Pi;i;siih;nt's Addkkss -Skcts. 1^ and C. fA 



surf;ut' of KiinlterU'V, Hiiltt'tiiit(.'iii uiul I )e KeeiN, wliit-li tliey worked 

 for ten yi>;irs, till ISSO. From Kimln'rley they made expeditiiiris to the 

 Tati m»l(l-fields, and endeavoured to obtain tiie eohcessions e\entuallv 

 seeured hv the Chartered Company, whieli ha\e ijiven us Rhodesia. 

 'I'iie liarbers' name remains on the map conneeted with the F)arl)erton 

 gold-fields. 



In Februarv, ISSK (iraliam H. I^)arl)er and his cousins, H. .M. 

 Harber and F. H. Harl)er. and Fdward White of 'I'able Farm, hear- 

 iny" that a rich gold reef had been found on Moodie's farm, proceeded 

 to Oe Kajip t(t trv their fortunes. Tliey fttund all tlie claims on tiie 

 discovered reef occupied, and started prospecting further afield. The 

 first find fell to H. M. liarber, tliree miles east of Moodie's Camp, but 

 the reef was low gratle. One day F. H. Barber when prospecting 

 noticed a white thread of ([uartz running up the hillside on a steep 

 nuiuntain spur. .\fter a great scramble through long grass, bracken 

 and brushwood lie came on the reef, fiom wliich he knocked some 

 pieces to crusli anil wasli. These specimens turned out to be very rich, 

 and early ne.xt niorning the partners transpoitecf half of their camp to 

 the foot of the iiills, and this spot ultimately l)ecame J^arberton. The 

 camp was augmented l)y other arrivals, and prospectors swarmed over 

 the hills. Other reefs were found, among others the famous ISheba 

 reef liy an Australian miner named Bray, the Kimberley Imperial, S:c. 

 Canteens, restaurants, shops and a post-ottice sprang up like mushrooms 

 on the quiet veld, and this collection was at first called Barber's Camp. 

 Mr. AVilson from Duivel's Kantoi»r, the Transvaal Mining Commis- 

 sioner and Landdrost, came to establish some sort of Government 

 control, and to collect licences. A meeting of the inhabitants was 

 called, and a diggers' committee was elected consisting of Messrs. 

 Fade, Rliino Otto. S. Wright and the two Barbers. Then with the 

 swilling of a good deal of Portuguese gin, and the consumption of 

 Swazi tobacco, much noise and good fellowship. Barber's Camp was 

 christenefl Barberton. The original reef was floated into a company 

 by ^lessi's. 8. Neumann and .1. C. Kimer, and a ten-stamp battery was 

 erected. The first crushing of lOD tons gave a return of ") oz. to the 

 ton, but tlie reef pinclied out and the company eventually l)ecame 

 amalgamated with the Sheba. 



Meanwhile, howevei', Struben had redisci>vered the gold on the 

 Witwatersrand which Saunders had found thirty years previously. 

 H. M. Barber and F. H. Barber had returned from Barberton to a 

 farm on the Fisli River, l>ut the horri))le greed ft)r easily gotten wealth 

 again seized u[ion them, and F. H. Barber posted once more to the 

 Transvaal. Tliere he found his Barljerton repeated, a long rambling 

 canii>, a little collection of waggons, tents and tin buildings extending 

 along many miles of reef. With the few hundred pounds remaining 

 from the earlier exploit, he purchased two claims fiom Col. Ferreira, 

 and obtained an option from him to float a little block of nine claims 

 into a limited liability company. On this the first shaft was sunk on 

 the Witwatersrand, and Barber carried it down to 50 feet, thus pro^ ing 

 the then disputed point, the permanency of the reef in depth. One 



