Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-11-18
a DAY IN A KIMBERLEY DIAMOND MINE.
The Getting Of the Dirty Treasure for the Love of Which
South Africa Runs With Blood To-day

Your correspondent has just returned
from 70 visit 60 the Kimberley diamond
mines. These are the great be- Beers
mines controlled by Tho be- Beer ayudl.
cate at Kimberley Thee mines. To-.
Gated in the heart OF mother ourth,
showing nothing VI their exterior from
the surface and amounting. after au. 90
only few Jumps OF ruuIIUuH material
are the cause N the great South Afu4
can war. and Cor their possession men
are killing each other and South Africa
IN running with blood
The be Beers mines lrU worked very
seldom now. AZ the tim. j visited there
they were running two hours day and
all approach Co Thorn wac guarded with
even m1rr than the usual amount OF
caution. Tho diamond output the sue
l'tutrndent told niN. was very small
and Dec added that thu London uEUutH
had wired them that uniUHH IhHy could
send more. the price uf diamonds would
ru up One hundred per cent. ID having
already advanced nfty BE-, cent iu Lon.
don.
ln the present disturbed state " the
country % iH no easy matter Goo get ogs
cess Go tho great NlmlfIIHN mIuoH 10
is difficult To- reach Kimberley. but HH "a
war correspondent / carried papers
which took me thfUuEh tUr lines. and
] found that Ho Erglt De- DO. HH.r sense
NJ honor, ! could ride uNUf Che hills aud
D
showing my pasap1rH uul proving my
Identity The Hoor lINu tHs utmost
confidence in "a stranger who tUIiH tuUm
"a straight story. though they Hru uufu.
rally on the alert Those sturdy Dutch.
men srom endowed with Hu extra HuuHo
/ which tells them when tur newcomer
lH un enemy ana when l friend
10 KIMBERLEY.
took q faiIruad uuiu f1r queens
town and there pufphuHHd 20 cavalry
mount. and Hu / managed tu EDt across
TO Kimberley HumuumrH following
/ wagons and again accompanying the
truupu
The whole town Of Kimberley H. q
/ typical mining camp. THE houses are
built either NJ wood ur corrugated Iron
/ Win very little attempt ut architecture.
Hero and there ~ "a moro prytUntloua
gline6 but the substantial houses arc
| few, owing 90 tho difficulty OF getting
| tho material up from thp coast
! put up nt "a public lodging house.
/ ana hero the landlord told mu that the
] people uf Kimberley hnNG always feIt
] lhc town 20 De merely transient one.
/ Ihuy know that Kimberley depends "a.
! ur0ly upon tho diamond mines. and
! though tho output shows no HlruT Of
| l'gfg lH', ntlll II may cease ut any timo.
! ma Kimberley without ltH mines would
/ D" nothing. owing Co ltH Unfortunate
| location. which 10 high ou tho hills. b.
| On NOT forillo, ana u newcomer would
/ quickly predict that kimberley. With
| uut ltH diamond mines. would doL nUr-
/ hio into pasture lands, and poor lands
| hi that, IN very short tlmU
! Tho next morning, through the kind.
] ness ut the superintendent OF tho Do
! beers mines. 60 whom ! took "a letter
| NJ Introduction. ! Htartod' out ma
| walked along the street until ] came 10
| n great wire rope which stopped my
M| u o
| within thirty yards OF tho edge nf N
| great black pit which yawnul before
| me in "a wlord ana uncunuy way.
! Those who have ever brvu down la "a
| coal mine. ana there are many in Tho
/ United StutpH. viii recall tho yn,yninr
| abyss ana tho shafts up and down
/ which the buckets travel
! The great pit was fully throo hum
| lr,d foot deep. AZ The top. down 10
| the very bottom and around tho sides
OF this great bowl. electric llghts were
| placed nt Irregular intervals. ana by
| ttrainlnE the cyea one could uto par-
ties of half-nnkod workers nitting In
ana out, while from tho bis hole cnme
10 low hum of human voices drowned
by The occasional rattle u tho great
iron buckets ~ they were drawn up on
| thglr wire CnhloH ana sent down again.
These buckets. when they came 10.
were filled with dull Jumps os dark ma.
] trr.nl an uf which o. poured Into n car.
] which iH drawn away, ana tho diamond
/ from the rough starts out upon It's ca-
tucr VI becoming polished stone.
GOING DOWN.
Following the invitation of my guide.
1 got into ono OF the buckets and was
! lowered Co o. gallery which ~ nothing
| more than O. ledge cut In tho rock upon
] which tho Wurkmvn are busy There
they were ut work. the NunirH. tho Flu-
go and baHuto wofkmen, nll with their
| picks. hnmmgfIug Into tho rock ana
] bringing down the lumpH. small and
/ large. though none OF them OF very
/ great slice.
Accustomed 20 the visits OF the over.
Hcors and TO the presence OF detectives.
BEERS DIAMONDS ARE nROUGuT
SUPPLY THE WORLD,