The Nome nugget., 1903-09-23
MAY FIND
 DIAMONDS What a Diamond Miner Says of Alaska.
AST0 BRAZIL STONES
p. II. Anderson, the Missionary, Now Interested in a Diamond
 Mining Company.

A well known mining expert who lived for some time in the diamond | fields of South Africa, is authority for the statement that these precious stones will be found in Seward peninsula. He states that he found in several sections a formation indentical to that found in South Africa and Brazil, but he did not have time to do any development work. Apropos of diamond mining, a Chica- go company has been organized to ex- ploit the diamond fields of Brazil Among them is r. II. Anderson, fo: merly of Nome. A Chicago paper says
 "The promoters have just closed con. tracts which give them control of about 400,0 ,000 acres in the richest diamond and gold region of Brazil, the Diaman- tina districts, in the state of Minas Geraes, their concessions including the exclusive dredge mining privilege on 70 miles of the Jiquitinhenha river, which is said by experts and consular reports to be the main artery of the Bra zilian diamond regions.
 1.-Two representatives left for Brazil yesterday to put the working plans in operation-F. Milton Johnson, a min ing engineer of worldwide experience, and Augusta Mario Calderia Brant, states attorney of Minas Geraes state in Brazil.
 "The Chicago concern expects to have it's diamond-gold dledge at work next winter taking out river bottom drltt at cost of ten ceutS cubic yard. It will yield, according to tests, Sl Il yard. Since theirs is the only company m the field, they say, equipped for dredge mining on a wholesale scale they expect ample financial return for their pioneering. Engineering esti- mates of the profit in up-to-date mining d dredge will yield on that river range from $500, GOO to SG00 coo a year net.
 "Chance and romantic adventure are interwoven in the story of how this Brazilian diamond mining venture comes to be d Chicago -Scandinav ian undertaking. Johan Sundt left the mining regions of Montana years ago for South Africa. There he got into the diamond fields, worked, made money, was one of Cecil Rhodes in vaders Of Gomailand, finally fell into trouble in 1899 as d Boer sympathizer, lost his money, was arrested and had to leave.
 With the damages he was able to collect for unjust imprisonment by the British authorities in South Africa, he went to the Brazil diamond country He came back to Chicago with such a showing of samples, contracts and veri- fled data that he enlisted the interest of Chicago friends. They investigated still further-throug known business men in Diamantina, through mining engineers, through Secretary Thomas C. Dawson, of the United States lega- tion in Brazil. and through diamond experts, among them Dr. O. (. Earring ton, professor of miner a.cgy at Chicago University.
 "P. H Anderson, ono of the first fortune finders of Cape Nome, A Iaska. went to Diamantina last May, with his Nome partner, Thomas Schlyter, for a personal inspection of the .Jiquitinenha river basin and the Sundt claims. Or ganization of the company for thorough working of that region is the result.
 "Diamonds were discovered in Brazil in l129 For about loo years the mines were monopoly of the Portuguese government, which restricted develop ment. When free mining became pos sible in 1850 it was still carri, q on by means of slave labor and crude methods.
 "A few years after the Kimberley diamond field of South Africa came into competition with the Brazilian field, Brazil dethroned its emperor, Dom Pedro, became republic and freed the slaves. The slaves deserted the interior for the coast towns, inter- nal troubles and rebellions distracted the nation and for years there was neither labor. money nor enterprise for working mines. All of these handi- caps are now said to have disappeared under the settled political conditions which have prevailed for several years. Diamond mining has gone on all the time, especially along the Jiquitin- henha river and it's tributaries, whence most of the Brazilian diamonds ave come, but the working by washing or "pannisg" river bed deposits has been so crude that reworking of old "tail- | ings' is now found to be profita ble. The placer gold from this river bed, according to experts and consular re- ports. alone more than pays for work ing, to say nothing of the diamonds, he production of which in the Dam antina district now runs from 25. 00) to io,o00 karats year. The Jiquilin. lenha rlv.r,.. where the Chicagoans lave their conce>siona, is about LOG yards wide and averages about a 100, in depth, which makes drcGge mining a comparatively simple and cheaE operation.
 Brazilian diamonds. experts say, are the most perfectly crys,alized aud are generally of higher quality than South African diamonds, but run smaller. Professor Harrington of Chi. cagO University predicts that the G. riod of profitable diamond producti, T in South Africa is comparatively near its end, because, the diamonds there being found in volcanic chimney. the workings are already down so many thousands of feet that the cost of pre- [duction must soon outrun the value of