Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1900-08-17

While the diamond mines mt kimber-
ley have been producing about SlS.OOO.-
U worth of gems Il year. the industr!
in Brazil, formerly the most important
diamond producing country in the
world, has fallen to II low ebb. Ii is
now carried on only by individuals or
small associations working in Il crude
manner. The yield was never much
over $1.O0O,OU0 in amy year ANA the
product is now worth annually less
than 100000, and yet the quality OF
the Brazil stones averages higher than
that of the Kimberley output.
Tie reason for the decline OF The Bra
I'll industry is partly. because it is car
rictl on in IL shiftless sort OF way. but
mostly on account of the immense out
pu of Kimberley. Which has glutteu
the market and practically crowded The"
| Brazil mines to the wall. Brazil GEMS
rarely leave the country until they are
ready for the jewelers.. for they arc cut
either at D%iamantina Gouvca OF Rio de
.Ianeiro. while the Kimberley stones
are sent to the L.ondcn market III March
each year and are then distributed to
the diamond cutters of Holland and
Belgium.
Brazil. however. has practically Il
monopoly OF the carbonate or black
diamond which is used in diamond
drills and for other abrasive purposes.
1t is found, to he sure. in Cape Colony
and some other places. but is coinmcr-
cially important only in Brazil.
There is IL marked difference between
the conditions under whicl, the dia-
mond is found in South Africa and in
Brazil. At Kimberley most of the gems
are taken from the thick strata of
rotted rocli forming blue clay through
which the rough gems are scattered:
and the mining is carried OF simply by
digging up this blue clay and passing
1t through washing machines which
separate the gems from. the earth. Dia
mends are also found i'll the bed of the
Naal River and two or three other
places. but nearly all the gems that
reach Europe come from the famous
Kimberley formation.
On the other hand, the Brazil dia.
monls are scattered over Il large par,
of the central region of the great
aIcliaean formation. which is spreaG
over nearly the whole Of the southern
tributaries of the Amazon. Enormou:
quantities sof the precious stones are
doubtless Embedded in this hard rock
hut the diamonds had been worked
very little outside the ~a!lllvial beds tt
which they had been carried in the bed,
of stream from the ancient fOrlna
ton i'll which they originated. Thu
they are found in the stream beds o
, Minas Garaes (many mines). Bahia
Goyaz and Matto Crosse. The digging
now i'll operation are chiefly in the stat
: of Bahia. where during the dry sea
son the little water remaining in on
or another small stream is turned out o
I its channel and the gravel is sifted 70
the gems 1t may contain. The wor
goes on without much method or energ
y until the rains come. when the diamon
digger takes a vacation and work Is nc
G resumed until the next dry season.
. In $50 years of mining operation
Brazil has yielded about SlOO.O0O,O 90
), worth of gems or a total output whic
~ is equaled every six or seven years b
d the product of the Kimberley mine,
d The African diamonds are commonl
h admitted to he less beautiful than thos
d from Brazil. but ,Nheir total sale alread
exceeds by millions the value of all I'll
. gems Brazil has produced. though a
y y rican diamond rfining has been carrie
OH only abort. thirty years.-New Yor
Sun.