The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-01-28
DIGGING DIAMONDS.
METHODS OF WORK IN THE GREAT
KIMBERLEY MINES.
What One Sees in a Journey from the
Cape Through the Transvaal-
Whipping Kaffir.


cago Inter Ocean reporter trip to the
great diamond fields of Africa. He
said:
and went up to Port Natal, whence l
went to Queenstown by rail. There l
Joined party of traders and prospect
ors, and with five wagons, each drawn
by 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
got feed at night. l should say we
had small herd of cattle to take the
place of any that might break down
on the trip. Our wagons were like
the former tprairie schooners" of
America, except that they were larger.
In one of them we lived, and in this
our small luggage and arms were
stored. Each wagon had Dutch
driver and Kaflir forelooker.
Reaching Kimberley l found reg
ular 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
l had eaten my dinner and smoked
the first cigar I had had for month.
Then | started out to see the big KIM
berley mine, where they were working
by electric light. This was nine years
ago and in the heart of Africa, remem-
Der. A wire rope stopped the way at
the end of the main street down which
l 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 a lit
tie uncanny. The dark place was the
pit, 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 COM
binations of miners. All the claims
were carefully staked out and pre-
served according to their surface di-
mensions. If cave-in 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 d-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
superintended by white men. Some
of them could neither read nor write;
but every gang of blacks had white
man over them whose chief business
it was to watch that no Kaffir stopped
down to pick up anything. If he did,
he was given an emetic. The punish-
ment for Sf"aiinE u d:l'H'-"l. or a
piece of the ;li:.t I ~ 'ii:i - y con
tains the finest ;i,aluunds. twenty
years in prison, with work on the
breakWatcrs 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
whipping, and they get it on their bare
backs with a piece of rhinoceros hide
that draws the blood at every lick. l
saw one man whipped-an ebony
statue; the blood trickled from his
shoulders to his feet. The prison
physician who was in charge of the
affair, stopped the punishment at thirty
lashes. He said any more at that par
ticular time might kill the Kaffir
These negroes were curious sight;
they used to go about dressed in a
scarlet jacket and a breech-clout. A
particularly swell fellow might cover
his erect locks with an old hat. l
never saw one with shirt on or with
trousers. a red coat was raiment
enough apparently.
81 have told you how they got the
diamond bearing soil into the hoppers.
As the gravel fell through the screens
it went into boxes that we're locked.
Sunday was wash-up daEs. The boxes
were brought into the Office, where
directors of the company were seated
about table covered with zinc. An
expert, called the sorter, took a three
cornered blade and spread the gravel
out on the table before him. In the
presence of the directors he threw
away the worthless stones. l thought
he was casting aside the finest and
richest diamonds; but they were only
crystals that had no value. But few
a bo
boxes. where the larger screens were
found more. The result of the weeks
rough stones, many of them being
black diamonds of little value
''All of those that had been saved
were then taken before another expert.
He carefully spread them all out on a
perfectly white sheet of paper and be-
gan to sort them according to size and
quality. As fast as the paper became
soiled he tore off a sheet. He put the
stones into little piles, which he after
ward tied up and sealed, marking each
according to its character and value.
All of this was done in the presence of
.he directors. When the packages
we're sealed they were either sold on
.he field or sent to London, where
here is the greatest diamond market
IN the world
There are about the mines at KIM
oerley a class of men and women
Known as |. D. BIS, which means ille-
climate diamond buyers. They live
off this traffic, chiefly through the
Medium of the Kaffirs. They are
closely watched by detectives of every
nationality, whose shrewdness makes
t difficult for the I. D. BIS to prose-