Kimberley and the Diamond Fields

Kimberley and the Diamond Fields BY ALFRED J. GOWERS, JR.

A few months ago a number of the elders laboring in South Africa, including myself, were given a permit to visit the workings of one of the famous mines at Kimberley, C. C, South Africa. There we had the pleasure of observing the progress of the diamond, from its mixture with the other elements of mother earth until the stage when it is ready to be sent to Holland, to be cut and polished, ready for the ornamental use of modern women. Taking it for granted that these few words, by way of introduction, have given the visitors time to clothe themselves in khaki suits and heavy shoes, we find them ready to go off to the open hole of the Du-Toits Pau Mine, the richest, per karat, of its class in the world. We stand and gaze into a funnel-shaped hole which has a depth of seven hundred and fifty feet ; at the surface, the massive

KIMBKRLEY AND THE DIAMOND FIELDS 317 hole has an area of fifty-eight acres This is all that may be seen. Where are they working? Has the been abandoned ? is it a holiday? about a quarter mile away may be seen a large hoist, a line of cars,where everything seems moving. -->

^^vMM&^Z It is there stone" that is the brought to the "blue ^h Surface which is COn- Dressed in khaki suits and heavy shoes the , , . . guide took the company underground. stantly being taken from the hole upon whose brink we stand wondering at the mystery of nature.

Let us now visit the place where the work seems to be going on. There we see a great hoist of fourteen hundred horsepower, which brings to the surface twelve thousand tons of crude maloading it into cars that have a capacity of one ton terial daily,

each. By these it is hauled to a field some three miles away, hence, "diamond fields." These small cars are attached to an endless cable,and are constantly in motion, having always the same work to do, yet never becoming weary. By means of a lift, Or elevator, we descend Small cars attached to an endless cable , , P ' . carry the blue stone to the field. the shaft, seven nun- three miles away.

dred and fifty feet.

There we step outward. In every direction may be seen small tunnels, out of which, at short intervals, come small cars loaded with blue-colored stone. These cars also work on the endless cable principle, and are loaded and unloaded while in motion. The sixty miles of tunnels, which form a network under and around the large hole which we first visited, are alive with cars

318 IMPROVEMENT ERA and workmen who are natives, and generally spoken of as "boys." Fourteen hundred are employed in the forenoon, the same number in the afternoon while at night, the force is re- ;

duced by one-half, making in all a total of thirty-five hundred "boys" (Kafirs) working daily, excluding the white men who act as overseers. The character of the diamond deposit is of such a nature, bullet-shaped, that the method of work is in a marked degree differentfrom that engaged in where the mineral sought runs in veins. This explains why the material is taken out through a network of tunnels from underneath. The colored laborers get a wage of one dollar per day, and a hole ten feet in depth must be drilled in order to entitle them to this sum. Three great pumps of eighty-pound pressure per square inch, each pumping an I average of eight thousand gallons of water per hour, are constantly at work pumping water A great fence prevents the escape of r fr ° 111 m the tunnels ,1 below. any dissatisfied laborer. Next we visit the "compound," the home of the "boys" while engaged for the company, which is usually for a term of six months, during which time they are not permitted to leave the premises. It is a great impenetrable fence,constructed of barbed wire, enclosing the whole of the company's property. So valuable are the diamonds that every workman on leaving is closely examined to be sure he carries away none of the precious stones. A penalty of seven years' hard labor is inflicted upon any one who is found illegally in possession of these stones. The "compound" we find to be an enclosure of about twenty acres, surrounded on all sides by houses the abodes of the work- ;

men, etc. That these natives are happy, it is needless for me to say. It is an old adage that "ignorance is bliss." In one corner they may buy anything but cards and whiskey; in another, is a hospital where the wounded receive prompt surgical and medical aid. Visiting the chambers of the sick, we found not a few, there being an average of four hundred on the recuperating list con-

KIMBERLEY AND THE DIAMOND FIELDS 319 tinually, with about forty-five fatalities yearly. The common ailments are bruised legs, mashed toes, sprained ankles, etc. We will stop here a few moments while the visitors change The blue stones are spread out on a field and cultivated until thoroughly disintegrated.

the khaki suits for themore refined broadcloth, then we will go on to the which fields, to the chain of cars we saw, lead. There the cars are emptied, and the contents scattered out, remaining exposed to the weather for from twelve to eighteen months. During this time it is worked, harrowed,! rolled, etc., to hasten disintegration. The crude material having become thoroughly decomposed, it is again loaded into small trucks

.is and carried tO the hv- Viewing- the floor where the crude material draulic washing machines, five miles away. deposited for disintegration.

There it is washed and concentrated, and out of every hundred and fifty loads, one load is sent on in protected cars to the "pulsator," where the clear diamonds are

320 IMPROVEMENT ERA finally obtained. We will walk along to the pulsator, but wait !

There is a car for the express purpose of conveying visitors, so we seat ourselves on a trolley drawn by two of Africa's favorites (mules), then off at a gallop go the merry crowd.

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THE PULSATOR. Here the precious stones are collected and sorted, averaging about $70,000 worth per day.

At the "pulsator," we see at last the diamond sparkling in splendor. About $70,000 worth of these precious stones are collected daily. They are separated from the more crude material by means of a sticky, soapy, substance, the formula for which seems to be the great secret of diamond mining, also a secret of the famous De Beer's company. There we see many other stones, but worthless when compared with the enormous value of the diamond. Here, as in other places of the day's tour, everything is under the keen eye of guards, so that no "sleight of hand" may go on. One must keep his hands in their place, and not touch anything. Who knows but in that sluggish clod there may be a diamnod worth millions of dollars The next and last place to visit is the "sorting compartments." There we see, sitting beside long tables, a number of convicts bending over a small bunch of the less precious stones.

KtMBEftLEY AND THE DIAMOND FIELDS 321

The men are sorting the stones, which are then passed on to experts, who give them a final sorting. At a little table, bending over a few stones, perhaps a dozen, sits an expert, glass in hand, also sorting them into different piles, according to kind, and value. He is color, willing to show you the peculiarities of the diamonds, most of

which have six sides and eight points. This little pile, of not more than ten or twelve stones, Elders onTHE TROLLEY. board: Back row: Arteis worth, in the crude state, mus Crane, Alfred J. Gowers, F. R.Gardner, John S. Sagers, $500. After the sorting process Gottleib Blatter, A. Fred Murhas been completed, the history dock. Bottom row: Austin Houtz, Jos. F. Hintze, Wm. C. of the diamond is ended, except Crook, Elmer P. Chipman. for some fiction tale, such as The Diamond Wedding Ring, The Lady's Diamond, The Lost Diamond, and such other fascinating stories as folk are prone to read. And this can only occur after the diamond has been to Holland, where it is cut and polished, after which, through the jewelers, it comes into the hands of our modern ladies. Woodstgck ,Cape Colony, Africa.