Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-10-17
| King Edwards Big Diamond

new The great pipes at Kimberley,
which belong to the De Beers company,
have been worked Cor more than gem
GRAFTON, and until this mine was dis
covered 1t was believed that they would
always form the chief source of the
worlds supply of precious stones. For
the past 80 years almost all of our dia-
monds have come from them; and they
still have values worth hundreds of
millions OF dollars in sight. They have
produced more precious stones than all
the other mines of the world put to-
gether; and almost all the diamonds
now Worn by man came from Kimber-
sold for something like SGo0QD0,o0
The Premier mine was discovered in
1902. As have said: ii has already
produced over $25.000,0o0, and its
size Is so enormous that 1t IS bound to
seriously affect tho diamond market
scarcely been touched. 1t is being
worked almost on the surface; and
1t is estimated that at the present
rate 1t Will take tWeny years to get
out the blue ground down to depth
of $50 feet. When 1t is remembered
thnt the Kimberley pipe has been
mined to q depth or more than 1900
feet and that the De Beers is now
more than 1000 feet deep, and that
neither shows any diminution OF the
output Of diamonds to the carload OF
blue earth mined the enormous pos
sslbilities OF this mighty 50 acre dia-
rnond pipe can be appreciated.
] understand that the De Beers peos
pie rather sneered at the Premier
NINE until lately, and that they claim
ed its diamonds did8n compare with
those of Kimberleysin their brilliancy
Nevertheless within the past few
months the two companies have en-
tay A ~ n Nn y-ltI NC "a
which the diamond output is so re-
stricted as to not flood the world with
precious stonss and thereby briiNg
down the prices
CHAT WITH. THE DIAMOND KING.
T. M. Cullinan, the manfWho discovered
this mighty diamond pipe, from whom
the Cullinan diamond is named. Five
Seors ago he had only a few thousand
dollars, but he is now. worth Sl0,Q00O00
81 81 100000, and he might be called tho
world $ diamond king. He is the chair
man OF the company which owns the
time at the works. Mr., Cullinan looks
more like miner than a millionaire.
lie Is a we'll built man of 90 years OF
age, and Is the picture of health. He
has a dark complexion, and dark hair
and eyes. His forehead is broad, his
llOSp SlTdlSUl, ana his 5iuWtia JEW iethNS,
showing determination and grit un-
derstanG that he started life poor, and
that some of his first money was made
as a bricklayer
AS he got little ahead he became
a contractor; and as such had a series
of ups and downs which left him at
the age of 30 worth perhaps 100000. l
asked him how he had made his great
strike. He replied
Diamonds have been long known to
exist III this region They We're dlscov-
cred here years ago, and one 5alluvial
Claim had been peggcd out and fioated
at q capitalization of se150,000 only |
shor. distance from where the Premier
Is. About four years ago was look
Ing UP this valley, prospecting for dla,
nonds. l found several leads win
to 80 toward this point.
1.-The property then belonged to a
who had something like 1900
acres OF land. He was using 1t FOR
. & a,