The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-20
BY GEORGE t. KUNZ.

CdSlO0dlly al a lew plaCeS IN me Olll-
ted States, the Ural mountains, and
more recently in Tasmania and New
Zealand. South Africa, however, out
ranks all the other localities in impor-
lance; in Fact the total yield of that
region is twice the whole previous pro-
duct of the world.
The South African diamond fields
occupy the small district in GriQua-
aand West, in the Orange Free State,
and on the Vaal river, about 600 miles
north Of C5pe Town. whence railway
trains now run in thirty hours to kim
berley, the principal center, whereas
a few years after the mines were work
ed it took thirty days by OK cart. kim
berlev is now A city Of 10000 mhabl-
tants, with tramWayS, water works,
electric lights and al the appliances
of mod, RI civilization.
Diamonds We're first discovered IN
river gravels OF the Vaal and Gong
Gong rivers in 1865, and for several
years all the African diamonds were OBJ
tained under conditions similar to
those of Brazil These deposits were
only the result of the erosion from
mines like those of De Beers, k1mber-
ley, Du 1NCits Pan, Bultfontein and the
Premier The form four were nrSt
discovered in 1870, the diamonds being
in yellow earthly material which eX-
tended to some depth. and then chang
ed to a rather soft blush gray rock,
called blue stuff When the miners
came 10 the "blue stuff many believed
that the limit of the diamond layer
had been reached, and there was a gen
eral selling out When the hard rock
was reached, there was another stanl-
71ede. but the recent sinking OF shafts
10 over 200 feet at the De Beers ana
Kimberley mines shows that diamonds
elre as plentiful at that depth as at the
surface.
The author Of the ARABIAN Nights
undoubtedly thought that he was i'm"
agfning me widest and most improba-
ble things when he described the treas
ures in the Valley of Diamonds seen
nv .Sinbad the Sailor" Yet when COM
nared with the African mines. this
profusion of wealth has paled into
insign1dcance.
Machinery Has Displaced the Slave
Driver in the Diamond Mines.
The primitive method of washing had
been carried on for centuries in India
and Brazil by thousands of slaves, who,
like those who built the pyramids,
were driven by a master mercllessiy
soading them on, whip in hand. To-
day we have the most ingenious ana
powerful machinery, which allows
fewer diamonds to escape than would
the keenest and most disciplined army
of washers. Originally the South At
1-ican mines We're worked as over 5000
separate claims. each thirty-one feet
square. with a seven and q half foot
roadway between every Two CLAIMS;
now these are all united in one great
company. A mine in the early days
was a. bewildering sight. Miles of wire
cables running from individual claims
were stretched across 1T IN an dlrec-
lions; to these were attached the buck
cts descending to great depths for car
rying the earth reef or wall rock OF
the mines, and at times water.
4 great deal of capital IS expended
annually for labor. fuel and supplies;
in. 1898 about 1900 whites were en-
ployed. receiving from $50 TO $50 week,
and over $500 natives at about IS
week. In addition to these wages they
receive a. commission for each carat
of diamonds found by them. the whites
from 81 to - cents and the natives from
& to u cents The mines are lighted
by ten electric circuits, with an illumin-
ating power of $1,000 candles.
The five greatest mines are in area:
Acres
The Premier OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES "a
DeBeerS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 1S-oS
Bultfontein ................ -
Kimberley ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 81
DuToitspan OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 59oo
Ills
broadway real estate at $2oO,Ooo a, lot
mas a greater value.
From June. 1898 to June, 1894, the
mines produced $14.0100 600 from 100000
loads washed; 50 carats TO a 1900
mounds load, at a value of 500 a carat.
The mining was done with a profit Of
s.. 645. coo. and a dividend of S4,9S9,CO0
was paid Two millions, six hundred
and six thousand. three hundred and
sixtv-two loads Of earth on the floor
were valued at 81 cents; formerly the
value would have been Sl.26 load: the
lower cost is due to improved facilities
and the greater output consequent on
changing the hours OF labor from twelve
to eight hours day.
First the earth is raised and put on
the sorting ground, an area miles in eX-
tent surrounded by strong walls guard
ed by armed men. Here it is partially
disintesrated by water and the action
of the atmosphere. After being broken
ND. 1t is passed down into the COM
pounds. or enclosures of the mines,
huge vatS containing immense centrifu-
gal wheels. by which, as they rapidly
revolve. the rock is finely divided. The
tighter materials. such as quartz, clay
and mica, are then loated out, while
the diamonds, garnetS and other heavy
minerals are concentrated in the lower
mart of the compound" SO thoroughly
does this process disintegrate the rock
and earth that all the diamonds, down
20 the size Of a pin-head, are saved.
The Harvey shaft has been sunk in
Yhe adjacent reef rock to the depth of
200 feet and more. At that depth
an immense station has been built, and
at every 5O-foot level a, gallery runs to
the diamantiferous earth, which is
hauled out to the surface in cars
through a system of shafts.
The consolidation of these vast
r,roperties into one great corporation
with a capital of $500, 900 (S19. 800 0OO).
and a market value of over S9000000
was long talked of. and at last con-
summated in 1889 by the genius of one
man who became its director, Cecil J.
Rhodes. This wonderful organizer And
administrator came to Cape Colony as
a lad without wealth or influence, but
IN the diamond fields he rapidly Gre
ated both. and finally became the con-
trolling power, not only in mining, but
in politics: for he is now the premier
of the Cape Colony and privy counsel
Tor to the queen, and the organizer and
governor of the South African COM
nany. In the neighborhood of the dia-
,nond districts are the extensive gold
fields of the Transvaal. which have
already Welded over s35,000.0 GOO; and it
Is the plan of Mr.. Rhodes to CONSOLE
date these with the unified diamond
mines under a single management.
with a capital of $165, 100000. Nor is
i;,,ait of his m hilton Of