The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-12-14

time, Governor Eberhart woult
have to order out the militia Il
guard them. There are thieves IL
this country that would spend hall
their life behind the bars just t.
get their hands on them"
j All of which recalls how Scotland
Yard was thrown into a state Of
great excitement when plans were
made to take the great diamond to
London from South Africa where II
was discovered. Many persons who
visited the Worlds Fair in st. Louis
will remember how a score of Lon
don Boobies" stood sphinx-like in
the great room where Queen Victo-
ria's diamond jubilee relics were
exhibited. All of this great care,
however, was as nothing to the
methods adopted when the great
Cullinan gem arrived in London.
The story back of the discovery of
the diamond reads like Monte
Cristo tale. 1t can hardly be realized
WIN one sees the models now ex-
hipited in st. Paurs Institute, which,
say persons who have visited the
though not yet as large, ranks in
excellence with the Metropolitan III
New York and the Field in Chicago.
1t is almost six years since Captain
Premier mine near Pretoria in South
Africa, studied on the diamond and
thought it was a joke planted for
him by some OF his employees. so
great was the apparent value of the
rough gem. Wells was in the act of
throwing the glittering mass away,
when on second thought he decided
to examine it more carefully. Even
on close inspection he could hardly
believe he had found the most won
derful and purest diamond ever dis
covered. Wells took his find to
Thomas C. Culinan, owner or the
mine, even then afraid he was to be
the subject of a great joke that
would make him the laughing stock
of the great diamond fields. But the
expert tests soon showed that 1t was
really gem of the first water and
the greatest magnitude.
Cullinan promptly appropriated
the great stone and gave it his own
name. Wells was rewarded with al
gift of $4,000. The diamond weigh
ed 3,024.75 carats, or 1877 pounds
avoirdupois. Its neaSest rival was
the Excelsior" which weighed 969l
carats. Transvaal guards were
placed around the bank where the
great stone was stored in a vault.
When it came to shipping the gem
to London, however, simple plan
OBJ tO1 90
$1,250,000, turned over to the Brit
ish post placed in an ordinary tin
box. The stone rode 5000 miles for
a dollar. When it landed in London,
however. picked men from Scotland
Yard were detailed to guard it I'M
til it was deposited in Bank of
England vault
Next came plans for disposing oil
the diamond and finally it was sold
to the Transvaal colony which pre-
sented it to King Edward on his 66th
birthday anniversary. 1t was an UNI
usual testimony of regard for their
sovereign from a people who only a
few years before had fought to the
death against England. General
Botha, who had led the Boer troops
premier of the Transvaal, and it was
he who brought about the purchase
of the stone as the country's gift to
the king.
King Edward expressed a desire
to see the stone before 1t was cut
and the owner paid $725 premium
on a $2.5OO,0O0 policy for a single
day while the gem was being taken
from the bank, guarded by detec
tive. to the royal palace.
THE stone was sent ito Amster-
dam 70 be cut ard was under al
special guard of armed men all the
while. Guards patrolled the shops
of the diamond cutters and kept UP
an elaborate system of combinations
to keep the royal gift from being
stolen.
The diamond produced nine ma
jor brilliants which are shown in the
models presented to the st. Paul In
stitute by Hopewel Clarke of this
city There We're 96 smaller bril-
liants, not including nine unpublished
ends. The largest jewel Is drop
briolette, fawless and of the finest
white. 1t weighs 516h carats, Isl
2.322 iuches long and 1.791 broad
and has IA facets. Next to this in
size is a Suuare English cut brilliant
weighing 800 3-16 carats. Third inI
size is a dcop diamond of SO carats
and ON tn a square brilliant
weighing 81 carats. There are five
at ers varying in weight from Is
to carats.
jewe err Is now at work setting
them so they can be worn in the
crown of the king on state occasions
and they also can be removed and
worn as a necklace by the queen.