, 1885-05-27
DIAMOND FIELDS.
THE PROCESS OF MINING As CON-
QUOTED IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Result of n Boer Girls Discovery
steady Fall I'm the Price of
Dinmonds-From SIS
Down to 80. 70.


tChirhko Timn8-I
A letter in The London Times from thi
diamond fields gives us some interesting
particulars Of the business. The discover,
Of these shining gems reminds one Of ths
Indian in Brazil who first found one o.
them in the roots Of a shrub he had pulled
up aud took 1t home as a plaything for hi
children. A Boer girl in 1867 found the
hrst diamond, also In the roots of a tree
and human nature having It's weak side II
that rude section OF the world as well a
in London, Paris. and New York, she
adorned herself with II and made a sensa
ton among the kraals of Bocr society. Il
did not take long for the news to spread.
The great grassy plain where the gem wa
armed with picks and spades, every man
for himself.
After the yellow surface soil had beer
exhausted a blue soil was found which
was still richer In diamonds. This blue
soil was observed to exist In large circu
lar deposits which geology soon defined al
the remnants OF mud volcanoes. A rcgu-
lar community began 10 center about the
locality. and the landowners, private in
dividunls. corporations, and even govern
ments commenced squabbling over the
Claims. which at last necessitated the OF
ganization of companies for mutual de
tense, and now the whole diamond arcs
Is worked by these companies with elab
CRATE machinery. The manner Of the
working Is thus described.
~Kound each great basin or quarry Is q
circle of steam engines working wire. rope
lifts up and down to the bottom Of the
quarry, and round the brink run iocomo
tives and trains Of trucks whisking the
blue so brought up away 10 be spread
out Ike so much manure over the yeldt,
and a. - Nn NuE.s l.sA. 49,. I..I.~ If-...
tegrated by the weather, broken up by
hand, and narrowed and rolled. to the
washing places where II Is all sent by
hydraulic action through a series Of
r~otatory sleeves and pulsators on the prin
clple OF, In successive mechanical opera
tons, washing away all dirt that is lighter
than diamonds.
"Thc washers are 30 arranged hal the
outfall OF each portion is graduated In
size, and falls on 4 series of sorting tables.
At these stand five or six Of the principal
men-owners and directors of companies
among them spreading out the
clean washed stuff graduated from
the size of pebbles 10 that OF
sand; and the visitor may stand by In
wonder 10 see the searcher At the one end
pick out his eight or len big stones pei
hour. or assist the searcher at the other
busily sorting out of the sand innumerai
bic white specks of diamonds. The days
work, tumbled into small snuff boxes,
while frequently reach a local value OF
1000 pounds sterling.
None can fail 10 DO struck on looking
into one of these great mines or quarrics
thai the whole Of that great mass Of earth
and rock has been dug out, pulverized,
and searched for the diamonds It contains.
One can look into a quarry of slate OF
stone and see the rocks themselves cut
down and carted away for use; but In
these quarries tho soil and the rock are
cut out and dug out-and what fori
Simply that out Of every 100 tons raised
out of the quarry an ounce weight of dia-
monds may be secured"
The figures attending these operations
are interesting. To dig out these quarries
the labor alone has cost $40, 000, 900 and
the machinery So. 900. 900. and all this
work has been expended In order that
lovely woman shall be made still lovelier
by personal adornment And what has
been the resultf The price of diamonds
has steadily fallen until the "all round
price" per carat has dropped from $50 TO
50. 10. Prior 10 the African discovery
the world had to be contented with an
annual harvest Of diamonds worth about
$3.50. 900. Only royalty and the wealthy
aristocrncy could afford them Then
came this wonderful discovery which sup.
piled the world for ten years with gems
to the value Of $50. 900, 900 per annum.
The market IA soon overstocked and
there was naturally a fall in price.