Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-04-11
DIGGING DIAMONDS.
METHODS OF WORK IN THE GREAT
KIMBERLEY MINES.
what one Sees In Journey from the
Cape Through the Transvaal-
whipping a Kafiir.

II t0Ok small coaStlnS steamer
and went mp to Port Natal. whence |
went to Queenstown by rail. There
Joined party of traders aud prospect
ors. and with five wagons, each drawn
bv sixteen head of oxen. we journeyed |
at the rate of from twenty to twenty /
five miles day for thirty days, until |
we reached Kimberley. We lived well |
on the road. Two of us had horses
for use in little excursions, and we |
kept the party supplied with game.
I'VE travelled generally at night, as |
the days were hot and the cattle would |
not feed at night. | should say we
had a small herd of cattle to take the
place of any that might break down
on the trip. Our wagons were like
the former prairie schooners" of
America, except that they were larger.
In one of them we lived, aud in this
our small luggage and arms were
stored. Each wagon had Dutch
driver and KafIir forelooker.
Reaching Kimberley found reg
Mar mining town, the houses being
built Of wood, canvas or corrugated
iron. All the building material had to
be transported across the country in
wagon trains. 1t was nightfall when
n
the first cigar | had had for a month.
Then l started out to see the big KIM
berley mine, where they were working
by electric light. This was nine years
ago aud in tue heart of Africa. remem-
Der. A wire rope stopped the way at
the end of the main street down which
had walked. In front of me was
dark expanse. dotted here and there
with electric lamps, and in and out of
the shadows fitted the forms of naked
negroes. 1t was very weird and lit
Gle uncanny. The dark place was the
Dit, ten or twelve acres in diameter
and about 800 feet deep, with sloping
sides leading into the great bowl.
There was no sound except the rattle
of chains as the cables brought up the
heavy iron buckets from the places
where the men were working to the
hosting houses on the edge Of the pit.
The mine was worked by COM
panies, some formed as joint stock
concerns. others as cooperative conf
biEatiOns of miners. All the claims
were carefully staked out and pre-
served according to their surface di-
mansions. If a caye-iu occurred from
one claim to another, the offending
claim had to make good the damages.
When the Kaffirs had loaded their
buckets they placed on each a ticket
indicating what was the character Of
the earth it contained. That which
was worthless was carted away; the
diamond-bearing soil was put into a
hopper and worked through screens,
over which water ran. the first screen
taking away the large, worthless
stones, and the others gradually sep
arating the pieces likely to contain
diamonds. The entire process was
superintcnded by white men. Some
of them could neither read nor write;
but every gang Of blacks had white
man over them whose chief business
1t was to watch that no Kaffir stopped
down to pick up anything. If he did,
he was given an emetic. The punish
mcnt for stealing a diamond, or a
piece of the blue clay that usually con-
fains the finest diamonds, is twenty
years in prison, with work on the
brealwaters at the Cape. 1t means
death as surely as. and little more
painfully than being shot. 1t isn't
often that the blacks receive this pun
ishment. They are more afraid Of a
whipping. and they get it on their bare
backs with a piece of rhinoceros hide
that draws the blood at every lick.
saw one man whipped-an ebony
statue; the blood trickled from his
shoulders to his feet. The prison
physician who was in charge of tbs
affair, stopped the punishment at thirty
lashes. He said any more at that par
4icrsar time might kill the Kaffir
these negroes We're a curious sight
they used to go about dressed in |
scarlet jacket and breech-clout. 4
particularly swell fellow might cove
his erect locks with an old hat.
never saw one with shirt on or will
trousers A red coat was raimen
enough apparently.
u have told you how they got tn
diamond-bearing soil into the hoppers
A. the gravel fell through the screen
II went into boxes that were locked
Sunday was wash-up days. The boxe
were brought into the Office, wher
directors of the company were seate
about table covered with zinc. A
expert, called the sorter, took three
corncrod blade and spread the grave
out on the table before him. In tn
presence of the directors he three
away the worthless stones. | though
nc was casting aside the finest an
richest diamonds; but they were onl
crystals that had no value. But fe
diamonds were found in the fir
boxes whore the larger screens wer'
In those that had smaller meshes wei
found more. The result Of the week
work was, perhaps, quart of Il
rough stones, many of them bein
black diamonds of little value.
''All OF those that had been save
were then taken before another exper
He carefully spread them all out on
perfectly white sheet of paper and b
Pan 70 sort them according to size al
.quality. As fast as the paper BEGAN
soilrd he tore off sheet. He put q
stones into little piles, which he afte
ward tied no and sealed. marking ea'
according to its character and valu
All Of this was done in the presence
tile directors. When the paekag
a al. -