100 DIAMOND DIGGING IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



in the centre of the sieve, which is of very fine mesh. It 

 is usual for the operator to place one or two small diamonds in 

 each sieveful of gravel as test stones. An iron table is used for 

 sorting purposes, and on to this the contents of the sieve are 

 capsized with a practised swing, which does not disturb the relative 

 position of the pebbles. All diamonds, including, of course, the 

 test stones, should now be exposed on the surface, and in the 

 centre of the mould of gravel, any failure in this respect requiring 

 the operation to be repeated. The whole of the contents of the 

 sieve are, however, sorted over, a scraper of hoop or sheet iron 

 being used for the purpose, but it is seldom that all the diamonds^ 

 are found in this first sorting. The process is almost invariably 

 repeated, often twice. The man gravitating, after beicg at work 

 for some time, may lose the peculiar knack requisite for the success 

 of the operation ; the test stones are missed, and a rest is necessary, 

 or a fresh hand is obtained before the work can be continued. 



In the year 1871 diamonds were found some 25 miles distant 

 from the river, near a shallow pool of water or " vley," known as 

 Dutoit's Pan, and from the early method of dry sorting the ground 

 at this, and the other mines sabsequentiy discovered these, the 

 largest diamond mines in the world, received the name of the " Dry 

 Diggings." Dry in those early days of their history they must 

 assuredly have been. Clouds of dust from innumerable " babies " 

 rose in the air to a great height, and involved everything in dim 

 obscurity. Dust and heat, plagues of flies, and the much dreaded 

 camp fever, scarce and bad water, short supplies of provisions were 

 discomforts and drawbacks the early diggers in this new field had 

 to endure in their search for wealth, but the evidences of reward 

 for the energetic soon brought a large population together, and 

 with population, more substantial dwellings, better supplies of food, 

 etc , soon improved the condition of affairs. The largest and most 

 productive of the four Griqualand mines, Kimberley,or Colesberg 

 Kopje, sometimes even at the present day known as the New Kush, 

 was accidentally discovered when negotiations for the purchase of a 

 farm called " Vooruitzigt," upon which diamonds had been found 

 on the site of the present De Beer's mine were in progress. The 

 owner of this property, a ru*:chman named De Beer, received 

 £6,000 for his land, some 6,000 acres, but the purchasers, Messrs. 

 Dunnell, Ebden and Co. , a Pore Elizabeth firm of merchants, a few 

 years later came into collision with the diggers over the col- 

 lection of claim licenses, and found it prudent to dispose of their 

 property to the Government for £100,000. A s, up to the end of 

 1885, the yield of diamonds from this mine alone had exceeded 

 17,500,000 carats, equal to three and a half tons wei;;ht of these 

 precious stones, in value about £20,000,000, the State cannot be 

 considered to have made an unsatisfactory purchase. The other 

 large Griqualand dry mines are De Beer's, situated about a mile 

 from Kimberley, and Dutoitspan and Bultfontein, about two 

 amies beyond, ihus a circle ot three and a half miles in diameter 

 would enclose the group. The two last-named mines are of great 

 extent, but the average value of claims is very much below that 

 of Kimberley. Calculations show that, from the known average 

 yield of the ground in each mine, it may fairly be estimated that 

 10 tons of diamonds have been raised since they were discovered, 

 of value certainly not less than £45,000,000 to £50,000,000. Ther» 



