The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-22

WIS., ~ a thD IN lC kt0o
nothing to do but hoist och from one
level his engine il kept humming. When
the rock reaches the surface IL is trammed
TO the drying grounds; here IL Is spread
out in "a layer about a foot thick to under.
go the action of the weather, il is narrowed
and ~plouRhed just like a crop Of wheat.
After II has crumbled to pieces, which
takes from three to eight months, the blue
Is taken to the washing machine, which
looks like an enormous matchmaking
way, although of course there is no mer-
curry. The taiiings from the first pan
How into q second, the overflow from the
second pan runs TO waste. The washed
blu IL then taken TO the pulsator which
is nothing but IA series Of jigs, the tailings
of one jig falling on to another; by this
means the stuff Is concentrated into many
different sizes. A Sieve full il placed on
an iron table at which a man stands with
q little iron scraper in n hand and O
in h other. With his scraper he cuts out
a portion OF the stuff and with one move
ment rolls every grain over and IL no dia-
mond is present takes IL oil the table.
The diamonds when found are put in the
little box. The movements are only three
that il hardly pays TO look the stuff over.
although II is always done. The larger
size stuff Is all sorted by white men, the
fine stuff and the second sorting is done
ny cohSict hoInFs ana all WORK on tile
drying ground is performed by these con-
victs. As diamonds are recognized In the
rough with great ease, the amount of
thieving going on is simply enormous.
Most OF the great fortunes of Kimberley
were started by illicit diamond buying or
j. ID. Is. as it is called. In the days of
numerous companies there wal little Of
any check on the stealing. The great re-
sort of the companies being to offer a GER
tain percentage of the value of every dia-
mond oun to the finder. One company
wen so far as to give 30 per cent. This
was but openly buying stolen diamonds
as every boy who stole "a diamond could
easily pass II TO one of the boys working
for this company and he would get his 80
per cent, more than an i. ID. B. would
give. For a time the company prospered
greatly, but the dodge was O seen
through and they were compelled TO re-
duce their premium. At the present time
although stealing Is much reduced, il is
none the less enormous. i was shown
$4,000 worth of diamonds which the De
Beers decoys n detectives had bought
from their W employees the week pre-
vious. Mr.. Williams estimates his loss at
about $4,000 a month. Others told me il
was more than four times that mount.
All kinds of precautions are taken, but as
yet without complete success. The Kafiirs
pass from the mine through n closed gang
way to their compound, from which they
cannots stir during the time they are en-
ployed, nor can they have any intercourse
with their outside people except through
"A double wire screen in between which a
guard walks. When they nave worked
the time for which they were hired they
are locked up in a room. their hands are
covered with large leather mits which
are fastened by a paddock at their wrists,
here they are kept a week, are literally
dosed with castor oil and %throughly exam
ined every day. The convicts working on
the drying grounds are treated i'm the
same way. Every white sorter has his
whole past life examined into by detect
ives of the company, and his actions are
narrowly watched, II any unwarranted
extravaganza is inquired into. Many
other precautions are taken, yet up to the
present without avail. The Kaffir seems
to have a capacity for stealing diamonds
hat is not equalled by the white mans
powers of detecting him. Then some men
seem to be fascinated by the stones. and
men who have been perfectly honest all
their lives will succumb to the fascination
of the glittering gems.
Diamond mining has been made by Mr..
Rhodes and Mr.. Williams very profitable,
the former raising their alu and the
latter reducing their cost. Diamonds were
selling from Sl1 to S13 "A carat and cost
about $50 To get, in mines like the KIM
berly and DE Beers, where the blue car
ries from IA TO ~ carats per 16 cubic
feet. The DE Beers people expectt to have
their entire capital of twenty millions ly-
ing on the drying floors before the end of
the year. Then they say that their prop
erty will be not "A speculation but an in
vestment. The English people seem 10
regard II as such, as the De Beers fioated
a loan at par for eight and one-half mil
lions, bearing five per cent with no diff
Guilty. Although the diamond combina-
ton is much stronger than the copper
syndicate IL has one great source of ilsta-
bility-diamonds are things people can
IN uithnnt This Tho nn Bpars tnppla uf.
finding out. Diamond cutting is almost
exclusively done in Amsterdam, and the
Hollanders refuse TO buy diamonds at the
present prices. Ii is merely a question of
who can stand the strain the longer. The
De Beers threaten to start an opposition
anon cutting establishment in New
York; but this is more easily said than
done.
was quite anxious to meet Mr.. Rhodes.
the amalgamator, or Diamond King, as
he Is called, who is SO rich that he does
not know how much money he has, who
has so much power that few men in South
Africa don feel IL; who controls a small
army of 1900 picked fighting men to en-
force the rights of the South African
Chartered company, of which he is the
head in Matabeland, and is building some
500 miles of railroad and 800 miles of tele-
graph to make those rights of value. ]
had my wish gratified the day before
leaving Kimberley. Picture to yourself a
topped by a massive head with pleasant
looking eyes. and who seems to have
jumped into his clothes, then you will
have some idea of MIR. Cecil Rhodes ex-
ternal appearance.
My brother and I choose Christmas day
as the proper one for our departure from
Kimberley. as we judged that but few peo-
pie would travel ON hat day. Our judg-
ment proved correct as We only had six
| passengers i'm the COACH, and our journey
towards the Transvaal started out propi-
tiously. Fifteen Of our ~ pieces OF bag
gage had been dispatched by ox-wagon
the day before, n our minds were some-
what at rest on the baggage question:.
On the whole, Cape Colony and Kim
berley had been Disappointing. Cape Col
ony looked too much like a sage brush