The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-23
THE AFRICAN DIAMOND FIELDS.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-

To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
enclose you extracts from letter Just received
from the diamond fields, dated December 10, 1871,
at Svone, Kip Drift, which may prove interesting
to those having niends or who contemplate seeking
their own fortunes In that quarter OF the glope:-
MY former letters were written and posted from
Du TOit's Pan, the place where lived anu worked
some tve months and hali but the hot weather
leave there tine dry dggings. and go 10 the River
Vaal ana work. The week lelt the Pan the deaths
besides lnose from other causes A more unhealthy
hole never saw. nave already gwen you u de-
scripton Of the place; but In case you nave not re-
celved IL will give 1t TO you again.
Imagine place where there Is goodsized
pond with hills around, gradually slOplny towards
the centre, then you VIII have an IDEA Of It, The
digglngs are Principally IN and about the pan or
pond; the tents and houses are on the hills. Each
man VINO signs the rules is allowed thirty leet
square OF surface and any depth that ne peases 10
60. The pits are from one to hity 1ee deep. Those
erument lat this time the Orange River Free State)
ten shilings and sixpence sterling per month ior
the privilege or digging Tor diamonds ana other
precious stones. the British government has now
seized the place and made English territory Of it, in
The charges are less now than formerly Tor
digging. out are nearly doubled by axes on
ne nor are now
under the mid aud benign rule Of England, tied to
post and whipped like dogs FOR the simplest OF.
regarding punishment, and cannot be misunder-
stood. AL magistrates are Instructed, Tor any and
all misdemeanors OF the dlggers to give them not
less than twenty-five lasnes with The "cat," and
whatever other punishment they please. so II you
accused OF KNOCKING OF mans nat, even fun,
English law Will disgrace you forever with the
cat We do not know how TINS Will end. The
mass Of protest strongly n against H.
fifty Thousand men on the fields; so they continue
to act firmly the law Will have to he repealed.
great many diamonds are found on the sur
face, especially after strong winds and heavy rains.
The soil Is first dug up, exposed TO the air and sun
until 1t is quite dry put and slfted until
the gravel IS separated from the sand and EARTH
Inc g.aye eo Oas on ana sor tS
heap you Will most likely md 1t. How diamonds
got there ls the problem for scientific men TO solve
volcanic actlOn the country bearing traces oil some
great disturbance OF nature. Others tnlnk that they
vivid ana powerful here the storms are Iearfully
grand and sublime; the whole heavens seem one
drawn BY KIND OF iron stone that abounus here,
strikes the eartn passing through CARBON and water,
thus There pse Gasa es
oil an extipct volcano. Men there have made for
tunes in few weekaL what do you thiuk OF and.
and perhaps dozen more during the day TWO
Americans know. VINO were very poor. went there
returned home with over thousand pounds while
the other stays on, and If his luck continues he Will
take away with MIN nye or ten tn tnousaad: He EN-
tinually ct work. Before the three That were In the
party broke up they found stone mat weighed
over eighty carats IL Tas not perfect one, so 1t
only brought 60, 100, TO be divided among three.
Not Q bad days work, was III seven hundred
Claims there fetch as much as five hundred and
thousand each, 30 that you can see that poor
man stands no chance OF getting in, unless he has
some fortunate friend there 10 give him lit.
The stones oil Du Volt Pan are generally slightly
or color, some OF q dark yellow. so many OF this
kind have been found that they are not worth one
tenth the same weight and shape would be n white.
You can buy beautiful yellow stone OF twenty
carats for q hundred pounds, when white one
would cost SIX or seven hundred, and sometimes q
thousand. ~ F'tsnW.
"You must not think that all men are Successful,
the majority have not paid their expensas am one
shaved from morning TO night before / found
out 5 G su SSsr ssISn u Rsssa
slightly cracked and o1-colored. The company
who boarded and lodged me sent 1t to Cape Town,
where 1t fetched col; So alter all expenses on the
stone were paid, received els as my share-i e.,
one-thrd. A poor man had far better stay at home
and work on tAe railroad for wages than to como
out here with the expectation OF doing well.
Mutton Is the only cheap thing at the fields; all
other provisions are very NIGH Slvonell Is Kanir
village on the wal River, some ninety miles from
the Pan. The work Is different from dry digging.
making Il MICH cfeahef and piegsan.er Work.
MAY exps sse ses me SSps ona y So
sick SICK Il ohG About Ave hundred mies from here
they have discovered g0l fields, both quartz and
aluvIal digglngs; 30. perhaps may try that place
before leaving.