I was talking to a chap last night that is involved with the dismantling and removal of scrap from the mine. This includes, the big dumps and various plants...... Quite a huge job and a lucrative contract. I thought that I was being clever, and asked him are they clearing all the dumps, thinking that he did not know about those dumps where things had been buried. Turns out he does know about them, in fact they stumbled onto a few of them...
Describing to me, that the surface of these spots is not the same as the normal terrain, more like a powder surface, he reckons as you walk across the surface, you can actually feel the hollowness of the earth beneath you.
At one spot, he was walking across the surface of a location where it was rumoured to have been one of these hidden dumps..... when the suddenly a hole appeared in the ground, not a massive one, but large enough to shine a light down.... as they peered down into the cavity, they could see the image of CAT bulldozers unfolding through those buried sands....
For me, it's fascinating, kinda like our own Egypt......
msn emoticon (9)
I'm sure the dumps are a few layers deep quite amazing
The Pyramids of Namdeb.....
who were the "Pharo's" in charge way back then.....
they also buried the 'treasure' away, only to be dug up today
and to be sold on the open market
....... well, in Egypt the buried gold and and other stuff, as well as diamonds with their dead...... in the Namib they buried iron..... by far a better worth today in the current economical climate for resale on the open market than diamonds and gold !!!!!
At around 40G, somewhere between the old Gemsbok workshops and the former North Electrical Workshops, there was a screening plant on the east side of the road with a large dump running parallel to the road. I remember the plant as 22G but obviously I have that wrong. However, the dump should be easy to locate.
Underneath the dump is the original Sauerman Scraper, a massive two tower piece of earth-moving machinery which dragged an oversize bucket (big enough to take a Landrover) between the towers to remove the sand overburden.
The main tower also had a massive engineroom complete with huge electric motor, switchboard, compressor and various other items. It was scrapped after ten years and left at the leading edge of the dump which slowly buried it as it progressed. Also in there are several old German scoops and odd bits of obsolete machinery. Quite a wealth of scrap if it could be recovered.
Regards,
Bob.
Hi Bob could this be the dump where the tank - farm beackon was on there where two beackon's one near 50g wich still stands today and the other on top of a dump they used these beackon's for the fuel drop,
Bob I posted more photo's of the South Works area you must take a look there and give us some feed back
Thanks
Alfred
Hi Alfred,
Sorry, can't help with actual location of the dump other than the description I gave. In the late sixties it was the only large dump of any size to the east of that road until you reached the HMS plant. As for the beacons, they were only put in place long after the tank farm was created and certainly after my time.
A story I remember from the building of the tank farm was that when the construction crew completed the first tank they left the vent on the tank top open to vent the heat it had absorbed during the day.
Late one hot afternoon, just as the sun was setting, someone closed the vent. That night the temperature plunged and the air inside contracted, causing the outside pressure to squeeze the massive steel tank like a lemon, or like a beer can that someone had flattened. Red faces all round and a scramble to repair the tank before the consultants arrived.
Regards,
Bob.
Bob
In the 1960s we had screening plants operating in the south at 32G, 65G (an inland plant),68G, 103G (another inland plant) and at 122G. I worked at each of those plants at one time or another in the late 1960s. Could it have been 32G or more likely the 65G inland "dry" plant?
Did these inland plants produce good carats?
I was reading some papers today on the proclamation timetable for Oranjemund, but the whole thing makes no sense to me, as certain well placed sources are adamant that there are diamonds under the town....... So how can you proclaim it?
I was just wondering how far "east" towards the town these early plants were recovering diamonds from.....
I've been told (by a very trustworthy source) that there used to be a dump close to North Hostel. In this area one worker picked up 3 diamonds in one day, all bigger than 25mm in diameter. One had an elongated shape, and one was quite square. Simply because the "grids" had 25mm holes. Any larger and it would not have been cost effective to go through the bigger amount of gravel that would fall through. In other words, anything bigger than 25mm were dumped. Any comments?
rooster
So.... if you walk around there, look for BIG diamonds, not Harry's gramophone needles!
