Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-03-01
THE DIAMOND DIGGNGS.
Great Success of an English Mining
Company.

Great Success of an English Mining
Company.
Correspondence Of the New York World.
DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA,
Nov. 20, 1S70-A most extraordinary
thing has occurred since I wrote you
last A Captain Lucas, formerly of
the English army, who has been work
ing company from Natal of about ten
white men, who have equal shares in
the company, suddenly left Pniel,
where he has been working for the last
four months. At twelve O'Clock at
night he and his party treked chat is,
drove) out Of the camp, and took a
southerly direction along the Vaal
River. Next day it was found out that
they were followed by quite number
OF miners who were dissatisfied with
Pniel, and found them working on
small kapie THAT, is hill) about sixteen
miles from Pniel. They had taken up
all the pay ground, and, as the ka-
PIE was small the party could not
obtain claims. know that they found
over one hundred diamonds in four
weeks, and one of one hundred and
eight carats, worth e45,00 It is a
beauty-octahedro in the interi-
or first water; that is, it will cut first
water: 1t has two sides of yellowish
tinge, but this color does not ex-
tend farther than one-sixteenth of
an inch beyond the surface
Moreover, they have other diamonds to
the value of 935, 000 making the whole
find OF four weeks worth ESQ, 900, or
nearly S40O, 900 in gold. l know this
to be & fact, but it is not generally
known at the mines, though strongly
suspicioned. Capt. Lucas and num-
Der of his party have left for Natal
where they intend to take their dia-
monds and ship them to Europe through
banking firm of Durbar Part of the
company are still at the mines looking
for new kapie This 1OS carat dia-
mond is the largest that has been found
in South Africa as far as [ know of.
They may have been kept secret for
the sane reason that Lucas tried to
keep his secret, that is, to avoid paying
one-fourth duties to the missionry.
The kap1e was in the mission estate but
thirteen miles from the mission houses.
This embraces 35, 900 acres, and extends
fifteen miles along the Vaal River.
You have probably hard in the kilograms
from London that diamonds of $50 and
$50 carats have been found. These
are lies, got up more as a joke than
anything else. For instance, man
calling himself Professor Diamond, a
great pedestrian, advertised at the com
mlttee tent to walk some great distance
In very short time. At the stipulated
time he was found blind drunk, and
picked up and taken to his tent. He
weighed $50 pounds, and numerous
correspondents, amateurs of the colo
NAL papers, wrote to their respective
journals that Diamond weighing $50
was picked up to-day on So-and-so's
claim. This was telegraphed to Cape
Town just In time for the steamer for
England, and thus went home as the
gospel truth
klpt Drift, or Diamond Town, is
comparatively deserted now, and across
the river, at Pniel, is the great camp
now. This is in the free state, and
gives better security for peace to the
miners in the first place, being under
a recognized government; and in the
second place, the cascalho or aIluvium
being deeper, it takes a much larger
time to work out claim on the Pniel
side than on the Klipt Drift side. On
the Pniel side they have gone down
twenty-three feet since l initiated them
in deep digging. Our company have
taken ont a diamond day regularly,
but they are small, the largest six car
ats. We may strike "bull yet, as
they call the large diamonds. One
more large diamond of eighty eight car
ats has just been unearthed and ship
ped to England; they sly it is worth
920, 900. [ have not seen it, but my
friends who have seen it say it will not
bring more than 100000, as it is sec
ond water. Diamonds are being found
IN the same regular quantities as
hitherto, no diminution of an average.
The numbers of locations and people
are still increasing, blu there is room
for thousands more.