The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-01-09

/
I'll are attracting more and more at
tention in this country as well as in
Europe. II was but recently that a
| dredging company was organized IL
| New York for the purpose of exploit
ing diamond mines in the famous dis.
tricts around the city of Diamantina.
AS the name of this town indicates, II
is the capital and center of the most
| prominent diamond fields in South
America, says the Philadelphia Rec.
ord"
Diamantina lies ESQ miles from Rio
| de Janeiro. and has now a population
of about 10000 souls. The city is des-
tined to become in the near future a
second Kimberley. 1t was founded in
the last years of the seventeenth cen.
tury as gold mining camp, and as
far back as 1929 diamonds were taken
from the ground.
Four distinct kinds of diamond
mining are practiced in the Diaman-
tina district. The first is the most an.
cient and simplest. Near the top OF
the Sierra the small streams are very
steep in their descent and have pre-,
cipitous rocky sides. Their beds are
tilled with boulders, and in the inter
found. This gravel is called the for,
macoa," and is easily recognized by
an experienced miner, for the reason
that it contains certain minerals
whose presence indicates the dia-
mond. The "formacao" is prospected
for in the dry season, and as soon as
found is dug out and piled nearby the
water. Vixen the rains interrupt the
digging the miners work up the grav-
ell. The operation is very simple.
The gravel is first washed in "bacu, -
an excavation yard wide and half
, long on the bank of pond or stream.
Its lip is few inches above the sur
face of the water and 1t deepens
slightly to the rear cubic foot or
more of gravel is placed in the back
end and the workman dashes water
against it out of large concave
wooden plate, giving It a peculiar ro-
tary fling. This rapidity separates the
smaller and heavier ones. When con-
centration by this rough and easy
method is as complete as possible the
gravel is worked with the "batea."
This unique instrument is q wooden
dish about so inches is diameter, with
sort of pit at the bottom. Filling
the "batea" with the concentrate and
water, the workman agitates the con.
tents, whirling and shaking them
meanwhile pouring and scraping the
| lighter gravel from the top as fast as
he separates it. The operation is very
| similar to the old-fashioned gold pan
ming, but it requires even greater
skill, on account of the danger of los,
ing diamonds. AT the end of the pro.
cess the diamonds are simply picked
| out by hand from the remaining min
erals. The native Diamantina know
no better method
| The rough diamonds are usually
sold by the small miners to buyers
from Diamantina, who frequent the
hamlets and camps near the mines.
| The prices of these diamonds differ
very much. Seventy milreis ($1O)
carat is an approximate average.
Practically all the stones which do
not remain in Brazil are sent to Lon.
don, Paris and Amsterdam. Although
the United States is the greatest dia.
mond-consuming market in the world
taking about one-half of the South
African production, very few Brazil.
ian stones are imported directly, and
yet Brazilian diamonds are worth, on
an average. nearly fifty per cent. more
than the Cape stones, being, as a
rule. much whittier.
Until about thirty years ago there
was no diamond cutting in the dis
trict 1t is now carried on extensive
ly in Diamantina and the neighboring
villages. The quaint little mills are
supplied with power by overshot wat