Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-11-18

IN a perfectly dark room. This dia.
mond u brazilian origin was valued at
only one hundred thousand dollars. al
though % weighs acyonty-nlx knruts.
until the owner ono day took % In BIS
hands and demonstrated that In the
darkest room % could be- made Go send
forth "a llght The same test was APP
Piled 90 the orion. the wonderfully cut
diamond in The ravptrr ~ the Russian
DHnr The orion WslEhH "a hundred and
nlurty-fuur knrutH. and itu value nprang
90 nearly four millions.
Tho celebrated French state Jewel,
tho Pitt diamond, ~ valued nc three
million I'VE hundred thousand ita
weight a. one hundred and thlrty-aiE
kIrhtH a dian. nd ia tho rough u the
stewart u South Africa, which weighs
now two hundred ana oighty-elght
kurntH and in valued at several hum
drud thousand lee shape IL 30 irrcEu-
Jar that n viii cut 90 great disadvan-
show r. bullancy which viii Increase
Rising IN one of the buckets 70 tho
tor, we won't over tho works where
tho wu1h-ruumH uru located, and there
we saw the Jumps Of earth dumped into
% large hopper which o. kept in con-
slant motion by steam power. and into
which "a stream of water ~ continually
pouring, a. the lower and smaller end
VI this hopper there lH an arrangement
lf screens about one foot apart. the
one directly under the other. The top
screen ~ O. coarse one, which retains
uli tho large stones. tho others are finer.
until the one ut the bottom, which "
r1 One no. 10 collect pebbles tho size OF
pinhoud.
'rho hopper and screen are an under
lock ana kgy and 10 iH ma imrnsHhliity
earth or stone from tho machine With
out tho Keys, which are kept iu a safe
uf che min. owners until the wash up
day when the screen boxes are opened
Boo the presence NJ tho officers % the
claim 90 which tho "nud' belongs and
sorted hy an expert. Tho rough dia-
mnudH nrr weighed ana scaled in par
CvlH and taken Co the office Tor cluaal.
hUtlou and valuation,
when o. knfhr o. econ 90 pick up any.
thing ln the mine DO lH searched. taken
tD the office md given powerful
UWHtle. The natives work naked, and
arc NOT allowed tn touch the earth they
are mining with their hands.
once week. usually sunday morn
FMS. the owners gr directors or claim
meet and open the screen boxes In tho
wuHh.up machine. which has tho nccu-
mulntiuE findings OF Hrvpn days. The
screen boxes are dumped on o. zinc
covered table whore tho expert acrnpca
the gravel over with piece ~ zine and
picks out the GOOD stones Many
worthless crystals are found. but these
are not cvon honorrd with a glance BY
the expert. although thgy would de-
CDlvu almost any ono elise.
Nearly every large European dealer
iu diamonds has uu agent ON Tho heldH,
The number OF small mines iH great.
and dIamuulH Orc Co Do found over an
area OF nearly one hundred square
miles. but frW claims uru sufficiently
rich Co pay Tor wurNuT The Naul
River liEelugH were very rrmunrratlyo
at ono Tine, and tho beds or ull streams
lu this part uf Africa show diamonds,
but not in paying quantities.
The river mining l7 done with a cradle
and screen. usually hy two men who
work together Plenty uf water ~ a
necessity lu successful diamond mining,
uH dry Sitting BE- slow md luhOnOus.
JOHN CLARK HARRIS
War CuUrUHpou1a