Item #60343 SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD MINING REPORTS, PROSPECTUSES, etc., INCLUDING FOLDING PLATES AND MAPS.
SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD MINING REPORTS, PROSPECTUSES, etc., INCLUDING FOLDING PLATES AND MAPS.
SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD MINING REPORTS, PROSPECTUSES, etc., INCLUDING FOLDING PLATES AND MAPS.

SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD MINING REPORTS, PROSPECTUSES, etc., INCLUDING FOLDING PLATES AND MAPS.

(Johannesburg & London): (1894-1914). Twenty-one annual and monthly reports, a circular to shareholders, and articles of association, for several different gold mining companies operating in South Africa at the turn of the century. The group, probably all belonging to Christopher R. Corning, have been hole punched at the left margin, and bound together with cord. Corning's signature appears at the heads of some of the reports, as does a stamp of one of the associations he belonged to, the American Institute of Mining Engineers. The reports included in this group are: 1. THE NEW PRIMROSE GOLD MINING CO., LIMITED. Annual Report ending 30th June, 1895. [Johannesburg: Argus Printing and Publishing Company, Limited, 1895]. 33 cm. 12 pp. Two folding charts. Buff paperwraps (front wrap detached). 2. NEW PRIMROSE GOLD MINING COMPANY, LIMITED. Directors’ Monthly Report for August, 1895. 26 cm. 1 p. 3. [New Primrose]… June, 1896 1p. 4. [New Primrose]… July, 1896 1p. 5. [New Primrose]… Sept., 1896 6. [New Primrose]… Oct., 1896 7. [New Primrose]… Nov., 1896 8. THE NEW RIETFONTEIN ESTATE GOLD MINES, LIMITED. Third Annual Report for period ending 29th February, 1896. [(London): Worrall & Robey, Printers, 137, Fenchurch Street, E.C., nd (1896)]. 33 cm. 15 pp. Large folding map, outlined in color. Pale green paperwraps. 9. THE NEW RIETFONTEIN ESTATE GOLD MINES LIMITED. Directors’ Monthly Report, April, 1896. 25 cm. 2 pp. 10. THE NEW UNIFIED GOLD MINING COMPANY (LIMITED). Directors’ Report for year ending March 31st, 1894. [Johannesburg: Argus Printing and Publishing Company, Ltd. 1894]. 33 cm. 7 pp. Pale green paperwraps. 11. THE PRINCESS ESTATE AND GOLD MINING COMPANY, LIMITED. Report for the year ending 31st August, 1895. [Johannesburg: Argus Printing and Publishing Co., Limited, 1895]. 33 cm. 14 pp. One folding chart. Grey paperwraps. 12. THE PRINCESS ESTATE AND GOLD MINING COMPANY, LIMITED. Circular to Shareholders. Report of the company’s operations for the month of October, 1895. 33 cm. 2 pp. 13. PRINCESS ESTATE & GOLD MINING COMPANY, LIMITED. (Registered under the limited liability laws of the Transvaal). Annual Report for the year ended 31st December, 1913. [NP: np, nd (1914)]. 33 cm. 17 pp. Grey paperwraps. 14. PRINCESS ESTATE & GOLD MINING COMPANY, LIMITED. (Registered under the limited liability laws of the Transvaal). Annual Report for the year ended 31st December, 1914. 33 cm. 15 pp. Grey paperwraps. 15. THE ROODEPOORT CENTRAL DEEP, LIMITED. Report for the year ending 31st December, 1895. London: printed by John Parry & Co., nd (1896). 33 cm. (6) pp. Folding map, outlined in color. Pale green paperwraps. 16. ROODEPOORT CENTRAL DEEP, LIMITED. (Registered under the limited liability laws of the Transvaal). Sixteenth Annual Report for the year ended 31st December, 1910. [London: Crowther & Goodman, Printers, nd (1911)]. 33 cm. 16 pp. Brown paperwraps. 17. WEST ROODEPOORT DEEP, LIMITED. WITWATERSRAND, TRANSVAAL. Directors’ Fifth Report and Balance Sheet, for the ended 30th June, 1904. [London: printed by W.W. Sprague & Co., 1904]. 33 cm. 11 pp. Pale green paperwraps. 18. THE RAND CENTRAL ORE REDUCTION CO. LIMITED. Second Annual Report for the year ended 30th June, 1894. [Johannesburg: Argus Printing and Publishing Co., Ltd., 1894]. 33 cm. 14 pp. Pale green paperwraps. 19. THE RAND CENTRAL ORE REDUCTION CO. LIMITED. Third Annual Report for the year ended 30th June, 1895. [Johannesburg: Argus Printing and Publishing Co., Limited, 1895]. 33 cm. 16 pp. Grey paperwraps. 20. ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF THE RAND CENTRAL ORE REDUCTION COMPANY, LIMITED. [Johannesburg: Argus Printing and Publishing Co., Limited, 1895]. 33 cm. 11 pp. Grey paperwraps. 21. THE RAND KLIPFONTEIN COMPANY, LTD. Report of the Directors with Statement of Accounts, for the period ended 31st December, 1895. [Johannesburg: Fenwick & Co., Printers, nd (1896)]. 33 cm. (8) pp. Buff paperwraps (rear wrapper lacking). Plan showing the property (mentioned at end of text) not present. Item #60343

Gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand in the Transvaal region of South Africa in 1886, and a boom in mining began. By 1899, South Africa was producing nearly a third of all the world's gold ore. A report on South African Mines, Vol. X, done in 1896 discusses the value of the mining operations in the Transvaal: "Having discussed the potentiality of the Transvaal as a gold contributor, the next question that naturally arises is as to the commercial success or otherwise of the many gold mining companies in existence in the Transvaal -- more particularly those of the Witwatersrand goldfields -- in relation to the capital invested and their earning capacity. The capitalized value of the Witwatersrand gold mines has increased in a phenomenal degree within the last twelve months, 105 companies, having an issued capital of about 20,000,000 pounds, represented on July 19, 1894, a value of 25,500,000 pounds ...[and] on July 19, 1895, 71,000,000 pounds.... One hundred and thirty of the principal producing and working (including a few finance) companies, having an issued capital of about 25,500,000 pounds, represented at the end of July, 1895, a total value of nearly 103,000,000 pounds... [including] New Primrose... New Rietfontein [etc.]." The gold rush also led to the founding of the city of Johannesburg.
Christopher R. Corning was an American mining engineer and geologist. He received his education in Zurich, Freiberg, and Heidelberg, graduating in 1886 with degrees in chemistry, mineralogy, and petrography. Before returning to the United States, Corning traveled widely in Europe, observing mines and geology in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and England. His work in the United States included the Duluth South Shore and Atlantic Railway, and the Bunker Hill & Sullivan mines in Idaho. With E.E. Olcott and Prof. Robert Peele of Columbia University, he formed a mining engineers consulting firm in 1897. He also worked in Mexico and South America. [see his brief biography in the online records of the Global Minings and Minerals Library]. Corning translated, along with Robert Peele, J. Riemer's book "Shaft Sinking under Difficult Conditions." Corning and Olcott had offices on Wall Street, in New York City, and continued to operate their consulting business after Peele returned to full-time teaching. Presumably, he used these reports to evaluate the investment potential of the South African mines.
No listings found on OCLC for these reports.

Price: $2,250.00