The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-15
Tons of Diamonds
How the Wonderful Kimberley
Mines are Managed.
Mines are Managed.

kept there by the British company which
owns the diamond mines. defended only
by single regiment o. militia. his gov
eminent would md itself provided with a
commodity readily exchangeable for a
vast sum in ready money TO serve as
s.news of war.
Nobody knows Just how much the dia-
/ nonds kept in store at Kimberley are
/ worth. but the sum certainly IS gigantic
{ Quite possibly Il is Sioo00a.eoe The CON-
pany has Offices in London. hu; lis head
! quarters are in the south African city.
where in a building resembling a hank
the gems are kept stored away in vaults.
Il only a fraction Of them were offered
for sale at once the price OF diamonds
! promptly would tumble: but the great
corporation. owning deposits which pro-
duce IS per cent OF the worlds entire
/ yield OF these precious stones. controls
the market by disposinS OF only a limit
ed number OF carats a year.
Only dozen years ago the Kimberley
mines included over 5000 separate claims
/ each thirty-one feet square. separated
/ from each other by narrow roads. In
1898. however, Cecil Rhodes brough; about
a consolidation Of all these properties in
/ TO a single corporation. which now prac-
/ tically mOnopolizes the diamond produc-
+ lion OF the world. With a capital OF Sls-
10000. Two OF the mines. the Du Toits
I Pan and the De Beers. are the largest
! holes ever sunk in the earth. the mouth
! Of the former being nineteen acres In ex-
I tent. while the latter has yawu OF
/ thirty-fve acres. They are lighted bv
electricity ingenious and powerful descrip.
I ton
From the central shaft Of each mine
/ runs n system OF galleries. At various
levels, Ike so many burrows m which
/ laborers dig out the diamond bearing
earth and lead II upon hsndcsrs. that are
/ hauled TO the surface with the help %
machinery This earth Is blush clay
It IS spread out over the ground Tor some
weeks and though hard ard tough. be-
| comes friable and crum5y through ex-
1 posure 20 sun and moisture. The process
| IS helped BY going over 81 with harrnws
/ When it has reached a satisfactory con-
dillon the earth Is loaded into handcars
and taken 10 the huge revolving wash
ing machines
The concentrate. when removed from
the washing machines. Is placed on tables
where II is sorted while wet By white
men. and again after It i dry by Karrs.
The sorters work with small trowels. and
not single diamond the size Of a pin
head escapes their notice. There Is no
great difficulty in this task. for the gems
in their natural state are by no means
the dun pebbles they are commonly de-
scribed as being. on the contrary. they
are bright and sparkling.
Biologists think they know Just how
the diamonds OF the South African fields
We're made by nature. The surface layer
OF the earth therea bouts ages ago was a
carbonaceoups shsle As vrybody knows
carbon IN It's pur state Is the sole mater
ial Of the diamond By and By volcanic
stun from the bowels Of the earth was
vomited up through the shale. and the
enormous heat thus generated caused the
carbon IN the shale 10 cryatauze IN the
form OF diamonds. As a result. there Il
a vast body OF clay. through which gems
are scattered Ike plums IN a pudding.
and so evenly that 100 tons % the ma
terial can be counted on 10 Yield about
100 carats Of the precious stones The de-
posts. apparently are iuexhaustable
The discovery of diamonds in south AZ
RIGA was purely accidental A stranger
"trek!ng'' through the country stopped
over nightat the house % hospitable
Dutch farmer. who showed him as cur
losities some bright pebbles found By bis
children. which the latter suspected that
they were diamonds. and being an hon
sst man. suggested the idea % his host
The latter took them % the nearest city.
and sold them for a sum sufficient TO
make him rich for lie Later on many
valuable stones we're found IN the Fravels
Of the Vasl and Gong-Goug rivers. bat g.
was rot JntD 1870 that prospecfors came
upon the real source az supply from
Ehich these accidental gems had beer.
washed out by the streams Even Then
only the yellowish surface earth vas
worked. and when the miners got down
20 blue clay which later proved . hs
the true matrix % the stores. thsy mag
med that the deposits were exhausted.
The Kimberley mines now Yield $50 ~
carats annually. representing ~ 10000. =
which two-G,ths Is clear prg0i During
The last quarter century they have asGsd
% the worlds wealth ten tons % Ola
nonds. worth 100 90 90 uncut. and CO.
30 90 after cutting
These mines employ 100 Touroeans and
GO Kaflrs The utmost precautions are
AIKEN arslug. theft yet ths c1Dpany
reckons on q ioss % 70 % 3 per cent -
rs product 30 this way The bgsinsre -
purcaasfrr stoisa gems ooc8pi~a may
entsrprislur persons and tss nls'b9ts De-
vissa ~ the Il b R's" 40 ne r'ic..
diamond buyers are called. eEhi8lta0 IN
eenaltv ws-rhy % p more h1aars9- Ia call
ing faws framed 20 PIT d1sa '1s -
Tense are erceesingiv sfrtef-so ngrh -
nat presaup.lo- = TTIiif stsr6r arsins-
an s-r1-fs5 person Unless hs can prove
als Innocence
Fresg.ts-auy ro1s szaF.s ssrvs - a.
.-arf ths Kafrs t1 TIE nsinas and - re-
~rr-fis them % -e~fstE eerf lfi0rs q ssv-
.tzs. rlta xnl-h 1at.s susn hardy e7sif
3. irsares - pat - These relate - fhs
,rsesafio.s against talsesnw EVery even
snz TIE Iabers-s are c8iiRsd - atriB fhs1n-
SELVES 81 adt-tlfs rsS.sy ard hang tasir
-Istts-araaTv tss iastsr e91trs -
a-ee-h-isst srsrtl 4--sgoa Ssgf ~ go "a
Thea thrT are asstscfse o. a. els o-ats
rrsri-stI1n. even sas3r ra7atas aaf ears
tesrg i.srezfsa Then ;hsy g. - -
qasrtsrs vhers fssr psas 80 r'sst hian-
Ksta aalsg p-oTissd - faf't c1fari
ard -ss elsssi-x .afT a4ss .ef- sshiae =
eas.fsliy f-oke9 sssr sfoaaHa4fiiy.
,ssv are ~-rszss fer psrs1 - thrss
-.a--hs a1s ray rsrsE So esatfaes a.
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