Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-03-15
Correspondence y. y. Evening Post.
THE AFRICAN DIAMOND FIELDS.
Garncts Laying Around H0OSe-VaIU-
alton of DtamOntlS-WI a Hoy

Found.
1t Is rather amusing to lis in tie diamond
regions Of South Africa to read the accounts
in the American papers Of the diamond
country. Most writers Oh this subject in
American newspapers have either head or
dreamed Of what they tell.
The stones found here have long been
known to some merchant, who Capied
them shining ca the bodies Of make. say
ages, and ascertaining where they found
hem, monopoliZed the trade, until one I'M
lucky day white child found one Of tie
stones. and the news suddenly bust upon
the world. The plane where diamonds
are found is a large district of country be-
longing to Dutch BOer farmers and native
tribes. The +" diamOnd-TOWing " country
is ascertained by the existence Of great
quantities OF garncts on the surface. which
are thrown away, although in civilized
lands gamets are used in jcwelry. These
beautiful large stones are thrown about as
worthless. Find sarnets and YOU Will ind
diamonds. The diamond region extends
many miles III various directions, and new
fields are being constantly discovered. In
one region, however, OH the ' aal river, the
diamond seekers have cOngTeGated and
have built cities OF tents, which are gradu-
ally giving place to houses. Shops are nu-
merous ; clothing and provisions cheap
Water iii some places has been scarce, but
there are wells digging from which water
can be drawn at the rate Of six pence
English money! a bucket. paid to the
company who dug the we'll Even for the
oxen water must be bought.
At first the largest companies Of diggers
were at a place on the Vaal river, and there,
OF course, water was plenty. The gravel
was caltcd to the river to be washed, and
the diamonds washed out from among the
stones. The pebbles, by the way, are
beautiful, each one peculiar to itself They
are set i'll pencils and seal rings. At present
the fields on the river are nearly abandon
ell, the most popular place beng a flat
called Du Tolls Pan, where the diamonds
are separated by sleeves and sOttcd on tables,
instead Of being washed out, as on the river.
There are collected thousands Of people,
who live i'll tents and spend their days
away is De Beers Fam, which is now a
rival in size and richness TO Due Toit' 5
Pan
The land is divided into small plots, or
''lols, as We could say in America. The
BOCr5 say fJ'ycH and the diggers say claims.
Each claim is about fifteen feet square.
Originally two pounds would buy claim
but now the price has risen to five hun
bred pounds. When man works we'll the
allowance is about one white man and
three blacks to each claim. Some dig;
some sift and sort the stones for diamonds.
These are found Of all sizes, from those as
| large a pins head up to some larger
than the kOh-i-noor. Some diamonds are
clear and brilliant, some are Cpa1ue, and
some yellow ISL. For the latter the people
Of India give good price, and wear them
in their belts and turbanS. These yellow
or ''off color" stones do not sell well in the
markets Of civilized nations. Sometimes
one secs black diamOadS. Some Of them
/ are beautifully regular, DIS if cut: others
/ S ZEN to be fragments, as if broken from
large stones; and others are round. At De
Beers place some persons find stones every
day, even as many as a dozen in Il day,
and soon become rich if they happen to
find stones clear and without flaws. Many,
however, have found nothing. and 90 away
poorer than they came.
The value of diamonds is asceItained on
the fields in the following manner: The
weight Of a good stone is squared and null
Stipled 10y two, the result being its value in
pounds sterling. For instance, if Il stone
weighs four caratS we have: 4X4-16
1GXZ-32; value Of the stone, 332. If
therefore, nau has a good stone, and has
its weight, he knows Just what it is worth
Diamonds cannot he cut hero, of course
most Of them are taken to Holland. Brokers
are here Of course, to deal in diamonds
ROS1cs are here to knock one down and
rob him, and other rOgucs to rob him wi H.
ont knocking him down. still, as Whole
/ the place is orderly and respectable.
People come here by way Of Cape Town
or Natal. generally, III wagons drawn by
; oxen. They live i'll the wagons and tents
and hire natives at about IL a month tC
work tor them. The camp is at little
distance from the field. Employers and
! employed spend the day iii digging, cart
/ ing, &c, going back to their tents at sun
set. The smaller diamonds are, as
rule, found near the surface the large
ones below. y miner digs down about for
ty feet, not often deeper. Accident
are becoming rather common by The
falling i'll Of the walls of these claims
after they have been dug to that depth
The route to the place is by steamer tC
England, thence by steamer to Algos
! Bay. and by '.Omnibu3'' to the Giggin1s-
If Americans but knew how easy Of access
the place is, and what a chance there is tC
make money, they would come in throngs
and for those who have money it is a tempt
ing place for speculation. There are mar
vicious (and trtle) tales of poor men, whc
came OH foot, with nothing but Il spade
/ turning up stone or stones worth thou
sands, and went home rich. Such case
are numerous. One poor boy walked
! thousand miles To get to the fields; in .
week he sent his old mother a check for
thousand pounds, was favored by fortune
and has since gone home rich.
| like to tell Of these things, because tn
idea seems TO prevail in America that it
all hoax, and that even if diamonds ar
found they are worthless. OF course it i
policy i'll EngliShIAan Ia keen AnariAaa