I remember my appie days at traing, south west of 4 plant.... Was talking to a source yesterday who informed me that prospecting trenches have been dug around the buildings....seems this area has yet to be mined..... also was told that a number of these buildings were in fact the old loco sheds..... anyone have anything to add....
This is an interesting tale.....
After I posted this note, somebody sent me an email, to say, that according to the survey departments records....this area had already been mined back in the day...way way back in the day...... Stokkies (Anton) Van Schoor, disagreed ...having been here for many many moons, he knew well that this area had still to be mined...no matter what the survey dept's maps said.... twice over the last two years, he put in the suggestion to the mine..... the first time, no response...... 2nd time, somebody in survey humoured him and a trench or two was dug..... then everything was closed up and Stokkies was informed that the area had been mined....
Now this somebody sent me a note a month back saying that the mine knew that the area had indeed not been mined and had waited for Stokkies to retire before they did any mining in the area, thus avoiding having to pay Stokkies out for his "suggestion"... I thought the note just another tale to place under mining folklore..... until Whilst on leave in Somerset West this weekend, I bash into one...Anton Stokkies Van Schoor....
He confirmed.... that he did , twice suggest the area should be mined, even though the survey records stated that the area had already been cleared.... The 2nd time around, the trench was dug....two geologists turned up.... a lot of muttering and mumbeling ensued, the trench was closed up and Stokkies was told ... that there were no diamonds there, as the area had been mined already.... Stokkies found it very amusing that the area was going to be mined now, only a few months after he retired to South Africa..... he remembers his days learning the trade under Gunther Machts...., the tales of areas that were so called "mined" on paper, but in reality were covered over, to be mined when carat call was in demand..... I am sure many of you old timers know about these areas...
Stokkies, recounted to me, that one day, he and Gunther were up on a mine dump somewhere, where the overburden was being spread, Stokkies realized that the gravle on the dump on that day, was not the normal overburden, but diamondiferous material, 2metres of the stuff..... this was back in the day..... turns out that the chaps doing the stripping had stripped a wee bit too deep and removed diamond gravels up the dump......
There are still many spots on this mine where diamonds will be found....
msn emoticon (9)
Stokkies will be online in a few days.....