The Oldest Diggings in the World.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXX, Issue 1513, 10 May 1898, Page 3

The Oldest Diggings in the World.

A recent visitor to Rhodesia* describing in the Contemporary Review the gold mines of that region mentions one, more particularly in the Gwanda district, which has been rediscovered bv a Mr Andrew Nicholson, and has received the name of Geelong. So much confidence is felt in its richness that £IOO,OOO is being spent, under the direction of experts, in its development. But what is chiefly remarkable about it is that, in sinking shafts, the men employed came upon very extensive old workings. In fact the entire hill seemed to have been tunnelled at some remote epoch. In the course of their excavations they reached a “ tim bered chamber, 500 yds long, containing vast quantities of rich quartz, ready broken down from the reef partly burnt, and ready for the battery'. The timber was still in this mine, and large numbers of diorite hammers were found. This discovery proves that the ancients knew how to treat the quartz with fire when they could not otherwise break it small enough to get the gold out.” But why should operations have been suddenly suspended in these rich reefs 1 And why should they have been deserted by the miners,,who seem to have left their tools behind them 1 The writer answers these questions thus “ The conjecture is that they were the same people who built what are now the ruins of Zimbabive, probably some thousands of years ago. Some accident, some plague, wet, or other catastrophe would seem to have come and swept them all away ; and for centuries these reefs have been awaiting a new discoverer. What is true of this mine is, no doubt, in a measure true of a great many, others, for the country is covered with these ancient workings.” At Tebewke there are old workings on a reef which have been traced along the surface for a distance of 2500 f t; and trees were found growing from the bottoms of shafts at least 100 years old. So far as recent sinkings have gone, they have proved that the reefs descend to a much greater depth than the levels at which they were being worked at the time those primeval operations were so mysteriously-arrested.

A Scotchman hired himself to a Cheshire farmer. At breakfast one of the famous cheeses of the county was set before him. His master left the Scot at table, and later, when he appeared for work, said to him. ‘ Sandy, you take a long time to your breakfast.’ * Troth, master,’ replied the Scot, f a cheese o’ that size is nae so soon eaten as ye may think.” It is told of a certain bishop that while dining at the house of one of his friends, ho was pleased to observe that ho was the object of marked attention from the son of his host, whose eyes were firmly riveted upon him. After dinner, the bishop approached the boy and asked: ‘Well, my young friend, you seem to be interested in me. Do you find that I am all right?’ ‘Yes, sir,’said the boy, with a glance at the bishop’s knee breeches. ‘ You’re all right; only’ (hesitatingly) ‘ won’t your mother let you wear trousers yet 1’