The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-10-20
al trust in tn, whole world.

What the actual wealth If Kimberley
may be no one can accurately guess.
Millions uEon millions may be stored
away in the offices of the De Beers Com
pany. Nobody knows. No secret has
ever been better :.-Et What is known
Is that the busi1 IS Of the Dc l,eers Com
pany is to keep the price Of diamonds up
Once let the supply increase to any extent
and prizes would crop. Therefore, only
a limited number of diamonds find their
way into the market each year-.he
remainder never Lave Kimberley.
Like many another great source OF
wealth, the discovery - the diamond
mnss Of Kimberley was ,:ue to an acct
dent IN the late "Six:ies'' a Eoei, with
the distinctly IIibn.nian .,:tme of 0'Rciily,
happened TO take sh liter one night in
kaffir kraal Some Of the native thil-
dren were playing With 4 particularly
bright some and, his attracting O'Reiiiy's
notice. h.. n:ter2d 10 exchange Il few
beads and other ,r;fleS fer it.
He knew little OF Tie zeal salEc of dia-
monds, but when he ncached llcme he was
able to dispose of the gem for a substan-
tiai sum of money. lie It'd his friends,
too, that the Haliirs h1d told HIM there
were plenty more similar stones in the
district, and soon there was cutie an
influx Of prospect3rs II the reshbcrhood
OF the Vaal river.
The surrounding country was secured
by fortune-seekers. and at HopetoWn
Bulfontein. small discoveries of diamonds
Were made. But it was on the spot
where the town Of Kimberley now stands
in all its prosperity that the greatest finds
We're made. and the very first mine 10 BE-
opened there was on farm owned by a
Boer. one De Beers 1t IS this mine
which still holds sway as the monarch OF
all diamond producers. and which gives
its name to the vast corporation OF which
Alfred Belt and Cecil Rhodes are the lead
ing spirits, whose wealth is so fabulous
and whose power so far-reachins.
Another vast mine is the Kimberley.
This and the De Beers have the honor
Of bling the largest holes ever dug by
man in the surface of the earth. When
one imaSines that the mouth Of the kim
berley mine is llinet- en- acres III area,
and that the latter has an opening COW
er.ng thrty-five acres, while the depth of
each is something like 500 feet. one can
gain some conception of the magnitude Ct
these great pits. Latter.y, however It
has become necessary to adopt other
methods of securing the diamonds than
that Of digging great open pits such as
these.
When the necessity arose for descending
to Y ry great depths. and to use Tio"nt
explosives, such as dynamite. for Blasting
the hard, blue ground in which The costly
gems ara inlbeddcd. ii was fourd that the
destruction of life and property through
the constant collapsing of the walls Of
earth was too serious and alarming to be
allowed to continue: other methods
had to be Devised. At some distance from
the great open pit shafts We're sunk, ana
from these ran horizontal galleries. pene-
lrat-ng the blue clay.
The lowest Of these gall ries is 12}0
\ -,tl
in the Kimberley. In naugurat;ng this
newer system of DEMONSTRATING an
enormous outlay was necessary III exca-
waiting appliances. and ii is estimated that
these cost millions of dollars. The wheel
used for mining purposes is the larg st
IL the world. and was cast ty the De
iseers COMPANY at kimberley.
IN TIE various mines & vast army Of
!:ber Is is kept in constant employment.
why,n everything is in running order over
i2,[s4 colorel men are al work. with
ssaif Of near,y SOD White men crGaGed
as 0versesrs. engineers. and trs,leSmen
Day ;,nt! night. weekdays and Sundays,
She work proceeds. There IS nsver q
stop. Eight hours ut Il stretch each gang
works. While oac gang is below the
remainder ike on the surface, and White
they wait then, turn they arr kent in a
hinge square o. compound surrounded On
!a;'crs live and sleep.
Thy are entirely cut off from the outer
world for three months at q timr. ana
then if any one W.Snes TO leave MS work
re is X pt in room by himself for seven
days. All his clothing is taken from
him AMI be is not suff r2d to depart until
every risk OF having $ crete,l/I diamond
on his person Is eliminated.
That sucl, stringent measures are needed
20 Oh ok robbery is shown by the fact
that not long ago one fellow had Z sore
leg. and had ii vel-bandagcl Just as
he was leaving. The limb was examined
b,. the suspicious officials. and in a If
inflicted wound were discovered ten small
d 'amonds, wfose united value was 10
less than thousand dollars.
When the laborers in the underground
galleries dig cut the DEMONSTRATING
earth it is lcadel on small trolleys. These
are run 10 the shaft and brought TO III
surface by machinery in astonishing guam
titles Here it is sprcaI ont on floors
500 $50 acres in extent Her II lies
FOR several months.
Exposed to sun and air the hard. blue
ground gradually crulnolcs. and wl.en i
is finally reduc 10 dus; the valuable
ll:amGnds arc collected in the washing
machines.
TO leave this enormous quantity Of
precious gems exposed for 50 long il such
a large oren-s,ir area would naturally b
thought rather risky proceeding. When.
!loweN L. YOU know ttint the floor ara
i cnclcsrd by very lofty fences. and ihat
armed gunrls are placed at short distances
vho keep watch night and dav. wnii'
on m c,niEcnce is q sGrt of observatory
furnished with powerful! TELESCOPES anG
scarchl!ghts. you uid rstaDd how sinai
IS inc chance Of losing even d single
stone.
'rha washing machines are most iaseni-
Gus p:ecss of mechanism They are ~
tie forr, Of great Eats. conta ni1s retf-
trifueal wheels. As these rsNolve they
crush the bus earth allowing the l.%ayy
particles containing the d.amands TO stnlS
20 ,hc bottom of the "st- Then the ESns
earth is t,u;iad of. What remains tof'ss
l!ks a mass OF blue aahblss. and this soe
10 the next machince. known is Il pull
Satsr.
!Ikere the rehbes are sort d according
q size This done. they are placed on
long. fat benches, aI.i careful faaids piek
out the rich gems with small troWe!s.
Not ii single gem ever escapes the Wig
liant search. and this is plainly on account
of tn II brilliant sparkling appearance
t.,-o,, in hn rN.Irh state.