Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-22
HOTELS. RESTAURANTS & CAFES

shallow valleys frequently RACES the
fierce southeastern wind. sweeping before
it dense clouds of sand and pebbles,
which are checked by and deposited on
the slopes of the rocky hillocks.
In one of these irregular depressionss
about one mile broad by some thirty long.
stretching in an arc from Luderitzbucht
bay to Elizabeth bay. are found the dia-
monds. They lie on or near the surface.
as rule, not more than six inches below
It. They are small and of a usually uni
form size. averaging four or five TO the
carat: but they are of such remarkable
purity and Iuster while in the rough that
1t was at first believed they would not, in
many cases, need cutting.
They are not scattered Unfortunately
or uniformly over the surface. but lie in
patches Of such extraordinary richness
that on one of them between two and
three hundred carats of diamonds have
been simply picked up from the surface
by few boys" working under a white
overseer in a single day. The average
value of these stones was about 81
carat.
Simple Way Of Gathering Stones.
The usual method of working is SIM
plicity itself. A few spadefuls Of small
gravel. screened from the sand. are
thrown into a hand sieve, which is then
gently shaken. with circular motion, in
tin tub of water. Thus any diamonds
present fall to the bottom OF the sieve.
The latter Is then overturned on to a
table and the diamonds picked out from
what is now the surface Of the contents.
Comparatively few Of these rich patches
are yet being worked. In this rough and
ready method there must be many stones
lost by oversight and theft. and yet con-
sderably over 1000 carats of diamonds
day are now being collected. Fortunes. at
least on paper, have been made In few
weeks.
According to Mr.. Frame these diamonds
are derived from figures of kimbertite,
now possibly in the bed of the ocean.
They are not wind-transported, save as
being blown with other small pebbles a
few yards from one claim to another.
At the time when the land was under
water these diamonds lay in assures tu
the bed of the ocean. The land slowly
rose, and for a long geological period.
and a comparatively recent one. the long
depression was a shallow arm Of the sea.
From the south. where now Is Elizabeth
bay, swept strong current TO the north
ern outlet, and in the shallow water the
action of this current and of the waves
deposited the diamonds in the sands.
The land then rose above the surface.
The high winds have since blown tho
finer particles away. and the present
gravel deposits, where the diamonds are
found, represent the concentrated result
The conclusion is that while for some
years to come the Damaraland diamond
fields will go OH producing enormous
quantities Of small and exceedingly good
diamonds, there is little probability OF.
at any time, large stones being discovered.
The German emperor has become an
emigration agent. He Is DESTROYS that
impecuniOuS ariStocrats who cannot mako
a living in Germany should emigrate to
German southwest Africa and become
useful members of that German colony.
He has loaned Baron de Schmd $125OO
to enable him to settle in German south
west Africa and begin life as farmer.