The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-07-27


The special correspondent of the n. Y
World writes from Port Elizabeth, South
Africa, a very interesting account of the
diamond mines in that region. We ex-
tract the following from his letter:
The diamond country in South Africa is
about $50 miles in a northeast direction
from Cape town. The road, with few eX-
ceptions, is good The herbage for the
first seventy miles is grass, then through
the Karoo or desert, it Is a species OF
bush. until you arrive nearly to Hope
town, 500 miles, and on the lower boun
dry of the diamond fields, when it is grass
again, and continues so until you have
passed through the diamond fields. The
climate is fine clear through the diamond
fields, except in rainy weather. The rain
does not occur often. You have a bed
slung in your wagon, or you can have a
tent. Your servants sleep under the wag-
on. The days are hot-frequently los in
the shade, but at night it is quite cool
down to Sc. In winter the cold is intense
snow sometimes laying on the ground fol
three days.
The diamond country is large and un-
dulating prairie, interspersed with flats
These are numerous dry beds of so called
rivers, which, when full, we call creeks
They soon run dry after the rain ceases
but water may be obtained by digging in
these apparently dry beds. The diamond
fields are fully 5000 feet above the level
of the sea. The Vaal, Orange and Hart
rivers run through this district, they are
too shallow and full of falls for navigation
The country where diamonds have been
found consists of flats and undulating
grounds, the rivers have not been pros
pected The natives have hitherto found
most of the diamonds, and on the surface
only, they never dig for them. About q
dozen Join hands and walk abreast across
a plain, and when they see a shining peb-
bic they pick it up, if not 4 diamond they
throw it over their shoulders and 90 on
Some white men have latterly commenced
to sift the dry sand, and it is said with
success. Many small diamonds of half q
carat are being found The beds of the
rivers cut into the soil from twenty to six
ty feet, with mostly sandy bottoms, some
have stony bottoms also.
The line of country along the banks oi
Orange, Starte and Vaad rivers, say three
hundred yards from the water, has been
most prolific of diamonds At Jacobsdal,
in the Orange RIVER Free State. over 30C
were found In one week by sitting. The
following diamonds turned out satisiactor-
lily in Europe, where they were sent No
l weighed 81 carats found by child ma
med Jacobs-value 81 500 No. 2, Y; No
3, l; No 4, 8; No. 9, 26; No. 10, Is; No
II, l3-No. l3, 9; No. IA, AZ. Sold all
the way from 80 TO $4,000. The Star Of
South Africa was the largest, 834 karats
sold for $50, 900, and sent to Amsterdam
to be cut. There have been found in S
Africa over fifty diamonds of over four kar-
ats weight, and hundreds under that
down to half karat.
There are various modes of mining fol
diamonds. Of course washing for them is
the best, but in this country, when water
Is scarce, dry sitting is best. The diamond
fields cover l 900 square miles, and exten-
ding from long a to 2S east, and from
lat. 81 to 30 south 1t is confidently ex-
pected that within twelve months at least
1000 men will be actively engaged on the
south African diamond fields.
A diamond worth el 800 was disinter-
red from hole at only a short distance
from where our informant was temporar-
lily staying, and this was disposed of by
the lucky finder for a wagon and oxen
worth about 4I20, or at most 9l40. 9th
er diamonds, worth and 9300 have beer
picked up, and many worth so to $50
The most active diggers are merely dispo,
sing of the small diamonds to pay for the
necessaries of life, and are boarding up al
the more valuable ones. A few beautlfu
rubies have likewise been discovered, anC
one Turquoise piece of which we have
seen, it having been unfortunately smash,
ed by the finder in order to see what tn,
inside looked hke-has been unearthed.