Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-17
DIAMONDS.
THESE PRECIOUS STONES FOUND
In CALIFORNIA.

The Diamond Field Embraces Anna
dor, Butte, Ell Dorado. Placer
and Other Counties.
Yesterday representative of the Rec
oRD-UN1oN called at the foundry of VIM.
Gutenberger, at Front and streets, and
was shown a machine that is there being
constructed for diamond mining in Butte
county. The machine is being built for L.
Wineberg a scientific gentleman. dia-
mond expert and an experienced mineral
ogist, who spent several years in the
diamond fields of South Africa, where he
was engaged in trading in the precious
stones as they came from the mines in
rough state. Mr.. Wineberg described the
different parts, and explained the workings
of the machine to the reporter. 1t consists
of hollow octagonal cylinder, N size six
feet in diameter and as many i'll length.
The rim consists of four sets of selves,
set over each other, the space between them
varying from the inside from an inch and
a half to half an inch. The cylinder is
suspended on a horizontal shaft passing
through the center, which is operated by a
gear which causes the cylinder to reyoive
not at all like the drum on squirrel cage
The soil or gravel, about two tons, is placed
in the cylinder, which is then closed at
both ends and caused to revolve. As it goes
around the material grinds through the
first sieve into the second compartment,
through the second sieve into the third
compartment, and so on until it is thrown
off in pulverized dust, from which the
diamonds and gold are easily separated.
The machine is constructed of iron is very
strong and capable of reducing from 100 to
200 tons of material per day. The ma
chine, now near completion, is intended
for Cherokee Flat in Butte county, and will
be used in the tailings or loose material at
the dump of hydraulic mines.
THERE'S MILLIONS IN IT.
Mr. Wineberg is very sanguine of max
ing pecuniary success of his venture, in
fact, in the language of Colonel Sellers he
says there are millions in it, He has in
prospecting in the dump piles at Cherokee
Flat and vicinity found number of
diamonds which he sent TO Boston and
other places for analysis. So far the ones
he found were Of poor quality. but that
there are good ones and in quantities in
that locality he has no doubt. He expects
to have his machinery in operation in
very short time, and if his expectations are
half realized it will cause an excitement
throughout the State for he says what is
true of that particular section of Butte is
true also of a large proportion of Placer.
Ell Dorado, Amador and Nevada counties.
Mr.. Wineberg is thoroughly posted upon
the subject of diamonds, both as to the
real and spurious article. He told in few
words how the glittering jewels that
bedeck the
AVERAGE DUDE AND HOTEL CLERK
are made at 50 % per gross.
The most productive diamond fields
known are those at Kimberly, South
Africa. The gross weight of diamonds
that spassed through the post office at
Kimberly in 1880 was ! ,440 pounds avoir-
dupois, the estimated value of which was
Sl6,00O,O00 Over q, 900 men were engaged
in the diamond fields of South Africa dur
ing that year.
Mr.. Wineberg is satisfied that diamonds
in paying quantities can be obtained in the
washings Of the hydraulic mines at Chero-
kee Flat and also that this industry could
be prosecuted with profit in several other
localities of the State.
THE MOST VALUABLE DIAMOND
Ever found in the United States was discoy-
cred in 1856, on the banks of the James
river, opposite Richmond, Va. Its weight
was .. 81 carats, or 80 grains. The existence
of diamonds in California was early known,
some being discovered in the gold mines
in 1850.
W. A Goodyear is quoted in Whitney's
Auriferous Gravels of the Sierra Nevada
of California - as follows: " He saw dia-
mond in the possession of Mr.. Olmstead, at
Dirty Flat, near Placeryille, which meas
ured nine thirty-seconds of an inch maxi
mum diameter, and weighed one and a
quarter carats-5.61 grains. 1t was found
by Mr.. Olmstead in cleaning up the sluices
of the Cruson tunnel Dirty Flat"
w. B. Carpenter, of Placerville, Ell Do
RADIO county, in letter to the State Miner
alogist, says In 1871, w. A Goodyear
Assistant State Geologist, while examining
the deposits of auriferous grayels in the
ancient river bed, about three miles east of
Placerville, found several specimens of
itacolumite, and expressed the opinion
that diamonds should be found in the
gravels l assisted him in searching for
them, and we found several in the hands of
the miners. Mr.. Goodyear bought one Of
them as a geological specimen. None of
the parties who had them knew what they
The gravel in the channel is capped with
lava from so to $50 feet in depth OF late
years the gravel is worked by stamp gravel
mills, and | know of instances where frag-
ments of broken diamonds have been found
| in panning out the batteries. give you
the names OF the finders of several diamonds
| in this vicinity, namely Charles Reed,
one Mr.. Jeffreys one. Thomas Ward &
Co., three two white, one Yellow; one of
| these is now in the possession of Mr.. Ash
croft, of Oakland, VINO had it cut in Eng
land. Cruson & Olmstead. four, one of
which Olnstead sold to Tucker. of San
Francisco; it measured thirty-nine seconds
of an inch in diameter, was pure, and
nearly round I think he got about $500
for it. Thomas Potts, one, which he sold
to Mr.. Goodyear for SIS; IL was small, and
| fiawed. Jacob Lyon, one light straw-col-
ored), about the size of medium pea
also, several fragments obtained from the
| tailings of gravel mill at the Lyon mine.
| A Brooks, one small white. L. Benfeldt.
one (small yellow, weighs two grains it
passed through a gravel mill"
Melville Atwood was among the first to
predict the discovery of diamonds in Cali
| fornia. The following is an extract from a
newspaper article written by him in 1854
Il am anxious to call attention to the
chance of finding diamonds in this coun-
try and the likelihood of their being over
looked. The rocks in which they occur
are common in California. Itacolumite. a
| soft micaceous sandstone, always the asso-
ciate of the diamond, is also found here.
The gravel always found in the river wash
ings so closely resembles the cascalho,'
or diamond gravel of Brazil, that think
it very probable that if proper search was
made diamonds will be found"
The State Mineralogist says " In Au-
gust, 1888, visited Cherokee, Butte county,
specially to study that celebrated diamond
locality. A. McDermott, druggist of Oro-
vile. saws that diamond was sent to him
in 1862 which was as large as small pea
| 1t was nearly globular and obscurely crys.
tallized and of yellow color. He does not
know the subsequent history of the stone,
where it was found, or the owners name
AT Cherokee diamonds and zircons are
| found in cleaning up sluices and undercur-
rents. The first notice of diamonds at this
| locality dates from 1858 the largest dis
covered, which was two and a quarter
| carats mine grainsl, is now in possession