Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1909-11-18
THE BLACK DIAMOND
1t Is One Of the curiosities Of the
Mineral Kingdom.
A PUZZLE TO SCIENTISTS.

A PUZZLE TO SCIENTISTS.
Nature Has In Some Peculiar Way
Produced This Rare Form, Of Carbon
and Then Thrown Awsy the Secret
Ct the Prccsss-Found Only In Erazii.
The term .black diamonds is solne-
times jokingly applied to ordinary coat
which we burn In our furnaces. but
the real "black diamonds" of com
merce are among the most unique min
ci:ll products of the world. and they
serve Il purpose III the Industrial worll
that makes them of great value. The
black diamonds are pure carbon and
yet III no outward appearance resenl-
bic the diamonds which we are nccus-
toned to wear as ornaments. They
are slightly harder than the crystal or
gem diamonds and. In fact. about the
hardest substance known.
Black diamonds. or clrbons are
among the greatest curiosities of the
mineral Kingdom. They are without
crystalline form and are found in H.
regular pieces. ranging in size from
half IL carat up to three. four and five
hundred ca!ts. They are dark gray.
black or brownisl in color and Opaque
The real diamond Of the jewelry trade
is also pure carbon. but translucent
and crystalline in form. Two objects
SO alike in composition could not he
found SO opposite in appearance as
these two forms of carbon.
..nother peculiar thing about the
black diamonds is that they are found
only iii one locality in the world. They
come from very snail section of Bra
I'll not more than 2225 miles square IN
area. Outside of this limited territory
no pure black diamonds have ever
been found
What peculiar freak of nature caus-
ell the deposition of the black dia-
nGnds in this section of the world and
nowhere else is one of the mysteries
which science has failed to explain.
| NClic of them has been found III the
great Kimberley diamond regions.
where the crystal form of diamonds
have for so long been mined
The whole origin of the black dia-
Moild is. therefore, IL scientific enigma.
Naturally the question is raised. "Of
what use is IL black diamond:" No
one would care to wear one of these
diamonds. which resembles IL piece of
coal more than Il real diamond. and SO
far no one has populariZed the black
Gems as the black pearl has been.
Nevertheless the black diamonds serve
Il most Important and useful function
in the industrial world.
This pure lJack carbon is not OILY
harder than the real diamond. l,ut
tougher and not so brittle ais the gem.
Consequently it is of great value for
'iliny mechanical purposes and pariic-
ul;,rly for boring with diamond drills.
In diamond drilling the tips of the
drills are studded with carbon. or
black diamonds. and when the bores
are deep the pressure is so great that
tie gem diamonds would lie crushed III
The process. l;ut the carbon resists
this confirmed pressure and slowly
eats down into the rocks
In diamond drill work the carbon is
set in cil.rti!al pieces, of soft steel or
iron. called bits. and these bits are AT
taclleti to tubing. Armed with these
black diamond teeth. the drills push
t!:"ir Way down under severe pressure
10 IL dept, of five and six thousand
feet. cutting through the hardest kind
of rock. Some black diamonds are
much harder than others. and there il,
no way to determine by The color iae
difference in the degree of toug!lness.
Black diamonds or pure carbon arc
not by any means cheap. and the own
crs of the mines in Brazil where they
are gathered are making u good thing
out of their monopoly. There is no
known substance that can take the
place Of carbon in drills in boring for
gold. silver. copper and other mineral
deposits. Before the black diamonds
of Brazil were discovered it was i'm
possible to make behring's.
When the carbon WAS first introduc-
ed in our industries 1t was used in
diamond saws for cutting stones, mar.
bic and similar substances. Then the
price advanced so that the carbon was
found too costly for such use. and bort
was substituted for stone cutting Bort
is really an imperfect crystal OF gem
diamond. but 1t is too brittle for use
in drills. Consequently bort has TAX
ell the place of black diamonds for
stone cutting. and the latter have been
restricted almost entirely to diamond
drilling purposes.
The average size of black diamonds
used in the drills ranges from two to
five carats but the larger specimens
give mucl. better results. They cost
more. but they last longer. Conse-
quently there is Il greater demand for
the larger pieces of pure carbon. and
the price is sometimes run up to pre-
MUM figures for unusual specimens.
The fear that the supply Of black
diamonds may some day give out and
paralyze the diamond drilling industry
has stimulated prospectors to syste-
matte search for new deposits. but SO
far they have not been successful. On
the other hand. scientists have been
making close study Of the chemical
conditions which have produced the
black diamonds, but their manufacture
Is apparently about rs difficult MS the
making of the gem diamonds 1t Is
possible under certain conditions to
make either but not IN sizes sufficient
to be of any commercial value Ma
ture in some peculiar way has made
these rare products and then thrown
the secret OF the ln'GtesS away. Ii any