Allen Duff

Allen Duff recently published the book The Story of the Millwood / Knysna Goldfield. It tells the story of the rise and decline of the goldfield through the lens of the people who lived and laboured there. We are very excited to publish the first chapter below. Click here to view details of the book.

Gold! Yes, Gold! In the late 19th century the word aroused a range of highly-charged emotions. Undoubtedly the greatest of these emotions was greed. Gold conjured up visions of wealth and grandeur. Gold was an open sesame to a world of prestige, well-being, acknowledgement and pleasure. Thoughts of gold fired the imagination. It roused the noble and the disaffected of society: the energetic and the lethargic alike. Eldorado was seemingly within every man’s grasp. Provided he had the physical and mental stamina to walk to and live in outlandish places like the Canadian Klondike which drew fortune-seekers in their tens of thousands. Gold was a rallying call.

In the 1880s there were rumours about gold emanating from the south-western part of the Cape Colony. Could they be true? Why not? Look at the diamonds which were found in the interior in the 1870s along the river banks. The huge open-cast mine being carved out of ancient volcanic rock at Kimberley. Diamonds and more diamonds! It fired the imagination. And now in the 1880s men spoke of Millwood and gold.

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The Cape Government Railway (CGR) from Cape Town was opened to Matjesfontein (192 miles 66 chains. Altitude 2966 feet) on 1 February 1878. From Matjiesfontein [today’s spelling] the alignment followed the course of the Bobbejaan River eastwards. The next passing loop was Whitehill (199 miles 27 chains. Altitude 2715 feet).

The logical route for the extension northwards from Whitehill, was adjacent to the course of the river. However, about 5 kms east of Whitehill, the Bobbejaan River shaped like an inverted and elongated “S” cuts a deep poort through the north - south Mostertshoek ridge. [This poort is known as Rietfonteinpoort.]  This terrain would have necessitated two costly bridges each of two to three spans. In addition to the difficult terrain of the poort, the situation was complicated by Dwyka tillite inclusions in the dolerite sill. These geological features would have demanded extensive blasting.

Consequently about 3 kms north of Whitehill the alignment swung south-east away from the dry river course to cross the Mostertshoek ridge about 3 kms south of Rietfonteinpoort. This route over the ridge involved shallow cut-and-fill construction on the southern side. Deeper cuttings were necessary on the northern side. However, the rock in this area was relatively soft being Dwyka mudshale. A passing loop was built where the alignment crested the ridge. It was named Mostertshoek (203 miles 18 chains. Altitude 2722 feet). From Mostertshoek the alignment followed the course of a twisting spruit to the north-east. The alignment, with 1:40 and 1:60 embankments and cuttings, dropped...

The Cape Government Railway’s [CGR] construction of a railway from Cape Town to Kimberley (1875-1885) was governed by the imperatives of rapid construction and the limitation of costs. Consequently the alignment followed contours and minimised cuttings and embankments. Sections of this alignment became inadequate as traffic increased and faster times for train operation were demanded. Consequently the re-alignment of certain sections became imperative for operating and cost efficiencies. This work was tackled piecemeal when funds were available. The Boer War, branch line development and an economic recession which reduced CGR revenue (mid-1900s), restricted these regrades.

In 1906 the CGR General Manager [GM] reported that “surveys for the reduction of gradients in one or both directions, that is, for Up and Down traffic, or for Down traffic alone, between Grootfontein [later Koup] and Dwyka have been completed.”

As part of this upgrade, bridges in the section were to be strengthened. Reports and drawings were prepared and an indent for the necessary materials was sent to England in February 1906.

In 1907 the GM stated:

I strongly recommend that this work should be steadily continued .... with a view to reducing the cost of haulage ... the heavy passenger traffic from Cape Town is especially handicapped by the gradient between Touws River and Dwyka ... by an expenditure of    £276 000 a saving of £8 700 could be affected after payment of interest.

By regrading a portion of this section from Dwyka to Grootfontein [Koup] at a cost of  £54 000...