Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-05-20
Diamonds.

NToih the Phlla- Press.
Eishteen years ago the first diamond was
FOUND by Europeans in what are known as the
south African diamond fields. IL was the
favorite toy of little Boer girl, which she had
picked out from among the roots of an old tree.
since that time the diamond trade OF the world
mas oeen revoiutionized, the all round price per
carat has fallen rom SIS 10 1913, while the
annual production aas increased from about
SzoOooo annually from Brazil 10 $50. OOO, 900
worth rom south Africa. \ letter published in
the London Times, just At hand, from kimber-
icy. south Africa, shows that no less than
So-ooO,OOO il annually paid out in that town
alone in wages for diamond digging. And from
this mining oasis in the agricultural desert has
been sent in the last fifteen years something
like $500, 900 worth of diamonds in the
rough. which, with the cost of cutting, setting
and selling, must have taken from the pockets
0OO
l. il surprising. then. since diamond digging
has become an organized industry Ike coal,
iron, silver and lead mining. and the new world
Is no longer dependent upon eastern stock" "
or from the scanty produce of Brazil for this
species of adornment, that the price has tum-
bied and the market il suffering from overpro-
duction. Atfirst these South African diamonds
Were obtained with PICK and shovel, each miner
working for himself But this did not last long.
The geolOgist stepped in: properly organized
and systematic mining operations took the
place Of every man for himself aud the general
confusion of the first stampede to the newly dis
covered fields. Machinery has been introduced.
The earth in these diamond quarries Is eXcavi-
ted, spread out, and, when duly disintegFated
by the weather, broken up by hand and har-
rowed and rolled to the washing places, where
Ii i sent by hydraulic action through series of
rotatOry sleeves and pulsatOrs. washing away all
dirt that is lighter than diamonds. The wash
erS are so arranged that the Outfall of each por-
ton is graduated iii size and falls on series
of sorting tables. Says the Times correspon-
dent:
At these stands five OF six of the principal
men-owners and directors OF companies among
aradnoifd from the size of pebbesIo thai of
sand: and the visitor may stand by in wonder
To see the searcher at the one end pick out his
eight or ten big stones per hour, or assist the
searcher at the other busily sorting out of the
sand iuuumerablc white specks of diamonds
The day : work, tumbled into small snuff-boXes,
will frequently reach a local value OF E 900
1t Is said that the cost of the removal of the
soil for labor alone in these immense quarries
has been $4,000. 600. while over So, O00, 900
has been permanently invested in machinery.
The next move will be the sinking of regular
mining shafts and underground work Already
the diggngs have reached q depth of 800 and
400 feet. and the sides ofthe quaTries caving
In. The .blue, as the formation containing the
diamonds is called, can thus be followed and
brought up. But the fall in price. already noted,
together with the increase in depth makes
diamond mining less and less profitable, and
many of the less important mines have stopped
work. while the larger ones contemplate Il re-
strction of the output in hopes of stiffenDg
prices. Another reason for the low price of
diamonds appears to be the large percentage
stolen by the workmen. which, in Kimberley
alone. We are informed, reaches at least
s2.50O,OoO annually. One firm not long since
testified before a royal commission that their
annual losses were above $500. 900 in unneces-
sarily deprecated price and $500. 900 in value
of diamonds stolen-a total annual loss of
S1.OOO.OoO out of Il total output of $4,000 900.
The ingenuity OF man has been taxed to the
utmost To prevent this form of depredation but
seemingly To no purpose for the ''ID.B." dlle-
climate diamond BUYING hOurisheS almost
within sight of the mines. The men swallow
the stones. tempt their dogs TO swallow them
embedded in choice bits of meat, pitch them
away to be picked up at night and every other
device The trouble is that diamonds are apt
to show themselves at any and all stages of
the work-during the blasting, picking. shovel
Ing down III the mine, on the laden trucks, in
the buckets-any where, everywhere. And
ofteBtimes the largest and most valuable stones
turn up in this way. 1t has been proposed, as
u last resort. to place wire and google masks on
those working in the mine, arranged that
they cannot see the diamonds, but only suffici-
ent to do the work.
Ii is estimated that every year from one-f1fth
TO one-SiNth of all the diamonds exported from
this district are stolen from those who have put
their capital into the work, and without which,
i'll the shape of machinery, these diamonds
would remain in their earthly bed. There are
probably 25,0OO white and colored laborers
employed in these fields in mining the COM
modify for which Kimberley has become
famous, and which American ladies prize so
highly.