ROUGH DIAMOND FIND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 23, 26 December 1925, Page 8

ROUGH DIAMOND FIND.

LUCK OF THE DIGGINGS. A VALUABLE STONE FOUND. CAPETOWN, Nov. 1. Tho scene of tho great diamond rush in South Africa a month ago, Tomlinson’s farm, which was proclaimed for alluvial diamond diggings, has proved very disappointing to the hundreds of diggers who flocked there to peg their claims.

Finds have been fairly numerous but the yield has not been so valuable as had been hoped. However, there is substntial compensation to be found in the restarting of the diggings in the Vaalbosch area of the tho Bloemhofcommonage, to which diggers are now trekking.

The writer had an appointment this week with Mr Ben Olschger, a veteran digger, who found a diamond of 61$ carats at Vaalbosch the other day. He was to show tho diamond, but he arrived empty-handed, although in possession of a pocket book which appeared to be bursting with bank notes. On the way to keep the appointment Mr Olschger met Mr Dennis Russel, one of the diamond buyers who havo offices in Bloemhof, and the result of the meeting was that the diamond changed hands at £IO4O. However, the writer was invited to inspect the diamond at Mr Russell’s office. It is a large stone, and its price would have been considerably greater but for the fact that it was tinged with yellow. Bloemhof is so accustomed now to big finds that it is not easily excited, but to-day it was impossible to hide the fact that something was stirring in the home of the diamond diggers of the Western Transvaal. Everybody is taking about Vaalbosch.

Ono man, who only on Saturday had to borrow enough money to pay the wages of his natives, has since found and. sold diamonds to the value of £BOO. Other finds reported were one diamond of 12i carats sold at £35 per carat and another of 12 carats which realised £35 per carat. Mr Olschger confessed that even in his most optimistic view of the possibilities of tho Vaalbosch diggings he never imagined he would find a single stone worth over £IOOO. It was picked up on tho claim by one of his natives and that boy had as a reward £2O in bank notes. Vaalbosch was worked 14 years ago, but then the lack of water was tho great handicap. The Mnnicpal Council is sinking boreholes and the intention is to supply water to the claims at the rate of 4d per barrel. Old diggers are confident that will be a rich harvest of stones there and that there is sufficient ground to keep 1000 diggers actively engaged for 12 months.