I-T-O
I'll get Alfred and wax us a visit to the Survey office. They still have the aerial survey pics done in '61. I wanted to know more about the South Works, before Bob divulged all the missing details. I wanted to know what G11TT (dumps at South Works) looked like before it was loaded away, and voila a handy trip back in time... Google earth ala 1961.
When 4 plant was running the secondary crusher gaps were set around 22mm....any stone larger was crushed.....
The screening plants discarded 25mm oversize material and 1.8mm undersize (sand). In 'G' Area the diamonds were much larger than those to the north but fewer in number. Diamond grades at Affenrucken were higher but the average stone size was that much lower.The easterly extent of the deposit in the south was just west of the Eastcliff Road. The East Cliff itself was quite high in the southerly part of 'G'Area. The 'N' blocks abutting the cliff were some of the richest on the mine. The ore itself was high and compacted containing a large percentage of boulder. In the late 60's we used 38RBD (Rustin Bucyrus Diesel) excavators to load the Michigan 210, Euclid S7 and Le Tourneau haul trucks.
Hi Gordon,
32G was just south of the former Central Fields workshops, so the dump under which the Sauerman Scraper is located must be at either 65G or 68G, most likely the latter. It was on the inland side of the road about two kilometres south of what was then known as North Compound. I could place it more accurately if someone could give the G location of the previous HMS. It was at a spot approximately halfway between Central Fields and HMS.
My recall is that 65G was a very small inland screening plant with just behind it a large boulder dump (i.e most unusually, boulders only and no sand). The plant, located right next to the old Gemsbok workshops, was closed and stripped of all machinery in the early Sixties. For years thereafter it had the words :"Sic Transit Gloria - or Virginia?" painted on the concrete face of the main screen base. Perhaps someone can check it out. If so, I can reveal the story behind the graffiti.
Regards
Bob.
Hi Bob
In the southern section of the mine in 'G' Area there were scrap dumps at the following sites: 35G to 36G (lower terrace 1km east of the tank farm); within the Central Fields workshop complex on the lower terraces between 42G and 47G; in the central block between 58G and 61G (three sites 1km south of North Hostel); between 74G and 77G (lower terraces 1km south of 4Plant);between 77G and 79G in the Upper terraces just to the east of the North Office Complex; and within the No4 Plant Complex itself between 86G and 89G. There were oil dump spots just south of the Plant at 75G, 76G and 79G. A food waste dump was sited at 72G in the X1 block (old A Block).
Mine dumps in the southern part of G Area were found at 40G to 43G just north of the road to the tank farm and central fields; at 32G 1km south of central fields; between 44G and 48G just next to central fields (east side); between 56g and 59G in the Central Block; at 50G where the clay treatment plant was; between 65G and 72G on the upper terraces. This was the site of the 65G dry treatment plant. Itwas a sizeable plant and all of the discard material ie sand and oversize went onto the same dump as I recall. There was no water at this plant. I worked there for a while with Piet Badenhorst; the 4Plant dump complex between 80G and 94G; the 100G plant dump complex (lower terrace); the 103G Plant dumps between 106G and 114G on the upper terraces and the dumps at the 122G screening plant site foreshore area between 121G and 126G. In addition to these dumps, there were old dumps situated between 7G and 11G and between 12G and 20G both in the central block 2km south of the 32G screening plant.
Best regards
Gordon
Sorry Bob
forgot to mention the 68G field screening plant dump on the foreshore between 69G and and 72G. The old HMS was sited on the lower terrace between 83G and 85G
So between the old HMS and Central fields on the coast would be the 68G Plant. I worked on this Plant for over a year but dont recollect seeing any machinery being buried under the dump.
