The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-29
AMERICAN DIAMOND CUTTERS.
A Revolution Brought About by the
Ingenuity of Yankees.

| revolution brought About by tn,
Ingenuity of Yankees.
NEW YORK Oct. Za.-American diamond
cutters. long idle or only partly employed
on account of the war in South Africa, ar,
again prosperous. The supply OF rough
diamonds was wholly cut off by the siege
OF Kimberley. and the traffic was not re-
su;ned regularly until a considerable time
after the relief Of that town. Only one OF
the numerous cutting establishments In
| New York and Brooklyn has been run con-
tinuously through the war period.
Many American workmen went to Ans
1'terdam and Antwerp, the diamond cutting
centres of Europe. only to discover on thei,
arrival that conditions there were no bet
ter than at home. They have returned
and in most instances they have found
bench room awaiting them in their for
mer employers factories.
This country has revolutionized the art
OF diamond cutting. Prior to the pioneer
efforts OF Henry ID. Morse. Of Boston. in
the sixties, nearly all the diamonds sold
were cut and polished in Amsterdam and
Antwerp. The chief aim then was to get
the largest gem possible out of a rough
| EeSuTuleSS OI
,Morse's idea of a brilliant was stone SO
cut as to receive, refract, and finally to
reflect all the light possible. He was
soundly berated by the European cutters
for his waste OF material. but no produced
gems that they were unable to match, exc
| cept by conforming to his ideas.
| Mr.. Morse struggled bravely to estab-
| lish the diamond cutting industry in this
| country, and his efforts were ably sec
onded by Isaac Herman. Of New York.
| and several capitalists. The American
Diamond Cutting Company was formed
in New York and began business on a
| large scale under Mr.. Herrmans manage
| ment. but the civil war ruined the enter
i prise, and 1t was abandoned. Mr.. Herr
! man was a convert TO Mr.. Morse's theory
| and continued in the business in his own
name until about six years ago. Before
his retirement he had witnessed the COM
plete triumph Of Mr.. Morse's reform ard
| Of seeing its adoption in all the diamond
cutting works in the world.
] AS result of the beautiful gem max
! ing of Morse & Herman. the old plan of
| including even small and scarcely per-
| ceptible flaws in large stones was aban-
doned, aud smaller gems were produced
! by SO cleaving the faulty stone that the
imperfection was cut out. Cleavfng or
splitting the diamond was not original
with this pioneer American cutter. 1t
has been practiced from the earliest
times. but deliberately splitting large
stone along the plane of a small flaw
was a treatment SO courageous that the
older cutters were astounded by it. They
had been taught that weight in dia-
mond was the first consideration. and a
flaw that could be detected only by an
expert was not regarded as sufficient to
justify it's division into two or three
gems. however beautiful and perfect they
might be.
The American cutters completely over
threw that theory by adherence to the
new school of perfection and securing the
greatest possible brilliancy. The Ameri
cans did not hesitate to recut large stones
that had been made ready for the market
according to the European standard Of
FORM thereby somewhat diminishing their
weight, but Enthusiastically improving the
appearance and increasing their value.
The cleaying OF diamonds became a higher
art than ever as a result of the studi0us
endeavor to produce from flawy stone
the largest possible perfect brilliants.
The cleaver. before he begins work on a
stone, carefully studies it with a view of
ascertaining what he can get out OF it
without including in its product any flaw
or speck 1t may contain. Having decided
how he will split it first. he heats over
his spirit lamp his dorp which is a lump
OF cement Of great tenacity, in the end Of
stick which serves as a handle When
the cement is soft enough the rough dia-
mond Is embedded in it so that only the
face en- which work is to be done is ex-
posed, Close at hand are other dorps in
the cement, of which are set chips and
slivers of diamond with sharp points and
edges. With these a shallow incision is
scratched on the stone under treatment in
the line Of the split that is desired. When
this has attained a sufficient depth tine
dorp with the stone to he split is set
solidly into the stror g bench, a hard steel
bar, shaped like rude razor and ground
to rounded edge, is rested in the incision,
and sharp, light blow on its thicker edge !
causes the stone to part in the desired !
direction almost clearly as IL cut All |
the abradIng is done over little box in
which the dust and small chips are COL
lected and subsequently, used in grinding |
down the facets and polishing. The grind |
ing and polishing are done with diamond |
dust mixed with oil and spread as needed |
On revolving steel dies, on which the stones |
in their dorps are pressed with weights. |
The abrading, however, until stone is |
roughly formed. is done by rubbing one |
stone against another. as in making the !
incision for the cleaver. In few shops |
abrading machines are used for this pur-
pose. They work one stone against an
other on a principle resembling that of a
steel planning machine. The first diamond |
cutting machine ever made was the in
venltion of Mr.. Morse, but a more perfect |
device has been used in a New York shop
within the last few years.
Diamond mining in Africa has under
gone a great change during the last ten
years In the earlier period of mining in
that region the blue clay which is the
matrix of the diamond was dug from huge
open pits, which eventually attained
depths of nearly one hundred feet. At
those depths the slipping banks often caved
in, with alarming consequences, and the
losses of life became SO numerous that
workings similar to these in
American coal mines were established in |
the Kimberley. De Beers and a few other
mines. Levels were worked at various
depths from shaft at first about 600 feet
deep, but now nearly 1000 feet. The blue
ground is of unknown depth but OF limit
ed area in each of the mines. They ap-
pear 10 have been the vents of mud vci-
canoes or geysers, and are called Chin
neys'' in the literature OF diamond mining.
When these mines Will be exhausted or
how deep they can be prOfitably worked
IS question that only time can decide.
The yield of load OF blue ground at the
greatest depths yet reached appears to
De about the same as at the higher levels
All the diamond mines now known are
jwned or controlled by the De Beers Con-
iolidated Mines. monopoly OF which
Cecil Rhodes is the president.
The Indiana ProhibitiOnists.
(From the Chicago Chronclc)
AT last it seems the Republican brethren have
awakened to realization of the fact that the