Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-06-01
THE DIAMOND COUNTRY.


fiosities OF commerce. none, perhaps, Is
more curious than that the major por-
lion Of the produce exported from South
Africa is simply used for the adjournment
Of ladies. Out Of total valve exported
| Df 50, 800, 900, ostrich feathers and dia-
monds account for So, 900, 600. Twenty
years ago all known diamonds had come
ID Europe Of the United States from i'm
memorial Eastern stocks or from the
scanty produce of mines in Brazil and
elsewhere. which were calculated to yield
not more than 500. 900 worth In the year.
] To- dav. situated III the midst of wide
stretching plain affording ~ al points .
sea line horizon Of flat ''veldt we find
this town of Kimberley with u large Eu-
ropeafl population Of wealth and well-to-
do people. and large native population
earning every year more than 81 900, 600
| ia wages And from this mining oasis
hi the agricultural desert has been sent
| In the last fifteen years something like
Gao. OOO, 900 worth Of diamonds in the
rough. which, with the cost of cutting,
setting and selling, must have taken
| from the rockets OF consumers something
approaching etOO. 600, 900.
AS all the world knows the South At
rican diamond mines have their own
story OF unexpected discovery at the
least as startling as that of any gold field
or other rich mineral depositin the world.
| In 1867 the first diamond was found, the
favorite toy OF q little Boer girl, which
she had picked out from among the
roots of an old tree. Its genuineness was
not long in doubt, and in few months
the bed of the Vaal river was known as
profitable diamond region. Prospect
Ing became the rage, and here and there
on the open, fat, grassy veldt diamonds
we're found in spots with common pecu-
liaritics of soil and SO forth. In three
years time the secret of the diamond de-
posits had been SO far fathomed as TO
prove that they were strange circular
deposits, or patches, of peculiar earth
isolated from one another and few IN
number. These were at once rushed
and a regulation digging community
took possession of the new district.
Private individuals, previous proprietors,
aud governments fought for the claim
to these new mineral riches, but despite
these squabbles the practical work Was
carried on Of marking out these circular
patches in diggers' claims over the fiat
surface. AT first the rule was each Dig
ger for himself; and with pick and
shovel diamonds were brought to grass
in such profusion that the whole mining
world was startled by discovery ex-
eeeding in magnitude, real and prospcc
tive, any previous find. But, as men
dug deeper in their claims, 50 they
found il necessary to arrange and
amalgamatc with their ncighbors; more
over, the deeper they went the more
necessary for machinery to hoist the soil
to the surface. And then as they passed
on through the top yellow, they came
upon blue soil which was yet more
rich in diamonds.
Suffice it to say, that in ten years time
each one of these greater circular areas
had been so far emptied OF soil rs to rep
resent great quarries 100 to 200 yards
across and 800 or 400 feet deep. The
walls of these basins are locally known
as 'sthe reefs, = and in their greed TO Sc
cure all they could the older miners
! cut out all the s'blue" right up to the reef.
When, however, the cuttings got down
deep the walls or reefs began to fall in,
owing to the disintegrating action of
boiling sun and heavy rain, covering up
in their fall large areas of valuable blue
AT first the digging was simple and cheap
the mere turning up and searchin &
of loose soil; asecOnd stage was reached
when the soil had to be cut out aud
hauled up to the surface with the aid of
machinery: a third stage brought the
miners to stiffened Dlue, which had
only to be brought to the surface, but
then spread about and broken up by
hand-labor and exposure to the weather,
and at the present moment all around the
mines are to De seen literally miles of the
ssblue, laid out in shallow layers over
the veldt. With these more extended
operations came more elaborate machin-
cry for hosting, for spreading on the
floors, aud for sorting. Now. round
each great basin or quarry is circle
of steam engines working wire rope
lifts up and down to the bottom of the
quarry, and around the brink run loco
motives and trains OF trucks,
whisking the sblue" so brought ur
away to be spread out like so much ma.
nure over the veldt, and to be taken
thence, when duly disintegrated by the
weather, broken up by hand, and har.
rOwed and rolled, TO the washing places.
where it is all sent by hydraulic action
through q series of rotatory selves and
pulsators, on the principle Of, il
successful mechanical operations,
washing away All dirt thai
Is lighter than diamonds. The washer,
are so arranged that the outfall OF each
portion is graduated In size, and falls or
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
to that Of sand: and the visitor ma,
stand BY in wonder to see the searcher Il
the one end pick out his eight or ter
big stones per hour. or assist thu
searcher ~ the other busily sorting oui
q the sand innumcrable white specks Of
diamonds. The days work, tumbled
into small snuff boxes, will frequently
reach local value OF e1. 900. One car
look into 9 quarry OF states or stone and