America's African heritage; 21

Be. One the National Association of educational broadcasters presents America's African heritage recorded in Africa by Skip Westfall program 21. The fabulous goldmines at Johannesburg park one here is kept Westfall from speaking to you today about 2000 feet below the surface of the earth down the roof lay 9 some 30 miles from Johannesburg South Africa. At this moment we are in the mine cave hunting down the speed of about 30 more miles on the wheel and 3000 feet. I mean he was going down to a

depth in about 3200 feet many. You know now that's what I would call a pretty fast ride. We stepped off the lift now owner standing on a platform which resembles a subway platform in New York City. A train is waiting here to take us about a mile and a half where we will enter another town to observe the miners as they dig for gold down here in the bowels of the earth. The train is about ready to start. That was a new experience for me traveling on a train for over a mile 3000 feet below the

surface of the earth. The tunnel we have now entered is about 12 feet wide and I'd say about 10 feet in height. This is the end of an eight hour shift and we can hear the plop plop of the shoe on the cement floor. There's a group of miners walk past on their way to work in the far end of the tunnel. Before we proceed further into the tunnel perhaps we should take a few minutes for a brief description of how the miners dig out the gold here at the blue flame mine by doing that work did I pronounce that correctly. That spot on the roof lay just right. Mr. Charles Barclay an official of the Chamber of Mines of Johannesburg is sitting on a bench here with me alongside the tonneau. Mr Barclay would you start us off by giving us something of the story about how the board was first formed here in the Johannesburg area where all of this to rest follow have a shot at it. Many geologists believe that this gold was for millions of years ago long long before we ever came on Earth certainly and long before there were

any animals like dinosaurs OTEC projectiles or any of those wonderful things. It all happened way way back when there was a great inland sea here in this great inland sea in course of time was affected by rivers from high mountains all around it and these rivers broke down into field goal. And this gold was deposited on shore. And also on the bed of this inland sea and pebbles came down and settled with the gold. Then other layers were built from time to time. Thats really how these nations were formed. And then there were like any Iraqis are critical. There were I believe yes the geologist say that there were many people many many people told resulted in. Slower at the end Nancy being tilted downwards so that the room is exposed on the surface and wait wait wait down and I suppose you might say that this is softer.

You might call it a kind of saucer was kept by the earthquake. It against Yes it was and then when the boat started at the top of the earth and signed it on down that's up to a depth of how far thousands and thousands of feet more than certainly more than 10000 feet. Your mines go down to a depth of 10000 feet around Johannesburg they do well who first made the discovery of ago. Well let's remember tik story too I suppose that the story goes that in the year 1886 perspective and handyman from Australia named George Harrison. Some say it was it was named George Walker. But anyway Harrison for want of a better name visited a farm that will boost hasten Neil where Johannesburg now stands and he was walking on the farm one Sunday when he stumbled over an outcrop of rock and his foot dislodged a piece of that rock which he recognised as possibly being a gold bearing rock. He ran very excited laid to the farmhouse and the story is that he borrowed a pen from the widow and then he crushed and hand the gold the

already one hand found a line of goat and I got very excited. I suppose if it came back to this way lovelier than it should have done but I don't think you did because there's one story that you moved on since John's begad weaving is a mining area he moved on and one story is that he was eaten by land in the north and runs well that was certainly a tragedy him into a life of Mr. Harris. It works. How large an area does this go. Barrier Reef cover a compass and. A. Jewel in the east. Transfer right through Johannesburg on to the Curia in the Orange Free State. Not your not again nothing to do with the bluegrass country. Oh about how long is that area. That's about 300 miles long. Lion go minus the golden home if you like. How many minds out there in the area. Fifty four altogether producing go live go down. Theoretically you could walk underground for a distance of about how far over the 100 miles you want to present but there is some of the mind a hole through which.

You might say that this area certainly honeycomb movement. And there are connected for. For. What purpose. They are connected. In some cases for ventilation purposes in other cases because the properties of going one another. You've got that interesting business of a man in theory being able to walk more than 100 miles on the ground which is simple certainly is well-known case of an emergency when the mine have to be evacuated. Is it possible for the miners to come up in the adjoining mine. No they wouldn't do that if. It wasn't in the spam Thank heavens we don't get many of those. It wasn't an agency they would come up with another child on the line every nine and at least two shot. Yes some have. Most have to have gone to have at least two one named John is big here. Crown mines have got 17 jobs. When our Mr Barclay here in this tunnel can we see the order to go.

