The stillness of the night was occasionally punctuated by the sound of the goods train that transported the coal from the Springs diggings to the gold mines on the Witwatersrand. The railway track was about a mile from the house but was still very audible.

Sometimes there was also a disturbance caused by the blasting from the coal mines, which caused the windows to shudder. The blasting was often done at night to reduce the exposure of the workers to the resulting smoke, dust and fumes, and – doubtless more importantly – so as