The content of the Gravel along the River Wall!

[Michael Alexander]

Some of you might know that there is a huge gravel wall , kinda like a dutch dyke, that runs the length of the Golf COurse to protect it from any flooding that occurs .... Now I was driving along this wall this morning and noticed that there was quite a bi9t of quartz that reflected against the early morning desert sun, climbing from my bakkie, I noticed that this was not the normal gravel from the surrounding area.... my questions are....

1) When was this wall first built?

2) Where did the gravel come from?

3) Whats the chance of a person finding a diamond in this type of gravel...?

Just my thoughts for the day......

If there were still diamonds to be found in the various gravels around the town, including down at the river, then this would be a reason not to have the town proclaimed....

[Mike Voden (RIP)]

If you are referring to the wall around the golf course from the 12th hole past the club house towards the Log Cabin, this was built just before the February 1988 floods arrived.

I'm sure they were operating around the clock to get this wall built, before the waters arrived, with machinery being brought off the mine.

[Alfred Boehme]

I recall machines where brought out the mine to build the wall and maintain it

[Andrew Darné]

Mike V is right with the date.
I stand to be corrected... some of the material was taken from behind the Gun Club, where you and Clint are sure the Germans built a bunker (from recent postings). This was of the harder material that binds better. Some of the sandier material was also loaded along the tar road between the end of the golf course and the Yacht Club pan on the say CYC side of the tar road. There used to be a blue 8" pipeline that led from the pump station at the end of the golf course to the pan for fresh water... much of that is now in the Golf Course 'dyke'.

[Malcolm Bertoni]

Hi

I read somewhere that when word got to the towns at the river mouth that the river was flooding, Oranjemund and Alex Bay built levees and barriers on the south and north sides to prevent flooding.  The sandbar across the river mouth was also bulldozed open to enable water to get out.

The levees are still in place on both sides of the river. The ones at Alex Bay are quite significant and are about 4-5 kms long.

Malcolm

[Riaan Smit]

Bell Equipment used their trucks after 2000 to strengthen the road. The gravel was loaded on the lefthand side of the gravel road on the way to the log cabin. We could not use the road for months afterwards. Bro Bredenkamp was still in town. Mike, the shiny things can be mica (sic).

[SandyB]

Well from my last pics of the bunker Nov 2008  .. its  side is very exposed .. they must have  taken  ground from  there ... years ago it was still part of  a  crest ..  and yes lots of shiny earth there combination of pink  crystal and possibly  mica

[Stuart Liddle]

I remember going down to the river with my folks and watching the machines building this wall. The machines worked 24/7 and they were off of the mine, an impressive site. A wall was also built around the pump house / pump station (East of the bridge) that supplied the town with water from the river.

Each morning, before school, we would take a drive down to the river to see the rising flood waters. It was actually very scary to see the river coming down in flood. The main concern at the times was that the bridge would be washed away. They even removed the guard rails from the bridge in case the water went over the top, luckily the water level didn't get that high.

We have a VHS video at home, with footage of the flood waters and the building of the wall. Will have to convert it from VHS to a hard drive at some point!

[Michael Alexander]

We have a VHS video at home, with footage of the flood waters and the building of the wall. Will have to convert it from VHS to a hard drive at some point!

We await in anticipation!

[SandyB]

here  be  the bunker ...

[Malcolm Bertoni]

Hi all

Haven't posted for a while, so this item is interesting.
The farm Sandkraal was located near the northern end of todays golf course at about 28° 35' 33.85" S, 16° 27' 17.84" E. The tracks of the two explorers Reuning and Klinghardt also intersected at Sandkraal. 

So perhaps the Germans also built a small post/fort/bunker nearby? I cant find any mention of this in any of my research on the region, but it wouldn't surprise me. The Germans built a road all along the northern river bank around 1900, primarily for military purposes, so there may have been some small military/police outposts scattered along this road.  Hohenfels, Arrisdrift, Daberas Drift and Sendelings Drift being the main ones.

Even though the structure appears to be underground, this could be an illusion due to the building up of soil and silt, etc, over the past 100 plus years as well as the extra levees built.

Mike: stop relaxing in your store all the time and try and get a GPS location - would be interesting. 

Malcolm

[Michael Alexander]

Welcome back pensioner Malcolm, tis' been awhile, it's about time you returned here, we have unfinished business....



Sandy, sorry to burst our German Bunker theory, we also thought the same of this shaft back in the 70's.

I think perhaps Stan Brownless might be able to offer some insight into the structure's mystery. I vaguely recall seeing one of those large water valves at the bottom of the hole.

For those of you that might be interested, this abandoned brick shaft is situated, south of the Gun Glub at the enterance to town, perched above the small canyon's cliff.

I have a shrewd suspicion it was part of the "old" water line into the mine, perhaps towards the old Gemsbok workshops and thus the reason it bypasses the town to the South...

Malcolm, I too believe that there must have been a german post down towards the mouth, but I reckon that has long since been washed to sea.... Bearing in mind that the road and braaispots along the river during the 70's have all but gone....

Interesting nonetheless ...

[SandyB]

Michael .. from my childhood  visits to this " bunker "  I  never saw a valve  at the bottom  and trust me it was in far better condition  and not so filled with sand  , we could go down many metres till we finally reached sand .. secondly why would a water  main be situated so high .. ?? I stay by my bunker  , old romantic that I am ... 

[Michael Alexander]

Damn! Sandy! Now I shall have to go for a walk out there to go and peer down that shaft..... If I find a swastika or a water valve... u shall be the first to know....

   

[Alfred Boehme]

Hi all

Haven't posted for a while, so this item is interesting.
The farm Sandkraal was located near the northern end of todays golf course at about 28° 35' 33.85" S, 16° 27' 17.84" E. The tracks of the two explorers Reuning and Klinghardt also intersected at Sandkraal. 

So perhaps the Germans also built a small post/fort/bunker nearby? I cant find any mention of this in any of my research on the region, but it wouldn't surprise me. The Germans built a road all along the northern river bank around 1900, primarily for military purposes, so there may have been some small military/police outposts scattered along this road.  Hohenfels, Arrisdrift, Daberas Drift and Sendelings Drift being the main ones.

Even though the structure appears to be underground, this could be an illusion due to the building up of soil and silt, etc, over the past 100 plus years as well as the extra levees built.

Mike: stop relaxing in your store all the time and try and get a GPS location - would be interesting. 

Malcolm

Wow Malcolm been a long time we must Skype or something PM me your e-mail, Skype ect thanks and stay in touch

Alfred