666 W. H. PENNING ON THE HIGH-LEVEL 
Some miles to the north, on Bridge Spruit (Landsberg’s), good 
smiths’ coal is said to have been proved and worked, the section 
being as under :— 
ft. in. 
11 O Sandstone. 
10 Good bright coal, with thin dull layers. 
Between Steenkool Spruit and the Wilge river some fine springs 
break out on the farm of Van Zweeil; along one of the streams 
supplied by them, called “ Dwars-en-de-weg,” I observed fine-grained 
sandstones, with indications of coal not far beneath the surface. 
There are also beds of pisolitic and of finely granular iron-ore; the 
latter is easily smelted by the natives, and yields a good iron. 
Following the road north-west towards Pretoria, the Wilge river 
is crossed not far from its source (4862 feet), and coal crops out 
along its banks here, on the property of Messrs. Moodie, Kruger, 
and others. Just west of the road a heading has been driven some 
way into the hill, along a horizontal seam of good coal, from 44 to 5 
feet in thickness; some of this coal has been sent all the way to 
Kimberley and sold at £15 a ton. 
About 3 miles down the river, to the north, and at a much lower 
level, another seam has been opened just under the water-level, so 
that its thickness (apparently 2 feet or more) could not be ascer- 
tained. The right bank of the river here shows from 20 to 30 feet 
of crystalline sandstones, fine below, coarser above, in a horizontal 
position, The ridge above consists of coarse grits and conglomerate. 
About a third of a mile south these grits dip north-east 3°, and still 
further south are some false-bedded grits, and a bed like the “ Mill- 
stone Grit ” of England, with a dip similar in amount and direction. 
About 6 miles north-west of the last coal-section, by the home- 
stead of the farm upon which a silver-bearing lode has been opened, 
similar coarse grits are seen, dipping E.S.E. 20°; but a little further 
west the dip has decreased to 2° only. Further west, about 6 miles, 
by Power’s canteen, rocks of similar character dip sharply to the 
N.N.E.; and a few miles south-east of this, along the road to 
Standerton (by Smith’s) are again horizontal. 
Where the Wilge river joins the Rhinoster-poort some good 
seams of coal have been worked; and sandstones and coarse grits 
occur a few miles further north, about the head-waters of the 
Eland’s river, where coal also will probably be found. 
Passing from the sources of the Wilge river, over the watershed 
by the town of Heidelberg, where coal is known to occur, we 
approach the sources of the Klip river, upon which, 24 miles from 
the town, and at an elevation of about 4300 feet, are the mines of 
the “ Waldrift Coal- mining Company.” 
Vaal River eh somewhat diverging peas the method 
followed thus far, it may be repeated here that at the head of the 
Vaal-river valley (about 5000 feet) four seams of coal are known, 
from 3 to 11 feet thick, with beds of sandstone between. 
Next in order comes the Heilbron district (4800 feet), where are 
