The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-02-28
DIGGING DIAMONDS.
What One Sees In . Journey from the
Cape Through the Transsaai--
whipping n Kamr.

| hihhagcf, iectntiy ucscfiDcu 10 ini-
cago Inter- Ocean reporter a trip 10 the
great diamond fields OF Africa. He
said:
II took u small coasting steamer
aud went up 10 Port Natal. whence l
went To Queenstown by rail. There l
| joined party OF traders aud prospect
ors, and with five wagons. each drawn
BY sixteen head of oxen. we jonrncyed
nj 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
tho days were hot aud the cattle would
not feed at night. | 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 prairie schooners" OF
America. except that they were larger.
In one of them we lived. aud in this
our small luggage aud arms were
stored. Each wagon had Dutch
driver and Kaflir forclooker.
Reaching Kimberley found reg
4
] built of wood. canvas or corrugated
iron. All the building material had TO
be transported across the country In
wagon trains. II was nightfall when
bad eaten my dinner aud smoked
the first cigar had bad for "A 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 ut
the end Of the main street down which
| had walked. In front of me was
dark expanse dotted here aud there
with electric lamps. and m aud out OF
the shadows fitted the forms OF naked
negroes. Ii was very weird and lit
tie uncanny. The dark place was the
pit, ten or twelve acres in diameter
aud about 800 feet deep. with sloping
sides leading into the great bowl.
There was no sound except the rattle
of chains rs the cables brought up the
heavy iron buckets from the places
whore the men were working 10 the
hosting houses OH the edge Of the pit.
Tho mine was worked by COM
/ panies. some formed Us joint stock
concerns others as cooperative cons
/ binations of miners. All the claims
were carefully stakcd out and pre-
served according to their surface di-
mansions. II a cavern occurred from
Que claim 10 another. the offending
claim had TO make good the damages.
when the Kallirs had loaded their
buckets they placed on each ticket
! indicating what was the character of
! the earth II contained. That which
was worthless was carried away; the
| diamond-bcaring soil was put into n
hopper and worked through screens.
over which water ran. the first screen
taking away the large. worthless
stones. and the others gradually sep
! araiiug the pieces likely TO contain
diamonds. The entire process was
superintendent by white men. Some
Of them could neither read nor write;
but every gang of blacks had n white
mau over them whose chief business
! 1t was TO watch that no Kailr stopped
down to pick up anything. II he did.
no was given an cmctio. The punish
ment for stealing n diamond, or u
| piece of the blue clay that usually con-
iains the finest diamonds Is twenty
/ years in prison, with work on tho
/ breakwatcrS at the Cape. IL means
! death rs surely as. and IA little moro
painfully than being shot IL isn't
! often that the blacks receive this pun
( ishment. They are more afraid of
whipping. and they get il on their bare
backs with piece OF rhinoceros hide
/ that draws tho blood at every lick. 1
saw one man whipped ebony
statue; the blood irickled from his
shoulders to his feet The prison
physician who was ia charge OF the
4 affair. stopped the punishment at thirty
lashcs. He said any more at that par
ticrslr time might Kill the Kafiir.
These negroes were curious sight;
they used 10 20 about dressed In "a
scarlet jacket and brcech-clout A
particularly swell fellow might cover
his erect locks with an old hat.
never saw one with a shirt on or with
trousers. A red coat was raiment
enough apparently.
IL have told you how they got the
/ demonstrating soil into the hoppcrs.
A. the gravel fell through the screens
/ IL went into boxes that were locked.
( Sunday was wash-up days. The boxes
were brought into the Office where
directors OF the company were seated
about a table covered with zinc. An
expert. called the sorter. took three
cornercd blade and spread the gravel
out on tho table before him. la the
presence OF the directors he threw
away the worthless stones. / thought
he was casting aside the finest and
richest diamonds; bus they were only
1 crystals that had no value. But few
diamonds were found Ia the first
boxes. where the larger screens were.
Ia those that had smaller meshcs were
found more. The result OF she weeks
work was. perhaps. a quar- Of the
rough stones. many OF them being