Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-04

DIAMONDS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
How They Are Dug For. Cleaned, Sorted.
Valued and Sold.
THE KIMBERLEY DIAMOND MINES. AT
l. present the most productive in the world.
have thus far placed on the market $500 900
carats Of these precious stones. II is the policy
of the company in charge cs their consolidated
interests TO restrict the production 81 the gems.
SO as not 10 make the supply exceed the market
demand. Thus II maintains the price OF the
carbon crystals. In the work there are en-
pioyed about 1900 Europeans and 5. 700 natives.
Two of the excavations made in search Of the blue
clay, which Is the matrix Of the diamonds, are
described by Lord Randolph Churchill as
probably the biggest holes that greedy man
has ever dug into the EARTH" the area of one Of
them being thirteen acres. with a depth Of 800
feet. The gem-bearing clay, when extracted. is
spread over an enormous space Of level ground,
from which the grass and bushes have been re-
| moved
The ground is covered 10 the depth Of about
one foot with the blue clay, which is simply
permitted TO undergo the influence Of sun and
moisture. These have the effect OF making Il
soft so that big chunks. which were ~ hard as
ordinary sandstone when taken from the mine
soon begin 10 crumble. At this stage the getting
OF the diamonds assumes the nature rather Of
farming than OF mining, the clay being coptin-
ually narrowed TO assist pulyerixation. After
three months this part of the process Is con-
sldered complete, and the blue CLAY ia carried
to very large. elaborate and costly washing ma
chimes, IN which by means of running water the
precious stones are separated from the raw ma
| terial. BY this performance 100 loads Of the
clay are concentrated into one load of dia-
mondiferous stuff
This stun. winch in appearance is a mass Of
blue and dsrk-colored pebbles of all shapes. is
passed over TO another machine to get rid Of
more OF the waste earth. Then il 10 placed in
large gobs on tables, where il is sorted while
Wet by white men and after il is dry by natives
The sorters work with small trowels aud their
accuracy IN separating the diamonds from the
other substances il remarkable, inasnucb as the
gems are comparatively dull in their natural
ana uncut state. They occur in all shades from
deep yellow TO blue white from deep brown TO
Ight brown, and in great variety of greens
blues and pinks. The most valuable are the
pure white and deep orange. They vary in
SIZE from that OF pins head upward, the big
gest one vet found weighing AS carats. Ii was
cut and exhibited at the Paris exposition. weigh
ing after II WAS cut 22s carats
After being sorted the diamonds are sent daily
TO the general Office Of the mines under an armed
escort and are there delivered to the appraisers
| IA ehaiSc. rHst lneN are cleaned by boiling
| mixture OF nitric and sulphuric acids after
which they are carefully sorted again in respect
10 size, color and purity. The room in the
companys office where they are then dis
played offers a most striking spectacle. II is
hghted by large windows. underneath which
runs broad counter covered with white sheets
OF paper. Upon the latter are laid out ever so
many gllstening heaps Of precious stones OF in
describable variety. In this room are kept 60 900
carats, the daily production of the mines being
about $500 carats. On an average 100 tons OF
blue clay will yield 100 carats Of diamonds
When the diamonds have been valued they are
sold In parcels 10 local buyers, who represent
the leading diamond merchants OF Europe The
size OF parcel varies from few thousands 20
tens OF thousands of carats. In one instance
three years ago, nearly quarter of million of
carats were sold in one lot TO q single purchaser.
The company sustains a loss of from 10 to Is
per cent Of its production by stealing. il is
reckoned. Some loss is unavoidable where arti-
cies OF such highly concentrated value are con-
cerned. but in order to check il az far az posi-
BILE extraordinary precautions are resorted TO-
The natives are engaged for period of three
months. during which time they are confined in
compound surrounded by a high wall On
returning from each DAVIS work they are Obliged
10 strip OFF all their clothes which they hang on
pegs In shed. stark naked, they then proceed
TO the searching room, where their mouths.
their hair, their toes and their armpits-iu fact
every part of their bodies-are subjected 70
elaborate examination.
White men would never submit 10 such a
performance, says Lord Randolph Churchill
but the native sustains the indignity with cheer
fui equanimity, feeling himself repaid by the
high wages he earns. After passing through
the searching room the workmen go. still in a
state OF nudity, to their apartments in the COM
pound, where they find blankets in which 10
wrap themselves for the night. During the
evening the clothes which they have left be-
hind them are carefully and minutely searched
ana are restored TO their owners in the morn
ing. The precautions which are taken few
days before the natives leave the compound
their engagement being terminated TO recover
diamonds which they may have swallowed are
more easily imagined than described. A law of
exceptional rigor Furnishes illicit diamond buy
ing in South Africa Under the statute the or
binary presumption of the law in favor OF the
accused disappears, the accused person having
TO prove his innocence in the clearest manner.
Sentences of from Ave to fifteen years inn
prisonment are frequently passed on persons
convicted OF purchasing diamonds from others
who have stolen them. In that region such a
crime seems to be regarded as about as bad a.
homicide. Nevertheless. as has been said great
numbers of the gems are stolen. the great outlet
for such contraband stones being through the
Transvaal TO Natal. Most ingenious ruses are
adopted by Illicit dealers for conveying stolen
diamonds ont of Kimberley. The boundary Of
the Iransyaal approaching within few miles OF
Kimberley, thieves can quickly get across it and
be safe. Recently one of them, a very noto1ous
person, was seen leaving Kimberley on horse
back for the Transvaal. He was seized on sus-
picion by the police on the border and WINS
thoroughly searched. Nothing was found on
him, and he was perforce allowed TO proceed.
No sooner Was he well across the boundary than,
while vet under the eyes OF the detectives. he
deliberately shot and cut open his horse. ex-
tracted from its stomach large parcel of dia-
monds, which, before starting on the Journey.
had been administered to the animal in the
form of bolus.