1. Journey to South Africa, 1895
Before proceeding on my journey to South Africa it will be better if I mention here a little of my experience in the sinking of pits. These are places where there is a great risk of danger from many different directions.
The kibble is always swinging above one's head so it behoves one to be continually on the look-out, how ever careful the man in charge of the shift is. Timber has to be let down the shaft on the engine rope and very often steam pumps are hanging over one's head, with always a man or boy to look after them. They are liable to drop a screw key or anything else.
But the most nerve racking thing is lighting the holes to blast. These have to be lit and then you climb on to the kibble and ring yourself away. You are constantly thinking about whether the engine will refuse or not. Although not common it has been known to occur and then, of course, men have been killed. In some cases I have sunk with engines that got on the centre and would not budge the load from this point. Then we had to have some stuff put under her to lift her over this point to the point where the piston got the power of the steam behind it. However, this danger has about died out as the engines they build to-day would not be liable to do this, although every engine that has ever been built has at least one point where it has little power. The older type had a point where they had no power at all. At one place there was an accident through the engine driver shearing, or over-winding, the kibble and two men lost their lives - William Wilson of St. Bees and Dixon Nulty of Cleator Moor.
When blasting in the sinking pit of course the engine man cannot see or hear you so we ring four bells. The engineer answers that by lifting the kibble 6 ft. up off the bottom and then lowering it gently down again until it just touches the bottom. You then know the answer to both questions - that he can lift from this point and, of course, that he is in attendance. You then proceed to light the holes.
Now back to my departure from St. Bees. The hour approaches when I must ride. So did I but with a very heavy heart for had I not said good-bye to everyone dear to me in my life? I can now see a little figure standing in the middle of a field waving me off. However, time, the great healer, came to the rescue and in a few hours I was much more cheerful and looking forward to what fate had in store for me in South Africa.
We arrived in London about 4 a.m. and roamed about until train time. In our wanderings we found Trafalgar Square, The House of Commons, St. James's Park entrance but I think we spent the most time looking from London Bridge on to the river, with feelings better imagined then I can tell.
Eventually we entrained for Southampton. We walked up the gangway, the entrance to which was guarded by a doctor at either side and some of the ship's officers were also in attendance. There were one or two who were detained to be examined but whether anyone was turned back on the grounds of being medically unfit I cannot say. About 2 p.m. the winches began lifting the anchor and in a few minutes she was well out in the stream. Then, to the accompaniment of the ship's bell, or telegraph, the engines began to throb, very quietly at first but in about half an hour's time we were going full steam ahead down the Channel. A few of us sat on the stern end of the "Harlech Castle" and watched Old England fade out of sight. It was not long until darkness came over the sea. I went below deck and got in close touch to where I could allow nature to unload some of the freight I was carrying. Then I retired for the night but did not sleep; the throb of the engines would not allow me.
The morning was fine and clear and looking around one could discern nothing but a waste of water on every side. As we proceeded south the weather became very warm until eventually the decks were covered from the direct rays of the sun by sail-cloth stretched tightly across them and about 8 ft. or 9 ft. above them. Thus it answered a dual purpose by protecting the passengers as well.
We began to see a lot of flying fish, a few whales, shoals of porpoises and, of course, Mother Corey's Chickens (the Stormy Petrel), and an occasional albatross.
We passed quite close to the "Dunottor Castle", homeward bound. The ships "spoke" by the use of flags but, of course, we could not understand it.
Eventually we reached Las Palmas. Some of the passengers went ashore. It looked a nice place from the ship. Here we sent our first message home since embarking. In two hour's time we were on our way again.
We had a few concerts in the evenings and sometimes sports during the day. There was a young cockney steward who endeared himself to most of the third class passengers. He could make a mouth organ do anything in the music line and he was quite a good comic singer, singing a song or two at all our concerts. I sang once or twice but was not in much fettle for singing and, I am afraid, was not much of a success.
We had the "Harlech Times" published every morning, with anything of note - pen sketches of the Captain and officers and any notable passengers who were amongst us. There were a lot of Jews on board. They were separated from the rest of the third class passengers by a fence. They spent every Saturday, until about dinner time, praying.
The food I found only very moderate. In fact so much so that the porridge in the morning and the crackers and cheese at night were the only things I could relish.
On the fourth Sunday morning after leaving England we sighted Cape Town. I think this is one of the most beautiful sights I have seen - Table Mountain rounding off the bay and Cape Town. Nestling close to them the ships, some inside the harbour and some laying-off awaiting the tender, added to the scene and made it one to be long remembered.
Eventually we were made fast to terra firma and the bustle of getting ashore began. There seemed to be more black men working about the ships. This seemed strange to us but it was something we soon got used to. We were met by a young fellow from one of the eating houses who brought us to the house where we had a wash and a square meal. After writing and posting our letters we had a stroll around the town. The streets in Cape Town, many of them but not all, were just like they are in England to-day where we have a big building scheme going on.
I noticed in the yard of the house where we had our first meal in South Africa a beautiful specimen of the Golden Eagle, stuffed, I thought, like ourselves. He was far from his native heath.
We left for Johannesburg at midnight. It was very cold the first night and we needed a cup of coffee by the time we got a chance of it, - somewhere about 3 o'clock in the morning. The morning dawned very sunny and by mid-day the heat was almost unbearable. The train going through Cape Colony is ever-winding amongst rough mountains. Amongst the rocks close to the railway might be seen numbers of monkeys and, on the level plains, ostrich in great numbers. Not wild, of course. They were owned and farmed. We also saw a few parrots on the shrub bushes.
When you put your head out of the train on this railway you do not get a cooling breeze like we do here, but a very hot wind, and you pull your head in in a hurry.
However, everything comes to an end and we reached Elandsfontain Station after two days and three nights on the train. As we proceeded from here to Park Station judging from the number of pits I passed through I thought I would have no trouble in getting work. Eventually I found an uncle of mine and he made me very welcome. It was dinner time when I found him. After he took me to have my dinner he went down the pit to finish his day's work. Here the men come up for dinner. He was back at 5 p.m. and after he got washed he and I went for our tea. Then we had a walk to a place called Fordoburg, a small tin town about a mile away. There was no stone building in the place at the time. He had been in South Africa for about six years and he had many questions to ask about his wife and other people I remembered.
At night he handed me a hand-ful of sovereigns. I may say I needed them - I had arrived to him with 2/6d. in my possession, 7,000 miles from home. In a few days he handed me another one and because I did not take it he began to cry, telling me I thought I was not welcome. I pulled out the handful that he had previously given me, all but about a couple, and told him I had plenty and thanked him. He said "Remember, Johnny, when they are done I have plenty more."