Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1900-01-18
KIMBERLEY DIAMONDS.

known diamond deposit in the world
is at Kimberley, Sonth Africa THIS
city, which has a vast well of clay-lke
earth that is rich with diamonds in
the rough, is now in state Of siege.
A Boer army surrounds 1t and inside
of the circle of earthworks, soldiers
and cannons that have been placed
for its protection the citizens live in
fear Of bursting shells and the lack Of
food.
Diamonds have been called precious
so long that there is no record where
or how they first became sought after
as Jewels Writers who lived centuries
before the birth of Christ tell of them
as exceeding in value all human things.
Then they were known by the Greeks
as "adamas' (the unsubduablr), and
they were believed by the credulous
to be gifted with mysterious powers;
this WAS probably owing to their abll-
ity to resist heat and to their hardness.
Up to the beginning Of the present
century nearly all diamonds came
from India. Then great numbers were
found in Brazil, but not until after the
discovery cf diamonds in South Africa,
in 1867 were the stones found in vast
quantities. That year Dutch farmer,
who lived near what are now known
as the great diamond fields, got from
a native a bright stone that his chll-
dren were using as a playrhing. The
stone was sent to Cape Town and WAS
there recognized AS diamond of ex-
ceptional value. 1t was forwarded to
the Paris Exposition and there sold
for 50 500. From that time on the
diamond fever swept through South
Africa Two years later a beautiful
stone was found which weighed SO
carats. 1t was called the Star of
South Africa, and sold for $50 600
no to this time the diamonds hal been
found in the sand near the Orange and
Vaal rivers. In 1870, however, it was
reported that great pockets
of hard earth filled with diamonds had
been found on plateau north of the
Orange river. The diamond hunters
hocked TO the new fields and found
that in that region Of the plateau, nn-
der its layers of red sand, were great
pipes or tunnels through which at
some ancient time boiling lava flowed
from the heart Of the earth. These
pipes were filed with hard and blu
ish deposit (called blue ground that
evidently had been forced to the sur
face by volcanic action and from d
great depth. In other words, these
pipes were crAters of extinct volcanoes.
The vast diamond pits Of Klmber-
ley are in the largest and most valua-
bic Of the croters. The larger OF these
pits is probably the greatest hole ever
dug by man. II ls 500 feet deep and
has an area of l3 acres. Numbers of
diagonal shafts lead from the surface
to The bottom of the pit, aud up and
down these shafts are passing contln-
ually tram.cars. Tue business of these
cars is to carry the blue ground up to
the floors" where it is dumped aud
left to soften in the sun and rain. for
the blue ground IS almost As hard as
sandstone when taken out. By the
combined effect Of water and sunlight
it gradually softens.
The floors are nothing more than
great tracts of land that have been
cleared of vegetation aud have been
then rolled to make them as hard and
smooth as possible. Each OF these
floors is 600 acres in extent. After
one OF them has been covered TO
depth of foot with blue ground,
which has lain long enough to be fairly
soft, natIves with harrows AIe set TO
work breaking up the soil.
After period of three to SIX months
the blue ground is soft enough to be
ready for washing Then it Is cdrted
to very intricate washing machine,
where 1t is tumbled around IN running
water until nothing Is left but crusly
little chunks and pebbles. In the
crusty chunks are the diamonds These
are passed through sleeves that sepa-
rate them into four sizes.
Next the crusly Fragments are PASSED
TO the "assorrers" aud piled OH tables,
where white men assort them, taking
the diamonds from among the other
mineral formations. The assorters
work with trowel-llke instruments, and
are SO expert that they at d glance can
pick out II chunk OF earth that tolls a
i. Ih..f OF -