Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-11-30

Handled by Conviets I'm the
Kimberly Mines.

Handled by COnvfets I'm the
Kimberly Mines.
Dfa monds by the ton, clear and
| sparkling, are taken each Sear from.
the great De Beers Compary's mines
at Kimberley, South Africa To one
who measures his gems by the caret
| there being 1873 Garrett to the ounce
this vast quantity of precious
stones will be beyond comprehension
| A ton OF diamonds confirms 3.312,000
carrots, and some years the output o:
| these wonderful mines has reached
nearly 100000 carats. Even with
rigid curtai'ment IN order TO keep up
prices, the daily average find is over
1000 carats, and if adj the mines were
worked 10 their utmost capacity the
number of Gratis found would reach
nearly 10000 cara.s daily. This De
Beers Company, OF which the renown-
ed Cecil j. Rhodes is chairnta.n, could
| glut tire world with diamonds within
| two years.
Before the visitor takes his jour
ney through the numerous dark, wet
tunEels he is given a GRIP of strong
coffee, supplied with a rubber suit
and stout pair of fannel-lined rub
her boots. The downward journey to
the mines under the guidance OF
trained man is begun by being rap
iday whirled, by an overhead trolley.
t" the mouth of the old Kimberley
shaft, 200 feet from the surface
From this point the journey is down
Shiny ladders and through dark tun-
nele for distance of 800 feet. One
alp and all would be over.
81
groes are at work, some of them
naked, digging away at the blue ore
and loading the ore trucks. The sigh.
of these negroes working in this I'M
foreground region, with their tallow
room candles and slush lamps, re-
minded one of Dante's "Inferno."
These workmen are taken to a large
storeroom 100 feet below the surface
before they enter the mines, and are
stripped of all clothing and those who
want them are given working suit
by the company. When their shift:
is over they again stop at this store
room and receive back the clothe.
they they wear ait the compounds
This is done to prevent Mr.. Negro
from hiding in his clothes any dia-
nsonds he might find while in the
mines. AT the conclusion of this un
derground "trip a glass OF brandy ia
given the visitor.
Tire ore from which the diamonds
are extra cted is spread out on a large
track of Enclosed ground known as
blue ground. This is watched nigh.
and day by armed men, who have or
ders TO shoot any trespassers. Bach
load of ore is 80 arranged on the blue
ground that it rs left there to the
agency of the weather for two years
before it is taken to the crushers.
There is always about 5000. 900 loads
OF ore on this ground, and it is esti
mated that each load contains an av-
erage of one CARAT of diamonds
!, After crushing, the pebbles cup
posed to contain diamonds are taken
} to the pulsator, where the refuse is
cleaned off. From locked reservoirs
alta ched to the machinery the peb-
bles and diamonds are carried to the
binding room, which adjoins the pull.
sator. White men sort ont the large
ground containing the big diamonds
/. The gravel containing the small
gems, known in trade as rose dia-
n,onds, are sorted by negro convicts
as their eyes are stronger than those
of the white men. The sorting tables
are of polished steel. The pebbles
are placed on the surface. and the
work of finding the diamonds done
by spreading them rapidly with a
piece of steel. 1t is wonderful with
wfat rapidity these men pick out
the diamonds. 1t is common occur
renee in one day to find in this room
$4,000 worth of diamonds in the
> rough. which when curt would be val
ued at NEARLY 100000.
The negroes working in the mines
are all conv;cts hired from the gov
erHment. They live at the company's
compounds. and at the conclusion of
their terms are held there for tive
weeks and subjected to a rigid phv
steal examination daily to insure the
} company THAT Mr.. Negro has moi
/ swallowed any diamonds. Thes,
compounds are inclosed by fence
. twelve feet high, and covered over
with a fine wire netting. so that the
/ negroes cannot throw d,1a ronfls ont
, side to be gathered up subsequently
. They have no connection with the
, outside world while in the employ
of the company. yet this rigid sys-
, tenn is insufficient
The company has its general Of,
fees at Kimberley All its diamonds
are sold there; the smallest amount
sold is $4,000 cash. in advance. The
buyer has no choice of stones. They
are weighed out promiscuously. large.
small and off-color. The company
, always keeps on hand in safes over a
. ton of gems. If one finds an uncut
diamond on the streets of Kimberley
, he had better turn it over at once to
the police, unless he desi res TO serve
a term of years at the Capetown
Breakwater as a convict. Diamonds
thus found are sold semi-annually al
auction, half going to the finder and
the other half to the police.
ssA City of Zine.o