The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-05
THE HOME OF THE DIAMOND.
The Wonderful Abundance of Jewels
in Very Small Area.
From the New York Tribune.

From the New York Tribune.
The fact that the African diamond fields,
al present the worlds chief source OF sup
ply of the highest-priced gems, have been
discovered and developed entirely since
Queen Victoria ascended the throne as
sociates the diamond in a peculiarly fit
ting manner with her majesty's diamond
iubilee. Before the Kimberley mines were
discovered most of the diamonds added
TO the worlds stock came from either
Hindostan or from Brazil The largest
deposits were found in Galconda, in the
Hyderabad territory, and IN Mlhas &c
taes, in Brazil. The African discoveries 4
first showed scientific men what the origin
and native place of the diamond really
was. In the Indian and Brazilian fields
il was plainly not native to the SOIL, ana
was picked up out of differing formations.
In South Africa it was found in a rot
ten rock, apparently forming part OF the
earth's crust, and not mere superncldl
deposit. as the others had been. The great
mines in this region, according to a cor
respondent of the London standard, are
situated within circle about three and
one-half miles in diameter. There are
five principal mines, the largest being
only about forty-fiVe acres in extent; they
are the famous Kimberley, Bultfontein,
De Beers Du Toits Pan and Wesselton
mines. They are of fabulous richness.
Here the town of Kimberley has sprung
UP, and mining for diamonds is carried
on on a vast and systematic scale.
The district is about 1850 feet above sea
level, and lies at the northern edge OF
a plateau which extends from the Box
keveldt mountains, near the Cape OF Good
Hone. to the border of the Transvaal.
There are mines in the Orange Free
State. two being of considerable note, one
thirty. the other sixty miles away, with
several more of less importance both there
and in the Kimberley district. The river
washings are still continued, but the yleld
of gems from them is not very rich or
steady Mining in the rock was carried
on at first in a rough-and-ready fash
ion, but all that has been changed. In
most parts of the district, after clearing
away some feet of surface soil, the eXca-
vator comes upon dark coaly shale
hundred feet or more thick. Beneath this
lies a mass of igneous rock, allied to ba-
salt. more than three times as thick, ana
that Is succeeded by a blackish shale,
with hands of hard sandstone. But mere
and there, instead of the shale though
surrounded by 1t, like pond in held,
| is a mass of curious rotten stuff in which
| sometimes fragments of shale and some-
times hard mineral grains can be seen.
This at first is of a rusty yellowish
color then in about 100 feet, 1t turns to a
! duh green and becomes a little more SOLID
| sometimes distinctly harder than dfy
clay The two rocks are identical IN orl-
gin, but the upper. or yellow ground
| is more decomposed than the lower, or
| "blue ground" Gradually the rock ceases
to Weld to spade or pick; Il has to be
| ouarried in the usual way, and is quite as
| hard as a bit of good limestone. 1t has
| now quite a different appearance, SEEM
| ing to consist largely of fragments, vary
| ing in shape and in size, some angular,
| some rounded, from at least two inches IN
| diameter down to very small grains.
| Some evidently are pieces of rock, others
are minerals (often broken, but OCCASION
| ally looking like crystals All these are
| set in a dark greenish-colored matriN.
! This then-whether rotten or solids the
! Mountaineering rock. 1t seems to ill
| huge pipes or shafts, which somehow or
other have been driven or punched
| through the shale and underlying rocks;
and these go vertically downward, to what
| distance is unknown, but certainly not less
! than H. 500 feet. At first the material was
| 'pegged out" in a number OF small claims,
| and the soft stun was comparatively easy
| TO work But by degrees many dHticul-
| ties arose. As the excavations were deep
| ened, the claims were with difficulty kept
| separate; slips and falls of material were
! constantly occurring, not only In the
| pipe" itself but from We country rock
| at its side; water became troublesome
| and working expensive; cooperation and
| command of capital were soon absolute
| necessities. About 1850 the mines had
been acquired by companies, and they
are now united under the name of the
| De Beers Consolidated Mines. Deep shafts
| have been sunk through the country
rock" from which levels are driven TO
! the pipes" The diamond bearing rock
! is quarried away. as IL were, layer by
| layer. and is taken up to the surface.
| During this process a diamond may be
A. ala.
| The rock Is then conveyed TO an Enclosure
where It is exposed to atmospheric action,
| In order that, III possible, Il may crumhle
! naturally TO pieces, and the risk be avoid
ed OF splittering the contained diamond by
! crushing IL up. This, however. Is some
times necessary. Al last, after being sub
! icctcd TO various processes, including
washing the mineral residue is picked
over for diamonds An sorts of precau-
tious are necessary In order to avoid rob
berry.
The quantity OF diamonds which have
been produced by these mines Is something
astonishing-indeed, the directors hnd 10
needful to limit the output lest they should
Clut the market. lt Is said that by the end
of 1892 about ten tons OF diamonds had been
yielded by these mines, valued at 10000
600 They would hl, as Crookcs. the WELL
known English scientist and lecturer stat
ed I'M "A recent lecture on the diamond and
these mines a box Ave feet square and six
feet high; the annual product Is now about
half ton. and some 500 persons. OF whom
rather more than one-ffth are white. are
| employed In the works. The above osti-
mate includes diamonds OF al kinds. bad
and good. for one stone may be ht for
nothing but cutting purposes. while an
other may be "a sem OF the first water. The
South African diamonds very frequently
appear 10 he broken. coiored specimens
are NOT rare and a slight yellow tlngo Is
'eommoniy percepublc, Differences exist