Part 6 (1/2)

diamond

I spent a day in the Dutoitspan Mine where I saw thousands of Kaffirs digging away at the precious blue substance soon to be translated into the gleale on the bosoer of soot an evidence of American cinema enterprise on this occasion for I suddenly debouched on a wide level and under the flickering lights I saw a Yankee operator turning the crank of atravel pictures A hundred naked Zulus stared with open-eyed wonder at the perforht was touched off they ran for their lives

This leads me to the conspicuous part that Areat confidence in the Aed fro California fruits into South Africa and Rhodesia to handling hisinterests When soed sothe Aht to Kiander who becaer of the DeBeers Company in 1887 and upon the consolidation, assumed the same post with the united interests He developed the mechanical side of diamond production and for many years held as perhaps the most conspicuous technical and administrative post in the industry He retired in favor of his son, Alpheus Williaer of all the diamond mines at Kimberley

A little-known Ae of Kiineers who rallied round Gardner Williae Labrareat advantage of superiority in weight of metal Thanks to Britain's lack of preparedness, Kimberley only had a few seven pounders, while the Boers had ”Long Toestion Labra a thirty-pound shell and it gave the besiegers a big and destructive surprise This gun, which was called ”Long Cecil,” was built and booh, Labra in his rooe of his gun

IV

The part that Aht compared with their participation in the exploitation of the Rand goldup this greatest of all gold fields but they looe in the drama of the Jameson Raid One of their nuroup, was sentenced to death for his role in it The entire technical fabric of the Rand was devised and established by reater part of their experience, in the United States

The capital of the Rand is Johannesburg When you ride in a taxicab down its broad, well-paved streets or are whirled to the top floor of one of its skyscrapers, it is difficult to believe that thirty years ago this thriving and metropolitan community was a rocky waste We are accusto surpasses any exhibit that we can offer in this line Once called ”a tin toith a gold cellar,” it has the at all the tihly accli by its full and proper name Just as San Francisco is contracted into ”'Frisco,” so is this aninifying the place with its geographical title when I innocently re is a live place” My companion looked at me with pity--it was al' (strong e') is one of the hottest places in the world”

The word Rand is Dutch for ridge or reef Toward the hties the first mine was discovered on what is the present site of Johannesburg The original excavation was on the historic place known as _Witwatersrand_, which means White Water Reef Kiold rush to the Transvaal was as noisy and picturesque as the dash on the diamond fields It exceeded the Klondikeit was more accessible and in the second place there were no really adverse climatic conditions Thousands died in the snow and ice of the Yukon trail while only a few hundred succumbed to fever, exposure to rain, and inadequate food on the Rand

It reseold rush to California in 1849 old fields, which in 1920 produced half of the world's gold, are e and twenty miles wide All theare practically exhausted The large develop but eat gold in Johannesburg Cooks, maids, waiters, bootblacks--indeed the whole population--are interested, or at soold olden cables J B Robinson, for exanates, and his associates converted an original interest of 12,000 into 18,000,000 This Rand history sounds like an Aladdin fairy tale

What concerns us principally, however, is the American end of the whole show Hardly were the first Rand mines uncovered than they felt the influence of the Ao out were three unusual s, H C

Perkins and Captain Thoether with Haineer who joined theold mine in Venezuela Subsequently came John Hays Hammond, Charles butters, Victor M Cleett, Pope Yeate Webber, H H Webb, and Louis Sey fellows They ineers, ers and others until there were roup contemporaneous and identified with the Jaht be called the second generation of As, a brother of Hennen, W L Honnold, Samuel Thomson, Ruel C Warriner, W W Mein, the son of Capt Thomas Mein, and H C Behr

Why this A engineer of the eighties and the nineties stood in a class by hiold developold e and varied practical experience When Rhodes and Barnato (they were both a the early nine mine-owners in the Rand) cast about for capable men they naturally picked out Aht to South America in 1893 by Barnato and after six months with him went over to Rhodes, hom he was associated both in the Rand and Rhodesia until 1900

Not only did Americans create the whole technical s--really saved the field The first mines were ”outcrop,” that is, the ore literally cropped out at the surface This outcrop is oxidized, and being free, is easily aamated with mercury

Deeper down in the earth comes the unoxidized zone which continues indefinitely The iron pyrites found here are not oxidized They hold the gold so tenaciously that they are not aamable They must therefore be abstracted by some other process than with mercury At the time that the outcrop in the Rand become exhausted, what is today known as the ”cyanide process” had never been used in that part of the world

The s had heard of the cyanide operation, insisted upon its introduction, and it not only retrieved the situation but has beco the world over In the sa when ht the field was exhausted because the outcrop indications had disappeared

These Americans in the Rand made the mines and they also made history as their part in the Jameson Raid showed Perhaps a word about the Reforrew out of the oppression of the _Uitlander_--the alien--by the Transvaal Governh these outsiders, principally English and Americans, outnuhts of citizenshi+p The Reforer and hold hiuns and aled in from Kimberley as ”hardware” under the supervision of Gardner Willia the munitions as far as Kimberley The Boers set up such a careful watch on the Transvaal border, however, that every subterfuge had to be eet them across

Dr Jameson, who at that time was Administrator of Southern Rhodesia, had a force of Rhodesian police on the Transvaal border ready to come to the assistance of the Co was that Jameson should not invade the Transvaal until he was needed His i until the Coer, he suddenly crossed the border with his forces The Raid was a fizzle and the commander and all his men were captured by the Boers This abortive attempt was the real prelude to the Boer War, which came four years later

Most Americans who have read about this episode believe that John Hays Hammond was the only country and spectacular part and was one of the four ringleaders sentenced to death He afterwards escaped by the payment of a fine of 125,000 As a ineers were up to their necks in the refor terms in prison They were Capt Thomas Mein, J S Curtis, Victor M

Clement and Charles butters They obtained their freedom by the payment of fines of 10,000 each This whole enterprise netted Kruger so like 2,000,000 in cash

The Ja the Aineers in the Rand to the fore Indirectly it blocked a Gerht have played havoc in Africa the moment the inevitable Great War broke If the Boer War had not developed in 1899 it is altogether likely that, judging fron of world-wide interference, Gered so that it should break out in 1914 In this unhappy event she could have struck a death blow at England in South Africa because in the years between the Boer War and 1914 she created close-knit colonial organizations in South-West and East Africa; built strategic railways; armed and drilled thousands of natives, and could have invaded the Cape Colony and the Transvaal

In connection with the Jameson Raid is a story not without interest

Jaether when the news of Roosevelt's coup in Panama was published The author read it first and handed the paper to his friend with the question: ”What do you think of it?”