A Large Diamond Recovery Plant Operated at This Site From 1913 to 1919 and Found Piles of Diamonds

Описание: Please join me as we visit the site where a large, efficient, diamond-recovery plant used to sit. It was one mile north of the present-day Crater of Diamonds State Park. Diamond ore was hauled from the area near the current-day, iconic, Old Mine Shaft Building at the Crater to the plant on a small-gauge railway system. Inside the plant a steam engine provided the motive power that operated all of the equipment for diamond recovery including an African-style, rotary wash pan and grease table. This plant was in operation from the time construction was completed in July, 1913, until it was totally destroyed by arsonists on January 13, 1919.
Here is a quote from my book, "Genuine Diamonds Found in Arkansas:" During the first three months of operation more than a thousand diamonds were recovered. In his memoirs former plant owner Howard A Millar wrote: "One of these diamonds was a fine white one of about six carats' weight. There was also a beautiful yellow of four-to-five carats, which was also of fine quality. Most of the diamonds recovered ranged from one carat to one-and-a-quarter carats.'" During their five-and-a-half years of operation we can estimate that this large plant recovered at least 4,939 diamonds weighing 1,100 carats. This was World War One era productions. Due to war-related demand the value of rough diamonds had increased 100 percent during this period. So, they had a great run even though it ended in tragedy when the plant and railway system was intentionally destroyed by fire.