The "Three Georges" discover gold at Langlaagte (1866)

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Overview

The "Three Georges" associated with the 1886 gold discovery at Langlaagte (on the Witwatersrand, which led to the founding of Johannesburg) refer to three prospectors and friends: George Harrison, George Walker, and George Honeyball. They are sometimes collectively called the "Three Georges" in historical accounts of the event, particularly in older South African sources examining the claims and controversies around who truly discovered the Main Reef series of auriferous conglomerates.

"I purposely abstain from setting out which of these three claimants was the true discoverer, since even a Government enquiry failed to settle the question." (Rosenthal, 1959)

Langlaagte

Map based on the original 1886 farm surveys used by the Grays and the Monuments Commission. (Source: Johannesburg 1912)

In 1886 the farm Langlaagte (originally surveyed as Portion 224) had been subdivided into four equal portions of approximately 560 morgen each, labelled A, B, C, and D from west to east.

Portion C: purchased by G.C. Oosthuizen in 1874. It was on Portion C that the outcrop of the Main Reef series of auriferous conglomerates was first discovered in early 1886.

Portion D: purchased by J.J.P. Oosthuizen and his son Hendrik Oosthuizen in 1882. Upon J.J.P.'s death, his widow Petronella received his share. It was on Portion D that George Walker and George Harrison built a house for Hendrik and Petronella. (see later)
  • Gerhardus Cornelis (Gert) Oosthuizen (1819 Swellendam - 1911 Heidelberg, Tvl)
  • Jacobus Johannes Petrus Oosthuizen (1823 - 1883)
  • Johan Hendrik Christoffel Oosthuizen (1845 Cape - 1916 Bethal)
  • Petronella Francina (nee Kok) Oosthuizen (1824 Cape - ?)

Subdivision of Langlaagte farm. (Rubin)

Discovery of gold

Langlaagte during the discovery of gold. (Wikimedia Commons)

While at Kroonstad, George Walker and his friend George Harrison planned to return to Barberton, but en-route they heard that Fred Struben required a miner at his Confidence Reef mine. Here Walker worked for about four months. 

At the same time, Harrison accepted a contract to build a house for Mr Hendrik Oosthuizen on (Portion D) Langlaagte. Walker decided to assist Harrison with the building of the house (Feb 1886). Walker said he went for a stroll on the farm (Portion C) one Sunday morning and stumbled across a rock outcrop. He took a sample, crushed the rock and panned it in a nearby stream. He found a ring of gold in the bottom of the pan. Walker decided to keep it secret until he could make some money from his discovery. Yet he told Mr G.C. Oosthuizen about his discovery and tried to negotiate a digging permit on the land. At first Oosthuizen refused but he later offered Walker three months free prospecting.
  • Ethel L. and James Gray’s exhaustive documentary histories reproduce the original contracts, petitions, and government records that tie George Harrison’s building contract, prospecting licence, and the first “Zoekersclaim” (No. 19) directly to Gert Oosthuizen’s Portion C.
If Walker wanted to continue after the three months, he had to pay G.C. Oosthuizen an amount of £60. Walker also had the option of purchasing the farm. Walker started prospecting alone with a pick and shovel. He tried to raise funds in Potchefstroom and Pretoria to no avail.

George Honeyball, who had also worked for the Strubens, visited the Oosthuizens at Langlaagte one day, and was told about Walker's discovery. He persuaded Walker to show him the place where he literally stumbled over the outcrop of the Main Reef and Honeyball, in turn, broke off another lump and set off posthaste to Struben's Mill.

Godfray Lys and the Strubens had erected their 5-stamp Sandycroft Mill next to a sparkling stream about half a mile away from the Confidence Reef and were crushing all the gold-bearing rocks they could lay their hands on when Honeyball arrived with that wonderful bit of rock on a momentous day in February, 1886. He showed it to Fred Struben who said it was merely a piece of pyrites. Honeyball put the lump of rock in his pocket and walked moodily away. Down by the spruit he came accross Lys, who was in his shirt-sleeves and busily engaged in attending to the mill. Honeyball dived once more into his picket and drew out the lump of rock. Godfray said, "By Jove. That's gold." Lys paid Honeyball £5 to show him where he found it. (Pretoriana No 7, 1978)

"In a short time the news of an important and valuable find of gold on the farm of Langlaagte spread like wildfire. All sorts of syndicates were immediately formed in almost every South African town and, indeed, in many a tiny dorp, and speculators, prospectors, traders and adventurers rushed as fast as they could by ox-wagon, Cape cart and stage coach to the Rand to buy land." (Macdonald, 1926)

Walker could not afford to pay the £60 and lost the prospecting rights. Oosthuizen gave him two claims in return for his discovery. Walker sold one claim for £350, and the other he gave to Harrison.

Aftermath

Harrison's claim was supported by a petition from 74 prospectors and government investigation; he is the consensus "discoverer" in modern histories. Walker disputed this in later years, asserting his own priority. Honeyball's role is more supportive/associative. None of the three became rich from it - the real wealth went to later industrialists like Cecil Rhodes and others who developed deep-level mining.

"One feature the very early comers all seemed to have in common. Hardly any of them made money. Godfray Lys lived in comfort, but he was never a rich man. George Harrison died as he had lived - a prospector. George Walker worked as a miner and died a pensioner. George Honeyball remained a bricklayer and small farmer until he became too old and received a grant from the Transvaal Chamber of Mines." (Rosenthal, 1959)

The discovery sparked a rush, leading to Johannesburg's proclamation in September 1886.

Sources

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