The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-28
A DIAMOND MINE.
The Manner In which Diamonds Are Dug
In south Africa.

tScribner.l
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 over
topping everything. These are composed Of
earth from the original thirteen surface acres
of the Kimberly mine, and thrown up around
the edge OF the gradually deepening pit, just
as the ant on smaller scale piles up q Crcu'
lar ridge around its hole. By diamond mine
in Africa iS meant q pipe Of several acres su'
perfiCial area and unknown depth, running
straight down through stratifed layers Of
shale. Each pipe-and there are only four
is filled In to the level OF the general surface
of the plain with sand, tufa and a diamond.
bearing breCcia or soft rock. The Kimberly
pipe or mine has now been exCavated to O
depth Of about $50 feet. Most of the streets
Of the town converge to 1t. We walk to the
edge of rock which surrounds 1t, called the
reef, and before and beneath us extends an
abyss, a huge oval-shaped cauldron, open full
to the skies. Over It's edge lies sheer descent
of $50 feet; across 1t, from side to side, q
stretch Of 1000 feet, or a fifth of @ mile. Com.
ing even as one does from the life and stir Of
the town, the first look into the mine Is q
fascinating and bewildering one.
Little by little the facts unfold and steal
upon the attention. One talks to his neigh
Dor as to a deaf man, for steady hum OF
roar fills the air, chiefly made up Of human
voices and the whirr of buckets ascending
and descending on their wire ropes. Ten
thousand men are working below and around
us, in the pit and around It's edge. All Is In
plain sight, for there Is no burrOwing under
ground. Far below, little, black pigmy men
50 they seem In the distance-are moving
about, not singly or at random, for closer OBJ
servatiOn shows that they are working In
groups, each group upon certain Well-delined
square patch of solid earth, at which 1t is
picking and delvng, or walking to and fro
over it, carrying little buckets of looSened
col I'm hnt mi 6af eli eft n IHy1i
overseer, or the master himself.
Spreading over the whole excavation or pit
cauldron, pot or basin, whichever conveys
the cearest idea, like spiders web on dewy
morning, run innumerable little white threads
so they seem as they glisten in the sun. Fol-
low one such thread to our feet and it will be
found to be shining wire rope, worn white
with constant use And here on the edge or
brim, called, as we know, the reef" we find
q scene Of life and labor even more animated
than below.
ALI around, but chiefly on two opposite
sides, Is erected o strong framework Of tim.
Der, called the staging, estimated to have cost
$250,000. It is built III three tiers, like three
story house, and each tier Is il0ored to afford
standing room for laborers. Firmly set al
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 center 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 or
the staging to its corresponding claim below
where it is made fast to a post sunk firmly In
the ground. Thus a wheel, a wire-rope and 9
"claim," be it only sixteenth, are insepara.
BILE and equal In number. On these wire
ropes the blue stuff" is hauled in buckets by
the aid Of the windlass up out Of the mine.