The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-12-01
A $25,O0O,O90 Diamond.
How a Georgian Lost his FOrtuue

IEOw q Georgian Lost hIs FORTUNE.
From a recently published work by
DR.. Stephenson on the geology, min
eralogyi etc, of the State of Georgia,
we take the following interesting ac-
count OF the DiamOud mines of Hall
| County. Many of the old citizens OF
the State, says the Atlantic New Era,
will recognize the singular adventure
! related by the author, of DR.. Lloyd, in
cOTnectiOn with the diamond-hunt-
ing in that valuable section of the
STATE:
Running parallel with the mal bIe is
the Immense ledge of itacolumite, or
elastic sandstone, the matrix of the
diamond. 1t extends throughout the
country for thirty miles, and in every
gold deposit or branch mine near it,
have been found splendid diamonds
by the gold washers, who, being total
ly ignorant of their nature OF value,
either lost or destroyed most of them.
Some were sent TO Europe to be cut
snd set in jewelry, but most of them
were lost. Some of them are still in
the hands of the finders, who keep
them as mementoes, in their rough
state. BeinR entirely ignorant of their
nature or value, none were picked up
but such as were without incrustation,
which in Brazil and GOlconda amount
to only the One-tenth part of the
whole product. FOur-fifths of all the
diamonds found in any country are
small, and only fit for mechanical
purpose-in general, being less than a
half carat, or from one to two
grains. The carat is a fraction less
than four grains (three and One-sixthl,
but in all, estimates and sales in the
carat is put at four grains. 1t Origina-
ted from the use of the seed of plant
in the East Indies, in the sale Of dia-
mOnds. This berry, which grows on
ly in that region, though not very ac-
curate, answered the purposes of the
semi-civiliZed Indians for several thou
sand years.
The yield in Brazil, for forty years,
from the labor of from thirty Thousand
to sixty thousand hands, ranged be-
tween one thousand and twelve hun
dred ounces. Of this large amount
they rarely found more than three or
four, and never more than ten, that
weighed more than thirty caTats.
These facts strongly confirm the opin-
ion that, when developed, Hall COun-
ty will be as rich in diamonds as Bra
zil, and contain even a larger per cent
of sizable ones of the first water. liz
washing for gold, all the larger ones
would, from the construction of the
machines. necessarily be lost or thrown
away with the quartz gravel with
which they are associated, and only
such as Lassed into the reffiers, with
the graius of gold and fine sand, would
be found in the panning after the days
work was done. All OF those found in
Hall County were thus found, weigh
ing from two to six carats, SOME few
less, and three were of large size. One
of these as before stated, was broken
up to see the cause of their lustre, 10y
the ignoran miners. Another was
used for years, by the boys, as 'mid-
dle-man" in playing marbles; and the
largest one by far was lost by DR.. Lloyd,
who was employed to oversee thirty
negroes in working the Glade Gold
Mine, a deposit twelve miles northeast
of GAINESVILLE.
Du.ing the four years he was en-
plOyed, he picked out of the sands of
the paintings for gold every night, af-
ter the days washing was over, about
half a pint of pretty stones, which he
gave to his wife, who put them in an
old cupboard, except such as the chill
dren took fancy 10, which were gen
orally lost. When the cupbOrd was full
she made little bag, and put them
into that for future amusement. Some
of these, from their size and repUted
lustre, must have been worth from
twenty thousand to fifty thousand dol
lars. But the "big oneh was found by
himself whilst working in the pit in
place of sick hand. He said that
about tW o hours by sun Che had no
watch), while raising gravel, he
found a stone just like the little ones,
except that it was bright and shining
only ON one side, the other side being
covered with a crust of brown stuff.
1t was about the size Ofa "guinea egg"
Being hard pushed to keep the Wheel
barrOws filled with gold gravel, so as
to furnish grit for constant washing,
he laid il on the bank, by gum tree
which stood close by, until night,
when he intended to take it up to the
cabin and give it to his wife and chill
dren, as being the largest of the pret-
ty stones he had found. But when
night came the machines were empti-
ed of their gold sand, and in the hurry
of the moment he forgot all about the
pretty stone. Twelve years afteTward
he was shown a rough diamond, and
at once recognized the contents of the
" mustard BOTTLE" and the "big
one" he had laid up bv the gum-tree.
Soon after he found the "big pretty
stone," the lease expired, and the
company who employed him sent
home the hands and quit work. About
the same time Mrs. Lloyd died; and
his daughter, who had reached wO-
manhood, married, aud moved away
to Southwestern Georgia, and took the
little furniture they had, among which
was the cuDbOard which then contain
ed the fated bag. When he became
satisfied of the value of the stones, he
at once left Atlanta, where he was
keeping the Washington Hall, and
went to his daughter; but she had no
knowledge of the bag or mustard bot
tie. They were gone. He then
went to the mine, and looked long
and anxi ously for the stone by the
gum tree. No tree was there. The
ground had been cleared and cultiva-
ted in corn for ten years. He looked
in vain for any sign of the place.
None existed. He now washed the
gravel from the heaps where he
thought it was, for weeks and months
but he found it not. Discouraged, and
weary of hunting, he returned to At
Ianta to die. From his description of
its size aud character, there can be- no
doubt of it being diamond; and being,
as he described it, about as large as a
s'guinea egg" must, if pure, have
been worth about twenty five million
dollars.
ENGLISH OPINION OF AMERICAN En-
FRdY.-The London Times of the 10th
/ inst. concludes a review of the probable
| effects of the Chicago fire upon British