Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-22
DIAMONDS OF AFRICA
Discovery by the Children OF a
Trekking Boer.
FOUND A SHINING PEBBLE
Long Before It's Great Value Could Be
Ascertaiped.
G. F. WILLIAMS NARRATIVE
Search for King Solomon's Mines
Crown Jewels of the World
Successful Lapidaries.
G. F. WILLIAMS NARRATIVE
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
The first diamond in South Africa was
found by the children of a trekking Boer
named Daniel Jacobs" said Gardner f.
Williams, recently general manager of the
De Beers diamond mines. HE was poor
farmer who made him his home in a squalid
hovel on the banks OF the Orange river near
the little settlement of Hopetown. It was
roughly partitioned to form a bed room
and kitchen and It's earthen floor was
smeered weekly with a polishing paste or
cow-dung and water. Father. mother and
children slept together on a rude frame
overlaced with rawhide strips. Here his
Children grew up about him with little
more care than the goats and sheep that
browsed on the kopJes. When the herds
were turned out of the kraal the children
ran after them and roamed over the pas
tGre land all day long like the fiocks, but
the instinct of childhood will find play
things on the face of the most barren
karoo. and the Jacobs children were close
ID the edge of a river which was strewn
with uncommonly beautiful pebbles, mixed
with coarser gravel.
~ heap OF these paru-colored stone were
so common sight in the yard or on the
floor of a farmhouse on the banks of the
Orange or the Vaal that none of the plod-
ding Beers gave 1t a second glance. But
wren the children tossed the stones about,
Il little White pebble so sparkling in
the sunlight that II caught the eve of the
farmers wife She did not care enough
for 1t to pick 1t up but spoke of it as a
curious stone to a neighbor, Schalk van
Niekerk. Van Niekerk asked to see IT. but
II was not In the heap. One OF the chill
dren had rolled II away In the yard. After
some little search it was found in the dust,
Tor nobody on the farm would stoop for
such a tr1fie When Van Niekerk wiped the
dust on. the little stone glittered so prettily
that he offered to buy 1t. The good vrouw
laughed at the idea of selling a pebble.
You can keep the stone II you want 1T
she said So Van Niekerk put 1t in mis-
pocket and carried IL home He had only
a vague notion that It might have some
value and put 1t In the hands of a trav-
cling trader, John OReilly, who undertook
70 find out what kind of stone the little
crystal was and whether 1t could be sold.
HE showed the stone to several Jews in
Hopetown and in Colesburg, a settlement
further up the Orange river valley NO
one of these would give penny for IT, 1T
is ., pretty stone enough" they said, prob
ably topaz, but nobody would pay any
thing for It,"
Perhaps oRelly would have thrown the
stone away II 1t had not come under the
eye of the acting civil commissioner a
Colesburg, Mr. Lorenzo Boyes. Mr.. Boyes
found on trial chat the stone would scratch
glass.
~ believe It to be diamond he OBJ
served gravely.
"O'Reilly was greatly cheered up. You
are the only man I have SEEN he said.
who says II is worth anything. Whatever
It is worth you shall have a share In IT,
Nonsense broke in DIR. Kirsch. pri-
vste apothecary of the town, who was
present; IN bet Boyes a new hat it is only
a topaz
and at his suggestion the stone was sent
for determination 10 the foremost mineral
ogist of the colony. DIR. w. Guybon Ather-
stone, residing at GERMANTOWN. 1t was so
IserNs Htrr Irrra hot r. nut In
sealed envelope and carried TO Grahams-
town in the regular post cart.
when the post boy handed the letter TO
DR.. Atherstone the little river stone fell
out and rolled away. The doctor picked II
up and read the letter OF transmission.
Then he examined the pebble expertly ana
wrote 20 Mr.. Boyes: 1 congratulate ION
or the stone you have sent to me. 1t is
veritable diamond. weighs twenty-one ana
a quarter carats. and is worth E50-' Sir
Philip Wodehouse. the governor at the
cape. bought the rough stone at once. at
the value fixed by Dr. Atherstone. rhe
stone was sent Immediately to the Paris
exposition. where 1t was viewed with much
interest but Its discovery at first did not
cause any great sensation
Search for Diamonds Begins.
Meanwhile Mr. Boyes FASTENED to Hope
town and 10 Van Niekerk's farm to search
along the river shore where the first dia-
mond was found He prodded the phIeg-
HALlc tutiE bAdNH SCI ants
raked over many bushels OF pebbles for
two weeks, but no second diamond repaid
his labor Stiil the news OF the finding or
the first. stone made the farmers near the
river look sharply at every heap of pebbles
in the hope OF finding one of the precious
blink klfppe' (bright stones). as the Beers
named the diamond, and many bits OF stlu-
ing rock crystal were carefully pocketed. in
the persuasion that tho glitterfng stones
were diamonds. But II was ten months
from the time OF the discovery at Hope
town before a second diamond was found,
and this was In a spot more than thirty
miles away. on the river bank below the
function of the Vaal and Orange rivers
I'm March, 1863 a superb white diamond,
Weighing S35 carats. was picked UP by 2
Criqua shepherd boy on the farm Zendfonf
tein near the Orange river. Schalk yan
Nfekerk bought this stone for "A monstrouF
,,rtce in the eyes OF the poor shepherd-5uU
sheep ten oxen and 6 horse-but the lucky
purchaser sold II easily for &1l2o TO LII
ienfeld Brothers OF Hopetown and X was
subsequently purchased by Earl Dudiey
Tor eos 600 This extraordinary gem, which
soon became famous as the Star of south
Africa drew all eyes to field which could
,-,erd such products. and the existence and
ncs,,tor OF diamond beds was soon further
assured and defined by the finding OF many
Smaller stones in the alluvial gravel on the
banks OF the NaaA
Seeking King Solomon's Mines.
..p-ro,, the time OF Solomon and the
O,sa, ~ Sheha. however" continued Mr..
Tyuliams. adventures have been search
Ing in Africa for the source of the gold
and Jewels. the marvels of ophir, which
they displyed and although It is mostly
conjecture, a large part of the wealth OF
the scriptural kings and millionaires no
aoubt came from the interior of Africa.
The traditions OF King solomon's mines
iurad thousands of enterprfsng explorers
into the wilderness. and 1t is perhaps true
that they have been discovered An in
frepid German explorer named Carl Mauch
r. 1871 discovered an extraordinary lot
30 ruins at Zimbabwe, and gold fields close
iv adjacent TO them. These have been
called the ruined cities OF Mashonaland.
Unfortunately for his credit as en- archae-
ing on a hill was copy of King Soiomons