The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-02-15
Hunting for Diamonds.

A letter from tho South African dia.
mond fields tells US how tho diamonds
are found, rs follows: Tho diamond.
earth, transported by the carts to the
place where IL is 10 bo picked over, Is at
first roughly crushed by men seated in a
circle around it, armed with sticks, who
beat it as it Is thrown by shovelfuls in
the midst Of them; this first operation is
fer the purpose Of separating Il from the
stones. It is then passed through q
coarse sieve, tint retains the worthless
portions, md afterward through finer
sieve, to free 1t from dust, and TO put It
in condition to be picked over. 1t is
then poured upon tables, around which
men are arranged with scrapers made Of
tin, or the remains Of old buckets; each
one plinges his scraper into the mass,
and draws out q large handful, which,
with the same movement, he spreads in
such q way as to SOC with glance II
there are any diamonds. The skill nc
quired by the eye from constant practice
renders the work less minute than it ap.
pears at first, so that tile newcomers,
seeing the continual movement OF the
arm buck and forth, cannot believein the
possibility Of asserting so quickly made.
II is difficult for 1 diamond to escape ht-
tention unless it Is very small, for this
crystal, though giving out no radiance
in its rough state, and having no color,
leaps to tho eyes in nm astonishing man.
ner in the midst Of the earth and gravel.
II is always pure, even in the dust,
which never touches, and seems to re-
spect it,
In spite OF the favorable conditions,
the rejected earth still contains many
diamonds, for tho KafEres employed in
this work are often more occupied III
chattering than in looking at the table /;
and, from idleness or native depravity,
sort in beds 80 thick TINT the diamonds
aro buried in the other materials, and es-
capo the eyo. Asan illustration OF the
negligence with which these men per-
form their task, ono OF my associates,
astonished to see that our three united
claims, worked together by all our Kaf-
fres, gave us hardly eight or ten din
monds day, when We had right TO ex-
pect twenty-five or thirty, concealed in
the earth on tho table diamond Of tllir.
ty-six carats-larger than q hazel.nut,
He did this to test the fidelity Of the
workmen; and, although ho watched
them attentively, all the earth was sorted
before him without tho diamond being
perceived. II had been thrown under
the table, where it was afterward found.
This negligence was confirmed by an-
other circumstance; in displacing the
table 10 transport il to q less encountered
place, we found, among the sand that
had been sorted, diamond of thirteen
and one-half carats, which would have
been lost for us like the others.
IL has become q now industry OF the
mines, for those who cannot purchase q
claim, TO re-examine the abandoned earth,
which is sometimes very productive.
Ono Of my friends made in this manner,
without risking any capital, fifty dollars
o week. Many children, and young
Dutch girls, pass whole days digging at
hazard in tho sand, md are sometimes
largely fecompensed. In the street
where 1 workeda child found, in earth
already sorted, diamond of seventy
three clrats.