The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-09-04
DIAMOND DIGGINGS.
AGAINST THEFT IN
SOUTH AFRICAN MINES.

But In Spite of All This Stealing Still Con-
tinues-The Decline OF the Town OF Kim
neutrality-suspicious. Has Flown to the
Gold Fields About Johannesburg.
"The South African diamond mines
are worked almost entirely by native
laborers-the Kaffirs, Zulus, Hottentots
and the rest" said diamond merchant.
"These receive good wages, about $125
per month, and are hired for term Of
three months. During this period they
are confined in compounds located on
the edge of the mines. The compounds
consist of rows Of buildings Of corrugated
iron, forming hollow square, surround
ed by a high board fence and covering
several acres Of ground. Within this cor
raj are stores, q hospital, boarding houses
and other conveniences. Wood and wa
ter are furnished free, but no alcoholic
liquors are allowed. During their term
of service the natives are not allowed to
have any communication with the out
side world and are under q system of
close personal surveillance in order to
prevent the theft Of diamonds. When
they come up from the mine shaft, they
are carefully searched, and many in
genious methods dre adopted to reduce
the loss from this source to minimum.
Notwithstanding all that is done,
however, the theft of diamonds still
continues. 1t is estimated that from o
to 30 per cent of the diamonds found
arc stolen every year. In order to pre-
vent this very stringent law was pass
ed, providing that all rough diamonds
should be registered with the detective
bureau of the government as soon as
they were found, and that every man
who sold diamond must give with it
"a certificate of registry.
''Tho penalty for having an unregis-
tered rough diamond is seven years on
tho Cape Town breakwater, and the
nero fact of possession is prima facie
evidence and will secure conviction. So
it happens that if ono laborer wants to
do up another he manages to slip
rough diamond into the other laborer's
coat. or into his room, and then tells
the police to keep sharp lookout Of
course the police make u search, the
contraband stone is found, and the man
is in for term Of seven years. A great
many unjust sentences have unuuestion-
ably been secured in this way, but de-
spite the opposition to the law the COM
pany is powerful enough to keep it in
force.
There are other diamond fields out
side of the Kimberley district, but they
are difficult to work and are mainly ex-
plotted by diggers working on their own
account. The total product is not large,
and tho work is very arduous, the dig
gers being mostly men who have been
thrown out of work by the consolidation
of tho Kimberley mines into one vast
corporation and the subsequent restric-
ton of production. This latter, by the
way, has had curious effect upon the
town of Kimberley itself. AS late as
four years ago Kimberley had popula-
ton of $4,000 or 80, 600 people. 1t was
laid out for great city and enjoyed for
time n big boom.
Zine brick blocks and residences
were built, hotels and theaters and wa
terworks and every thing pertaining to
a modern city. Now good third of
these places are empty, and Kimberley is
as dead as New England town that is
dependent npon a single mill. All tho
supplies and machinery for the mines
are now bought of course by q single
company, so that moro than two-thirds
of the business Of tho town is gone.
There is nothing there to sustain town
except the mine, and with tho opening
up of the goldfelds much of the popu-
lation moved on north to Johannesburg
Although the existence of gold in
the Transvaal had been known for years,
yet the Beers disliked the invading
prospectors and for time kept them
out by law. Afterward more liberal
spirit prevailed, and the Boer govern
ment offered reward for the finding of
paying goldtelds. But it was not until
1882 that the now celebrated gold bear
ing reef i'll which the bulk of South At
rican gold is found was discovered, and
it was not until four years later that the
opening Of the celebrated Sheba mine
and its phenomenal yield, gave rise toa
fever. Then prospectors poured in from
Kimberley and the Cape, coming by
push cart, wagon, horseback or on foot.
In q year there were 10000 persons in
the district. The center of the excite
ment was the little town of Barberton,
but this section was soon thrown into
the shade by tho discoveries OH the Wit