Yes there it is that's right in front of you then. Let's strip here it looks rather rested doesn't it. Well that is a bit of pyrite that oxidizing about 12 inches in width which is very just certainly don't look like golden. No but you can see those pebbles I talked about that they on the for the city that they are out of millions of years later when I want to shaft of them Sun until the rebuild has been struck. What is the next procedure. Well the next procedure is to make a series of tunnels on the ground and when the nine has been developed then mining operations begin. And the men and they begin to drill into them. They go into the rock they do. Well the purpose of the drilling then is not to dig out the gold but to drill the holes in which the sticks of dynamite are leaving one to that that you're going to yes get it get ignited gelignite our place. Yes but I guess. They blast Arthur out through these explosive charges and now are wishing a long time here along this tunnel a kind of a shelf out of the only about 36 inches with this foot of space that's where the men actually drill

into the into the orbit. That's where they do the work. That's called a step and I suppose they must work on their hands and knees. There's not much room. Yes whatever they hear they do they do the job very well to notice they have kneepads as soon as they were not actually handguns and kneepads Sound Of course they've got safety hats on as well and sometimes they have to work lying down there. Yes in some cases they do imagine there's quite a bit of danger involved in this operation. But with this more than I do my job well or mining has that in common it so it's not a job for sissies. So even though this story and they work very very hard here. They like the job. Otherwise they would be doing well then you know what would you say is actually the greatest danger in the global operation. Well unless sometimes full of brutal man. But as I say that doesn't often happen but that is the name has to give money I would say. Well I'm sure Mr. Barker that very few of our American women who wear gold again to dreams of gold

wedding dreams realize that in order to get that for his gold men must risk their lives at times in digging it from the earth. So what is the actual procedure Mr. Barclay when the explosions are set off. Well the fuse is lit. And there long enough to ensure that everyone is in a safe place when the challenges go off and the men work or walk out of the mine or they rather they walk to the cage again and raise to the surface while these charges are going off while they're doing that. They've got fresh air in their faces and the fumes from the explosions are. Being carried away. In places where nobody is working so everything is quite safe and I should be sure that they're walking with the fresh air in their faces. Oh yes they go away. They know which way to go. And then then the mine is evacuated after the explosions are set off. Yes that's so the next day. Some. 18 hours or more later they come in again to the same place.

The idea there is to get rid of the rock that's been broken by the challenges the day before and move it along the tunnels of the mine the network of tunnels to the bottom of the shaft where the kind of the cage picks up the ore and takes it to the surface for the treatment process where you're going to extract the gold you've got to extract the gold on the surface of the big chemical metal legible 11 hour long actually is there no activity at all on line. Well those over there are always people in the mine but as far as working parties are concerned there is just one shift each day. One main working shift of eight as each day and I know you were made a minute some mention a moment ago. War that is given for bravery. Oh yes one of the one of the popular awards in the safety campaign is given to the African mine work it's called a golden hat minus hat which

shines with a go to covering the Golden covering not real gold. And these are highly prized by the men who see them from the industry and when they go home to the African territories far from the mines they are the center of much attention. These men are truly men I suppose are of the men that work in the mines are looked upon as heroes when they get back to the women from their native villages that they are in fact Mr. WEST. It's true to say that many Africans volunteer for mining come to the landing industry so that they can number one get money to buy cattle with which to buy a life. And when they've got sufficient money to buy the cattle they get married and the women look upon them as real men once they have been mining. I can understand that it certainly takes a REAL man to do the kind of a job that has to be done here in the government. Well I take my hat off to you for coming here and. Look in self it the Iowa plan must be real.

Keep that place you know I would let my knees have been getting a better way to behave when we carry on when I am committed to go down into the far end of the tunnel to watch the drilling operation. Yes you can do that if you ask. We'll pick up the story in about 10 or 15 minutes after we get near enough to record the sound of the great preparing for the explosion. I am We're now at the far end of the tunnel where several burly African Minories are manipulating huge electric drill. Blowing into a 12 inch wide reef which contains the go. Was a bit strange was getting to this place when we first entered the mine with more heavy coats likely that's come to mind where. During an Alaskan winter. But we've long since discarded those here because I neglected to explain at the start that you have to wear special clothes

for this trip and it boots coveralls and the safety helmet to protect your head. Should rocks fall. These couple of hours I am wearing are now wet with sweat climbing up the steps and over the rocks watching this tape recorder is about as strenuous as handling bales of hay on a very hot day back in Iowa. It appears that we have come almost to the end of this broadcast very hardly scratched the surface of this exciting good my story will continue next week with the second chapter in a recording from the plane. John is very South Africa. This has been programmed 21 of America's African heritage. These programs feature recordings made by world traveler skip Westfall on a recent trip to Africa. The series is made possible by a grant and aid to radio station WOIO Iowa State College from the educational television and radio center production is under the direction of

Norman B Clary. This is Reg easy speaking for the National Association of educational broadcasters.