The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1881-01-28
A LAND OF DIAMONDS.
Land which Sells for eA6, 900 for Thir- /
ty-One Square Feet.

Land which Sells for e4e. 900 for Thir-
ty-One Square Feet.
South Africa CorrespondeHce Hartford Times.
Perhaps a brief description of this
land OF gems may interest your readers
This place is about 700 miles inland
from Cape Town, and about 500 miles
from Port Elizabeth. TO reach kimber-
ly from Cape Town one has 10 travel
through q country called the Great kar-
TO, barren, rocky, tract, with scarce
any signs of life in it. 1t is ABOUT 800
miles through il. A more desolate re
gion can scarcely be found. i do not
think l saw ten acres for a distance of
200 miles that could possibly BE- plOwed !;
and judging from appearances, think
q rat, 10 travel through the Karro, would
laden with provisions, to sustain
was of near kin 10 Dr. Tanner.
Kimberly, like its surroundings. is =
barren waste, very unpleasant for fam
lily home. Most Of the country here is
worthless for farming purposes. Water
Is scarce. 1t is brought here by Orleans
from distance of 100 miles, and sold on
the market at auction for from $50
10 $50 per load, according to size and
quality None OF it would be merchant
able in your city. Old dead wood dug
up by the roots aad brought to market,
roots and all, sells for from $25 10 $50
per load, and load OF liSewood Gun
split), containing one and half cords,
sells tor from $40 TO $50 per load. Pc
tatocs grow to about the size of English
walnuIs; beets, carrots, onions, cucum
beers and lettuce are luxuries nearly IN
known here. The dust and dirt is fear.
full. cannot describe il and do justice
20 the subject. Il fills your eyes, nose
and ears, and mats your hair and whisk-
ers; and as for clothes, the natives, who
wear none, have the advantage, as the
water is hard and miserable, full of dirt
and sells for 60 cents per barrel for
washing purposes, and a. for drink
ing, something stronger is the com
mon thing here. But the diamonds
Il is truly q land OF diamonds. Already
over $125, 10000 worth have been dis
covered. In the late war one of the chief.
(Saccuhan) offered quart measure full
| of diamonds for cannon. Claims ol
thirty -One square feet have sold for $4S.
| coo per claim, The mines are ali work
ed by large companies. The largest is {
French company. The manager In
formed ME that their expenses were
| SO 600 per month. They take out q
their claims 40 loads of dirmondilerou:
earth per day. worth, on the average
| SIS 40 per load. There are several larg'
companies in the same mine. A mile
and q half from here Is another min'
called old De Beers mine. Three mile
further there is another one, called Dr.
| rait's Pan, and one mile from that is an
other, called Bulpantien. All these ar
extensively worked by large companies
BulpantIen mine was i8inally farm
on which was built brick house, ant
on the discovery of diamonds the hous
was found to contain the precious gem
in the plaster used 10 lay the brick, ant
in the plastered walls, while the child
rem played with what the
called the ''shiny stones" There has IT
Gently been a diamond mine discovers
eight miles from here, called Oliphant'
Fantein. Claims to the number of 90
have been surveyed and sold in tina
mine, and people here are wild wit
speculation. An acquaintance of min
bought claims in Jager's Fantein, fort
miles from here which cost him $710
and in a short time lie was Offered $33
600 for said claims. 1t seems that me
are like bubbles, the world over Som
go up and some explode financially, tn
exploding portion being by far the mos
numerous. The penalty for buying
diamond ofanegro is five years imprisor
ment at hard labor and a fine of So, 80
for the first offense and ten years for tn
second. And yet the temptation is s
great that out of a population of 1900
there are over 600 now in prison for i
licit diamond buying and diamond stea
ing. Some of the these prisoners ar
worth from $4,000 to $4,000. Surel
the way of the transgressor is hard.