Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-27
THE BLACK DIAMONDS OF BRAZIL
Digging the Precious Stones on the
Banks Of the Sac Jose River.

From the World Wide Magazine.
The black diamond is an important article
of commerce, not because it is destined to
embellish the hand Of feminine grace but
because Of the fact that 1t has been widely
applied In industry. where it is almost as
valuable as Its white fellow. The home of
the black diamond is Brazil, the classical
land of the diamond, the richest beds Of
the mineral having been found in the Prov
ince of Bahia and on the banks and in the
bed of the Sac Jose river The stone.
which Is perfectly Opaque Is not beautiful
and If the magical word diamond had never
been applied to the substance, there Is no
doubt that to this day the black diamond
would be thing unknown. However, the
favor which this mineral enjoys Is of very
recent date for twenty years ago its prom
critics were unknown and the trade in the
stone was practically nothing
The constantly increasing perfection of
boring instruments brought out the value
of the black diamond, the use of diamond
point drills now having become so general
that the price of the mineral has in conse-
quence rapidly increased. Today the dia-
mond has become Of prime necessity in
working tempered metals, saving of mar
bles. piercing of tunnels and galleries. and
In mines. AT the time Of the inauguration
of the Laboratory of Arts and Trades. July
1. 1903 a circular saw provided with dia-
mond points. produced surprising results
cutting into thin slices the hardest of ma
terials. On the banks of the Sac Jose we
find the traces of the first exploitation Of
the mines by the natives. the Garimperos.
The black diamond however, having no
commercial value, did not attract these
people, and they were apparently ignorant
of the real character of the mineral. From
the report Of an engineer who explored the
region in 1858 We learn that one day the
diamond diggers discovered black stone in
Sac Jose. They took the stone to one of
fhnfr h,,t, av,I
by attempting to crack 1t. All their efforts
were fruitleSs, the stone resisting the most
powerful hammers, and after a time 1t was
thrown back into the river. The stone
weighed about 10000 carats, and at the
present price of $40 a carat represents
loss of 100000.
The exploitation of the Brazilian diamond
mines by the Garimperos. it is unnecessary
to say, was not scientific. The crevices Of
the rocks are explored with the hand, the
gravel being taken away In little barrels
which are carried on the head. Attempts
have been made to lessen the time of the
work by diving for the mineral. but the vio-
lence Of the stream Is such during the rainy
season that this plan has been but little
adopted. The only method which will pro-
duce results and the one which will shortly
be put in operation is that Of draining.
Dams will be erected 800 feet apart and
centrifugal pumps will be installed for the
purpose Of drawing of the water The re-
suits of the work cannot be question of
doubt judging from the past performances
Of these diamond mines.
The question naturally arises. Why have
the diamonds been found in the Sac Jose?
The answer to this Is not difficult, and Is
given when we state that the original rock
which formerly occupied the high plateau
has been gradually disintegrated the de-
bris Of the rock being carried by rains into
the Sac Jose. Because of their density the
black and white diamonds were concealed
under the sand, together with the mineral
accessories which surround them and which
are the indications of the precious stones.
Thus In the course of years. these beds
have been formed. beds the richness of
which is incalculable.