The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-09-14
WHERE MOST OF OUR
DIAMONDS COME FROM
Southwest Corner of the Trans
wall Is Best Paying Locali-
ty in South Africa.
MUCH HARD WORK DONE
Aside from Their Value as Ornaments
the Cost of Procuring Them Would
Alone Make Them of
Great Value.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.

HIpEi inc rail- MAIL Gazette.
Away down in the extreme southwest
corner of the Transvaal, in a district
which until the opening of the Klerks-
dorp-Fourteen Streams railway lay
tar out OF the track of the ordinary
traveller, there exists a curious little
industry. The distmoId diggers of the
Naal are found IN a baekwater OF
South African fife. At long intervals
the outer world hears Of some eNcep-
tlonal success, but it knows nothing
of the failures. The great financial
schenlers have no time for the men
who poke about in the bed of a river
to find Il few stones.
The camp OF the dtggers makes a
picturesque scene in the early morn
lng. In the marVelously clear al" and
glorious sunshine of the beginnings of
a South African day there is a certain
promise of romance, Il tinge of adven-
ture ~brightens the most prosaic jour
ney. The breadth of the Naal between
Christiana on the Transvaal bank and
~loutpan's Drift on the Orange river
shore is always beautiful, but in the
clear cut brilliance OF early morning,
as in the softer glow of the setting sun,
there is an added attraction.
The waters, though daily growing
lower, so that the white post which
marks the height of the Good time now
stands three or four feet above the
level of the stream, sparkle in the sum
shine; a few houses nestle among the
trees, and away as far as the eve can
see stretches h great plain, sun yell
lowed and almost treeless, part of the
Xpans of apparently wasted land
through which the Diamond express
now rushes for hour after hour. A ST.
lent. lonely land, striking on account of
its immensely.
The River Digaers.
Here on the Naal at { O'Clock in the
i ffinrniflc oil ic notiyitSF FEl,n a,.
taciturn ferryman laboriously rows
over the heaviest loads of the lay, his
rough plank craft deep in the water.
The river dissers who live in Christi
ana arc crossing to the Orangia bank;
those who dwell close to tneir work
stream for half Il mile from the Drift,
are taking a hasty breakfast before
commencing on another days gamble,
which may cave them With d full purse
or only an increased load OF anxiety.
For, after all, the diamond digger of
the Vaal is a gambler, and no gambler
ever worked harder for his gains.
Cross the placid water by the weir
and inspect the little groups now start
ing work almost in the bed of the river.
There are probably three or four hun
dred men digging in the mud and
tones which lie beneath the reeds. \
large proportion are white men, clad
in mud-spattered Clothes, with Drowned
faces and arms. They have e~Xcayated
huge pits in The low ground left dry by
the falling river; some are so close to
the water that they have had 10 erect
senli-circular dams to keep the stream
from flooding the work During the
right two or three feet of water has
risen in the diggings. and the first task
is to bale out the pits. The more elier-
prfsing-or. rather. those with capital
have purchased California pumps, an
:ntroIrapl h-r MI. =, Will
ton, the biggest digger ON TIE field,
some months ago.
At first failure was predicted for the
somewhat fiiuasy-looking arrangements
of wood and canvas, and q thronS of
men came out TO see their predictions
verified: but it was n victory for sci
ence The ~newfangled idea caught on,
and half n dozen are in use today, for
they empty Il pit in an eighth of the
time it would take a bench of boys with
buckets. Many of the diggers. how
ever, could not afford the outlay, and
today you see the white man-who is
supposed not to work in this happy
understanding knee deep in water and
mud doing "nigger's work.
BriIliants Scarce.
After the pits have been got fairly
dry the mud and gravel are dug UP ana
handed in buckets to the baby Eionl
this swinging sleeve the finer grave
emerses. and his is again carefully
washed; then comes the sorting. w1ef
out any diamonds which have beer
brought UP. But the stone so pain
fully looked for are few and far be
tween, and often the men will plod or
for days and even weeks without the
slightest reward.
1t is hard work as the sun grow.
hotter, and after a run of bad lucl
even the natural optimism of the river
digger fale; and he thinks of throw
ing up his task; but luck has q strange
way of coming at the last moment
That lnidale-aged Gigger over there
a man who employs u respectable siZee
gang of boys-was only recently on tn
Verge OF giving in. A run of blani
weeks had eaten away his capital. Hi!
boys were unpaid. He could haldl,
force himself TO remain ON the hallk!
ara so through tie endless washing
decided 10 chuck IT," some of hi
gear was actually removed, Whom sud
denly be found Il stone which ne sol'
for G12o. Tho gear was put back an,
the digger is still tempting fortune o.
tn ssa,.. o. - Vs.. 80,
with his chum. The former is an cdu
I Gated man, formerly an accountant
5 They have no native labor, but do tn
$ whole OF the rough work themselves
A faw days g taey were literally e&
: listing upon tnealle pap. lheh w
g small stones were found, and toda,
they arc again eating white man
food. Many a curious history coul'
be told by the diamond diggers of tn
. Naal. Here are men who have traV
eled over ..alf the globe, always drive,
. onward by the passion for finding tn
Wealth which nature hides so c%leverly
Hope leads them ever onward, like
S will-o'-tne-wisp. Another blank da