The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-03-10

Three shifts OF men have been sot 20
work and several shafts have been
sunk. Mr. Cooney displays a dozen
stones which have beer taken out OK
his mine, and are from one to one and
a half carats in size in their present
cut state. development is being pushed
as rapidly ~ possible. and Mr.. Cooney
expects that y will soon take out gems
in such quantities and sizes as viii as
tonish the world.
May Be Second Kimberley
The Importance OF great diamond
producing mine to California cannot be
even estimated. To the wealth OF gold
that brought an influx OF people
which made the country STATE IN
few years. that furnished the incentive
and means to develop a great empire
producing fruit and grains in album
dance that founded cities and lent ac-
tivity to all the industries and arts Of
civilization would be added the enor-
NOUS riches Of the gem which alone
has built great empire on the barren
veldts of South Africa From the day
in 1857 when the child of Daniel Jacobs,
a Boer farmer. picked up bright peb-
Bile on the banks OF the Wall River.
South Africa has produced $5O0,00o,oo0
worth OF aiamonds-estimated to be
more than found in all the previous
history of the world
The largest diamond in existsncs.
weighing sOss carats. named the Guilt
nan after the owner OF the Premier
mine from which il was taken. was
found on property frst prospectsd By
cooney. The lack OF s125.o00 in ready
money prevented him from opening I'D
this great pipe" which is now pro-
ducing annually more than s10,000.0eo-
Its discovery makes an interesting
story. Cooney was retained by a large
company for fee and 10 per cent Of
the profits to examine prospects In
the course of his duties he came upon
the farm. 1900 acres in extent. Of Myn-
heer Joachim Prinsloo. near Doorkloop
I'm the Transvaal On the land was a
typical pan or shallow depression. and
surface indications pointed strongly to
hidden wealth of glittering stones be-
meath. Cooney asked permission TO
prospect over the ground for a few
days.
.Nein," was the stolid reply OF the
old Boer Buy the land for sl25,ooo-
or leave it"
cooney asked only that he be per-
mitted to break the ground few feet
'Nein" Not pick should be sunk
into the SOIL His conditions were un-
alterabIe. So the prospector. after rid
Sing over the farm and noting all indi-
cations. reported to his company favor
ably and recomme nded that the land be
bought. After due consideration it de-
cided it could not venture such a sum
on surface prospect only Lack OF
personal means TO the required amount
n the time compelled coOney to aban-
don the project Then came Thomas c.
Cullinan. He met the same. conditions
except that the grim old Boer had
raised his price to s150.00O. Buy it or
leave it, was his ultimatum. Cullinan
drew on every cent of his property and
staked his entire fortune on what
looked TO him an excellent prospect
He is now chief owner OF the Premier
mine.
Cooney was in the midst OF the Boer
war, was a conhdant of General T. ].
viljoen, and received that soldiers
private papers. oficiaI dispatches. com
munications and the like. when he
found himself about to fall into the
hands OF the British. With him Cooney
is to coIlaborate on a history OF the
conflict. Toward the end OF the war
Cooney was arrested for carrying arms
and for his connection with the Boer
mint on the veldt. His was the first
case tried after peace was declared.
and he was acquitted.
This mint was probably the most
unique in history 1t was situated in
a blacksmith shop OF a large mine at
Pilgrims Rest. in the midst of so in
hospitable a country that the English.
though their main camp was only
thirty-five miles away. reached it only
once. Rand Commander S. f. KIoppers
was something of an artist and made
the design from which the rude dies
were punched. Cooney. as assayer. put
the metal through the regular process
of modern mint, refining, toughening.
Weighing and annealing it. And then
the gold disks were stamped. On the
property was great tension stamp
mill, ordinarily run by electricity. But
there was now no power. and 50 natives
were found to turn the ponderous
wheels that would lift the weight. The
descending force punched many OF the
one-pound pieces awry. but the in
trinsic value was in them and the de-
sign was perfectly clear. With but the
crudest tools with which to work only
$50 coins were minted. Many were
subsequently lost or destroyed. and
those that have remained are held at a
great premium. Some have sold for as
much as $500. A medal was struck or
and given to Mr. cooney in appreciation
% his services