The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1922-11-08
IAN AMERICAN KIMBERLY?
af down IN ARKANSAS
Real Diamonds Mined in Pike County
Where the Slow Trains Run

. = 70 q u
Real Diamonds Mined in Pike County
& Where the Slow Trains Run
(By G. e. Collins and Il. A. Wright }
s58 Comparatively few persons know
that diamonds of pure water are
mined in Arkansas. When the AM
erican Legion annual convention was
held in Kansas City and the newly
Nelected commander, Hanford MacNid-
er, was presented with an "Arkansas
diamond" by former Governor Charles
H.. Brough, of Arkansas, many Of thte
delegates imagined it was all joke,
and one newspaper ridiculed the idea
that real diamonds were found in
Arkansas. But the diamond that was
4 given to Commander MacNider equals
in color, brilliancy and hardness any
,/,-amond that comes from the great
: mines Of South Africa. And it was
mined in Pike County, Arkansas.
1t is related that the children Of
early Dutch settlers in South Africa
played with diamonds as they might
have done with valueless pretty bright
stones before the first diamond was
identified as such in 1869. The dis
covery that the "pretty stones" really
were diamonds was made by accident
In like manner, the first diamond
found in Arkansasy15 years ago was
picked up and kept merely as pretty
stone
John w. Huddlestone, n farmer,
made the find. He picked up stone
in his field one day but had no idea
of it's worth. He had formed a habit
of collecting odd crystals and various
specimens of minerals with which the
neighborhood abounds. But the stone
that he found on this particular occa-
sion was so different from any he
ever had seen and gave such sharp
glints of light that he decided to take
1T to Murfreesboro the next time he
went to see if someone there could
identify it, Several days later, rid
ing toward Murfrcesboro o ma mule.
he noticed aonther stone alongside the
road which appeared much like the
one had in his pocket. He dismount-
ed and picked it up. With the toe O
his boot, he kicked at small pile of
pebbles and uncovered another one.
He took the three to Il bank in Muir
freeSAoro. None Of the officials knew
what the stones were although one
of the men did admire the larger one
enough that he offered Hudd,cstone
80 cents for it. Huddestone declined
to part with it, saying he would rath-
er break it up and see if he could not
identify it. Standing in the little
group of men in the bank that day
was Judge j. G. Pinnix, circuit judge
in the district of which Pike County
is part.
"Why don't you send them to good
3eewelerI, and see what he says about
them ?" suggested Judge Pinnix.
SO Huddlestone proceeded at once
to wrap up the stones and send them
to Charles S. Stiff in Little Rock.
The three stones were Immediately
recognized as diamonds by Mr.. Stiff.
But to get other opinions ,he forward
ca the specimen to a firm of diamond
importers OF New York, had them in
spected by Dr. George f. Kunz, recog-
nlzed as one of the authorities in AM
crlca on precious stones, vice-presi-
dent anad diamond expert for Tiff
anys and also gem expert for the
United States Geological Survey. The
stones were pronounced diamonds and
the experts declared that they ap-
peared to be as hard and as brilliant
as the average African diamond i'm
the rough.
Dr. Kunz was not especially moved
by. the news Of the discovery. He
pointed out that diamonds.
had been foun din several states in
America, by single stones, and these
were accounted for as "stray stones"
the theory being that they had been
left after the shifting of glaciers
thousands of years ago. He so in
formed the Little Rock jcweer, dis
couraging any extravaganza hopes un-
til thorough investigation might be
made. On learning, however, that
the stones had been found in ground
apparently of volcanic origin or ma
ture, DR.. Kunz made n special trip to
the Arkansas field and was greatly
impressed with the fact that it ap-
pcared to have diamonds "in place" in
their native peridotte. ..'"'
1t was explained that diamonds
were found in two locales, those of
volcanic origin being found only in a
blue earth called peridotitc. Carbon
at intense heat, it is supposed, is sub
jected to tremendous pressure and
suddenly cooled by the influx of
water, probably in volcanic uphacval.
The other locale of diamonds in guam
tity are certain river beds but it
never has been definitely determined
just how they got there.
The search for information that
might throw. light on the Arkansas
field brought out the fact that many
years before, State Geologist Branner
in an Official report, had called atten-
tlon to the presence in Pike County
of peridottc similar to that found in
the South African diamond fields.
But while diamonds "in place" always
np l.s.. \