We had some little trouble in finding our way into the town, as for the
last two hours the daylight failed, and we had to grope our way along at
a snail's pace in total darkness. This, in a country of such rough roads
and deep and dangerous gulleys and water-courses, was a most intricate
and difficult proceeding. Eventually, however, we reached our
destination about nine o'clock at night.
This "auriferous" town is indeed a marvellous place, lying on the crest
of a hill at an elevation of 5,000 feet above the level of the sea.
Along its sides are spread out every variety of habitation, from the
substantial brick and stone structures, which are being erected with
extraordinary rapidity, to the multitude of galvanised iron dwellings,
and the still not unfrequent tents of the first, and last comers. It is
indeed a wonderful and bewildering sight to view it from the opposite
hill across the intervening valley. Scarcely more than two years have
elapsed since this town of twenty-five thousand inhabitants commenced
its miraculous existence. The excitement and bustle of the motley crowd
of gold seekers and gold finders is tremendous, the whole of the
live-long day. The incessant subject of all conversation is gold, gold,
gold. It is in all their thoughts, excepting, perhaps, a too liberal
thought of drink. The people of Johannesburg think of gold; they talk of
gold; they dream of gold. I believe, if they could, they would eat and
drink gold. But, demoralising as this is to a vast number of those, who
are in the vortex of the daily doings of this remarkable place, the
startling fact is only too apparent to anyone who visits Johannesburg.
It is to be hoped that the day will come when the legitimate pursuit of
wealth will be followed in a less excitable, and a more calm and
decorous manner, than at present regretably prevails.
I spent a pleasant, as well as interesting, week at Johannesburg; and,
during my stay, visited several of the mines, among them Knight's, the
Jumpers, Robinson's, Langlaagte, &c. At Robinson's, I had an opportunity
of inspecting the wonderful battery just completed, and in full working
order, constructed on the most approved principles for gold crushing,
with sixty head of stamps. It is a marvellous specimen of mechanical
contrivance for crushing the ore. Many parts of the machinery work
automatically. I ascended the various floors, and had all the processes
minutely and clearly described to me in a most courteous manner, by the
superintendent of the battery. I afterwards went down into the mine,
first to the 70-feet, and then again to the 150-feet levels. In this
way, I passed two hours wandering underground with a candle in my hand,
and inspecting the gold-bearing lodes of one of the richest mines in the
Randt. This mine possesses magnificent lodes, and millions of tons of
gold-producing quartz. There is a prospect of most profitable results in
it for years to come. Altogether, from what I have seen of the various
gold mines of Johannesburg, I am satisfied of the permanence of its gold
fields. Of course they are not all of equal value; but many, even of
the poorer mines, when they come to be worked more scientifically, and
on proper business principles, will ultimately be found to pay fairly,
although they may never be destined to yield such brilliant results, as
some of those I have mentioned. The Market Square (of which an
illustration is given) is the largest in South Africa, covering an area
of 1,300 feet in length, and 300 feet in width. Some idea of the growth
of Johannesburg may be gathered from the fact, that at the latter part
of the year 1886 there was not a Post Office in existence, whilst the
revenue of that department for the first quarter of 1887 was £167, and
at the end of 1888 it had risen to £7,588.
[Illustration: JOHANNESBURG MARKET PLACE.]
This extraordinary and rapid growth has unfortunately produced the usual
results, when an immense population is suddenly planted on a limited
area, without any proper sanitary arrangements being provided for their
protection. From its elevated situation and naturally pure and dry
atmosphere, Johannesburg ought to be a very healthy town. That it
notoriously is not so, and that the amount of sickness and death-rate
from fever and other diseases is abnormal, must, undoubtedly, be
attributed to the great neglect and utter absence of an efficient system
of drainage. I fear this state of things will continue; and the
certainty of serious increase, as the population continues to grow
rapidly, is only too likely, until there is established some kind of
municipal body, acting under Governmental authority, to adopt a thorough
and complete system of sanitation. It is to be hoped that the Transvaal
Government, which is having its treasury so rapidly filled from the
pockets of the British population, which is pouring into Johannesburg,
as well as into so many other towns in the Transvaal, will awake in
time to the importance of taking measures for thoroughly remedying this
great and glaring evil, which is becoming such a scandal, as well as
creating such widely spread and justifiable alarm among the British
community in the Transvaal.[B]
[Illustration: Decorative]
[Footnote B: Since my return to England I am glad to hear that a
Sanitary Board is to be established at Johannesburg.]
[Illustration: Decorative]