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Diamond Mines In South Africa Till Ww1
By http://www.diamondhome.info

Diamond mines have a wide and varied history, but have you ever wondered how South Africa came to be known for its diamond mines? Well, read on, and you can find out.

The first diamond in South Africa that led to the diamond mines that it is known for today was found in 1867. It was found close to the Orange River, and though it seemed to be just a pretty little rock, it turned out to be a 21-carat diamond. Soon after, more diamonds were found, in the rough, as it were, between the River Vaal and the Orange River. In a couple of years, in 1869, an 83-carat diamond turned up, and the two areas were recognized as sources for diamonds, called pipes.

In Kimberly, four pipes were discovered, and after a few more years, by 1872, they were just pipes anymore, they were huge quarries, diamond mines, employing thousands of laborers.

By 1875, the mines became so deep that they needed steam engines to get the material out. As the diamond mines got deeper, more complications came about - the rock became much harder, and the cost of mining began to significantly increase. This meant that one person could not realistically take on the expenses of running any one of these diamond mines.

So, investors came into the picture, in the late seventies. People started buying out their neighbors, and the rudimentary form of the structure that we all know of came about. The number of mine owners came down dramatically.

As soon as the mines became more

organized, however, the already meager rights that the workers had were further curtailed. Finding a diamond was not always a good thing. Anybody who was found with an uncut one in his possession had to explain himself adequately. In other words, it was not 'Innocent until proven guilty,' but 'Guilty until proven innocent.'

The law also authorized the setting up of searching houses. Workers were routinely taken to these searching houses and stripped and searched, to make sure that diamonds were not being stolen or smuggled.

Since white workers did not accede to these rules very meekly, this also led to segregation in the mines among the workers. Though these measures were harsh, they were deemed necessary then. For people who decided that the end justifies the means, the results were satisfactory.

This state went on till the First World War, when South Africa jumped in pretty quickly, for Britain - and, maybe more importantly, against Germany. The German diamond fields might have been a consideration in this decision. After the War was over, and during it, diamond mines in South Africa changed.

Manuel Wiggins is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
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