Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-03-29

carried fourteen passengers and all their
travelling chattels. This road has~now
been abandoned, the routes to the mines
being by Port Elizabeth or Port Natal, on
the east coast. The journey from any of
these places is made by horse and mule
convey ances, and in its general particulars
may be described ss much resembling the
same thing through the Territories in by
gore times, or even at the present day.
A traveller, named O'Reilly, stopped
one night at Beers house He found
the children playing with pebble that
looked like diamond. He bought it for
tri1e, the Boer saying that if it
was a diamond they could get plen-
ty more, and took it away. He
sold it at the Cape for S., ,000.
He bought another from a negro
which he sold for 5000, and then the
natives began to search for these stones
where they had previously seen them;
the white men heard of their success, and
then the rush began. One mine after
another, all in the same neighborhood,
was found, and round each mine city
sprung up. The last, and that which is
the center of the diamond trade, is Kim
berley. This city has 10000 population
five churches, two theatres, banks, hotel.
and other buildings. In general charac-
terlStlcs 1t resembles a frontier city, ex-
cept that its streets are filled with carts
carrying earth away from the diggings
and with numbers of Caffirs, who come
IN to work at the mines, all the labor be-
ing done by negroes. The negroes are of
very superior class to those of the
Southern States of America, and the
Cafffrs are the finest of them all. These
men will only work for short periods, to
enable them to buy ammunition and arms.
They are good tempered and kind, and
wear only such clothing as they can pick
up, such, for instance, as a discarded
paper collar, a hat, an odd boot, or a
soldiers coat, when they can get one.
The speaker gave graphic and minute
account OF the manner in which the mines
we're worked. The diamonds are found
IN conglomerate which is dug up from
that which by digging has become mud
bedded canyon. The claims are at the
bottom of this, and thousands of wire
ropes connect the claims to the surface
and carry up the baskets of conglomerate
to be washed out This canyon is 200 feet
deep and 1000 feet across. Descending
into this, speech becomes difficult from
the noise of the workers voices and the |
whir of the wheels hauling the buckets |
up along the wire ropes. Up to the end |
of 1876 S85, 900, 900 of diamonds had been |
taken out, besides those taken home by |
miners and others, so not coming into the |
market. The work is all done by negroes |
overlooked by white man, the negroes |
getting five dollars week and beef and |
tobacco. The negroes, when they can,
steal the diamonds, secreting them in |
their ears, mouth, and even working all |
day with one or more secreted between their
toes. People at Kimberley believe that the
trade will not cease but should the hard pan
be reached the mines would be quickly
flooded, and the whole thing there would
De over. Life at the mines is peaceable
Revolvers are not carried, law is supreme,
and any violence speedily punished.
Mining is now most successfully carried
on by those who have little capital
Very large fortunes are not made, but nu-
nerous small fortunes are. All the tim
Der and iron used there, as we'll as all
furniture and the greater part of the pro-
visions, are brought up by team from the
seaports. The Cape diamond is not al
ways a yellow diamond, as supposed,
here being white diamonds, pink and
brown diamonds found there, but not the
pure carbon or black diamond of Brazil
and India. The speaker described the
bursting of diamond frequently spoken
Of. When first taken out speck is seen
IN it; it is laid aside, and in the morning
It is in fragments. The miners keep it
n water or oil generally until they can
ind greenhorn to sell it to, the bursting
being caused by the disappearance of
some moisture contained in the stone.