The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-05
THE KIMBERLEY MINES.
Lord Churchilrs Description Of tt
Great Diamond Pits.

Lord Churchnrs Description Of the
Great Diamond Pits.
One Of the most interesting chapters OF
Lord Randolph Churchilrs book. Men f,
Mines and Animals in South Africa, )" is
that IN which the wonderful diamond mines
OF Kimberley are described. The De Beers
company represents the amalgamated in
terests of nearly all the corporations. The
scale OF its operations is stupendous. On a
capital of nearly $40, Cox, 900 Of debenture
and share stock it has paid interest at the
rate Of So per cent. aud an annual dividend
of 90 per cent. The production is restricted
in order to maintain the price OF
| diamonds at a fair level. These mines
are no longer worked from the surface. but
by shafts penetrating to the blue ground
| by transverse drivings, varying from 800 to
| 1000 feet. The blue earth when extracted
is carried in small iron trucks to level floors
about 600 acres in extent, where it gradu-
ally crumbles from the effect of solar heat
and moisture. After exposure for several
months it is carried to large washing ma
chimes, by which the diamonds are sepa-
rated from the earth. The stones are then
assorted and cleaned. The daily produo-
tion Of the consolidated mines is about 500
| carats. In order to prevent losses from
theft extraordinary precautions are re-
! quired. The natives are hired for three
| months, and confined to quarters sur
rounded by a high wall. On returning
from their days work they have to strip off
all their clothes, which they hang on pegs
in shed. Stark naked they pass to the ex-
animation room, where their mouths, hair.
toes, armpitS, and every portion Of their
bodies are deliberately searched. They then
| go to their apartments in the compound,
where they find blankets in which to wrap
| themselves for the night. The author re-
| marks:
I'm order to prevent Illicit traffic, the
! quantities of diamonds produced by the
J mines are reported to the detective depart
ment both by the producers and the ex-
| porters. All diamonds, except those which
| pass through Illicit channels, are sent TO
England by registered post, the weekly
| shipments averaging from 10000 to
| $4,000 carats. The greatest outlet for
stolen diamonds is through the TransVaal
to Natal, where they are shipped by respect
! able merchants. who turn deaf ear to any
information from the diamond fields to the
| effect that they are aiding the sale of stolen
| property. The most ingenious ruses are re-
| sorted to by the illicit dealers for conveying
the stolen diamonds out of Kimberley.
! They are considerably assisted by
the fact that the boundaries Of
the Transveal aud Of the free state approach
within few miles of Kimberley and once
across the border they are comparatively
| safe. Recently, so | am informed. a motor
| ious diamond thief was seen leaving Kim
berley on horseback for the Transvaal.
| Convinced of his iniquitous designs, he was
| seized by the police on the border and
| thoroughly searched. Nothing was found
on him and he was perforce allowed to pro-
| coed. No sooner was he well across the
border than he, under the eyes Of the de-
| tective, deliberately shot and cut open his
horse, extracting from its intestines large
| parcel of diamonds which previous to the
| haH al Frnfp n fhn
fortunate animal in the form OF a bali.
THE De Beers directors manage their im-
| mense concern with great liberality. A
model village called Kenil worth, within the
precincts of the mines, affords most COM
| Portable and healthy accommodation for
several Of the European employees. Gar
| dens are attached to cottages and the plant
ing of eucalyptus. cypress, pine and oak as
well as variety of fruit trees has been
| carried on to q considerable extent. A
| very excellent club house has also been
! built, which includes besides the mess room
and kitchen a reading room where many
| of the monthly papers and magazines are
| kept. together with 600 volumes from the
| Kimberly public library. There is also
billiard room with two good tables
! given by two OF the directors. A large
recrertion ground is 10 the course Of con-
struction. Within the compound where the
| native laborers are confined is q store where
| buoJ udu pFOCuES CuSaplJ hlk sn0 noCoSSaTtes
| OF life. Wood and water are supplied free
Of charge. and a large swimming bath is
also provided, but did not learn IL the
| natives made much use of 1t. All sick
natives are taken care Of in a hospital oon-
nected with the compound, where medical
attendance, nurses and food are supplied
| gratuitously by the company. l should not
| omit to mention that the entire mine above
aud underground is lighted by electricity.
| There are ten circuits OF electric lamps for
De Beers aud Kimberley mines. They con-
sist of SO arc lamps OF 1000 candle
power each, and SOL glow lamps Of 10 and
GA candle power each, or total illuminat-
ing power of So, 1896 candles. There are.
moreover, 80 telephones connecting the
| different centers of work together.
/ and over 50 electric bells are used for
| signalling in shafts and on haul
ages. Such is this marvellous mine, the
| like of which l doubt whether the world
can show. When one considers the enor-
nous capital invested, the elaborate aud
| costly plant, the number of human beings
employed and the object of this unparal-
leled concentration of effort, curious rehec-
| tions occur In all other mining distinctly
| profitable objects are sought, and purposes
are carried out beneficial generally to man
| kind. This remark would apply to gold
| mines, to coal mines, to tin. copper and lead
mines; but at the De Beers mine oil the
wonderful arrangements l have described
| above are put in force in order to extract
from the depths of the ground, solely for
| the wealthy classes tiny crystal to be
used for the qualification of female vanity
in imitation Of lust for personal adorn-
ment, essentially barbaric, If not altogether