User:Andre Martin

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The Sterkfontein Caves! World Heritage Site and Cradle of Mankind. After arriving in South Africa at Durban Harbour by ship from Reunion Island, Guglielmo Martinaglia found that he had landed in the middle of a battlefield, with the Anglo-Zulu War in full swing in 1879. He quickly purchased a horse and sped onwards to the Diamond Fields of Kimberely, where he soon became well known for mineralogical talents, especially been able to find underground streams, much needed by farmers in this semi-desert area.He was approached by the prominent businessman Ben van der Hoven, offering him a contract to seek gold on a business associate's farm in the Roodeport area of west Gauteng Province, which he accepted. Within in three weeks he found gold and barkened claims for himself, which he later sold. Thereafter he was approached by a English businessman, by the name of Richardson, who needed a Inn built on the Main Reef Road in the area. Working alone it took him 4 years to build, which was to become the overnight stopping place for people like President Paul Kruger, General French of the British Army and travellers like Ian Hamilton.

Guglielmo Martinaglia then moved to a farm in the Sterkfontein area north of the town of Krugersdorp.Here while employed by the Randfontein Goldmine, he was soon approached by a the owner of the farm Zwartkrans, who needed someone with his mineralogical knowledge to find deposists of limestone on his farm. This was in October 1896, and one day whilst setting the dynamite patches of the ground he had marked off, and thereafter exploding the batches of sticks with his plunger, which saw dust and rock flying into the air. After all had settled he noticed a dark opening in the side of the small hill and realized on closer examination, that in fact it was a cave. His son Giovanni then returned with the water his father had sent him off with. Taking him around his shoulders he pointed towards the cave, and said, I have discovered a Wonderhole!''. A wonderhole it was to be, with many people arriving there over weekends, which became a popular picnic spot, with Guglielmo providing the necessary refreshments for the visitors. Soon the underground river system of the caves was also located, and in 1947 Dr. Robert Broom located the skull of an ape/humanlike creature which he gave the name of Mrs.Ples.Unfortunately Guglielmo Martinaglia by this time had passed away at the ripe old age of 72 years old on the 5.1.1929 at Krugersdorp. His gravestone is still to be seen at the Burgershoop Roman Catholic Cementry, at Krugersdorp. Gone but not forgotten. Every ten years since 1996, a special ceremony is held at the present day Sterkfontein Caves in his honour.

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