Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-02-12
BLACK DIAMONDS.
A Dealer Furnishes Some Interesting Facts
About Them.

About Them.
''How much would you give for this7"
asked Clerk Moore Of gentleman stand
ing on the opposite side Of the Office
counter at the Planters hotel The arti-
Gle referred to appeared to be an irregu-
larly shaped brown stone less than an
inch long and measuring hardly half an
inch at it's greatest thickness. The gen.
tleman addressed took it in his hand,
inspected it closely and shook his head.
"That may have a value" he answer
ed, "but without knowing more about
it wouldn't give you as much as a
match Or toothpick for it. To me it
looks like brown pebble worn smooth
all around by the water.
The "pebble' was a black diamond
worth 81, 100 1t was one Of nearly 100
carried by Henry Demmert, guest at
the hotel from New York city.
The general supposition is that the
greatest diamond mines of the world
are in South Africa. And SO they are,
but nevertheless the firm of which Mr..
Demmert is general head and manager
exports more diamonds to South Africa
than to any other part of the globe. The
explanation is easy. Mr.. Demmert's
diamonds are not of the kind used as
headlights for shirt fronts. The place of
their greatest utility is underground in
mines, where starched shirt bosoms are
practically unknown. South Africa
doesn' t produce them, but it could not
we'll get along without them.
'Black diamond is the hardest sub
stance known" said the gentleman.
"We can bore hole 6 feet deep in three
minutes through Georgia marble, the
kind of which this hotel floor is made.
We can saw off slab IA feet long from a
block feet thick in less than an hour.
A good many feats can be performed
with it now that could not few
years ago. The business is only about 30
years old, and improvements are con-
stantly being made in it. We take these
rough stones such as you have just seen
and split them by machinery in way
that was unknown until recently. The
split must follow the grain. If it does
not, half of the stone will be wasted.
Each stone is split into cubes of different
sizes. The cubes are then welded into
mining drills if they are to be used for
boring. The iron is cast about the dia-
mond 90 that it cannot get loose. In the
same way we make diamond saws.
They are circular saws. Every tooth is
q black diamond cube. It is fastened
on when the iron portion Of the saw Is
in molten state.
"Where do we get thema Why, in
Brazil. All black diamonds come from
that country. The attempt to make them
artifcially has proved failure in every
instance, and that will be the result Of
every trial hereafter. I don't say 1t is
impossible, but that it is impracticable.
The cost will always be greater than the
market price of the Brazilian diamond,
even if the advance of the last two
months should be duplicated every two
months for year to come. The cause
of the recent advance you ask! 1t was
the increased demand for drills in
johannesburg, South Africa, that did it.
Fifty new drills have been set at work
in that mining district alone since Au-
gust, and the result has been to raise
the price per carat from SIG to sal.
About all the diamond drills of that dis
trict were furnished by or indirectly
through myself, and Of course I am in
position to know the situation.
Black diamonds weigh ordinarily.
says MI. Demmert, less than 100 carats,
ranging all the way down to half car
at, but now and then regular jumbo is
found. The largest in existence was
found only short time ago, its weight
being 5000 carats. The diamond was
sold to museum in Europe for $40,-
OOO.-St. Louis Globe Democrat.