The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-17
DIAMONDS GOING UP
Operations of the De Beers Com
pany in South Africa.
WORK OF AN AMERICAN
Strange Devices of MISUNDERSTANDING
Themselves to Conceal Stolen
Observation-Disclosures
Precious Stones.

FROM the ROCKY, Mountain News.
The price of diamonds is going up, and
this is why:
One day about 10 years ago Barney
Barnato. who began life in South Africa
as peddler of cheap jewelry, and ended
it (by his own acD as the Diamond
King" proposed to Cecil Rhodes that
they put all the diamonds at Kimberly in
a pail.
Good enough" said the continent grab
Der. Pour them in. I'd like to see how
they look"
Barnato placed large bucket on one
of the sorting tables in the main office
and into that dumped all the rough dia-
monds that had been mined during the
year 1889. They filled it to the brim.
Now" he said. TN buy that bucket
of diamonds from you, Rhodes, just as
they are, unsorted.'
The two quickly agreed upon a price,
and then and there was laid the founda-
ton of the famous diamond syndicate,
which is now attracting the attention of
the gem-wearing public. for when Bar
nato packed up the stones and sent them
to London and Amsterdam it required
the experts there three months to accom-
plish the sorting, and in that period dia-
monds became so scarce on the market
that they began to bring fancy prices.
Mr.. Rhodes. who can awaken to such an
opportunity without being roughly jolted,
saw 1t was good thing, and since then
his syndicate has been buying up the
Kimberly diamond crop in advance, and
doing out the stones as it sees At.
The product is now arranged for until
Tune 1900 and If the demand for thaea
sparkling baubles continues to increase,
no one can say what diamonds will be
worth year from now. The De Beers
Consolidated Mines company has the
world at it's mercy. Not enough diamonds
are produced in Brazil, Australia and 9TH
er scattered localities to supply the de-
mand of the city of Philadelphia alone.
The jewelers. in Maiden Lane say that the
| market value of stones is already 40 per
cent. higher than it was a year ago. with
indications that the highWater mark has
not been reached. Every few weeks the
syndicate makes 10 per cent. advance
and the buyers must pay it or leave their
contracts untitled, which is costly pro-
ceeding.
There was nearly S. 900 to divide
among the stockholders Of the De Beers
Consolidated for the year 1898 and these
fortunate persons will be enriched in a
still greater proportion when the accounts
of 1899 are cast.
The Work of an American.
Contrary to the general impression the
man whom the directors of this company
hold responsible for its prosperity is not
Cecil j. Rhodes He is not even an Eng
lishman. but thorough whole-souled
American, who has displayed such Won
derful managerial talent that the stock
holders look to him, as 1t We're, for their
yearly dividends. ,.,.,
nrJr ~
lively unknown in this country, is one of
the few prominent characters in South
Africa. for he is head and front of the
diamond industry and has metamorphosed
the town of Kimberly from struggling
settlement into a model city. He is so
gretly valued by the De Beers company
that he is even given carte blanche in the
management of the mines and no one
ever questions his actions. He has often
requested them to accept his resignation
but on each occasion the directors in
crease his salary for him to remain. AS
for Mr.. Rhodes he seldom comes to Kim
berly these days and makes whatever
suggestions he has by letter. His last
instructions We're to decrease the output
for the next Il months, which will ac-
cordingly be done.
Wants u Model City.
Mr.. Williams is about 50 years old, of
imposing figure and kindly face. He holds
the position of American consular agent
at Kimberly and any reputable citizen
who lands there is sure of good treatment.
In Kimberly he is the whole show, to use
the miners description. His ambition is
to establish a city where each man will
own his own home and make enough
money to live in comfort. To this end
he has begun a model village on the out
skirts of Kimberly, which is called Ken
ilWorth. Here there are beautiful cot
rangements. which the employee can rent
for go los per month and purchase on in
stallments. There are special buildings
for bachelors and an excellent club house,
with billiard rooms, library and all the
other appointments. The village Is thread
ed by wide driveways flanked with eu-
calyptus, oak cypress and pine trees.
Making a model town, however has
been only a small part of this enterpris-
ing Americans services to the De Beers
company. Every day he goes over the
three mines now being operated, namely.
the Kimberly. De Beers and the Premier.
The Bultfontein and Dutoitspan, though
controlled by the company, are not work.
ed. He visits the convict station. the
various departments of each mine, prac-
tically handles every diamond shipped
from this country, and in general takes
care of his family" which consists of
1000 native Africans and 1000 white
miners.
Digging for the Gems.
Mining diamonds requires more kinds
of attention than any other industry and
Mr.. Williams has his work cut out for
him. He knows exactly how many
'1oads" are hauled out each day and how
many feet of blue earth have been exca-
vated This blue clay Is the home of the
diamonds. 1t runs in veins and the pro-
cess is to sink a shaft and blast along
levels at distances regulated so that one
will not fall through on another below.
The De Beers mine has now been carried
down to and beyond 1,4Oo feet and the
Kimberly to 1900 feet. The Premier Is
less rich than these two, but has a larger
area and is very easily worked. so that
much lower cost of production compen-
safes for a smaller yield.
The amount of blue ground reported as
in sight was estimated at that time as
100000 loads in the De Beers and 4,000,-
900 in the Kimberly: while in the Pre-
mier there were @ 10000 loads above the