The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-29

tending over the whole enclosure, which
occupies several acres, is a wire net
ting to prevent the throwing over of
diamonds inclosed in tin cans, ETC.,
as was once done. Outside of the COM
pound and 10 feet from it Is a barbed
wire fence, 10 feet high, with IA strands
of wire. An underground passage leads
to the mine shaft, and the men are
examined as they return from work.
The natives are under contract for six
months and receive from Is. to IS.
GA to IS cents) per day. They are not
allowed to leave the compounds dur
ing the time of contract. No liquor
is furnished them. They are happy
and contented, and the system is good
for the native, the industry and the
country. They are kept in a deten-
ton room one week before their COLI
tract expires, where they wear gloves
made of two disks of leather, locked
to their wrists; their clothes are taken
from them and examined, and at the
end of the week they leave without
carrying any diamonds.
The diamond mine is the crater of
an extinct volcano. What is now a
level country or prairie was once a
volcano. Cropping out on the surface
appeared blue rock which was found
to contain diamonds. The mouth of
the crater is 312 feet below the surface
II,
mine is now 612 feet deep. The rock
is elevated to the surface by means
of powerful machinery and then con-
veyed to the floors" or level ground,
at present occupying about 200 acres.
Here 1t is left for a year to the action
OF the sun, rain and winds, when 1t
decomposes and falls apart. 1t is then
taken to the crushing and washing ma
chimes and afterward to the pu,sators,
which separate 1t into various :izes
and again wash it. 1t finally passes
over shaking tables covered with
grease of certain composition. which
catches and retains the diamonds.
These are then washed in acid and
taken to the valuator. Roughly speak
ing, out of the 100000 tons OF blue
rock three-fourths of a ton of dia-
monds are obtained The valuator as
sorts the diamonds according 10 their
color and purity. The diamonds are
principally octahedral in shape. A
syndicate of diamond buyers takes the
product Of the mines
Kimberley and it's mines are reported
by Mr.. Stowe to be good customers of
the United States. but we ought to
have still more of the trade, and espe-
cially in galvanized corrugated sheet
iron, which throughout all South At
RIGA is used extensively. All the i'm
mense buildings of the mines in Kim
berley and johannesburg are composed
of it, as well as thousands of dwelling
houses, barns, warehouses, fences, etc.
The large merchants in all the cities
carry stocks of various lengths. 1t
comes packed in bundles of IL sheets.
with thick felt between the ends of
each sheet, all held together by iron
bands. ,'1t
Leaving Kimberley, ride of 167 miles
brought him to the borders of the
Orange Free State. The land appeared
fxr.tt1
hrs and Hottentots were seen; the for
mer looking like tops of balloons, the
latter square and built of stones. The
kaffir huts are unique and show the
natural skill and inventive genius of
this tribe. Long branches or trunks of
tree that grows high and has a small
diameter are planted in the ground in
circle, bent to the center and fastened
Then the native fiat grass is woven in
and out between them, making water
tight and yet a cool habita ton. Passing
through the Orange Free State to the
borders of the South African republic
a distance of 334 miles, there is nothing
but the same montonous landscape; but
more and better farming is noticed and
the crops are more diversified. A large
number of American agricultural inn
plements is sold here through Cape
Town houses: in fact, a great proper
ton of all merchandise sold throughout
ooutn <tlIIcd tOUIeS ny lHe large nlef-
camille houses in Cape Town. Port
Elizabeth, East London and Durham,
who have travellers all over South
Africa. The Orange Free State is
prosperous, though much land is idle
The people, principally Dutch, welcome
all corners, and a residence of only a
few years will admit to citizenship.
On the border of the South African
Republic Mr.. Stowe was held five hours
for the examination of baggage. He
then took the train of the Netherlands
railway, which is owned 1t is said, by
Hollanders, and proceeded to Pretoria,
distance of n miles. Pretoria is the
capital of the republic, small city
among hills, regularly laid out, with
several handsome public buildings, but
quiet and not business center The
next day he reached johannesburg by
the Netherlands railway. He says: Il
never rode over a better roadbed or in
more comfortable cars. They are
equipped with all modern conVeniences,
and the dining cars reminded me of
home. The cars are all of iron, even the
covering and sides, and in warm wealth
er, l am told, are like a furnace; but
no better railway equipment as a
whole, can be found anywhere. Johan-
nesburg is a busy, bustling city-the
only real city in South Africa from the
standpoint of an American. The build
ings would do credit to any city The
streets are wide, but the motive power
of the street railways consists of horses