The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-02-05
THE STAR OF SOUTH AFRICA.
How an Irish Trader Made a Fortune by
Getting Possession of Precious
Stone From a Boer.
Discovery of Diamonds - Adventures In
the Field-The Diggings Now Merely
Poor Mans Ground.

| travelling towards the Vaal river, passed
farm house situated about two miles to the
north of the Orange river. Seeing lot of
children collected in a group he approached
them, and observed them examining bright,
beautiful stone; he asked them what it was,
they told him pebble one of the shepherds
had picked up on the "veldt." O'Reily ex-
amined the stone and was struck with the
peculiar scintating brilliancy and hardness of
the same. Thinking it might be some pre-
cious stone he asked the children would they
sell it. The youngsters replied they would
ask their father, who was just then coming
towards them. The old Boer Gather of the
children) on being asked the same question
by O'Reily, looked at the stone for long
time and noticing that it could neither
speak, walk or do any more than
an ordinary pebble could do. asked
O'Reily what he wanted it for. O'Reily told
him he thought it might turn out to be some
precious gem. At this the old boer pricked
up his ears, and after thinking carefully for
moment, asked the trader what he would
give him for the stone. O'Riely after again
carefully examining the stone, placed it on a
large stone at his feet, and procuring
hammer he tried to break it, but without sue
cess, now perfectly satisfied in his own mind
that he had discovered some valuable gem, he
informed the boer that he would give
him his 10 oxen, his wagon and all the
goods he had with him. This arrange
ment was at once accepted by the Boer
and O'Reily carried off the stone.
Al.
other bank of the Orange river, he arranged
send the stone to Cape Town and from thence
to London with the intention of having it
tested and of finding out what kind of gem it
really was. The stone was sent to General
Southern, at that time British administrator at
the Cape of Good Hope. He at once
affirmed it to be diamond ofrare quality and
purity, and learning its history from Mr..
Lilenthal, he placed the stone on table in the
assembly room of the House of Parliament in
the presence Of the members of the Legislative
assembly and told them the history, adding
that, in his belief, Cape Colony
was now saved from the threatened bank.
ruptcy which then EMBODIED the country in its
embrace, assuring them that where this dia-
mond was found, others would be found, and
prophecying correctly that this would enrich
the country, and for a time be its principle
resource.
The diamond was taken to London by
O'Reily and Lilienthal, and realized the
famous price of SI6,ooo or nearly $50, 900.
1t was named the Star of South Africa and
now adorns the crown worn by the Queen of
Eng land.
The news OF this diamonds discovery soon
created immense excitement in the colony;
Ia nfa lral
posed finding place; prospecting parties care
miles, until, at last, one party arriving at
place called Barley IA small village situated
an the southern bank of the Vaal river) in
prospecting on the opposite bank (klip drift
found some small diam onds.
The news travelled like wild-fre among the
Adventures, and shortly after the diamonds
were found diggers were hard at
work for miles on each side of the
river. Diamonds were found in large quant-
ties, and the small mining community in
creased daily, people rushing" to the river
dggings las the place was called) from every
part of the colony, bringing with them, in
wagons, tents, victuals and digging parapher-
MALTA.
Money was soon plentiful, and was spent
| by the community with unsurpassed lavish
ness. The diggings were worked in the fol-
lowing manner: The ground after being
broken with picks, was shoveled into cylin-
drical formed seive, about two feet in dame
ter; this being full, was closed up and placed
on the ridge of tub filled with water, an axle
passing through the seive, keeping it in the
notches Iplaced there for that purpose) on the
ridge. The seive was then turned by means
of crank attached to the axle which revolved,
dissolving the matrix and ejecting the mud.
The gravel, and anything else that was too
large to run through the seive, was taken out
OF the same and placed on an iron sorting table,
where the digger was standing with trianeu-
lar piece of tin in his hand, ready to sort the
gravel and look for diamonds.
The average finds, according to the best
statistics, amounted to about So load.
There were soon over 1900 diggers
working on the river. The diamondiferous soil
extending for about 20 miles on the
northern bank of the Vaal river, above
Barley, is generally found close to the
! river; its average depth is from 20 to 30 feet,
lying on solid bed of rocks which by geo.
logical indications is undoubtedly the former
bed of the river, receiving the deposit of the
diamondiferous soil from some of the mines
/ situated at its source. The miners at the
, river diggings unearthed some large stones, oil
good color and quality. These diggings are
still being worked, but since the discovery Of
the dry diggings it has only been "pool
mans ground" ANSoN A. MAHER.