Transportation, too, appears to have had its attractions as a business enterprise. One far-seeing American firm imported second-hand mail coaches from the Californian gold-fields and placed them in service whilst another was responsible for introducing electric streetcars (trams) to Kimberley, at a time when they were not yet to be found in London.

Perhaps the most eminent American ever to be associated with Kimberley was Mr. Gardner F. Williams, of Saginaw, Michigan, who served as General Manager of the De Beers Company for twenty-one years, from 1887.

The ‘Big Hole’

The ‘Big Hole’ at Kimberley, home of the diamond, is the biggest man-made hole in the World and is a monument to man's industry in pursuit of these precious stones. Excavations commenced in 1871 and at one time more than 10,000 diggers worked on the project. Roughly circular in shape, it has a diameter of about 1,500 feet, a circumference of nearly a mile and an area of 38 acres.

Over 21,000,000 tons of diamondiferous ground were brought to the surface during the forty-four years of the mine's working life, and 15,000,000 carats (about three tons) of diamonds were recovered. When the depth of the hole had reached 1,200 feet, open-cast mining had to be abandoned owing to the risk of subsidence.

Thereafter the mine was worked from a shaft to a depth of nearly 4,000 feet and was finally closed down in 1915. Today, the hole is gradually filling with water, and the depth from the surface to the level of the water is about 800 feet.

T.R.S…
Arrived Kimberley, South Africa, at 10am after covering hundreds of miles of rough tableland almost barren and supporting only a few goats, sheep and scrub cattle - all strange breeds. Took auto tour of city and visited famous De Beer offices and diamond mines, including diamond recovery mill and employee compound. Mill must process 20,000,000 pounds of crushed rock to recover one pound of diamonds (about 2,000 carats).

Single day's production shown us in one collection - mostly small stones of one carat and less, but several quite large and one of 258-carat weight - all in rough, uncut and unpolished state, but, even so, they look valuable. Rough stones look like glass dice, each with typical eight-facet sides.

Colours are blue-white, yellow, brown, pink and green. Blue-white is most valuable and costs more per carat as size increases. Largest diamond ever produced was the Cullinan, about the size of a goose egg, which was cut into gems which now adorn the British royal crown.

Although diamonds steal the limelight, Kimberley boasts a number of industries, and minerals abound in the district, notably manganese, of which the United States is the chief buyer. Beef, mutton and dairy produce also contribute largely to the regional income.

T.R.S…
Diamonds are recovered by passing raw aggregate mixed with water over a greased, rubber-topped, inclined table. Water washes all dross quickly down the greased incline, and diamonds adhere to the grease and are picked off by hand. We saw five stones of about 4 carat each being lifted from the tables in the few minutes we spent passing through the mill.

At the compound, natives enter into a contract to become virtual prisoners for a period of four months to work in the mines and mills. Employment contracts may be renewed for four-month periods indefinitely. The compound is built like a fortress, a quadrangle of one continuous building backed by a high stone wall where the men live, do their own cooking, keep house and sleep. No women reside inside the walls, and the men are not allowed beyond the walls during the employment period.

Armed guards patrol the walls day and night. Line fences surrounding mine properties are heavily barbed and patrolled. A dog station lies near the compound where trained police dogs can be turned loose on marauders and escapees. An interesting Swedish mine foreman stuck close to my side during my trip through the property. Can't yet quite make up my mind whether to feel proud or offended by the extra close attention he showed me…!

Another attraction unique to Kimberley is the Duggan-Cronin Bantu Gallery wherein are housed pictorial and other records of the domestic life and customs of African tribes. The population of Kimberley is some 71,800 of whom 22,500 are Europeans.

A few miles before Krugersdorp is reached, the first of many huge dumps of pulverised gold-bearing reef will be observed. These mark the chain of gold mines stretching along the Witwatersrand to beyond Springs on the Far East Rand, some fifty miles away. Some of these mines have reached a depth of nearly two miles (actually over 9,000 feet, or roughly 3,000 feet below sea level), and today several of them are producers of uranium. In normal times the mining industry employs 40,000 Europeans and 300,000 Bantu.

The railway line to Johannesburg and further to Pretoria forms part of the electrified Witwatersrand system over which fast suburban trains operate at frequent intervals, transporting armies of workers to and from the city each day. Not so many years ago, these densely populated areas were vast stretches of bare veld. but today they boast residential and civic amenities second to none.

At Witbank and Middelburg, which are passed during the night, are the greatest concentrations of coal mines in the Union of South Africa. From these, over 15,000,000 tons are produced a year, one-half of the Union's output, part of which is exported through Lourenco Marques.

Between Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder, the line descends seven hundred feet in nine miles, and, during that time, the traveller has been transported from the prairie-like Highveld (highlands) to the sub-tropical Lowveld (lowlands). During the next fifty miles the line gradually drops a further 1,800 feet.

The approach to Nelspruit is noted for its impressive landscapes. Citrus, sub-tropical fruits and vegetables thrive in this fertile region which enjoys an annual rainfall of 30.8 inches. Nelspruit is probably the most popular gateway for the tens of thousands of visitors who stream into the Kruger National Park, some 35 miles distant.