Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-07-11

~vvarorv 81 THE DIAMOND
s7roUDED IN MYSTERY.

sHROUDEp In
-. Nature Scatter Her Gems
~ r,-oadcast From Somc world
n spaceY-south Africa's Mines
- sispretty widely known, the
N diamond mines Of South T
~ africa. situated chiefly in Girl I
qualand West, consiss ,..D q
large depressions, filed with ear'n,
,a. II n color from yellow TO gray
ma blue. which is described az 9 tough,
J A. mnd Of volcanic origin, sometimes
haydened into rock. This mud, or
esblue, Z as it is technically called Z
enclosed in basin Of rock geolog'cany
known as sspipe, . which issupposed 70 |
I, M 4 crater Of an extinct volcano, into
wb;ch the mud has been injected from
below. The four principal pipes or
mines lie within radius OF few miles,
and are known as Kimberley, De Beers
Dntoitspan ana Bultfontein. The gen.
oval features Of oil are alike; in each,
the upper part Of the soil Is yellow,
changing. at from fifty to one hundred
feet from the surlaos' M d;smonds
we're first discovered in the yellow
earth: and when the miners had
cleared tnat OUT, ,no s-a e tha d;a-
they had come 70 inc SUI :. .,.st .,Ssr
mond but y was soo s 'o :, ths hlre
were even more ADu ulu..;,aa ~ mines
ground; ana since 'nas Ia zoo nd 900
have been carrleu uo 9;,;nvt;or i tbe
feet without any ula'u H. Saarer Tho
yield; on the contrary; ~. ~ I tatter an
excavations are carriou 'ne ''' =
pears the output, .r.tad i err.
The "Diue, wneh eAc"saso1, e
ried up ana spreaa on ~. -. 81 d;s;n'
| where II lies ior mon'ns, = 4 .ssa,,
tegrated by ar ana "aecl' anu Z. M -.
washed and pickea over o Sao.tsrsa
hand to ma the d'Anonos' ~. onIs
through the niue eaItn aie Aos 49,
diamonds, but q great variety = 80 ~
tails, agates, IRON pyri'es A. ~ "a
substances, among winch -
Anderson, the .ravels .ns -
found many weii-workeu NM in tls
ments from di1erent dep'ns' on, a -
u. Z. Dafoel, nonv worm
ported the discovery o. many worn
and perfect mint implements ~ oo'.s'
berg Kople, IN diamonuleroIs ~,
from considerable depens, won' :
confirmed, would ada ano'ner - ~.
many puzzles connected WIN 'It
diamond mlnes' especiaiiy = '1e s NJ.
canic theory Is 70 DE ma'n'anou -.
Anderson, however, LOOKS upon 'n'
blue ground az occupying .ne peu =
On ancient lake, ana Una. 'ne wa
monds, flint implements, FOSSIL woo.
and other substances mao ocen olousu
down by an ancient river, now IeI',e
sented by the vaai' aistan' .weis'
miles or more, the pea OF wmcn :
various points ana 'ne rocny oalA
on both sides, are ricn IN olniionu ~
? the rock Of the river peu being = -
same nature as that winch encioses ~
mines. Geoioglsts eenersiiy inciin
: to the volcanic 'neory' Du' oei' ,:v
that the DIAMONDS are "a an cai nc
date than the upneavai % 'ne ln1
containing them nom al enoimou
9 depth.
. The greas majority OF oou.n allica :,
diamonds are anonymous clouss, ~
: lowish-looklng, soapy-ieeiing masses
! varying in SIZE nom pm neau 70
small pebble; but some are peiiee
} octahedrons, wnite ana very pri'lai'
These are, OF course me mosI vaH
P able; and, singular 70 relase, ai'noug
u these varieties occur IN AL the mine'
e yet the general cnaracseiistics q =
g gems, whether duh OF oriiiiant, wni'
u or yellow, are suincien'iy dls'inc'iN
y to enable an expert 10 say ., eian'
from which mlne q diamond mas com
le the same holding good o. saai niss
E gems, and OF those from Jagersion'ei'
IS in the Orange Free state
o Here, then, IS another puzzie. no'
Q is it that gems SO apparently sliniial
q having presumably a common orig
and embedded IN the same matii'
n have acquired varying cnaracterlstic'
8, Dame Nature 10 an adept AZ nluiI