold veins running into the
earth obliquely could be reached by deep
shafting
He Was an lmperiOus Man.
Il awoke my secretary and Rhodes die
tated telegram to his business asso-
ciates in England. there on the vcldt.
He was an imDerious man. and. without
explana ton. he ordered the shares sold,
civ
ect. and assumed all responsibility. Next
morning my secretary set off for the
nearest telegraph station. 900 miles dis
tant- In two weeks, following our trail.
he brought us an answer. The London
directors of the Consolidated Goldfeids
of South Africa couldn't comprehend
Rhodes terse command. So Rhodes
Numbered back a peremptory order to
sell Instantly. And the new land was
bought soon as l reached Johannes
burg. and the deep level area opened. 1t
is producing $1,000 900 annually"
You were arrested in South Africa"
I said. tried. convicted, and sentenced
to be hanged"''
.'As you state the case" Mr.. Hammond
replied. lit sounds pretty bad. 1t was
had. The Eallows was built and thought
was to be executed"
In simple fashion. Mr.. Hammond told
the story OF his battle for liberty and
life. He is a plain man and quiet in
manner. In stature, he is about five
feet and seven inches. His eyes are gray
and his body is 1.-THE and muscular.
''I lived in Johannesburg" he went on
to say Property valued at many mil
lions of dollars was ir my care The
government of the South African Re
public was inefficient and corrupt. l
hesitate to say hard things OF the dead.
but President Kruger was a CRATER. Late
in December. 1895. DIR. Jameson, a Scotch
phySi ian who had practiCcd at kimbef-
ley. in Cape Colony, south OF the Trans
vaal, and WAS the administrator of the
British South African Company. started
fo- Joha nneshurS will, go armed men.
On the second dav of January he sur
rendered to the South African Republic
and Kruger sent him TO England for
trial.
Outside Force Impracticable.
II did not sympathize with Jameson's
methods of changing the government of
the TranSvaal. The Beers, l thought,
should reform themselves. Force from
the outside was impracticable. I told our
men that if any one raised a British flag
Sup'l HIN liie
Tag of the Transvaal to the rooms of
,ur reform committee. I had all present
swear allegiance to the republic with up
raised hands and bare heads. But we
insisted upon measures of relief by the
government. telling Kruger We were for
he republic if properly governed. We
asked for a constitution written by COM
,ntent representatives of the people, n
air franchise law, the Subordination of
departments to the legisla-
ure, and the independence of the courts
II justice.
There were a good many Americans
n johannesburg. The George Washing |
on Corps had $50 members When Jane |
on crossed the border We telegraphed |
lin and sent messengers for him to stop |
md wait our orders. After his surrender |
It Doom kopf. we called in our hidden |
,uns, about 100. so that we could treat |
With Kruger and reach a settlement
AT 10 o'clock on the night of January
twenty-five members OIL the reform !
committee were arrested on the charge |
" rebellion and high treason, and put in |
all. The four leaders of the movement |
we're offered safe conduct over the bOr-
Ter, but We refused to leave our COM
ades. In all. sixty-four members of the
ommittee we're arrested. We were taken
o Pretoria, the capital of the country.
'oward the close of January the reform
RS. except the leaders, were released on
ail. Our trials began on February ). !