Francis Oats
Videos
Francis Oats was a Cornish miner who became chairman of De Beers diamond company. He made extensive investments in the Cornish tin mining industry, which collapsed after he had died. He is known for P
Francis Oats
The Big Hole (Kimberley Mine) in 1886
Searchlight at the Wesselton Mine during the Siege of Kimberley (1899)
Memorial in St Just church to Francis Oats and to his three grandsons who died in World War II (1939–45)
Big Hole
Videos
The Kimberley Mine or Tim Kuilmine is an open-pit and underground mine in Kimberley, South Africa. It has been considered the deepest hole excavated by hand, contending the title with Jagersfontein Mi
Francis Oats
…time, and not further increase the stock of unsold diamonds already on hand. In May 1916, the Wesselton Mine and Bultfontein Mine were reopened, but the Big Hole had closed for good. Francis Oats died on 1 September 1918, in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He was survived by his widow, daughter and…
The Big Hole
The Kimberley Mines: Miners.
A sign next to the hole, reading "If all the diamonds recovered from the Kimberley Mine could be gathered together they would fill three cocopans such as these".
The Big Hole...