Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 November 1895 — Mountains of Gold. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Mountains of Gold.

No longer than ten years ago even the uubiquitous British looked upon the Transvaal as no better than a howling wilderness. Some traces of gold had been found, but they were not regarded as workable at a profit. The house of Rothschild appealed to their American correspondent to send the nest mining engineer In this country to investigate. Gardner Williams, at present the director of the Deßeers diamond mines at Kimberly, undertook this mission. He reported to his principals that he was surprised and disgusted at their credulity—there was no gold In the Witwatersrand. Mr. Williams was an authority of the first class, but, alas! for the infallibility of science and experience, the territory which he condemned as worthless to the gold miner is now yielding something like $40,000,000 a year of the yellow metal. Over 2,000 heads of stamps are at work, day and night, over the line of “barren” outcrop for a distance of forty miles. This vast industry, forty mines alone of wliich are capitalized at $95,000,000, has in ten years transformed a bleak, remote and unsmiling cattle range, sparsely peopled with sullen Boers and hostile natives, into a veritable El Dorado.—New York Herald.

“There, I think this is the best way to put it: ‘Dear Mrs. McCollrub, we are very sorry tve cannot accept your kind Invitation for Wednesday evening, as our grandpa is dying and will be buried on Saturday.’ ’’—Judy.