Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-07-03

UiOnuS Is tudu Inc ullueTs 80 INTO
| mines and wander about picking up the
stones in pebbles or small detached pieces.
While it is true diamonds are sometimes
found in this way, just as nuggets OF gold
are found in the gold fields, the number Of
stones that are picked up in this way
would not meet the demands of a days
market in the single city of Chicago.
Practically all of the diamonds are found
in masses of rock and earth, from which
they must he extracted by a method of
grinding and washing not unlike that
which is pursued in quartz mining in the
western gold fields.
The diamond earth storehouse Is located
in the western part Of the grounds, near
the big ice-makipg house where you may
skate on actual lee all summer long. 1t is
an enclosure about 60 feet in diameter,
surrounded by high and strong ngstockade.
and circular in form with a single narrow
gate. Here two or three Zulus are always
on guard. They are powerful fellows,
each AS black as a black cat in dark
night, and over six feet tall. They are
armed to the teeth, and their motto is that
of a certain detective firm in this country
We Never Sleep" Great muscular fell
lows they are, their halfbare bodies glis-
tening in the sunshine and showing their
ten,lons and sinews. Wicked are their
eyes, and wickeder their weapons, giving
promise of warm reception should any one
attempt to pilfer from their trust. They
are assisted in the work of guarding the
diamond dirt by squad of Columbian
guards who patrol the outside Of the en-
closure, and who are there day and night,
with change of force every four hours.
Besides this donble line of guards, the
corral or storehepse is surrounded by cleo
trio wires which will give alarm in the
police station Of the fair situated some dis
tance away in case they are interfered
with by marauders. With all these safe
guards it is diiiicult to see how even the
most enterprising of Americans burglars
or desperadoes could get away with any OF
this precious dirt. 1t wouldn't do them
much good if they were able to overcome
the guards and make off with few bags
of the stuff, for it would be only by the
biggest kind of luck that their booty
would pan ont more than two or three
hundred dollars in value, and besides, an
outlaw with half dozen bags of dirt on
his hands, which must be skillfully treated
Ii it is to he worth anything, would be in
almost as much oi quandaryas the thief
who stole n tiger.
Within this enclosure are l 200 sacks OF
ore, 900 of which are pulverized. In all
there is about 400 tons of rock and earth.
It's value is unknown. 1t all depends upon
luck. If the dirt pans out rich 1t
might be worth million dollars.
If it pans ont poorly it might not
be worth more than hundred thousand.
But at any rate it is SO valuable that its
owners do not propose to take any risks
about having it stolen.
From the diamond warehouse to the
southern end of the Mining building runs
large wire rope tramway of American
construction. This tramway serves a
double purpose. 1t is not only an exhibit
of the usefulness of this method OF trans
portation, especially adapted to mines,
but it carries the ore from the diamond
storehouse 20 the Mining building, where
is the most interesting exhibit of all-the
grinding, washing, finding and treatment
of diamonds. A popularity of the dia-
mond rock is that il left exposed to the
air for about six months it becomes soft
and easily pulverized, and that is what has
been done with the 900 bags of dirt. 1t Is
ready for manipulation, and after seeing
"A ton or two Of it sent over to the Mining
building by the wire tramway it will pay
us to walk around and see what becomes
! of it.
! Pushing our way through dense crowd
which surrounds the Cape Town display
near the southern end of the central aisle
| in the building devoted to minerals, we
find ourselves watching big, black Zulu
who is doing the hardest work of his lifa.
10 10 of rrfa
Americans rom pressing too closely upon
! a rail which protects the diamond process,
| for there Is fear they may break it down.
| Every one is eager to see the bags opened
/ by the nieu in charge, and to see the
| brown dirt poured out into a hopper or big
pan in which is running water and by
which the dirt is reduced to the consist.
ency of a scft mud From this pan the
mud goes iH., a cylinder which has ro-
tary motion and which is provided with a
! series Of aperrCres.
! As theeylin,lnr revoIves the smallest peb-
| bles are thrust o,.t through the first series
of openings, and the larger ones 20 on till
they come to apertures which are wide
enough to permit their escape, These va
| rious collections of stones are then passed
over to the sorter, who occupies a position
Of great responsibility. He spreads the
pebbles ont upon table with loving
sort of hand Then he paws them ovel
and over. looking for those which have ma
tur.'s precious crystals within them
His eye is quick and eager, and 1t would
be safe to wager that few stones Of value
get b. him in the course of year. The
big Znlus who stand r lard near by keef
an eye on the little pile of pebbles, too, a.
If they were irresistihly fascinated by th'
spectacle Their eyes are so well trained
that they can tell diamond pebble as far
a. they can see il, and they find it impos-
sihIe to repress the impulse to sing out Il
tie sorter whenever they see one. The!
are like children who can't keep their eye
away from the goodies nor their Tongues
still in their heads when the candy Il goint
around.
A pan Of dirt usually brings out about
two diamonds, though such a thing as al
average is hard to determine. Some pan;
produce nothing at all The sorter scan
ever so eagerly, paving the pebbles over
! over and over with never a sight of on
that locks as . it might have anything o
value concealed within The next PAL
may show the same barrenness OF results
and the next, and by this timethe patienc'
of the workinen and the spectators ar
sorely tired. But the fourth pan, per
chance, will prove itself rich In jewels
Five or six, and sometimes as many a
twelve, diamonds are taken from singh
pan of the palverized earth. Then tn
eyes of the big ssilus dance
i Just how the sorter determines whicl
are diamond pebbles and which are not !
something that the uninitiated cannot un
derstand. Occasionally diamond pebbl
shows what It Is 50 that no one could mis-
take it. Opalescent il Is over more or les
! Of its surface, though not brilliant; rathe