2007: Here is a remarkable story of a diamond prospector of a different generation. This can happen even today.
(via Indiaqua 23 1979/4)
Unpalatable to Tanzanian pride as it must be it does seem as if the discovery of their greatest natural asset, diamonds, is owed to a combination of Irish independence and Canadian frustration. Irish because Dr John Thorburn Williamson was of that ancestory, and Canadian because logging n Quebec did not appeal to the future finder of the diamondiferous Mwadui diamond pipe.
It is also, it seems, a subject which an Italian called Signor Bondini prefers to dismiss as one consequence of Italian reverses in the last World War—since he was interned at the moment of his own discovery at Mwadui.
Mr G J du Toit’s unpublished manuscript states that Williamson “took to Geology by chance,” and obtained a B A degree with Honors. Post graduate work on Newfoundland minerals enabled him to achieve an M Sc degree in 1930, and subsequently a Ph D in 1933, as a result of a thesis on chromite. This work brought him to contact with the doyen of Canadian geologists, Dr Joe Bancroft, then Consulting Geologist to the fledgling Anglo American Corporation of S.A.Ltd. After a brief job with the Quebec Gold Mining Corp., Dr J T Williamson said au revoir to his family and sailed aboard the Italian liner “Rex” from New York to Cape Town.
On arrival at the Cape he took the Rhodesian Express to Bulawayo and joined the Bechuanaland Exploration Co Ltd being seconded to Loangwa Concessions (N.R) Ltd based at Rhodesia Broker Hill. It was here that he made a few small gold deposit discoveries 7 years later further north in Tanganyika. He also discovered that a little lime in a scotch and water took away the brackish taste.
Break with De Beers
Legend has it that Williamson fell out with the Anglo American Group in 1935 and he went doggedly on to trace diamonds in Tanzania. The truth is that he joined a company which was seeking a geologist—Tanganyika Diamond & Gold Development Ltd. This company operated three small diamond mines at Mabuki and Kizumbe near Shinyanga Plain, found in 1913 and 1926 respectively. The diamond content of these mines was not attractive. This puzzled Williamson who developed a theory that garnets and ilmenite found in diamondiferous deposits were quite different from garnets found without the presence of diamonds.
Unsatisfied with £55 per month Williamson left “Tanks” in 1938, and brought the Mabuki deposit for a few hundred pounds. He also acquired malaria and black water fever—and an Indian barrister’s interest, Mr I C Chopra, who called his new client “the gentleman from the bush.”
Following his geological hunches Dr Williamson began to take the lone prospector role seriously and one night he sat up all night in a truck waiting to peg his claim at dawn at Kizumbe. An Italian, Mr Bondini, in the vicinity, was also on the diamond trail, but he spent his nights more enjoyably in bed. Also more rewardingly, because by 1939 Williamson was in a mood to quit Tanganyika. He contemplated joining the military service, but before be could achieve that he had to pay various bills to Indian storekeepers. His German creditors had mostly been interned.
Somehow his debts to Indian storekeepers save him. He was able to retain only a few African prospectors and on 6th March 1940 James, son of Anton, brought on his truck to base camp a large piece of ilmenite from the village of Luhombo—from a trench actually dug by the Geological Survey of Tanganyika. Williamson looked deep and long at that ilmenite—often an associate of diamond. From the ilmenite a 2 carat diamond was extracted. And James was of that moment included in Williamson’s will—unbeknown to either men.
Enter and exit a Roman prospector
At dawn on 7th March Williamson drove hell for leather to the spot where James had picked up the ilmenite—a place called Mwadui, and then to the District Commisioner to apply, and obtain, an Exclusive Prospecting Licence. A few days later Williamson applied for claims as ‘discoverer”, to 3 square miles north-west of Luhumbo village, Mwadui. Who appeared at the District Commissioner’s office but the Italian, Signor Bondini, to protest on the grounds he was there first. He was dispatched in the most appropriate British manner by being arrested and subsequently interned as an alien. This seem sag geologically since Dr Williamson later acknowledged that the Italian was his chief rival and implied he knew a lot about Mwadui diamond deposits.
Williamson proceeded to peg with uncanny accuracy the limits of what turned out to be the world’s biggest diamondiferous pipe. To sisal and cotton were now to be added diamonds—Tangayika’s principal products. And to the fairly simple, pleasure-loving Dr Williamson diamonds found within his pegged area were to add a fiendish complexity. Prospecting revealed substantial diamond finds, which Williamson, trusting few, took personally to the Mwanza Branch of the Standard Bank. In Mwanza he took the opportunity to call on his lawyer, Mr I C Chopra. They discovered they shared an Irish heritage—for Chopra had gone to Dublin from Gurjanwala at eleven years of age before settling in East Africa 21 years later, where his intelligence and public spiritedness earned him the C.B.E…
Williamson becomes a limited company to Socialist acclaim
By 1942 Williamson Diamonds Ltd had been incorporated with a capital of £200000 (400 shared of £500 each), Chopra subscribing for 1, Williamson’s brother got 100 free and the doctor paid for the balance of 299. Williamson was running the show, even to the extent of listing the weight and number of diamonds recovered by sunset each day. He grew thin and irritable, not fat and prosperous in the capitalist tradition. By 1944 Dr Joe Bancroft of Anglo American was on the scene and on behalf of Sir Ernest Oppenheimer offered £2m to Williamson for outright control of the mine. Williamson refused. Thanks to Italian prisoners of war being employed on the mine, Williamson, who referred to them as “these industrious little men,” began to see that Williamson Diamonds Ltd had a major productive role to play on the diamond stage. This realization was simultaneously shared by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer in Johannesburg.
