DIAMONDS IN RHODESIA.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12906, 19 February 1906, Page 6

DIAMONDS IN RHODESIA.

Sir John Willoughby, at. a meeting of the South African Option Syndicate, London, told an interesting story of the recent discoveries of diamonds and precious stones iu the Somabuia, V-alley. in Rhodesia. A number of the Rhodesian diamonds were shown in. a glass case. Commencing with tlie statement that the « syndicate was formed two and a half years g ago, Sir John Willoughby said that a B concession had been obtained from the n British South Africa Company granting K the right to locate 200 square miles and & to work the area for precious stones, free ■ of any charge, to July 31st, 1907, with ft the further right to finally select twenty « square miles, on terms to be mutually |" agreed upon. The concession had been<ex- I tended to December 31st, 1909. After a considerable amount of prospecting work. 1 they had made a phenomenal discovery of precious stones near the watersheds of the Zambesi and Limpopo Rivers, where, in the opinion of some, the greatest discove- , lies of mineral wealth "in South Africa were to be looked for. ; On the Zambesi or northern slopes of "the watersheds an alluvial deposit of sand and gravel over-lay the whole of the areas located. At first- it was supposed that, a huge diamondiferous alluvial field had been | discovered, but the work since done had m convinced them that such was not the case. ' nnd that the occurrence of diamonds and other stones was local. Xo strike like the 1 one they had made had ever been known ' on any alluvial field, its richness, regularity and continuity being unparalleled in the history of alluvial diggings. They ! therefore thought they Lad discovered a ! very rich overflow in direct communication" i with a mine, and that by carefully tracing i ■ up this run they were certain to* discover 1 the mine at a more or less early dtate. • Until recently no important results were obtained, but in September the prospects ' entirely changed, and latterly a feeling of : . assured success had taken the- place of mere 1 patient hopefulness. The improvement • was occasioned by the discovery of a deep • deposit -containing exceptionally 7 heavy con- • centrales of a diamondiferous nature. During thirty days* work they recovered 5 diamonds and other stones to the extent ■ of" 3220 carats. By November Mth they had proved tlie extension of the deposit : in fifty-six shafts and fifteen trenches fcr I a total length of 1500 feet. Tli£ deposit • had- cverywiieve the same well-defined clia- : raceeristicsir- It was a district suited to 1 ehorr workirg*.. provided that th» new • Govsrnmvnt did not restrict the unpotra- • tion of Chinese to the Rand. The-quality i of tiie diamonds was very good. In fact. r they liad made a wonderful find, -ami were _ i still in the first stages of the discovery. At the- request of the De Beers C'on- - solidated" sFfncs, they weie negotiating for - the j.woling or amalgamtion of their inte- - rests. They lijkl ample funds, and <£d net propose* to fenn a new company.