The Indianapolis journal., 1895-07-07
KIMBERLEY DIAMONDS
AN UNDERGROUND TRIP THROUGH
THE FAMOUS AFRICAN MINES.
Piles of Precious Ore Which Are
Closely Guarded Night and Day
Schemes for Stealing stones.

Gdruuer WllildmS-a CdlIOrHldu 10
the backbone of him-is. odd though 1T
may seem, the managing director of the
greatest diamond mines in the world.
AS far ahead as any man with ordinary
eyes can see, the Kimberley diggings in
South Africa will continue to be the
chief producer of the gem of gems.
The methods of 1SSO-S1 in the Kimber-
ley fields have passed away entirely.
The individual claims have all been
amalgamated under the title of the De
Beers Diamond and Mining Company,
with Cecil Rhodes, Premier OF Cape Col
ony, as chairman, and Mr.. Williams as
general manager.
Mr.. Williams was born, in 1912, at
Saginaw, Mich. His parents came to
California while he was mere lad, and
he received his education here, gradual
ing at the California College, now the
State University. He is a brother of
Mrs. T. G. Van Ness, of this city, and
Mrs. e. B. Clement, of Oakland. His in
terest in California is unaffected by long
absence. He has lately sent his two
boys all the way from Kimberley to at
tend the State University at Berkeley.
Mr.. Williams took charge of the Kim
berley mines as general manager in
May, 1887. Before that the mines were
in bad condition. The output Of dia-
monds had materially lessened, shafts
and tunnels were caving in, the negroes
smuggled out diamonds in large guam
titles and Illicit diamond buyers-known
as 1. ID. B.s-plied their trade with i'm
punity. 1t is mainly due to his efforts
that the mines have been brought to
their present prosperous condition. The
company values his services to such an
extent that they pay him the princely
salary of 500, 900 year.
L arrived at Kimberley early last Oc-
tober. From the moment / stepped out
of the depot 1 was ''shadowed' con-
stantly, as is every visitor and many
resident. The place fairly swarms with
detectives, who are in the employ of the
Cape government, but whose salaries
are paid by the De Beers Diamond Com
pany.
Before the mines can be visited per-
NIT must be obtained from either the
general manager, or the secretary of the
company. A special permit is also nec-
eSSary TO visit the underground portion
Of the mines, this being given by only
the general manager. The underground
a
presenting special permit and a letter
from the general manager at the en-
trance to the Kimberley mine, / was
taken in charge by one of the timekeep-
ers, supplied with heavy rubber suit
and an extra strong pair of rubber
shoes. A cup of tea or coffee is always
drank before the journey below is at
tempted. We were placed on an over
head, inclined trolley and whirled rap
idly down to the entrance of the old
Kimberley shaft. From this we felt our
way down the narrow perpendicular
ladders of shaft after shaft for a dis
tance of 500 feet. The Kimberley mine
is one network OF tunneling and timbers
Hundreds of negroes were at work here;
some were filing the peculiar iron
trucks with the background ore; others
were running trucks along to the main
shaft, where the contents rattle down a
chute to the 1.000-foot level. The negroes,
with their fiickering candles and shining
| black bodies, made 1t seem like some in
| fernal region.
Some of the negroes are lucky enough
| to find occasional diamonds in the loose
| dirt, and, upon turning them over, they
| are presented with a. bottle of Cape
| brandy as a reward for their faithful
ness-reward enough, seeing that a
| South African native will do anything
for drink, and everything for bottle.
Should a white man find a diamond, and
| be honest enough to hand it over, he is
paid one-tenth of it's market value.
A DANGEROUS JOURNEY.
| The journey from tunnel to tunnel by
the crude ladders is rather dangerous.
| One misstep on the slippery ladders and
| it's goodbye to novice. We passed
| from tunnel to tunnel until we reached
the 1,000-foot level Here electric lights
| abounded. 1t was all excitement. Zulus,
Kaffirs and Bosutos were running to
and fro, singing their peculiar songs;
| the endless wire cable carried along on
| one track the empty trucks, while on
/ the other 1t drew the loaded cars to the
| huge elevator which carried the ore to
the surface.
This vast system of shafts and tunnels
| was practically failure until Manager
| r. Williams took control. Time and
| time again the mines had caved in, and
| the diamondiferous ground was buried
| so that 1t had to be sought anew by
| other workings. Mr.. Williams has SO
remodeled and reconstructed the mines
that they are not only safe to work in
but rarely cave.
| L was more than glad when the pas
| senger elevator was sent down to take
us up. / was hot and tired, my. limbs
| ached, and my rubber suit was drip
ping with water. About fifteen feet
from the top the elevator stopped, and
the negroes who were my fellow-pas-
| sengerS submitted to the usual search
before they were marched to the com
pounds
Early the next morning / was taken
by Mr.. Williams in his carriage over
the entire system of the De Beers com
| pany. The famous background flooring
was first visited. Miles of this blue ore
in which diamonds are found, are fenced
| in from the roadway and guarded night
and day by men under arms. All the
ore from the various mines is laid out
here, there being at present over 3,000
900 loads exposed. The ore is scattered
and left exposed to the weather inf1u
ences for two years, and then it is ready
for crushing. The company, however
struck some time ago a vein of hare
blue rock which could not be crushed ir
the ordinary way. Special works for it:
reduction have been erected, and wher
they are through with the hand ore al
ready mined the company will proba bly
have secured from it diamonds worth
so. 500. 900.
The ore after being crushed is finall,
carried to the pulsator, so called from
its peculiar jerking motion, from which
the heavier pebbles, the diamonds ant
the garnets pass into a reservoir. Thi:
| partially assorted material is taken IL
locked trunks to the finding" room
White men examine the large pebble:
L Tot.