1897-1903 Bulawayo
_________________________________________________________________
Mules had to be brought in from Argentina in '97, many died from horse sickness. The
same year Rhodes turned to developing and completing the rail system to Bulawayo, and then
up to Umtali, from Beira, the following year.
"Of concern to my Brother Bob CARRUTHERS, ranching on the Dora Range - Belingwe
district, 1901 saw strange new diseases appearing, blue tongue in the sheep and east coast
fever in the cattle probably introduced from the imported cattle from Kenya and Tanzania.
The wiping out of most of the cattle up to 1896 seemed to eradicate Lung sickness. Heart
water, spread by the Bont Legged Tick was still prevalent in the lower-veldt areas.
Towards the end of the year, something of a boom was developing in the mining industry.
Many gold mines were being developed by companies and small workers alike and the
sound of gravity stamp mills could be heard in all directions. In 1906 'Pa'
decided to 'call it a day and returned to our home town, Somerset East where he
resumed his Cobbling under more settled and congenial conditions with his old friend John
James. Very reluctantly he disposed of his shoe making business. His departure was
entirely due to advancing years and the effects of !
the hardships and privations he suffered in those pioneering days. His absence from
Bulawayo caused much regret. He had built up a first class shoe making business and his
handmade footwear, made of the finest uppers and English leather, were unequalled by any
other local cobbler. It is interesting to compare dad's shoes, against today's
inferior footwear. The big machine 'Pa' used for cutting out the soles and heels
had accompanied us to Bulawayo on one of the ox wagons. Claude BOTTON has a permanent
reminder of this machine at about four years of age he tampered with the cog wheels and
lost the tip of one of his fingers. Pa passed away full of years at age 81 in 1916.
"Filabusi District was a most popular mining areas at the time, with a host of mines
in operation. The 'Killarney' mine was one of the biggest and it was on this mine
that my sister Marion, and her husband Arthur BOTTON decided to open a trading store in
partnership with Bob CARRUTHERS. Tom MEIKLE had already established a thriving business
there, under the management of an enterprising young man named P.J. Philips who was
destined, at a later date, to control Meikle's empire and become one of Bulawayo's
leading personalities.
Before the completion of the business arrangements, in order for them to move to the
Killarney Mine they were confronted with a problem, namely, what satisfactory arrangements
could be made for the continuation of their children's education. St. George's,
had no boarding facilities available, the only alternative was to arrange for them to
board with my parents back in Somerset East, and continue their schooling at Gill College.
Ma and Pa's home was a spacious one, the residents were Granny BOBBETT-Ma's mother
(Jane nee KEBBEY), my sister Bertha was working but living at home. Reginald (Reg)who
suffered from a severe affliction (epileptic) and was totally unable to work. Adeline the
youngest of the family was still at school. The homely atmosphere of the old place was
apparent to all visitors, both Ma and Pa were young at heart."
An interesting recollection of Reg is related
by Norman's, son Ron CARRUTHERS:
Reg never married, he would run errands for his mother (Eliza, nee BOBBETT)in Somerset
east as well as doing other odd jobs in the area.
The Coloured community were not allowed in to the bar's in those days, Reg was caught
by the local police for Buying and selling liquor to the Cape Coloureds. On his escort to
the court house he seized hold of the pillars on the out side entrance in a bear hug
fashon. It took four police to release him from this grip. Reg's muscle spasm's
due to his epilepsy rendered him stronger that the average man.
The Bottons Hotel and Store
By Oswald Botton
"The Botton's Killarney Mine business prospered, this made it possible for Dad
(Arthur Botton) to acquire the stock in trade and Goodwill of 'Edkins Store' which
was situated in the same area, from its owner, Mr KIRKMAN. Soon after Dad(Arthur)took
possession, it became well known as 'Botton's Hotel and Store'. The hardy old
prospectors who roamed the districts and occasionally came into town to conduct their
business affairs, generally 'whooping it up' on these visits, until dwindling
funds compelled them to return to the simple life of the bush. There were others who
preferred the quiet and solitude of the country, pub's were not for them, the
glittering lights of cities in the making had no attraction. The bush life, held an
irresistible fascination for them all. They were accustomed to living spartan lives, with
the heavens serving as a roof over their heads and a layer of grass for a bed. Scanty
meals were the order of the day - sadza being the mainstay, augmented by !
what game they could shoot for the pot and the odd, native chicken purchased at a kraal,
was a welcome change of diet. Some of these tough old characters boasted a pack donkey and
a firearm of sorts and the more affluent even employed a piccanin to fetch and carry. The
overwhelming majority lived a tough, lonely, life relieved only by the occasional visit to
a country hotel.
