The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-01-21
DIAMONDS OF
SOUTH AFRICA.
a Former Digger Relates Some In
stances of Luck in the Fields.
RICH FINDS HAVE BEEN MADE,
spent Their AIl-First Discovery Of
Diamonds Ihcrc-Laws Against
Illicit Diamond Buyers.

"The FIRST diamond discovered IN South
Africa" sail Henry a. Kraisch. who
spent several years I'm the diamond fields
was purchased iu iS6l by trader, an
lrishmau by birth. named John OkeiHy.
While returning from the Interior win
his cattle he stayed for "a few days in
order 90 recuperatc. at large farm on
The banks OF the Orange river owned by
"a Bocr named Schaik van Niekerk a
peculiar STONE had been picked mp some
time previously by % Bushman boy.
O'Renlv bought lt for trihe out ~
curiosity not knowing himself what il
was and took 10 with Dim 90 a town
called COlcsburg and handed DO 10 the
resident civil Commissioner. who In turn
Forwarded it To Dr. Atherstone. in era
hams Town, cape Colony. This gentle
man. after careful examination, pro,
nounced I'll "a yeritable diamond y l-i
catais in weight and worth s. 800. IL was
subsequently purchased for this price oy
the Governor OF the colony Sir +. Wode-
house When The find became known O.
search for diamonds was instituted
throughout the Hope Town district bur
o. was not until 1869 that the existence
OF diamonds in paying quantities was
proved beyond "a doubt Then greli
rush OF diggers from an parts OF the
globe was made TO the Orange river and
its vicinity. il is o curious fact that
though the earliest finds were made in
the Hone Town district. no mine was
discovered there. I'm the latter part OF
1870 "A LOT of miners who had gained vdl-
liable experience i'm California ana Aus
traHa discovered n mine about one mum
dreJ miles due north of Hope Town,
nearly one thousand miles from cape
Town. which they named after the then
al
Kimberley. At the beginning Of 1871 ten
thousand men had found their way 10 tins
spot. The extensive farm ON when the
Kimberley mine and town are situated
was the property of one Van Wyck. from
whom IL was purchased for about SOW.
A DIAMOND MINE.
"The actual diamond mine is a mole OF
twenty-five or thirty acres. The MINING
was so-called gravel digging unih NO
u.be, the hard rock was reached at the
dopfh Of 27O feet from the surface. lhere
were then about 800 claims on Wnich
licenses were paid The yield or Ola
mouds from this big excavation since
The opening of tho mine in lSl pfo'aoly
exceeds eight tons weight OF pIe.',
stones. fin value about S-lp'll.Vr Ni',.
wears Of progress all the indiVldual sIii"lI
diegers and claim-holders SOFA oue ~
penney Raruato and Cecil Rhole5 were
a.. nro,nofer.. This company employs
a. nreeent about Zoo white men ana
abont Il 900 Kanirs and it's expenditure
for labor. material. &c, are NOT Loss
tbon 40 100000 annually. The unt7t ul'-
,,ona over found I'm South AFRICA WIS
Tho famous Porter Rhodes discoNeIe" 'i'
ol,f-o 40. SO. near the centre OF t''
tT,roborlov mine. on February j. I".
7, ie a nure white Octahedron, ~e'sni"7
IA cor1tg and valued at $Ooo1o. 9i'e"-
ala yellow octahedron was lo""u w
March o. 1884. al the east Di" 90
mine IL weighed 900 carats. u ne lal1
diamond ever found I'm THIS mine "3a u.
covered near the west cnd OF ''c -
~, co,.on,bcr % 1850. IL was ial7C
','r.,,,ie. octahedron. slightly spotted OF
,.aito,, color. and weighed ili carals' %.
,corl,, three ounces. I'm the moh'n ~,
t,.t'.,,.r,, nreyious q similar stone %.
90 la'r,ss was found near the east emu
20 .,o mine The former or these s'oI,'o
q. nroboblv the largest diamond ,Ie
ia has Vet produced, excepting Z" N'i
,r,,1o~rec. stone of some $40 caIdls io''.-
r,oersfonteln. Orange Free Sld''' 4'
lSSl.
FOR LITTLE MhN.
n,tor. +wcnty miles to the westward
r,t.,,f.o,lav the Vaal river Is met
niomond mining is I'm active pros aa .,5-.
ro,i,e THESE mines are generaliy
- Che moor mans diggngs' because
$50 man with little capital can ~
80 and stake off an unoccupleu can"
tovio nav his monthly license lee ol 49,
a., me Government mining colniiia
and 60 TO work. The only mining HNpi1
- ,ccosearv for his undertaking are
and "a smaller hand sieve, two TUBS, gen,
l-,il,. obtained bv saving an ale barrel
"a bslf and a provisional table TO sort
an os weu as a large pail I'm order 10
cgrrv che water for washing the sahu
fro,, the gravel I'm the tubs. As rune
ono of these prospectOrs, according 10
bfs means. hires two or three kaihf
laborere al about s. q week ana Keep
the rations being regulated by law
These men perform the more ldDoIl1u7
work I'm the sun. the prospeclor seneldhy
Umiting himself to the actual Washing
and sorting. The digging IS purely sur
60 ae nj n denth of about two feet
solid rock Is met ! have known lh-
stances during my soiourn there where
mon have expended their last cent ana
savings probably ranging from SOD 20
81 200. endured an kinds of hardsnips and
never fornG anything
"On the other hand have also met
men who. after a few weeks work, found
stones 90 the value of $4,000 I can recall
one instance where a man whom ] per-
sonaly knew had accumulated about
50 nO He took chances and went to the
river TO try his luck. JIG employed SIEVE
eral natives and took ont "a license for
three claims. iic worked increasingly
for about two months without over find
irl. "a single stone. Then ho abandoned
his claims and returned broke 20 Kim
bsricy & week or two after bis depart
ure "a Sc0tchman named Cameron stakcd