New-York tribune., 1902-12-28

such \ system Should become a crumbnng in
convenience end finally a menace The situa-
ton had in tire to be faced squarely, but at the
moment no on cared to stop and one was
able to assert taat the diamond yielding beds
would Eot be GU IF soon by an underlying sub
stratum OF hard cock. The scene in an area Of
open mining mast lave been impressive Dig
gers in rough 5rking dress and natives al
most stark nakel. bent and heaved, and scram-
bled and climbed. side by side, reeling with
sweat and CRIME j. an ever shifting restless
swarm that covered s,e face of the quarry, like
flies in some monstro-s sugar bowl
rs the digging ed deeper the inevitable
result was the merging e small claims to over
come the danger of the Ealling dividing walls,
ars finally The abandonr- 4 Of the walls entire
ly. The ground had thlE TO be hauled to the
surrounding -ira Of the bas-n.
Then a nau.2ee zyste-1l Of really remarkable
ingenuity contTived. 4 MASSIVE timber
Staging set completely around the h@louIn @
OF the mine. carrying two, anc in parts, lnree
platforms, one above the other The upper pat
form was connected by strongly anchored ropes
with the claims in the middle of the mine, ana
the lower platform in the same way, WIN tle
claims nearer the margin. of the h.lhes. ~ NlleIe
there q third Intervening platform! IoPee
were stretched 10 claims lying between the outer
and inner circle Windlasses We're set on the
platforms, together with guide wheels over
which hauling ropes passed, dragging the buck
cts swiftly from the bottom Of the mine Oh III
lie overhead runners rafting over the station
s~v rore5 inciines When the loaded buckets
reached the platform levels they were dumped
into chutes carrying the contents INTO pass'
which were readily carted away TO leVeI deltosie
ing grounds OF floors they were tech
uicaIly termed. where the blue ground was
siftad and sorted The empty buckets We're
easily returned, running back by force OF sraNl-
tv over the ropes to the claims
Continuous improvement il every department
Of the enterprise, and the changes incident to
the sinking Of shafts when even this methoo
vrse rendered unserviceabie at increasing deplnS
bv The shelving of the sides and the pnrylhs u
the bottom have given the mines as Worheu 'O
dav ? more complicated look Of machinery anu
ssJoerstruCture. But this mass OF lhhdliiei "pie
ropes descending into q deep circular PIT IN 'he
earth is a characteristic picture Of the African
diamond mine.
g +,7cl-'r together we're these lines set that
-. ho+o 1ace of the vast PIT seemed to be
.---=-a5 f,- -nor2strous cGbyTeb, shining IN lhe
moonlight If every hlaihent hlaih Ha9 va Y1ar
e4~9ns Never has any eye seen such a ma!
zeIlous show of mining as was gwen III Us LIS
e-~er5 ar7nhitheatre. when the huse plt "e"
s71Dk far below the FITface level; "heh tne "a en
17-- v-reatb of the chasm rose sheer ana
black ike the walls Of a deep gioo.ny 15a. c%ts 0
or the swelling round OF a uelltDll NJ orct of a
wha- the downward glance from me p. p +ho,1
Tla1forTn made weak heads reel; Wneh lnou ~
eanSs Of half naked men, dwarfed 10 plgIhS 90,
were scratching the face OF the pIt WIN -tan -
-, T,icks like burT0wing gncIles, WIN
thousands more, all griny ana s"tatl1.S - 81
odorous were swaTTning around lle Pr o,n1
s7-- n .yl1t
and Carving off their precious SACKS "ILeI @
hl1clets were flying like shLtlieS ~ a - - 1jI-e
and down the vast warp CT MlTes' ,!7 H. Of
ai-o-ar+ harm strings. with q dea1enhg uIh VI
-a.4linp wheels and falling grounG' anu ~
--o-- haholder was wonderstruck al -
,1,orol,+ that this weird creation III tne g.
oF CoI,tb Africa had been evolved pg men Ioa
the sa Ike Of a few buckets OF "hlle -, - -,.1
adorn the heads and hands OF 1ahclluA "o--''-
when the sides OF these enormous p1ts 0ls
. o.,,o under the careless digging OF claims 100
-. +he Yin, this method of mining was oootiieo-
:. .ssa5 ont with some loss Of life' ano was
- obxia+ed without great expense Al frst al
.,r+s were made to haul cut the shces Vi
o,,-,5 F2rt this was too costly, and IL soon DC
o.-,a annarept that the only chance for conIIiIu
,r- +,e extracting Of the diamonds lay In uIl-
.o,,-,5 mining This meant the emo OF sl1laL
.,.-,e Oreanizers were at hand for the opPoF-
80, The struggle resolved itself into a coh-
.os+ ha+ueen Barney Barnato, the Keen LII
a., r4o- hoy with sharp business eye lor liie
-, chance and Cecil Rhodes, the poohIsn Va
- r+,,5ant When these two men, GIo"A
- Gov some wears in the mines, both cast IN
80 ,,orld of enterprise but IN oIIleiel1'
-,.r+oi attitudes came into colnpelllIfe VI
49,, +be dreamer Of empire won IrauUdI'
-. e~.,c.al interest involving great hui0
- o,-,f+o1ie+s took control Of all the nlllIes u
-, .;-tro-hood the Kimberley the lie DeeiS
- -,,o lesser mines the Dutoitspan' buitIoi-
- premier and Jagersfontein mines Inc
-,,,-as are now worked with vast army VI N
r1oFaT al q