The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-07-03

Small rea-T Peculiar Formations
Which Surround and Lie Above the
Diamonds-How They are Taken.
Before the Kimberley mines were
discovered most of the diamonds added
to the worlds stock came f,cui either
Hindustan or from Brazil. The largest
deposits were found III GolccnGa, il the
Hyderabad territory, and in Minas Ge-
raes, i'll Brazil. The African discoveries
first showed scientific men what the
origin and native place Of the diamond
really were. In the Indian and Brazilian
fields it was plainly rot native to the
soil and was picked up out of differing
formations. In South Africa it was
found in a rotten rock. apparently form
ing Part Of the earth's crust, ard net a
mere superficial deposit, as the others
had been. the great mines in this re-
gion, according to a correspondent of
the London Standard, are situated with
IN a circle about 81 miles in diameter.
There are five principal mines, the
largest being only about 45 acres in ex-
tent. They are the famous Kimberley,
Bultfontein, De Beers, Du Toits Pan
and Wesselton mines. They are CT fab
ulous richness. Here the town of Kim
berley has sprung up.
The district is about A. G0 feet above
sea level and lies at the northern edge
of a plateau which extends from the
Bokkeveldt mopntains, near the cape
of Coed Hope, to the border of tho
TraEsvaai. There are mines in the
Orange Free State. two being Of ccnsid-
erable Eote, one go, the ether 90 miles
away, with severa, 1:ore Of less imEor-
taEce beta there and in the Kimberley
district. Tie river wasnirgs are still
continued, Int the yield CT gems from
them IS ret very rich or steady. Mining
in tie rock was carried on at first in a
rough ard ready fashion, but all that
has changed. In most parts Of tie dis
triet, after clearing away some feet cf
surface sell. the excavator comes upor
q dark, co3ly shale 100 feet or more
thick. Beneath this lies q mass Of isro-
GUS Tcck allied to basalt, more than
three times as thick, and that is succeed
ed by q blat kish shale, with bands cf
hard sandstone. Eut here ard there IL
stead Of the shale. though surrcpr1od
by it: like a pond III q feld. is a IFS
Of curious rotten stuff, in which some
times fragments CT shale and sometirles
hard mineral grains cen re seen.
This at first is Of q rusty yellowish
color. Their in about 100 feet it turns 10
a dull green and becomes Z little mere
solid-somctlnes distinctly harder than
dry clay. The TWO rocks are identical
in origin, EUt the upper o. yellow
ground" is more deconiposed than the
lower CT "Llue ground" Gradually
the rcck ceases to yield to spade or pick.
It has to be qrerried III TIE usual wa,
and is qIi.e as hand a. a bit of gocd
limestone. 1t has Now quite a different
appearance, seeming to consist largely
of fragments, varying il shape and
size, some angular, some rounded, from
at least two inches in diameter down to
very email grains. Some evidently arc
pieces CT rcck. ctltrs are minerals {of-
ten hroEcn, Int occasionally locking
like crystais). All these are set il q
dark sfetHislf tctcr5d matrix. This,
then-vtcther rcttcD or solids tic
diamond bearing rock. 1t seems to i'll
huge PIPES CT SHIFTS, which somehow
Or other Laya heen driven or punched
throuGh the shaIe ard underlying rocks,
and these 80 vertically downward to
What { Ia ne is r-'.evr, but certain
1y not less iLan 1860 fest.
At first the material was "pegGed
out" il u number Of snail claims, and
the soft stuff was comparatively easy to
work, but " degrees many difficulties
arose. As the excavations were deepened
the claims were viii @.llcuity kept sep
arate. Slips and fails a material were
constantly cccurl.t-a. ggt only in tie
"pipe'' itself, but isona the "~ccuntry
rock" at its side. Water became trou-
blesome AMI werl;ii expensive. Co
operation AID conL%ad Of capital were
soon absolute necessities.
About 1880 the raigcs had been ac-
quired iy companies, and they are now
united UsGer tla~lt#n tlt DE Beers
Consoi ted MI shafts have
been SUI tEroufl t.t nt1y rock,
from winch leve a yfn to the
"pipes. The q snsone ing rock is
quarried away, - ~ wc4e layer BY
layer AID is taken ar to TIE surface.
During this process a f5ai4cLd may tc
discovered, Int tl&f il q mere chance.
The lcck is tlsn conveyed to an in
closure, who're it IS exaeTed to atmos-
pheric action III crder thut, if possible,
it may crun bic NATURALLY to pieces ana
the risk he avoided OF splitting the con-
tanned diamonds by crushing it up.
This, however, is sometimes necessary.
Al 1act aftrr bcipu Sulioota5 tn rorio.1c