Pomona, Namibia
Encyclopedia
Pomona is a ghost town
in southern Namibia
south of Lüderitz
on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean
. It is about 15 km south of Elizabeth Bay, Namibia, in an area called Sperrgebiet
, a diamond mining zone with restricted access.
Around 1910, at the time of the diamond rush in German South-West Africa
, diamonds in the Pomona area were so plentiful that they could be picked up from the ground with bare hands. Pomona boasted the richest diamond mine of its time, generating over 1000000 carats (200 kg) between 1912 and 1914.
deposits, the British annexed a number of islands off the coast of south-western Africa. This action led adventurers and traders into the area. Two of these, Aaron de Pass and Captain John Spence, obtained mining rights from Chief David Christian along the coast between the shore and 15°50’ longitude. Together they established the Pomona Mining Company and unsuccessfully tried to extract copper, lead and silver. It later appeared they must have shoveled the diamonds away to get access to the ore deposits.
After the first diamond was found in April 1908 by August Stauch
near Grasplatz
station, a diamond rush was triggered in German South-West Africa
. As prospectors moved southwards, Stauch and Professor Robert Scheibe from the Royal Mining Academy of Berlin discovered rich alluvial
deposits in this area, leading to the establishment of a mining settlement which was originally called Pomonapforte (Pomona port), as it was placed at the entrance point to several valleys, all of which have been named after the two prospectors and their immediate families: Idatal (Ida's valley), after Stauch's wife Ida, Barbaratal and Mariannental, after Stauch's daughters, Stauchlager (Stauch's settlement), and Scheibetal (Scheibe's valley).
The older mining rights held by the Pomona Mining Company were both a blessing and a curse. The German Government
of the time protected the area only six months after the diamond discoveries, declaring the Sperrgebiet
(forbidden zone), a gigantic strip of land 100 km wide, and ranging from 45 km north of Lüderitz all the way to the Oranje
. The mining rights for this area reverted back to Deutsche Diamantengesellschaft (German Diamond Corporation) but excluded existing claims and the older rights of de Pass and Spence. Therefore the Pomona area was the only place to set up new claims, and after extensive legal struggle official diamond mining started in 1912 under the auspices of the Pomona Diamanten Gesellschaft (Pomona Diamond Corporation). This mine soon extracted an average of 50000 carats (10,000 g) per month.
The First World War
ended all individual mining activities; South Africa
soon defeated Germany
on South-West African terrain and took over
the Sperrgebiet. De Beers
became the owner of the mines; it kept control of the area until the 1990s, when the Namibian government purchased a fifty percent stake, forming a joint partnership called the Namdeb Diamond Corporation.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in southern Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
south of Lüderitz
Lüderitz
Lüderitz is a harbour town in south-west Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.- Overview :...
on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. It is about 15 km south of Elizabeth Bay, Namibia, in an area called Sperrgebiet
Sperrgebiet
The Sperrgebiet is a diamond mining area in south-western Namibia, in the Namib Desert. It spans the Atlantic Ocean-facing coast from Oranjemund on the border with South Africa, to around north of Lüderitz, a distance of north...
, a diamond mining zone with restricted access.
Around 1910, at the time of the diamond rush in German South-West Africa
German South-West Africa
German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
, diamonds in the Pomona area were so plentiful that they could be picked up from the ground with bare hands. Pomona boasted the richest diamond mine of its time, generating over 1000000 carats (200 kg) between 1912 and 1914.
History
Mining in the Pomona area started in the 1860s. After the discovery of guanoGuano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
deposits, the British annexed a number of islands off the coast of south-western Africa. This action led adventurers and traders into the area. Two of these, Aaron de Pass and Captain John Spence, obtained mining rights from Chief David Christian along the coast between the shore and 15°50’ longitude. Together they established the Pomona Mining Company and unsuccessfully tried to extract copper, lead and silver. It later appeared they must have shoveled the diamonds away to get access to the ore deposits.
After the first diamond was found in April 1908 by August Stauch
August Stauch
August Stauch is considered the discoverer of the diamond deposits near the settlement of Lüderitz in the then colony of German South-West Africa, now Namibia....
near Grasplatz
Grasplatz
Grasplatz is a defunct railway station in the south of Namibia on the decommissioned Aus - Lüderitz line. It is the place where in 1908 railway worker Zacharias Lewalwa found the first diamond in German South-West Africa and handed it over to his foreman August Stauch...
station, a diamond rush was triggered in German South-West Africa
German South-West Africa
German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
. As prospectors moved southwards, Stauch and Professor Robert Scheibe from the Royal Mining Academy of Berlin discovered rich alluvial
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
deposits in this area, leading to the establishment of a mining settlement which was originally called Pomonapforte (Pomona port), as it was placed at the entrance point to several valleys, all of which have been named after the two prospectors and their immediate families: Idatal (Ida's valley), after Stauch's wife Ida, Barbaratal and Mariannental, after Stauch's daughters, Stauchlager (Stauch's settlement), and Scheibetal (Scheibe's valley).
The older mining rights held by the Pomona Mining Company were both a blessing and a curse. The German Government
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
of the time protected the area only six months after the diamond discoveries, declaring the Sperrgebiet
Sperrgebiet
The Sperrgebiet is a diamond mining area in south-western Namibia, in the Namib Desert. It spans the Atlantic Ocean-facing coast from Oranjemund on the border with South Africa, to around north of Lüderitz, a distance of north...
(forbidden zone), a gigantic strip of land 100 km wide, and ranging from 45 km north of Lüderitz all the way to the Oranje
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
. The mining rights for this area reverted back to Deutsche Diamantengesellschaft (German Diamond Corporation) but excluded existing claims and the older rights of de Pass and Spence. Therefore the Pomona area was the only place to set up new claims, and after extensive legal struggle official diamond mining started in 1912 under the auspices of the Pomona Diamanten Gesellschaft (Pomona Diamond Corporation). This mine soon extracted an average of 50000 carats (10,000 g) per month.
The First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
ended all individual mining activities; South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
soon defeated Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on South-West African terrain and took over
South-West Africa Campaign
The South-West Africa Campaign was the conquest and occupation of German South West Africa, now called Namibia, by forces from the Union of South Africa acting on behalf of the British Imperial Government at the beginning of the First World War.-Background:...
the Sperrgebiet. De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
became the owner of the mines; it kept control of the area until the 1990s, when the Namibian government purchased a fifty percent stake, forming a joint partnership called the Namdeb Diamond Corporation.