St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-10-15
MISCELLANY.
liz Ola MOND INDUSTRY IN SOUTH
AFRICA.

Aineralogists seem to agree in the
&rknion that diamonds are poor
fbon in the crystallized condition
I'd like it insoluble in acids" but
he question of the mode of their
III gin is not yet settled. Liebig ex
IA ined it by a slow process OF de
in a fluid rich with
1arbon and hydrogen, or heat or
1etamorphic action" Whatever
|aay be their origin, diamonds of
<pure water" that is perfectly trans
aren't, will be sought after by those
10 are able to purchase them, and
IA mond merchants have no reason
|o fear that they will decrease in
kalue. Fondness for precious gems
n inherent in the human family. and
81 the population of the globe in
leases, we may expect that the
North of diamonds will increase.
We are indebted to the East for the
of diamond mines. The
|Splconda were opened in 1884; the
Brazilian not till 1928. India, for a
|ong time had the reputation of pro-
Hhcing the best gems. Borneo, Su-
|uatra, Siberia, New South Wales
nd California are diamondiferous
kountries; but South Africa now
likes the palm. Nowhere does the
diamond industry assume such colos-
al proportions as in Kimberly and
It's adjacent region. From that
|sEiamond center" alone, during the
last twenty years, have been export
Ed between fifty and sixty millions of
rough or uncut diamonds. The an
6ua yield is estimated at 5000, OOO,-
bDO New mines are discovered from
ear to year, the last, on "Wessell's
Farm,' being considered of so much
Id ue that it's owner refused an offer
Eor it of 100000. Two hundred
|nen are employed in digging there,
Ind the lower down they go the
Ficher the field Volcanic agency has
doubtless had much to do in the up
beava1 of diamondiferous reefs in
SOuth Africa, and it is possible that
Down deep in the bowels Of the earth
here may be beds of precious gems
snrpassing any yet discovered.
Fl Though large number of people
IRE engaged in unearthing diamonds
1t Kimberly, the work is profitable.
IA late South African paper reports
hat the $25 shares in the 'De Beers
now command ready
ale at $50 each. At one time they
kose to 1925. From this we judge
hat the shares offer a good oppor-
|tunitv for investment, as at present
|pf-ices they return a fair interest.
The Kimberly Advertiser reports
That "every carat sold yields clear
profit to the shareholders of fifteen
shillings. after providing for rents,
interest" etc. A few years ago. the
EDe Beers company" left vast heaps
of debris, from which it was thought
all valuable stones had been extract
ed. That debris is now being over
hauled and re-washed by new COM
|panies with considerable profit. Sew
|en hundred carats per week is the es-
timated weight of stones obtained
from this source.
Fl Although South African diamonds
have not made "a noise in the world"
ike the "Koh-i-noor," which passed
from hand to hand among the princes
OF India, war, violence and treachery
ID barking its progress, till it reached
It's present destination, the Tower of
|London; like the "Sanci Diamond"
so called because owned by French
man of that name, swallowed by a
faithful servant to prevent its being
stolen, but who was murdered; like
The diamond ring that was sent to
arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle.
Ia token of pardon, by Edward the
Fourth, and which caused his death
Through joy, and others that might
be mentioned with which a strange
"a tally has been connected; yet the
%Star of South Africa" now in the
possession of the Countess of Dudley,
Is distinguished above most for its
brilliancy. Two years ago it was on
Exhibition in Paris, along side of the
4 'Koh-i-noor, which it appeared to
surpass in magnifcence It's history
zis peaceful but peculiar. A Dutch
Farmer, seeing it in the hands of a
Griqualand native, offered him
$4,000 worth of goods for it. The
native in glad surprise consented.
The Dutchman soon after sold it for
$4,000.
Many and curious are the lodges
and shifts resorted to in keeping dia-
monds from observation, as we'll as
in transporting them to distant
places. From Kimberly they are
sometimes sent to ports on the south
eastern coast of Africa in fruit One
got safety out of the country to
Hatton Garden in a potato. Gov
zernment officials have authority to
search persons suspected of having
diamonds, without warrant, and
at moments notice. A man leav-
ing Cape Town for England was
known to have some in his posses
sion, but all efforts to find them had
proved fruitless. Just as the steamer
was leaving the docks. it occurred to
a policeman that he had better look
into his gun, and sure enough, both
barrels were stuffed full of them