Best regards
Gordon
Hi Gordon
Could the Old dumps you refering to 7G - 11G and 12G - 20G be part of the South works Bob mentioned on the other topic "Walking the Dumps" why I'm asking is we got a small substation and we refer to it as 11G Sub
Ragards Alfred
Hi Gordon,
Thanks for that good feedback. Now I feel more oriented. The Sauerman Scraper and other machinery was buried in either '59 or '60 under the inland dump about one or two kilometres south of North Compound. It was completely covered by the dump within a year or so. I recall at the time that most people thought it a bit weird we should be hiding our scrapped machinery in this way.
The scuttlebut was that it was too much of a hassle for the engineers to explain to the visiting consultants from Johannesburg why so much expensive machinery was lying around idle, hence better to put it out of sight.
An exception was made at Gemsbok Workshops (on the inland side of the road about a kilometre or so south of 65G) where a collection of old bucket wheel scoops was assembled with the intention of later starting some kind of museum. The idea was unworkable from the start as the site was in a security area, though it must have existed until well into the Sixties.
Regards,
Bob.
There was a collection of bucket wheel scoops near old central fields workshop, very rusted.
These were still there in the nineties, the area was later mined and the scoops were removed.
I think these were the same ones.
I always mooted the idea of turning the empty power station into a mining museum of Sperrgebiedt history, placing a part of the now defunct bucketwheel inside the powerstation yard, withe a few of the old tanks and as we have already noted on this topic , there is more than enough material on the mine. This would have to be done soon, as a lot of that "history" is now being removed...... I reckon a venture like the mine museum would be a huge tourist attraction and has the potential to be one of the best historical mine museum in SOuthern Africa..... drawing tourists to the town.... But ALas, when I mentioned this idea two years ago..... as per normal, nobody wanted to listen......
I reckon about 12 jobs could be created directly through this and about 20 indirectly.... with people shopping and staying overnight in our town....
The actual mine tours will be a bit lame, as there would not be much to see in the future with everything being removed....
Hi Bob
I think the most likely site of burial of the Sauerman scraper would have been the dump between 56G and 59G in the Central Block. In those years (the 1960's and 70's) the Central Block was considered unpay. It was not until the early 1970's that this Block was placed in reserve, based on the results of the large diameter Williams Drill sampling programme. I took part in that as Dr. Stocken's field assistant. Had to log the gravel types being recovered from the drillholes and ensure they were properly cleaned at bedrock level. Enjoyed the job immensely. Charles Stocken was a great guy to work for. Payable reserves at the time were to be found in the A,B,C and D blocks of the Lower Terraces and the K,L,M, and N Blocks of the Upper Terraces. Most junk we didn't want was dumped and covered up in the "unpay" Central Block.
Best regards
Gordon
Hi Alfred
I am sure the South Works substation you refer to is situated in the Central block close to the dumps I mentioned.It clearly supplied power to the HMS Plant's 12 ft. heavy media cone which replaced the Plietz jigs in mid 1952. Bob will probably remember this. With an ever increasing volume of gravel (+1.8mm -25mm) concentrates being delivered from the field screening plants in the early 1960's, this heavy media cone became inadequate and so in 1964 a new HMS plant was commissioned. It contained two Wedag wheels for treating +8mm material, and one cyclone for treating -8mm gravel. The heavy media cone was then closed down.
Best regards
Gordon
Hi Gordon,
Thanks for that information. Re construction of the HMS in 1964: you'll find a detailed and very full account of it plus pics of the main characters concerned in the work posted in my collection of newspaper articles on Oranjemund of the period. Go to the main board, scroll down to "Newspaper Articles" then click on "Mining Articles".
Regards,
Bob.
Hi Bob
Thanks your most interesting articles on HMS construction and the foreshore drilling programme. I remember Messrs Wright and Christie from the No4 Plant construction days. Another Clerk of Works I had dealings with was Wally de Pinto. Our liasion with the construction engineers concerned the clearing of ground and supply of fill material for the construction effort from the mining department. The Benoto drilling programme went on much longer than the scheduled completion deadline of December 1964. It was still in progress when I arrived on the mine in mid 1968. Over short distances these machines moved along on hydraulicaly operated skids, a fascinating process to watch.
Best regards
Gordon