The Hidden Dumps!

[Alfred Boehme]

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

[Bob Molloy]

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.

[Mike Stenson (RIP)]

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.

[Michael Alexander]

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....

[Gordon Brown]

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

[Gordon Brown]

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

[Bob Molloy]

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.

[Gordon Brown]

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