The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-26
THE DIAMONDS H( )hlEs

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THE IMMENSELY RICH FIELD OF.
WHICH, KIMBERLEY is THE CENTER.
Wondsrful Abundance OF Jewels In a Very
Small Area-The 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 from either
Hndustan or from Brazil. The largest
deposits We're found i'll Golconda, in the
dyderabad territory, and in Minas Ge-
raes, III 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 not native to the
soil and was picked up out of differing
formations. In South Africa it WIS
found In rotten rock, apparently FORM
ing part OF the earths crust, and not a
mere superficial deposit, as the others
had been. The great mines i'll this re-
gion, according to a correspondent Of
the London Standard, are situated with
in circle about s. Is miles in diameter.
There are five principal mines, the
largest being only about 40 acres in ex-
tent. They are the famous Kimberley,
Bultfonteln, Do Beers, Du Toits Pan
and Wesselton mines. They are of fab.
ulous richness. Here the town of KIM
berley has sprung up.
The district is about 4, 900 feet above
sea level and lies at the northern edge
of plateau which extends from the
Bokkeveldt mountains, near the cane
OF Good Hope, to the border of tho
Transyaal. There are mines i'll tho
Orange Free State, two being of consid-
erablo note, ono 3d. tho other 60 miles
away. with several more of less impor-
lance both there and in the Kimberley
district. The river washings AFRO still
continued, but tho yield of gems from
them is not veryrich or steady. Mining
III the rock was carried ON at first i'll n
rough and ready fashion, but all that
has changed. In most parts of the dis
trlct, after Clearing away some feet of
surface soil, the eNcavator comes upon
dark, coaly shale 100 feet or moro
thick. Beneath this lies u mass of igne-
Gus rock allied to basalt, more than
three times us thick, and that is succeed
ed by blackish shale, with bands of
hard sandstone. But here and there in
stead of tho shale, though surrounded
by it, like pond in field. is mass
of curious rotten stuff, i'll which some
times fragments of shalo and sometimes
hard mineral grains can bo SEEN
This mt first is of rusty yellowish
color. Then in about 100 feet it turns to
dull green and becomes Il little moro
solld-sometimes distinctly harder than
dry clay. The two rocks are identical
i'll origin, but the upper or yellow
ground is more dGcomposed than the
lower or blue ground" Gradually
the rock ceases to yield to spade or pick.
1t has to be quarried i'll the usual way
and is quite as hard as bit of good
limestone. 1t has now quite different
appearance, seeming to consist largely
of fragments, varying i'll shape and
size. some angular, some rounded, from
ut least two inches in diameter down to
very small grains. Some evidently are
pieces of rock, others are minerals (of-
ten broken, but occasionally looking
like crystals). All these arc set in a
dark greenish colored matrix. This,
whether rotten or solids tho
diamond bearing rock. 1t seems to fill
huge pipes or shafts, which somehow
or other have been driven OF punched"
through the shalo and underlying rocks
and these go vertically downward to
what distance is unknown, but certain
ly not less than /, 800 feet.
AT first the material was "pegged
out" i'll number of small claims, and
the soft stuff was comparatively easy to
work, but by degrees many difficulties
arose. As the excavations were deepened
the claims were with difficulty kept sep
arate. Slips and falls of material were
constantly occurring, not only in the
pipe" itself, but from the Country
rock" Mt its side. Water became trou-
blesomo and working expensive. Co
operation and command of capital were
soon absolute necessities.
About 1880 tho mines had been ac-
quired 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
quarricd away, as it were, layer by
layer and is taken up to the surface
During this process diamond may be
discovered, but that is II mere chance.
The rock is then conveyed to an in
closure, where it is exposed to atmos-
pheric action in order that, if possible
it may crumble naturally to pieces and
the risk be avoided of splitting the con-
tanned diamonds by crushing it up.
This, however, is sometimes necessary.
At last, after being subjected to various