The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-06-18
DIAMOND MINING.
pw 1t is Carried on at the World g
Greatest Mines.

g4S OI0"VobV A1Aoss
ME World Today. ...... ......
EMThe story Of the Kimberley ,dia-
mond mines began two generations
tago, when two bands Of Boer immi-
Kgants fled out Of Cape Colony to es-
Nape British rule. .. .. ...
MsBOae Of them settled on a patch of
Ekld 40 miles in extent which has
pee become the famous Rand and
flds hundred million dollars cv-
SW year i'll the precious metal.
Non the other hand. Burgher ia
sdbs offsaddled on hundred acres
4 diamonds, and his little claim to-
day contains an absolute monopoly
B these gems.
@ His children used to play in the
Nbnd with bright pebbles for marbles.
&eighbor Schalk Van Neikirk saw
s9ne Of the stones, took it from the lit
$tle ones with the remark that it might
Sbe valuable, and the following year
at was on show at the universal ex-
position of Paris as magnificent
diamond Of 81 carats.
Two years later old Van Neikirk
himself picked out Of the mud plas-
ter Of neighbor Du Toit's hut the
famous Star Of Africa, which sold
fo1" $4,000. That was the beginning
of the Diamond mines which today
J |
Rropean%.
4 The pits rua in tubes Of tunnels
Hany acres in extent, evidently fore
up ages ago by volcanic action. At
Ia&'st 4 y"l!"w grcunl was found, and
'l'n left tn" blue below this severely
&ARNo. Hut lie era or oron work.
llHGS S0un came tn an end. although
! thousands Of Independent digers
made huge fortunes in few months.
Today you will find depths of
$4,000 feet in the diamond mines, and
Ythe hottom Of the blue funnel has
¬ yet been reached. Both blue and
iyellow earths, studded with diamonds
llike a geological pudding, are sup
&poSel to be volcanic mud.
\ Holes for blasting are drilled, and
Aftcr the blasts are touched off the
brushed b'ia ground is conveyed to
( he mine shaft, 800 feet frHm the
: nnMelS. Here the ore is dumped into
buckets OH wheels and drawn Gul &C
Bhe mines by powerful cn3incs. iuu
&Wlll see thousands Of men, mostly ne-
#grocs, earning $l23 lav, pcrcheI
Rnpon The blue ground rock in the tun-
Anels, patiently drilling with hammer
Tand chisel.
Great stretches of ground known as
the floors are marked off like tennis
1 courts to receive the precious ore !;
for air, rain and sun will do the work
Of disintegration as no costly mach
mery could do it. One mine alone has
five miles of dumping floors. Upon
&thcir smooth surface is spread the
2b|ue clay to the depth of a foot, and
: |after several months it crumbles and
i releases the indestructible crystals
within. such as diamon1s. garnets.
&livines and other stones Of lesser val
3Ee usually fnund associated with the
= h"st precious Of all gems.
The disinte2raticn process is helped
IN narrowing with steam plou%hs, and
& hll such ground as remains obdul~tc
aasoes into the crushing machine. The
1waslin2' gear is a marvel Of inscnu-
= ity; and rs the dirt and gravel pass
down it's plane the diamonds are ar
srested by a tallowy coating. This fat
= is then scraped off and melted in
! Hcaldron, in whose bottom the ,lia-
s knonds are f"'ind like precious grounds
n 4 gigantic coffee cup.
50 They are taken from here to the
6 general Offices Of the monopoly and
orted orcordin" to value and size.
itones worth 100000 have been
Dashed in 4 singlc day.
But even the waste earth is not yet
# one with. This is specially treated
st talow and machinery alike should
!. ave overlooked anything of value.
hat the precaution is worth while is
PEN from the fact that diamonds
birth $l,400,000 were recovered
Esm these tailines last year.
s. "a London syndicate contracts to
{e the entire output Of the mines
all cutting is done In the contin-
of Europe, chiefly in Amsterdam
Antwerp. The stones vary en-
: f!ously in quality and fetch in the