The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-12-24
ALAND OF DIAMONDS.
Land Selling at s4s 900 for Th,rsy- One Square
Feet.
South African Correspondence of Hartford
Is Eg.l5.' II afa-~ Timex g e .--r- .. .. p ..-.

South African Correspondence Of Hartford
Is sgLj" Il aia-r Times. W --.r . ~ .... %
@ Perhaps brief description Of this land of
gems may interest your readers This place
Is about 100 miles inland from Cape Town,
and about 500 miles from Port Elizabeth
To reach Kimberly from Cape Town one has
to travel through a country called Karroo,
barren, rocky tract, with scarcely any signs
Of life init. - A more desolate region can
scarcely be found. LIDO not fhinkI saw ten
acres for 4 distance Of 300 miles that could
possibly be .plowsd; and judging from APP
pearances, Il think ratio travel through the
Karroo, would need a knapsack on his back,
we'll laden with provisions, 10 sustain life on
his journey, unless he was Of nearkint to Dr.
Tailner. Kimberly, like It's surroundings, Is
barren waste, very unpleasant for family
home. Most Of the country here Is worth
less for farming purposes. Water is scarce |;
wood is very scarce. It Is brought here BY
OK teams from distance Of 100 miles, and
sold on the market at auction for from s25to
$50 perlosd according to size and quality.
None of it would be merchantable in your
city. old dead wood dug up by the roots root
and brought 10. market, roots and all, sells
from SIS to $50 per load; and load Of live
wood (u,split}, containing II cords, sells i for
$40 to $50 per load. Potatoes grow to about
the size of an English walnut beets, carrots,
onions, cucumbers and lettuce are luxuries
nearly unknown here. The dust and dirt is
fearful. Icannot describe 1t aud do justice
to the subject. 1t hlls your eyes, nose and an
ears, mats your hair and whiskers; and q
for clothes, the natives, who wear none, have
the advantage, as the water Is hard and mi mis-
ersbie, full Of dirt, and sells for sixty cents
Der barrel for washing purposes, aud as fol
drinking, something stronger 10 the common
beverage here. ..' ...L .0 .' ...I
But the diamonds! 1t Is truly land o
diamoutls. Already over sl25, ,O0o, 900 wortl
have been discovered. In the late war out
of the, chiefs (Saccahuni) offered q guar
measure full of diamonds for a cannon. f.
Claims of thirty-one square feet have sol'
for $4S,OUO per clalm: s.lI - La .-.H.-
| The mines are all worked BY large compa
MES. The largest Is a French company
The manager Informed me that their expen
ses were $70,OO0 per month. They, take ou
of their mines 400 loads of diamondiferoli
earth per day, worth on the average $l4.4
per load. There are several large compapie
in the same mine. A mile aud hall fror
here ia another mine called Old Dc Beer
4 Mine. Three miles further there Is anothe
called Du Tait's Pan, and one mile from q th'
is another called ,Bulpantein. All these q
extensively worked by large companies. Blu
pantein Mine was originally farm,on VIII whtic
/ was built brick house, and ON the discover
! Of diamonds the house was found to contai
r the precious gems in the plaster used to ia
the brick and inthe plastered walls,while tn
children played with what they called 9TH
shiny stones" ON o. .r.8 r..A...a.t arfl, as
There las recently been diamond mil
3 discovered eight miles from here, called VI
e iphant's Fantein. Claims to the number
900 have been surveyed and sold in the mil
$ and people here are, wild with specalatio
An acquaintance Of mine bought claims
r Jager's Fantein mine go miles from herr
+ which cost him $40, and in q short time
: was offered $33, 800 for said claims. 1t seei
that men are like bubbles the, world oy'
some 60 up, aud some explode financial
the ey ploding portion being by far the mt
u | numerous. ..... ... -. o.. .. e.. ..
The penalty for buying a diamond 81
negro is five years Imprisonment at hard
10 Dor and a fine OF s., 400 for the first ofien
a- and ten years for the second. and YET
1t temptation is So great that ont Of popa
lion Of l6,0OO there are over 800 now in pi
, on for Illicit diamond buying and .diamo
{ stealing. Some Of these prisoners are wo
from SAC, 600 10 s2O0, 600. Surely the way
-, the traRsgressor is hard sLC44u-