The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-08-08
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 original thirteen surface
acres of the Kimberley mine, and
thrown up around the edge of the gradu-
ally deepening pit, just as the ant on q
smaller scale piles up q circular ridge
around its hole. BY diamond "mine F"
in Africa, is meant a pipe of several acres
superficial area and unknown depth,
running straight down through stratified
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 diamond-bearing brec-
cia or soft rock. The Kimberley pipe 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 rock
which surrounds il, called the "reef, I"
and before and beneath us extends an
abyss-a 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, q
stretch of thousand feet, or fifth of a
mile. Coming even as one does from
the life and stir of the town, the first
look into the mine is a fascinating and
bewildering one.
Little by little the facts unfold and
steal upon the attention. One talks to
bis neighbor as to deaf man, for q
steady hum or roar fills the air, chiefly
made up of human voices and the whir
OF buckets ascending and descending on
their wire ropes. Ten thousand men are
working below and around us, in the pit
and around its edge. ALI is in plain
sight, for there is no burrowing under
ground. Far below, little black pigmy
men-so they seem in the distance-are
moving about, but not singly or at ram
dom, for closer observation shows that
they are working in groups, each group
upon certain well-defined square patch
OF solid earth, at which it is picking and
delving, or walking to and fro over it,
carrying little buckets of loosened 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, which
ever conveys the clearest idea, like o
spiders web on a dewy morning, run
innumerable 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 shining wire rope, worn
white with constant use. And here on
the edge or brim, called, as we know,
the reef" we find scene of life and
labor even more animated than below.
All around, but chiefly on two oppo-
site sides, is erected strong framework
of timber called the " staging" estimat-
ed to have cost $3.50, 900. It is built in
three tiers, like a athree-story house, and
each tier is hoored to afford standing
room for laborers. Firmly set all along
each tier of this staging are hundreds of
wooden wheels, about four feet in diane
ter, with crank on each side, to be
turned by four Kaffirs. The iron ropes
run from every part of the circumfer-
ence, 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 on the staging to its correspond
ing claim below, where it is made fast
to a post sunk firmly in the ground.
Thus wheel, a wire rope and a " claim, +"
be it only sixteenth, are inseparable,
and equal in number. On these wire
ropes the "blue stuff" is hauled in
buckets by aid of the windlass, up out
of the mine e-IScribne,