284 MACHINERY IN THE TRANSVAAL. 



line shafting and crusher countershafting was driven by ropes 

 from a large grooved flywheel on the engine crank shaft. The 

 ore was hoisted into the top of the mill by a double cage-way, the 

 cages being wound up and down by a double-cylinder winding 

 engine of the usual construction. 



Up to this period most of the mills were illuminated at night 

 by oil lamps. An electric lighting plant had been installed at the 

 Langlaagte Estate, with accumulators fitted, but it was not a 

 success. The dynamo was subsequently made to operate six 

 lamps in series, but when the new mill of 120 stamps was built a 

 complete electric lighting installation was included. The Jumpers 

 and Simmer and Jack had, however, prior to this, been excellently 

 equipped in this respect, and it then became the accepted means 

 of illumination for the mills and surface plant generally. It is 

 interesting to recall the prices paid for incandescent lamps at that 

 time : for 16 c.p. 60 volt lamps, 9s. each; 16 c.p. 100 volt lamps, 

 6s. 6d. each, when bought in large quantities ; 200 c.p. Sunbeam 

 lamps, 37s. 6d. each. These lamps were of the Swan-Edison 

 make. Up to the end of 1890, although the majority of the mills 

 were placed more or less in the beds of the creeks to avoid the 

 expense of pumping the water needed for the plates and concen- 

 trators, little trouble had been experienced with the banking up 

 of the tailings. This trouble now began to present itself, and 

 mechanical means had to be resorted to for relief. At the Lang- 

 laagte Estate, the writer successfully employed centrifugal pumps, 

 with mechanical stirring of the pulp in the sumps, and by these 

 means tailings were elevated a height of from 23 to 25 feet at a 

 cost of 2d. per ton, which included all charges, fuel, labour 

 maintenance and depreciation. At the Durban Roodepoort and 

 the Village Main Reef Mines, plunger pumps were successfully 

 employed for the same work ; but later on the tailings wheel came 

 into vogue, the Glcncairn Mine being, I think, the first to adopt 

 this system of ra'sing tailings, which remains a favourite means 

 of handling residues until this day. It is, however, noteworthy 

 that the system of elevating taihngs by means of centrifugal 

 pumps, introduced by the writer 20 years ago, is again beginning 

 to attract notice, and seems likely to displace entirely the cum- 

 ber.some tailings wheel. 



At this time diamond boring had demonstrated the exist- 

 ence of the conglomerate series at great depths. The Village 

 Main Reef Company had bored very successfully in 1890, and the 

 Henry Nourse Deep followed suit, and at a depth of 605 feet the 

 South Reef was intersected, the reef assaying over 6 ounces for 

 3 feet 6 inches thick. The Main Reef Leader was cut at 658 feet, 

 assaying 2 ounces for 5 inches thickness, and the Main Reef itself 

 showed well. These results gave a tremendous impetus to the 

 exploitation of the lower rows of claims, and progress from this 

 time was very rapid. More advanced methods of dealing with 

 the mines were continually being adopted, and the introduction of 

 the use of electrical energy to transmit power from a central power 

 station on the property was the forerunner of the vast schemes 

 now prevalent for the supply of electrical energy for all purposes 



