The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-11-17
of dirt in which they are hidden.

OF dirt IN which they are
"The effectiveness with which ma
ture has concealed the crystals is ev-
idenced by the fact that the blue
ground brought up from the depths
of the mines and carrying it's price
less gems, is spread out in the open
for four months to a year to weather.
The diamonds are perfectly safe, for
officials who have walked over the
weathering floors for many years
assert that they have never found
a diamond in this way. AS the blue
ground weathers it crumbles, and
great harrows like those used on the
bonanza farms of the west, are drag
ged over it to facilitate the process.
Gems Trapped in Grease.
Eventually the material is broken
down into relatively fine particles. 1t
is then taken in truck-loads to the
mechanical plant of the mine for
treatment. The ground is mixed with
water in great mixing machines and
passed over screens of fine wire mesh
ing.
when as much as possible of the
foreign material has been removed in
this way the course residue, contain
ing the diamonds, is passed over slop-
ing, vibrating tables covered with
thick grease. Because of some little
understood physical property, the dia-
monds stick to the grease while the
worthless material flowes over the
edge of the tables. The grease with
its load of crystals is then scraped in
to a perforated container and heated
by steam. The grease melts away and
leaves the small but highly valuable
object of these months of work.
"How widely spaced the diamonds
are in their matrix of earth can be
shown best perhaps by a comparison
of volumes. The earth taken out in
a year by the largest mining company
in the field, would form a cube more
than 430 feet in each %dimention. This
would fill a large city block to a height
of more than 80 stories. The diamonds
found in this vast amount of eartl
would fill lonly two or three desl
drawers or a cubical box less thar
three feet in each dimention. Bu'
these few pecks of stones for which
mountain was moved were worth per
haps in excess of $25, 200, 900.
Laborers Voluntary Exiles.
"One of the most striking feature.
of the mining of diamonds by the larg'
companies in Kimberly is the exist
ence of the unique labor compounds
Since diamonds are so easily stolen
only those native laborers are EN-
ployed who will agree to enlist TO
at least three months and remain TO
that period when not in the mines
or on the 'floors'), within a vale,
:, enclosure. In the largest compound
covering more than four acres, 800
F me live. Not only are these corr
!, pounds surrounded by high walls, bu
, they are also covered overhead by fin
+ wire netting, so that diamonds canno
! be thrown outside to confederates.
: "Laborers entering or leaving
, compound must go through a proceed
ure not unlike that when entering
foreign country having strick immi
grafton and custom laws. They mus
: pass a health examination and if dis
eased are rejected or placed in qua1
a%ntine. Only certain articles may b
f taken into a compound, and no boot
shoes or other hard or solid material
may be taken out-only clothing whic
has been searched. In the largest {
: the compounds, where some labore1
n have chosen to stay for years, al