My parents hotel became a popular rendezvous for many of these colourful characters,
especially if they had discovery of a reef containing a rich vein of gold. When they
enjoyed this good fortune, the scene was all set for a 'binge', either in town or
in the country, which usually lasted for about a month. On these occasions, the
procedure followed a set pattern, they would hand Dad a sum of money which covered their
board, lodging and all liquor consumed by them on the premises during their
'holiday'. The hotel consisted of six bedrooms. In the initial stages, for the
first week or so, full attendance at all meals was the norm. In view of the simple bush
meals to which these old boys were accustomed, the hotel menu was positively sumptuous.
However as the days passed and the consumption of alcohol took effect, attendance at meals
dwindled until, by the end of the second week most of the guests were conspicuous by their
absence. After this spell of steady drinking, the!
re was a marked preference for liquor only, and meals that were sent to the bedrooms would
be returned to the kitchen, untouched. By the end of the third week our guests would
have reached an advanced stage of intoxication. At this point Dad would assert his
authority, In order to help the old stagers reach a reasonable degree of sobriety and
without creating too much of a shock to their drink sodden systems he would introduced a
form of rationing over a period of a week or so. Reducing the daily consumption of
alcohol, during which period they could be expected to return to normality. When
these old boys had dried up, they always departed with a couple of @'s in their
pockets to tide them over the immediate future, which Dad had refunded from their original
deposit. The day of their departure would dawn and, with a firm friendly handshake and a,
'Goodbye, Arthur - thanks for everything and I'll be seeing you again.' They
took to the road with no regrets and with!
out a care in the world, happy to go back to the only form of life that appealed to them.
Admittedly, some of them were rough and uncouth with a reputation and weakness for hard
drinking, but on the whole, many possessed sterling qualities, with honesty shining from
their nut brown, tanned faces. Much credit is due to these old prospectors, for their
perseverance and discovery of several of the best mines in Rhodesia, subsequently
developed by the big mining companies. The presence of those prospectors roaming the
countryside, with a rolled up blanket and a Billy can slung over their shoulder, was a
picture that lent colour to the mining scene in those days and it is a sad thought,
indeed, that we shall never again see their Like.
My Mother Marion never entered the bar when it was occupied by the customers. She had an
intense dislike for the liquor side of the business and steadfastly refused to have
anything to do with the bar trade. She was in her element in the trading store and had a
friendly approach towards the Africans and an obvious concern for their welfare. She
showed such willingness to assist the umfazis, they would travel miles to seek her advice
and help in solving their many problems and illnesses. This created much trust in their
minds, in consequence, her popularity with the native community was proverbial. Her native
given name 'Nkosigazi', by which she was universally known became a byword. Arthur
was called 'Masatulela', a Sindebele word meaning, 'The Silent One'. So
often too the word chosen is pleasing to the ear, provided the pronunciation of the word
is correct and the emphasis is put on the right syllable.
By Oswald Botton
Jack Carruthers in Northern Rhodesia - 1902
Jack CARRUTHERS was across the Zambezi up North, prospecting for the South African Copper
Trust Company. Northern Rhodesia was then a wild unknown country, Kalomo had just been
occupied by Major Robert Coryndon. The Administrator, Colonel HARDING was in charge of the
N.W.R. police force, H.G. HAWKSLEY was the Mining Commissioner, O'KEFE was secretary
to the Administrator, Dr MIDDLETON and RANGLEY ran the Hospital and Commissariat.
"Travelling on one occasion to Kachumba, on the Zambezi, my old boy Kapeakwa, who
knew this part of the country well suggested carrying water, as it was necessary to sleep
on the way, there being no water for twenty miles miles. We had camped among the hills for
the night. I was awakened by my companion at daylight, saying, 'there is a native
kraal close by.' I could also hear the early sounds of habitation, the bleating lamb
and the cackling rooster. I remarked to Kapeakwa: are we on the wrong road - what kraal is
that? He laughed saying: 'What you hear is "Yamunga"(T'Songgu)'the
big snake, with red ears, that makes a nest of twigs in a tree, and can mimic any
creature, it wishes to catch." the natives have a great dread of this particular
snake, and will avoid any road it lives near. It is over 10 feet long and will stand up
and face you. I know of two friends having been killed by this snake, one near Sebakwe,
and the other in Mount Darwin District."
'Black Mamba ?'