28o MACHINERY IN THE TRANSVAAL. 



cutting- up the fuel for the boilers. Although wood fuel was 

 cheap, the expense of cutting it into suitable lengths with the 

 circular saw was so great, and the whole business was such a 

 worry to the steam user, that the search for coal was encouraged ; 

 and later when it was found, in spite of the heavy costs of ox- 

 wagon transport, and the low calorific value of the coal, it was^ 

 eagerly purchased by the management of the two factories, at 

 that time the only consumers of coal in the Transvaal. 



Later on a few small isolated steam plants came into existence, 

 a mill at Franzpoort, not far distant from the two factories, being 

 operated by a 4 Nom. H.P. Gyppswyk engine and vertical boiler 

 by Turners, of Ipswich. A small Ether ice machine was installed 

 at the European Hotel in Pretoria at this time (1884), and to the 

 best of my recollection this was the only refrigerating machine in 

 the Transvaal. During the middle of 1884, developments on the 

 farm Paardeplaats, near Lydenburg, were pushed on, and in the 

 early part of 1885 a 15-stamp mill was erected. This mill was 

 made by Mitcheson, of Durban, and was driven by a small 

 Under type compound engine with loco, boiler, made by 

 Marshall's. This mine proved a failure, and the engine and 

 boiler were subsequently bought by R. White, the chief store- 

 keeper in Middelburg, and erected under the supervision of the 

 writer, to drive three pairs of mill stones for grinding wheat and 

 mealies. At this time coal was beginning to be worked in a 

 feeble manner in the Middelburg district, 1886-1887. 



In the latter portion of 1884, a coal mine was secured, con- 

 jointly by the Hatherley Distillery and the Gunpowder Factory, 

 for supplying the wants of these factories. This mine was located 

 at Bronkhorstspruit, and was worked by a short incline from the 

 surface to the seam, which was only about 30 feet deep below 

 the grass roots. The coal was of a very inferior quality, and 

 to-day would not command a sale at any price. No machinery, 

 save a small hand pump, was used or required. This was, I 

 believe, the first systematic coal mining in the Transvaal. 



At the latter end of 1885, Harry Struben erected a 5-stamp 

 Sandycroft mill, driven by a 10 Nom. H.P. Ransome portable 

 engine, on his farm Wilgespruit, ancj on February 20th, 1886, 

 he brought in 62 oz. of gold out of 200 tons crushed. About 

 this time Erasmus and others bought and erected a 5-stamp 

 Sandycroft mill, driven by a Vortex turbine, made by Gilbert 

 Gilkes, of Kendal. Simultaneously with these developments, a 

 small syndicate was opening up a very promising quartz reef on 

 the farm Kromdraai, and the writer built and erected for them an 

 overshot water wheel 22 feet diameter by 3 feet width of buckets. 

 This was constructed locally, of South African timber, and com- 

 municated motion to the countershaft driving the battery, by 

 spur gearing, made in Natal by Mitcheson. The mill was a 

 5-stamp Sandycroft of 750 lb. stamps, and, like all the others put 

 up at this time, possessed neither feeders nor stone crushers, all 

 this work being done by hand. A dam was built in the creek, 

 about half a mile distant, giving the necesary fall to the wheel, 

 and the supply of water was just enough to give the stamps about 

 61; to 70 drops per minute of 6 inches. The mill worked very 



