Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1903-09-17
ANDERSON FINDS DIAMONDS.
Dickinsonian Tells Of Success in
BRAZILIAN Fields.

T6teT II. AuuokoVh "
who was a farmer boy eight years age
and now is worth more than hall q
million dollars after giving his rela'
tives farms, town residences ana
business properties, has turned his
attention from Klondike gold toBra'
lillian diamonds. Anderson went to
Alaska as a missionary but located
rich claims at Dawson and Nome and
devoted his attention to mining,
making 100000 the first year. de
yet has valuable claims In the Klon'
dixie but has sold many Of them and
has Just returned from Brazil where
he has been locating diamond lands.
He thinks the outlook there very
promising. He says the methods OF
the early residents have not been i'm
proved. awe rode overland four
days to reach Diamantina' the neaFt
of the diamond country" said he.
"This city sprung up from the dis
covery Of gold in that vicinity
However, it took Oh new aspect
when diamonds were discovered there
Receiving Its name from the precious
stones, diamonds, 1t has grown to be
city Of ten THOUSAND Inhabitants
Brazilian diamond mines have been
famous for nearly two hundred years.
The story Of their discovery is related
in various ways; according to some
authorities diamonds were first found
by the gold miners, who regarded
them as mere curiosities. For hun
bred years after the discovery OF dia,
monds in Brazil, the mines we're a
monopoly Of the crown, and all dia-
mond mines we're declared state prop
erty by the King of Portugal; and 1t
was only after the abdication of the
first Emperor OF Brazil, in 1882, that
private diamond mining was legallzed
by the national government.
In former years all diamonds were
sent abroad for cutting, but during
the latter years large per cent OF
the Brazilian diamonds are cut at
home. In Diamantina there are
nineteen lapidaries at work employ
ing one hundred and iorty-6ve men
and cutting between four and five
hundred carats per month at b cost
Of three dollars per carat.
1.-THE first property | investigated
is at Itapaba, a distance OF about
fourteen miles from Diamantina, over
a rough and mountainous road. The
land lies in very mountainous dis
trict. 1t is in this vicinity where
the famous Jequitinhopha river has
its source. The formation OF the
rocks. as we'll rs the mountains,
especially in this vicinity, shows
great volcanic eruptions, and would
not be surprised, when sufficient
development work is done here, to
find that this must be one OF the
sources Of the diamonds. panned
several pans Of gravel on this option,
and in all but one found good pay.
10 one pan I found two nice little
diamonds worth about two dollars,
and the gold found with these dia-
monds is worth about twenty-five
cents. This gravel was taken about
one hundred yards back from the
river in high bank. The river at
this place has formed large bar or
what is called down there o lagoa.
was told by several that they have
tried to sound this place with a long
iron bar, but did not find bottom at
sixty-fve feet. With the rich river
that flows over this bar and the banks
and hillsides, which Iprospected with
good results, | am led to believe that
this lagoo or bar is immensely rich,
and that this is all virgin ground IS
it could not be worked without
machinery. Natives and oil who have
seen this place believe that it is very
rich.
"From ItapAba we proceeded to
Santa Cruz, about sixty miles from
Diamantina. Following the Jequitin'
honha river down to MandAnha,
Of about thirty miles,
noticed some extensive work along
the river as we'll as up on the side