Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-28
DIAMOND FIELDS.
THE PROCESS OF MINING AS con-
QUOTED IN SOUTH AFRICA.
The Result Of u Boer Girls Discovery
Steady Fall in the Price of
Diamonds From sl5
Down to 81. -.
Chicago Times

A letter in The London Times from the
diamond fields gives US some interesting
particulars OF the business The discovery
of these shining gems reminds one OF the
Indian in rail who first found one OF
them in the roots of a shrub he had pulled
up and took it home as pIaythlng Tor his
children A EOer girl in loU, found the
first diamond, also in the roots of tree.
snd human nature having its weak side IN
that rude section of the world As well as
in London. Paris and New York. she
adorned herself with il aud made a sensa-
ton among the kraals of EOer society. II
did not take long for the news TO spread
I he great grassy plain where the gem was
found was soon covered with prOSpgctors.
armed with picks and spades, every man
for himself
After the yellow surface soil had been
exhausted blue soil was found which
was still richer in diamonds This blue
soil was observed 10 exist in large ClrCu-
lar deposits which geology soon defined as
the remnants of mud volcanoes. 4 regu-
lar community began to center about the
locality, and the land owners private in
dividuals. corporations. and even govern
ments commenced squabbhng over the
claims which at last uecess tated the or.
gani4 alton of companies for mutual de
tense, and now the whole diamond area
is worked by these companies with cab
orate machinery. The manner Of the
working is thus described.
Round each great basin or quarry is n
circle of steam engines working wire rope
lifts up and down to the bottom Of the
quarry; and round the brink run IOComO-
tves and trains of trucks whisking the
skl,,a' Lrnn,,ht q, i,a a
out like so much manure over the veldt,
and TO bc taken thence, when duly dis n
tegrated by the weather. broken up by
hand and narrowed and rolled. to the
washing places VIII re it is all sent BY
hydraulic action through series of
rotatory sic cs and pulsatOrs on the prin.
Ciple of. in successive mechanical opera
tions. washing away all dirt that is lighter
than d Almonds
The washers are so arranged that the
outfall of each portion is graduated in
size, and falls on Il 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 stuf graduated from
the sic of pebbles TO that OF
sand; and the visitor may stand by in
wonder TO see the >earCher at the one end
pick out his eight or ten big stones per
| hour. or ASS the searcher at the other
buSi,y sorting out of the sand innumera
bic white speCks of diamonds. The day )
work tumbIed into small snuif boxes.
while frequently reach local value ot
, LOCO pounds sterling
None can fail to be struck on looking
into one of these great mines or quarries
that the whole of that great mass of earth
and rock has been dug out. pulveTi ed.
and searched for the diamonds it contains.
one can look into a quarry Of safe or
stone and see the r, ckS themselves cut
down and Carted away for use. but in
these quarries the soil and the rock are
cut out and dug out-and what for!
Simp.y that out of every 100 tons raised
ut of the quarry an ounce weight Of dia-
mOnds may be secured
The figures attending these operations
are interesting To dig out these quarries
the labor alone has Cust SO. 900 900 and
the machinery $1,000 900 and all this
work has been expended in order that
lovely woman shall be- made still loveiier
by personal adornment And what has
been the resulty The price of diamonds
has steadil, fallen until the all round
price per carat has dropped from 81 to
s. - Ir.Or 10 the African discovery
the world had TO be- cOntented with an
annual harvest of diamonds worth about
$3.50, 900. Only royalty and the wealthy
aristocracy could afford them Then
came this wonderful discovery which sup
piled the world for ten years with gems
to the value of $50. 900, 900 per annum
The market was soon overstOCked and
there was naturally fall in price