Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-05-28
WHERE DIAMONDS ARE FOUND.
The Process of Mining as Conducted
In south Africa THE Story OF an
Unexpected Discovery.
London Times.

J
mercen none, perhaps, is more curious
than that the major portion of the
4 produce exported from South Africa
is simply used for the adornment OF
ladies, Out of total value exported
of 1900, 600, ostrich feathers and
diamonds account for &5, 200, 600.
Twenty years ago all known diamands
had come to Europe or the United
/ States from immemorial eastern stocks
or from the scanty produce of mines
in Brazil and elsewhere, which were
calculateded to yield not more than
ESQ, 900 worth in the year. To-day,
situated in the midst of wideestretch-
ing plain affording at all points a sea
line horizon of fiat ''veldt," we find
this town of Kimberley with a large
European population of wealthy and
well-to do people, and large native
population earning every year more
than e1,000, 600 sterling in wages.
And from this mining oasis in the
agricultural desert has been sent in
the last fifteen years something like
$40, 600, 600 worth of diamonds IN the
rough, which, with the cost of cutting,
setting, and selling, must have taken
from the pockets of consumers some
thing approaching fl00, 600, 900.
AS all the world knows, the south
African diamond mines have their
own story of unexpected discovery at
the least as startling as that of any
other goldGeld or other rich mineral
deposit in the world. In 1867 the first
diamond was found, the favorite toy
of 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.
Prospecting became the rage, and
here and there on the open fiat,
grassy veldt diamonds were found in
spots with common peculiarities of
soil and so forth. In three years
time the secret of the diamond depos-
its had been so far fath0med 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 rush
ed" and regulation digging COM
munity took possession of the new
district Private individuals, previous
proprietors, and government 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 fat surface.
AT first the rule was each digger for
himself; and with pick and shovel
diamonds were brought to grass in
such profusion that the whole mining
world was startled by a discovery ex-
ceoding in magnitude, real and pros~
pective, any previous find. But, as
men dug deeper in their claims, so
they found it necessary to arrange
and amalgamate with their neighbors
moreover, the deeper they went the
more necessity for machinery to moist
the soil to the surface. Aud then,
as they passed on through the top
yellow" they came upon blue"
soil which was yet more rich in dia-
monds.
Suffice it to say, that in ten years
time each one of these greater circu-
| lar areas had been so far emptied of
soil as to represent great quarries one
hundred to two hundred yards across,
and three hundred or four hundred
feet deep. Early in the digging the
geologist stepped in to point out that
these circular basins were evidently
a species of volcanic crater, followed
out in the surface rock by subterran-
can action and filled up to the surface
with blue diamondlferous mud. The
walls of these basins are locally known
as 1.-THE reefs, and in their greed to
secure oil they could the older miners
cut out all the "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 raia,
covering upin their fall large areas Of
valuable blue. AT first the digging
was simple and cheap-the mere turn
ing up and searching OF loose sod a
second stage when the soil had to be
cut out and hauled up 20 the surface
with the aid of machinery; third
stage brought the miners to a stifen-
ed blue, which had not 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 be seen literally miles
of the blue" laid out in shallow
la jers over the open veldt. With
these extended operations came more
elaborate machinery for hosting, for
spreading GA the floors. and 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 F;
and round the brink run locomotives
and trains of trucks whisking the
"blue" so brought up away to be
spread out like SO much manure over
the veldt, and to be taken thence,
when duly disintegrated by the wealth
err, broken up by hand, and narrowed
and rolled to Tie washing places,
r-Lo.n III ~, u I ,s,,,T,o -,