By 1946 the British Colonial Secretary Creech Jones had visited Mwadui and left convinced Williamson was almost a teetotaler and that nationalization of his mine would turn African people off socialist doctrine. So Williamson ran his mine roughly as he pleased. It was a boisterous era in which physical feats were socially applauded. Williamson would turn up nightly in European Club—seldom in the Asian or African counterpart. He also developed a penchant for Peter Scott bird studies of stormy seascapes as well as Russell Flint’s paintings.
The Williamson story
The mining industry does not relish loners. Teamwork is the catchword. But in the case of Canadian geologist Dr John Thorburn Williamson—the diamond industry accorded him a special respect, supreme loner that he was. Had he not only discovered but also owned an enormous diamond mine his name would possibly by now have been fairly well forgotten. But it is not forgotten and his story continues to stir many a geologist throughout the Western world as he takes his first tentative step into bush, desert, outback, or jungle.
For the following excerpts from Williamson’s last ten years Indiaqua is indebted to Mr Gabriel J du Toit, a South African mining man who for 10 years was closely associated with the ‘Doctor’ in the development of the Williamson Diamond Mine.
Part 1 in Indiaqua 9 described Dr J T Williamson’s origins, his start in Southern Africa, his break from De Beers and his amazing discovery in 1940 of the world’s biggest diamond pipe, 361 acres on the surface. By 1947 Dr John Williamson was feeling on top of the world. The price of diamonds was rising fast, the Williamson Mine diamonds were of high quality, and there were several hundred persons employed at Mwadui producing several thousand carats per month.
Bachelor status for man and mine
This called for a celebration and Dr Williamson, then aged, 44, flew south to Johannesburg, to recruit mining engineers and metallurgists, security experts and medical assistants for his mine. During his stay, contact was made with the Anglo American Corporation’s Geological Department. Their interest naturally centered on the dimensions and yield of the Mwadui diamond pipe. Dr Joe Bancroft, the doyen of Anglo American’s geologists, proposed a joint prospecting programme. This was linked with an offer to participate in the Williamson company, whereby the doctor would receive £750000. The loner’s instincts reacted and Williamson returned to the mine that bore his name—determined that it should continue to do so, without partners.
The next scare for Dr Williamson was the British Labor Party’s plan to nationalize the mine. Only a direct appeal to the Colonial Secretary, Mr Arthur Creech Jones, caused those plans to be shelved. This incident spurred Dr Williamson to redouble his efforts in exploring and developing the diamond mine. The fiasco of the British Government’s nationalized East African ground nut scheme would not be repeated with his diamonds. However, problems at the mine were not long in coming—security became a great headache, ‘over mining’ of rich areas was not appreciated by the Government mining inspectors, and for a brilliant geologist the revelation that the pipe contracted sharply—in fact at only 50 meters the 361 acres on the surface shrunk to a mere tenth, while at 75 meters deep the pipe had narrowed to a thin dyke—must have been deeply disappointing.
Dr Williamson disposed of the mine’s production of diamonds through the Diamond Corporation Ltd in London as a result of the agreement made in December 1947. The course of this contract did not run smoothly and at one time Williamson Diamonds Ltd received no revenue for 18 months because of disputes, arbitrations and misunderstandings that plagued the functioning of the agreement.
Dr Williamson succumbs
In 1956 Dr Williamson was found to have advanced cancer of the larynx. Distraught, he proceeded to Montreal to stay with his sister, Mrs Mary Miller. Depressed by the endless Canadian winter he flew to Australia to meet his friend Mr Albert Joris, who was shocked by his appearance. From Sydney Williamson journeyed to Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore in search of earth moving equipment. Then he decided to visit Johannesburg. Sir Ernest Oppenheimer sent his personal aide to the Langham Hotel suite to invite Williamson to Brenthurst, the Oppenheimer home. Dr Williamson declined.
Weighing only 100 lbs. the Doctor flew to Nairobi, and on to his beloved mine. With a scarf wrapped around his neck he would take rides at night around the mine, hiding from the eyes of thousands of his employees. On Jan 8th 1957, aged 50, Dr John Williamson died. Sir Ernest had died only a few weeks earlier in Johannesburg. Dr Williamson left all his assets to his family in Canada. He had never married. Shortly after Williamson’s death, Mr Harry Oppenheimer, in his first big deal, flew to Mwadui and successfully negotiated for the purchase by his group of 50% in Williamson Diamonds Ltd, the government of Tanganyika acquiring the other 50%.
His successor as Chairman of Williamson Diamonds Ltd was none other than Mr Harry Oppenheimer, until succeeded 15 years later by Mr Timothy Apiyo, Principal Secretary of the Tanzanian Ministry of Commerce & Industries. Mr George Hunt, who had been appointed General Manager in 1958, was replaced by Mr Samuel Lwakatare in 1973, who had obtained an M.Sc in engineering from Dr Williamson’s old McGill University, Montreal.
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