The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-04-16
MINING ENGINEERS
BACK FROM COCO
EUTTE MEN SPEND YEAR IN A
LAND OF MYSTERY LOOK
ING FOR GOLD.
Quite Miner)

Dave Hoffman. mining engineer
of this city, and former student at
the Montana State School of Mines,
has returned to Butte after an alb
sence of two years in the Congo, AZ
RIGA. He was accompanied by II. S.
Foster and James r. Evans, also Of
Butte. Mr.. Evans will reach home In
Hoffman gave an interesting account
of that foreign country and told Of the
customs and habits of the natives in
that section of the world. 1t was the
first interview given for publication
by Mr.. Hoffman since his return.
In speaking of his experiences since
leaving Butte, Mr.. Hoffman said:
I'VE left Butte November /, 1911,
going directly to New York. From
that city we sailed for Belgium. land
ing at Antwerp and continuing to
Brussels We were employed by the
Societe International Forestiere ct
Miniere du Congo, a Belgian mining
company, and were engaged for the
purpose of prospecting the various
streams tributary to the Congo for
placer gold.
1--WE remained in Brussels one week.
procuring supplies and preparing for
the sip to Africa. From Antwerp we
sailed for the Congo and after a voy-
age of 10 days landed up the river
about 100 miles from its mouth. We
established headquarters at the cap
ital, Bona, Mr.. Foster and myself
working out Of this city while Mr.
Evans proceeded 1000 miles farther
up the river He worked out of the
territory northeast of Stanleyville. to-
wards the coast. We also worked to-
wards the coast, using the Empire
drilling machine for our work.
Method Followed.
Our method in prospecting was to
follow a promising creek, boring three
holes to bedrock across it every 100
feet. The samples We're all PANIED
and records of all the holes kept. The
holes We're Az inches outside diamet-
er and all were cased. We made from
10 to 25 holes per day. All the trans
portation was accomplished by means
Of native labor the men carrying
about Is pounds each.
THE climate is hard for white men,
it being almost impossible for the
latter to do manual labor. During six
months Of the year, or during the dry
season and cloudy weather it Is not
so bad We had considerable trouble
in procuring natives for the work and
still more trouble to make them do
anything. They seem to care more for
glass articles, tobacco leaf and cloth
! than money and these articles can pro-
cure almost anything in the food line
for a white man.
Most of our food was sent to us
from Belgium in chop boxes these
containing almost everything that can
be timed. From the natives we OBJ
tanned chickens and sweet potatoes.
The water in the hills is clear and
good, but the waters Of the Congo
river are almost black with mud. The
temperatures ranged from SO degrees,
the lowest in August, up to IS degrees.
This was in the dense shade. In the
open sun a piece Of iron left exposed
for an hour would become so hot one
could not pick it up with the bare
hands. The natives do not mind the
heat, but all the white men wear he'll
NETS from 500 o'clock in the morning
to 400 o'clock in the afternoon.
"On account of the dense growth of
grass, some reaching Is feet In
height, hunting is almost impossible.
However, we saw several herds Of
buffalo, antelope and some elephants
1.-The natives are not treacherous
and are more like grown-up children
than anything else. Their main rea-
son for working for money is to pay
taxes, the inhabitants being taxed 81
per head per year. They receive from
$1.50 to SO per month and are hired
for periods of six months.
Interesting Facts.
AT Bona, the capital, there are
probably $50 white persons. mostly
government officials, prospectors and
missionaries. The traders buy palm
oil and palm kernels, which are sent
to England and the United States for
the manufacture of the finer grade
of soaps and refuse for cattle.
"rhe natives have language of
their own which a white man can
master enough to be able to under
stand in six months, while in a years
time he should be able to talk quite
fluently What writing has been mas
tered by the natives, has been taught
them by the missionaries. The latter
also teach them various trades, the
natives appearing to make better
tailors and carpenters than anything
else.
"The Congo country is most promis-
ing in minerals and oil, and the recent
discovery of diamonds in the Hasa
Plateae in the southwestern portion
of the Congo gives promise Of making
great diamond producer
. I'VE left the Congo December IL