The Prescott daily news., 1908-11-10


 existence of diamonds in paying quantities the we'll established rule is to treat or test by ma chinery especially erected and a- dapted for that purpose, 5000 loads or SO.000 cubic feet of kimberlte for it's richness in diamonds, and that this entails am expense in labor and machin- cry of approximately S$5O,OOO, the existence of diamonds .n paying quantities being depend- ent upon the number of carats on the average recovered by this test. He asked that he be given
 two years time in which to es- tablish by this test the diamond bearing, character Of the land in question.
 In the course of the contest proceedings several diamond ex- peI'ts have been brought to Ar kansas to testify in the case. Am ong these is, Philipl F. Schneider, who is designated in the testi- mony as special lecturer on ge- ology at Syracuse University and consulting geologist for the state of Arkansas. Another is Dr. o. c. Harrington, curator in ge- o.ogy in the Field Columbian Mus cum at Chicago and lecturing mineralogist in the Smithsonian Institute at Washington D. c. and tutor in minerology at Yale University.
 Ethe,bert G. WoodfOrd, a dia- mond mining engineer who spent many years in the South Africa n fields and was employed for some time by the Arkansas D;a- mond Mining Company, appeared as a witness for the contestees He testified that the peroditite he had seen on the Pepper tract was float but that 1t was eX- | actly the same quality as that | found on the Revburn and Lamb tracts. In regard to the probabil- ity of diamonds being found in the rock he stated that 10 per cent of the kimber.ite in South Africa had proved profitable for it's diamonds and, that it was inn possible to tell whether or not it would pay until it was washed
 When asked for his opinion as to whether diamonds exist in paying quantities on the lands where his operations have been carried on, he declared that it was his opinion, in view of the extraordinary richness of the SUI face, which is very unusual, tha1 the mines will prove profitable but that it remains to be demon. strated He declared that nc work had yet been done in solid material.
 When asked for his opinion as to the area of the Pike County diamond field he declared that this could not be determined until a vast amount of prospecting work had been done. He declared that the whole of Arkansas might be covered and then it would not equal the diamond area of South Africa. Mr. Wood ford testified that he had an op- tion on 1,6OO acres including the Grayson tract, adjoining the Pepper property, but he refused to tell the price to be paid for the land.
 H. l.. Alexander, who lives two miles south of Murfreesboro testified that he worked for some time for the Arkansas Diamond Mining Company, and that while so employed he found 20 to 22 diamonds. He declared that he also found some diamonds on the Mooney tract.
 J. Stephens, who was, a mem Der of the equalization board of Pike county testified regarding the prices paid for some of the tracts on which prospecting work has been done He stated that the Huddleston tract was sold to the Arkansas Diamond Mining Go. for $36,OOO. The Conway and Me- Ross, tracts he stated were each sold for S16,OOO. The Mooney tract of 40 acres is said to have been purchased by the Ozark Dia- mond Mining Co., for S2O,OOO.