The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-08-29
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MILLIONS IN DIAMONDS.
The Average value OF Days Find Is
About 100000.


The dispatches from London show
that the English enthusiasm for South
African mining shares is rapidly increas-
ing. The great accumulation Of English
capital, passing by American and Eng
lish stocks and shares, is pouring into
the treasures Of the companies that are
getting out gold and diamonds in the
newly opened continent where Cecil
Rhodes and number Of other aggress-
i've Englishmen are building up huge
empire for Britain.
So far as the diamond mines are con-
cerned, this excitement is the more re-
markable as it is perfectly well known
that the great diamond mining COM
pany, the De Beers, which has absorbed
the Kimberley mines and all other not
able sources of supply has in its great
vaults enough diamonds to make the
diamond no longer precious stone were
they all thrown upon the market Eng
lish eagerness to invest at high prices
simply shows that they believe that
this company is strong enough to hold
the product and dictate the price of dia-
monds
The great strength Of this company
and its present immense prosperity are
due to the ability Of an American, q
Californian named Gardner Williams
When he went to the Kimberley mines
as manager, he found everything in con-
fusion, and most of the diamonds that
were found lost to the company through
the clever thieving Of the negroes who
worked in the mines. He organized an
amazing system, and winning success
where so many had failed now gets a
salary of 800, 600 year.
Diamonds are being searched for over
1000 feet below the level Of the ground
at Kimberley, the ore being dug at that
depth in vast and ever increasing lab
yrinth of shafts, tunnels and chambers.
The ore, taken to the surface, is scat
tered over an area several miles square,
where at present no less than 5000, 900
loads Of earth are exposed. This ore is
left exposed to the weather for two
years Then it is so far disintegrated
that it is easily crushed. 1t is estimated
that in the ore now thus exposed there
are diamonds worth $40, 100000
This vast treasure Is fenced in and is
guarded day and night. The whole
mining system is an inclosure, from
which no one is allowed to go without
being searched. 1t contains the villages
Of the laborers. In fact, under Mr.. Will
liams' system there are searching and
shadowing day and night, yet in spite
of all precautions $500,0 900 worth OF
diamonds are stolen every year.
OF course the laws of the colony re-
fleet the company's efforts to prevent
theft. To buy diamond from any but
an agent Of the company is peniten-
tiary offense. Even an attempt to buy
from any person not authorized to sell
has u long term of Imprisonment as its
penalty, and the laws are rigNlly en-
| forced.
The output Of the company for 1884,
was sold for $17, 800, 900, and the aver
age value of days find of diamonds /:
about 800, 900, value which is trebled
when the diamonds are cut The divi
dends are fabulous, and it is not sur
prising that every now and then the
cool, conservative English investor losei
his head and forgets that diamond shares
are like all mining shares and similal
investments that cannot but have some
thing of the baselessness Of vision
| about them. New York World.