Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-11-04
THE KIMBERLEY MINES,


ABtOntsnlnS W PREVENT tht
Natives Stealing Diamonds.
In 1867 Kaffir boy playing with a
pebble attracted the attention of Il
prospector, who discovered that the
pebble was a diamond. That was the
beginning of the Kimberley mines.
Betw cen 1857 and 1899 the value of
the diamonds taken out was $l55, 000,-
JO". There were originally four ia
nous mines-the Bultsontein, Du
Toit's Pan, De Beers and Kimberley.
In the natural order of events trust
nad to follow, so all were merged into
he Kimberley, the richest and larg-
,st. The trust occupies 200, 900 acres
Of land, employees Is, 600 natives and
%, 900 whites, consumes each month
in the >ompounds". %, 900 pounds
Of mutton and 200, 600 pounds of beef,
turns out 900, 600 ca,ats of diamonds
4 month, uses GO0O tons of coal u day,
has 1000 horses and mules, II stall
ions of the best breeds and 200 brood
mares.
The "compounds" are reminders of
the convict camps. They are three in
number, and each is Il pen of iron and
wire fences ten feet high to prevent
escape. In the corrugated iron houses,
which form three sides of square,
$500 natives live during the time OF
their contract, lasting six months.
Each room holds 20 people, who sleep
On hunks. They are Malays, Hotten-
tots, Kafirs, Fingoes and Bechuanas.
Some are clothed and some are not.
some have their teeth filed to resemble
q saw. Others have their heads shaved,
leaving fringe at the back. Some are
tattooe'', and nearly all have holes in
their ears to hold anything that comes
to hand. Spoons, straws, feathers.
stumps Of cigars and cigarettes are car
ried in this manner.
Within each compound is com
missary,' where supplies are sold.
Extending over the whole inclosure,
which covers several acres, is Il wire
netting to prevent the throwing over
of diamonds inclosed in tin cans, etc.
This was done once. The natives
look like crows in cage. They are
not allowed to leave the compounds
during the time Of contract. The
mine shaft is reached by means of an
underground passage, and each man
is searched after his days work. No
liquor is furnished. The pay is from
"a to 70 cents day. These prison
ers are kept in detention room one
week before their contract expires,
where they wear gloves made of two
disks of leather chained to their
wrists. Their clothes are taken from
them and examined, and at the end Of
the week they are turned loose, with
out the possibility of carrying away II
diamond.
The Kimberley mine is the crater Of
an extinct volcano. The mouth OF
the crater is 3l2 feet below the surface
of the prairie, and the shaft is 800
feet below that, making the total depth
612 feet. Blue rock is raised to the
surface by powerful machinery, where
it is spread out in field of about 200
acres and left to the mercies OF the
sun, rain and wind for year, when
it decomposes and falls apart. 1t is
then crushed and washed twice or
three times, and finally passed over
shaking tables covered with kind of
grease which retains the diamonds,
while the refuse passes of. The gems
are then washed in acid, and taken to
the valuator. Out OF 5000, 600 tons
of blue rock about 1900 pounds of
diamonds are obtained. A syndicate of
diamond buyers takes the product OF
= the mines.