The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-03-20
Diamond Hunting in South Africa.


A correspondent of the London Times
writes from Kimberley, South Africa, for
the purpose of correcting few errors.
which, he says, still prevail eat
home" regarding the diamond fields:
The Oolesburg Kopje Diamond Mine
| Che observes) is really at this moment
one of the wonders of the world il
| contains, l maintain, the largest num-
| Der of workers in q small space that
has been seen in any modern work, and
| cannot call to mind any enterprise,
excepting the Egyptian Pyramids,
where it can have been necessary for
such a swarm of human beings to be so
closely herded together. Can any OF
yonr correspondents cite few instances?
The Kopie is not not so busy as it was
some time ago-I will say in October,
1S72-when there can not have been less
than 1000 men employed in a space
occupied by $500 claims of thirty feet
square each. The actual present value
of the mine is estimated at 81, 900, 900 !;
three months ago it was valued at e.
900, 600, but claims have fallen sixty
per cent. 1t is proposed to spend $780,
GOO immediately in rendering the mine
safe by removing the outside dangerous
reef. Some of the claims are l30 feet
deep, and the whole mine, resembling
vast basin, is being emptied by means
Of the wiTe-rope tramway system, which
has cost an enormous sum in erecting
This can be easily imagined when it is
known that every pound weight of wire,
every pound weight OF deal wood and
timber, has cost from 4d TO Cd per
pound for transport alone.
Diamond diggers are now particl llarly
"gay :" the diamond market is down,
but why it should be so persistenly af
firmed in England that South African
diamonds are not good, that they are
only "Cape," cannot conceive. The
cape diamonds are fully as good as any
others, the only difficulty being that
the bulk are often light yellow, or :" off
color" descriptions, and very handsome
ornaments they make. Great numbers
of the original claim-holders in the
Colesberg Kopie mine have made small
fortunes. / know of at least ten among
my own personal friends who will aver
age G8, coo each, all made, it may be
said, in two Yeas, out of nothing.
As facts are worth any amount OF
mere state ments, / will tell You as
plainly as possible what TIE effect of
the news of the gold fields has produced
at the diamond fields. 1t will show
what is thought here of them, and will
serve to confirm all / have stated.
Persons in England can have no idea of
the furor. Wagons are being brought |
out, strengthened and painted; oxen
are being bought and Gl2 per head
paid, in place of G7 los. three months
ago. Wagons worth el00 year ago |
are now bringing ESQ to El70. House |
hold goods are sacrificed at any cost. |
Ladies, children, and men, all have the
gold fever, and look forward with the |
greatest pleasure to journey of thirty /
days through a country almost unin- |
habited. Diamond claims are almost |
the newspapers TEEN with |
relative to sales of goods |
to parties who are "off to |
the gold fields" The passenger cart,
fare e19 10s., is fully engaged for many
weeks to come. In fact, there is n reg
ular rush, for people say, natural y, if
have resuscitafed South AZ
rica, what may not be expected Of
gold2 Among other notions is the very
prevalent one that the Chinese will flow
in, and Capt Gallons idea that they
should be allowed to people Africa,
may yet come true. In fact, your read
ars may expect. for some years TO come,
10 exclaim, as Pliny did so long ago
80 Well, there is always something new
rom Africa -