Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-04-15
FAMOUS GOLCONDA.
Former Rich Diamond-Producing Region
Now Declining.

Former Rich Observation-Disclosures Regions
Now Declining.
Probably the most famous diam ond
mines of India were the Golconda, the
stones from which were renowned for
their size and beauty and are scattered
among people of every nation on the
globe. The Golconda mines were stu
ated at Raolconda in the territory of
the Golconda Kings and have been in
the possession of the English for many
years, but have long since been aban-
doned, and, it is believed, are practical
ly exhaused- At one time sixty thousand
people were employed in the mines, and
the Sultan Mahmoud, who reigned
A. d. 117z-1206, left in his treasury
more than four hundred pounds wei ght
of the gems from these mines.
The diamonds of Hindoostan are
found in alluvial soil or the more re-
cent rocks. Shallow pits are exca-
waited to the diamond beds, which lie
below the surface of the ground in a
eonglomorate of rounded stones under
two distinct layers, the uppermost
mixture of sand, gravel aud loan, and
the other thick black clay or mud.
There are FIVE main groups of beds
in Hindoostan, as follows: 1. The
Cuddapah, On Pennar river; 2. The
Randall. between the Pennar and the
Kistna rivers; 8. The Ellore, or Golcon-
da, on the lower Kistna river; 4. The
Sumbullpoor, north of the Godayery
river; 5. The Parma, between the
rivers Sonar and Some. Some of the
Indian diamonds are found by washing
the earth from the rivers.
The Brazilian diamonds are found
mainly in the provinces of Minas Geraes
and Bahia. When first found the spark
ling stones were thrown away as worth
less. In 1927, however, a Portuguese
named Fonseca Lobo, who had seen
rough diamonds in India, discovered the
true nature of the stones. In 1904,
slave who had been transported from
Minas Geraes to Bahia, discovered dia-
monds in that province. The discovery
i'm Brazil caused a panic in the diamond
trade at the time, but the business grad
uallv accommodated itself to its new
channels The Brazilian diamonds usual
" occur in alluvial soil. enveloped IN
conolomerate formed of rounded white
quartz pebbles and light eolored sand.
The latter is washed in large basins I'M
der water.
1t is estimated that up to 1850, the
province of Minas Geraes had yielded
about ), 1854, 900 carats of diamonds, of a
yalue of about $45, 200, coo. In addition
to this must be considered the contra
band trade at the beginning of the GEN.
fury. which amounted to about SIC, 00O,-
600. The Minas Geraes stones differ
from the Bahia in shape and color.
Their form is more regular, many hav-
ing the filed crystalizations, which Is a
property of the South African stones,
and their color is more uniform in
its greenish tints, without any !
yellow reflection, than the Bahia |
stones. Shortly after the discovery of !
diamonds i'm the province of Bahia, the |
number of persons employed reached |
25, 900, and the daily produce OF the |
mines was 1.450 carats. The number |
of miners gradually decreased to be-
tween five and six thousand, owing to
the uncertainty of the rewards anu TO
the state of the market, but in 1o49 the
production in Bahia amounted to Vs.
400 caratS.
The total produce of the Brazilian
diamond fields was, up to 1901, over
10. coo, 900 carats. The total value of
the production from 1861 to 1867 was
50. 440. 900. In Brazil large diamonds
are rarely found. 1t has been estimated
that in 10000 specimens, rarely more
than one weighing twenty carats Is met
with. while perhaps 5000 OF one carat
or less may be found. There are occa-
sional exceptions. Thus, in 1851 dia-
mond weighing 120 3-S carats was dis
covered in the province of Minas
Geraes. and few years later one OF lO7 II