Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-03-21
Africa's Diamond Fields.

ton to a large assembly of the
members of the American Geo
graphical Society and their friends
at Chickering Hall, last night,
Chief Justice DAILY announced as
the subject of the evenings lee
ture, "South African Diamond
Fields, and the Journey to the
Mines" adding, that fl5,OOO,0OO
worth of diamonds had already
been taken from these diggings.
DR.. Morton, who has recently
returned from two years sojeurn
in South Africa, gave an interest
ing description of his trip from
Cape Town to the diamond fields,
sometimes passing through scenes
of SURPRISING beauty, and at others
traversing immense arid plains,
where the road was marked out by
the bleached bones of horses and
oxen.
The diamond mines, he said,
were discovered by a traveller,
John O'Reilly, who, staying for a
night at the house Of a Dutch farm
er, observed the children playing
With soue pebbles. He said," Those
might be diamonds" The farmer,
laughing, replied that if they were,
plenty of them could be found in
the neighborhood. O'Reilly took
one of the pebbles, and subsequent
ly sold it for $4,000. A co,onist then
remembered that he had seen an
immense stone of similar descrip-
ton in the hands Of a native. He
sought out the man, gave him ell
his cattle, horses, and other prop
erty for the gem, and sold it for
$4,000. This diamond afterwards
became known throughout the
world as the Star of South Africa.
A seething population was soon
on the spot. The farmers, despite
their protests, saw their property
invaded, and diamonds of fabulous
value, whose value they never sus-
pected, carried away. Finally the
British Government adjudicated
all minor disputes by annexing the
entire diamond producing country,
and proclaiming it in an English
possession. 1t was not long before
Kimberly, city that has now more
than thousand homes, sprang in
to existence.
The lecturer dwelt upon the ex-
traordinarily mixed populstfon Of
Kimberly, and especially the wan
deripg tribes of negroes who pour
into it at the rate of 10000 a year.
Travelling in parties of fifteen or
twenty, often over distance of a
thousand miles, IN the course OF
which many Of them de Of thirst
and starvation, these wanderers
enter the city dusty, foetsore, and
as thin as rails. They appropriate
eagerly every article of apparel
they can pick up upon the way
one appears in hat, without any
further covering; another wears a
single boof, unrelieved by other
adornmenss. The brown legs al
some are seen violently contrasting
with tire skirts of a bright red
English military coat, while others
are contented to rest their claims
to gentility on the possession Of a
torn paper collar.
Kimberly, however, is by no
means devoid of the Injuries OF
civilization. 1t boasts of many re-
fined and educated people, and the
deslers in Cape Town and Natal
reserve their choicest laces and
ncst expensive goods for the wives
and daughters Of the wealthy spec
ulators of the Diamond City.
DIR. Morton explained the man.
ner Of working the mines, which,
he says, is largely done with the
hired aid Of Kaffirs. These men
are expert thieves, and, despite the
closest scrutiny, the diamonds get
into their pipes, there ears, their
mouths, and even their noses.
They can work all day with large
pebbles between their toes.
Diamonds of the first quality are
very rare; there is one kind that
exhibits CAV half an hour. after
being taken from the mine, and, II
left until morsing, will be found in
fragments. Such stones are usual
ly wrapped in cotton and placed
In oil by the miner until the mo-
ment OF sale. The expenses Of
working q claim are. exclusive Of
the original purchase, about $500