The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-29
BOUGHT 5000 DIAMONDS
j. c. sIPE RETURNS FROM AMsTER-
DAM ON KRoN PRINz WILHELM.
He Was in London During Coronation
and Saw a Hilarious Celebration
steamship Incidents.


returned from Europe where he or one Of
diamonds. In Amsterdam Mr.. Sipe bought
for himself and brothers over 5000 stones.
OF these, 1874 were received yesterday at
the indianapolis custom house, consigned
to Mr.. Sipe. The others were sent to
Pittsburg and Buffalo, where his brothers
stores are located.
The tendency of the diamond market in
Europe" said Mr. Sipe, lis a little stronger
than last year. / found more buyers than
l have ever met there before at this season
of the year. They were mostly Americans,
although there quite a number of
French, Russian, German and English
merchants.
LAS most people know, over 81 per cent.
of the worlds output of diamonds are
mined in South Africa. All the work in
these mines is done by Kafhr negroes.
Diamond mining is carried on much after
the fashion Of anthracite coal mining. They
are working at the present time at a depth
of $50 feet in the Kimberly mine. The
blue ground or rotten stone is brought
to the surface in small cars that hold
about cubic yard. 1t is spread out
floor and allowed to remain there from a
year to eighteen months. During this
time it is worked much like the way in
which farmer prepares his field for plant
ing, by narrowing and rolling The object
of this is to expose the clay to the elements
SO that disintegration will set In. After
year or eighteen months it is taken into
a Mushroom, where they wash it through
streams of running water. The diamonds
being heavier, all sink to the bottom. The
men who do the washing are white men
and under the eye OF an overseer con-
stantly. Some diamonds, of course are
found by the Kaffirs in the mines and are
very often secreted In the most cunning
manner. Every known safeguard is used
to prevent the negroes from taking the
diamonds outside the corral. The entire
mine is inclosed with high board fence,
and high wire netting on top Of the fence.
The Kaffirs employed for a term of six
months and not allowed to leave the
corral during that period. When their time
expires they are subjected 20 an extremely
close search before they are permitted to
leave. Notwithstanding all the precautions
taken, these Kaffirs are frequently cunning
enough to succeed in smuggling stones.
DAY OF CORONATION.
Mr.. Sipe was in London the day and
evening of the coronation of King Edward
and was an interested spectator. THE
things that struck most he said,
were the good nature of the immense
crowd and the night celebration. The city
was beautifully illuminated with electric
lights and gas The best Examinations
were UP about the Bank OF England and
around Trafalgar square At 7:SO o'clock
in the evening all traffic was stopped.
From then until O'Clock in the morning
the streets were a mass of people. The
widest celebration over the election OF a
President 1 have ever witnessed in this
city was a tame affair compared TO the
celebration of the coronation in London.
The crowd used all sorts of musical instru-
ments, bells and horns to give vent to its
feelings. Thousands were singing songs
One chorus, L remember. ran like this:
Wen all be merry. well all be merry,
Drinking whisky. wine and sherry.
And we'll all be merry, merry, merry
THE appearance and actions of the
crowd would have led one TO believe that
they had all been drinking rather freely of
the above mixture. In fact, | never saw
as many drunken people in my whole life
as / saw that night. But the crowd was
good-natured and l did not see single
drunken brawl."
Mr.. Sipe returned home on the Kronprinz
Wilhelm, one of the big Atlantic liners He
came across with a number of prominent
people, among whom were the Duchess of
Marlborough, who was making her first
trip to America since her marriage seven
years ago. Her mother and stepfather
Mr.. and Mrs. Belmont, and her brother w
X. Vanderbilt, jr., and his wife. were in
formerly Miss Virginia Fair daughter of
the late Senator Fair, and the sister of
Charles Fair, who, with his wife, was killed
in France in an automobile accident on
Aug. "a.
BY WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY.
"This sad news was received by Mrs
Vanderbilt" said Mr.. Sipe while the
steamer was one day out from New York
by means of wireless telegraphy. The news
|
OF course, it threw a gloom over the ship
and every one expressed sympathy for the
family Mrs. Vanderbilt came out the next
morning attired in deep mourning. l met
young Vanderbilt personally. and was much
impressed with him. L sized him up as
| a bright fellow. He is tall young man,
of athletic build, and might be called fine
looking. He has curly hair, a fair COM
pleXion and large brown eyes that are never
still. He seemed to see everything and
everybody around him al all times. He's
jolly, witty and clever at repartee. Incl
dentally | heard it rumored that the young
man was taking part in some pretty stiff
poker games on board.
1.-THE principal amusement on board the
Kronprinz was the selling of pools on the
daily run of the ship and card playing, the
most popular game being draw poker. A
man could find a game of any size of the
| latter amusement from 25-cent TO "A 50
| limit. The latter game was INDUCED in by
| such men as Vanderbilt. Belmont Charles
/ Dana Gibson, young Goelet. a wealthy New
Yorker, and other lesser lights This crowd
! also helped To swell the pools by liberal
biddings. most Of which were between $500
and s1O00. One pool of S995 was carried
off by young Goelet. The betting was on
/ the time the ship would make in a day
| The fastest run $40 knots in a day IL
! was agreed by vote on the last pool sold
/ that the winner should donate ) per cent.
| TO the Seamen's Orphans Home in New
| York and per cent. TO the stOkers OF the
/ ship"
An Aged Couple WEEDS.