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Sec. II, Ch. 2: The African Diamond

Sec. II, Ch. 2: The African Diamond Page of 366 Sec. II, Ch. 2: The African Diamond Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
African Diamonds.
81
earliest Diamond-searching party was formed in Bethulie under Mr. J. B. Robinson, and established themselves near Hebron. Then followed a party from Natal, who set to work with intelligence—systematically digging the soil from the banks of the Vaal, and washing it in a cradle for Diamonds just as they might cradle it for gold. Another party from Kaffraria established themselves at Klipdrift, on the other side of the Vaal. Klipdrift was afterwards called Barkly. Still later, another contingent of fortune-hunters were led to dig near a hill named Pniel, and thus founded the famous Pniel workings opposite Barkly West. Although the river-diggings declined in importance after the discovery of the " dry-diggings," they will always be of great interest from the fact that they represent the earliest workings in the South-African Diamond-districts in modern times, and they still produce the finest quality of Diamonds. The river-drifts are worked in very primitive fashion, but the stones realize about 40 per cent, more than those obtained from the Kimberley mines. It has been suggested that the materials of the Vaal gravels have been brought down from the head waters of the river, but it seems equally probable, that the Diamonds may have been intro­duced into the gravels at some other part of the course of the stream. In fact, the late Mr. Tobin, the pioneer of the author's Diamond Expedition Party, in 1870, showed that the source of the Vaal is in sandstone, and that the agate pebbles are not to be found in the stream until after it has traversed a distance of several miles.
It was soon found that the Diamond-bearing gravels are not confined to the present bed of the river. Terraces of similar gravels run along the margins of the river, at a considerable elevation, and many of the larger Diamonds
are found in these old high-level gravels. But, in addition
G
Sec. II, Ch. 2: The African Diamond Page of 366 Sec. II, Ch. 2: The African Diamond
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