The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-08-24
A South Africa Diamond Mine.

From whatever direction one comes
from the surrounding plain, the most
prominent sight is the lofty range of sand
mounds, rising up from out the center of
the town, and overtopping everything.
These are composed of earth from the or
iginal thirteen surface acres of the Kim
berley mine, and thrown up around the
edge of the gradually deepening pit Just
as the ant on smaller scale piles up
circular ridge around its hole. BY dia-
mond "mine" in Africa, is meant a pine
of several acres superficial area and un-
known depth, running straight down
through stratifed layers of shale. Each
pipe, and there are only four, is filed to
the level of the general surface of the plain
with sand, tufa, and a diamond-bearing
breccia or soft rock. The Kimberley pine
or mine has now been excavated to depth
of about two hundred and fifty feet. Most
of the streets of the town converge to it.
We walk to the edge of the rock which sur
rounds it, called the "reef," and before
and beneath us extends an abyss huge
oval-shaped cauldron-open full to the
skies. Over its edge lies sheer descent
of two hundred and fifty feet; across it,
from side to side, stretch of a thousand
feet, or a fifth of mile Coming even as
one does from the life and stir of the
town, the first look into the mine is fas-
cinating aud bewildering one.
Little by little the facts unfold and steal
upon the attention. One talks to his
neighbor as to a deaf man, for a steady
hum or roar fills the air, chiefly made up
of human Eoices and the whir of buckets
ascending and descending on their wire
rope. Ten thousand men are working be-
low and around us, in the pit and around
its edge. All is in plain sight, for there
is no burrowing under ground. Far be-
low, little black pigmy men-so they seem
in the distance-are moving about, but not
singly or at random, for closer observation
shows that they are working in groups,
each group upon a certain well-defned
square patch of solid earth, at which it is
picking and delving, or walking to and
fro over it, carrying little buckets Of loos-
ened soil. In their midst sits or stands a
white overseer, or the master himself
Spreading over the whole excavation or
pit, cauldron, pot or basin, whichever con-
veys the clearest idea, like spiders web
on dewy morning, run innumerable little
white threads, so they seem as they glisten
in the sun. Follow one such thread to
our feet, and it will be found to be a shin
ing wire rope, worn white with constant
use. And here on the edge or brim, call
ed, as we know, the "reef," we find a
scene of life and labor even more animated
than below.
All around, but chiefly on two opposite
sides, is erected a strong framework Of
timber called the Staging" estimated to
have cost s250,000. 1t is built in three
tiers, like three-story house, and each
tier is aoored to afford standing-room for
laborers. Firmly set all along each tier
of this staging are hundreds of wooden
wheels, about four feet in diameter, with
crank on each side, to be turned by four
Kaffirs. The iron ropes run from every
part of the circumference, but differ greatly
in length, some extending vertically down
the reef, some far out into the centre of the
mine, and others to varying intermediate
distances, but each to its own claim. Such
rope is stretched from the bearings of
each wheel on the staging to its correspon-
ding claim below, where it is made fast to
post sunk firmly in the ground. Thus,
wheel, wire rope, and "claim," be it
enly a sixteenth, are inseparable, and equal
in number. On these wire ropes the
"blue staff is hauled in buckets by aid of
the windlass, up out of the mine.-Dr.
Morton, IN .ScriJner for Augus,