The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-26
EARLY DIAMOND DIGGING.
when 1t Was Easy to Find the Gems
in Kimberly.

When diamonds were an article of lux
ury that only the wealthy could indulge
in I embarked from the East Indian docks.
London, England. on the steamship War
wick Castle, for the Cape of Good Hope
After a journey of three weeks we sighted
Cape Town, with the great Table noun
tains looming up in the background We
entered a very small harbor and at last l
set foot on the soil of a country partly
owned by Beers, who became enriched
through the capital and industry of Euro
peans l stayed at the home of a man
named Curtis that night, and the next
morning l was wondering how | could ever
reach the diamond country, a distance of
nearly 800 miles, on a limited capital OF
less than IS.
spoke to Curtis on the subject. and
fortune favored me. He knew a party OF
traders about leaving for the Griqua coun-
try, and for my services as cook they
agreed to take me as far as Du-Toits- Pan
I pictured myself picking up diamonds
as one would potatoes That enthusiasm
however, was knocked completely out of
me when reached there and got down 90
practical work.
We started on our journey, going by rail
to Beaufort West, where the wagons
awaited us-two big wagons, each drawn
by sixteen oXen-in charge of a man nam
ed Brink and two Hottentots. Our jour
ney lay through rocky passes and stretches
of sandy desert, where the wheels some
times sank to the hub.
When we reached the diamond mining
camp my friends the traders introduced
me to one of the miners, named Carmich-
eel, of San Francisco. When he learned
that 1 was from the states we became
friends, and he insisted that should take
up my quarters with him. The following
day l was initiated into the arts and mys-
teries of diamond mining.
The diamond fields comprise four mines
-Dut Tots pan, Bultfontein, old De
Beers and Kimberly. In the days l write
of they had been worked but little. Kim
berly was the deepest. The process in
searching for diamonds was what we
termed dry sorting.
A piece of netting slung on the principle
of a hammock and large enough to hold
about six buckets of gravel was worked
back and forth by native Griguas. The
fine sand falling through was shoveled
up and carried to a table, where it was
sorted over. The larger gravel in the net
was put through the same process. Some
times there are found a good sized stone
in ii, the largest | found in dry sorting
being a 1S2-carat stone, very yellow and
badly shattered, and worth only 10 shil-
lings or 49, 70 a carat.
Carmichael and I were now working to-
gether on shares. He found a stone one
day weighing nine carats. which sold for
$50 a carat. 1t was a perfect gem
The diamond buyers were all located at
Kimberly, which eventually became the
great diamond market of South Africa
At this early date it was individual dig
glng and the buyers would daily visit
the mines, beating Up trade, which was
termed Kopje walloping.
Something now occurred which changed
the entire aspect of affairs. 1t was the
arrival Of an engineer and carpenter
named Peterson, with his wife. Just
imagine the excitement It created on the
fields it was the first white woman we
had seen there.
To celebrate this event we wanted a
flag but having none we hoisted shirt
on a pole and suspended work for that
entire day Previous to this our niggers
had paraded the camp in undress uniform.
Now sacks were greatly in demand.
This Peterson now introduced plans for
hauling the ground out of the mines. and
erected a washing machine and an eleva-
tar TO be worked by horse power. Two
firms were communicated with. and they
opened stores on the fields, with everything
connected with mining including powder
and dynamite an explosive / had made a
study Of This introduction Of machinery
reouired considerable capital, and the dia-
rnond BUYERS taking advantage Of the in
ability of some of the dggers to meet this
EXPENSE OF machinery, bought their claims
each thirty feet square, for small fig
IRE. started erecting machinery and en-
Moved the unfortunate miner as oVerseer
al a salary equal TO SIS week, and those