river digging, noun phrase

Origin:
U.S. EnglishShow more Originally U.S. English, as a gold-mining term.
historical, Diamond-mining
Usually in the plural : The mining operations associated with prospecting for diamonds near a river or stream; wet digging. Cf. dry digging.
1876 F. Boyle Savage Life 11It was by no means unpleasant, this river, or wet, digging.
1881 E.E. Frewer tr. of E. Holub’s Seven Yrs in S. Afr. I. 60The settlement at the river-diggings sprang up with a rapidity as marvellous as those of California.
1882 J. Nixon Among Boers 162We had some idea of visiting the river diggings in the bed of the Vaal River, but we were told that they were almost entirely deserted.
1887 J.W. Matthews Incwadi Yami 101The river diggings having existed for some time, matters there had assumed more of a settled appearance than at the dry diggings.
1926 M. Nathan S. Afr. from Within 198The romantic interest in the stream (sc. the Vaal River) lies in the fact that from Krugersdorp downwards it is the centre of the ‘river diggings’. The alluvial diamonds found along its course..are of great purity and value...The river diggings were worked before the ‘New Rush’ at Kimberley was discovered.
1931 G. Beet Grand Old Days 48In order to distinguish between the two main digging areas, the one came to be known as the ‘river’ diggings, and the other the ‘dry’ diggings.
c1936 S. & E. Afr. Yr Bk & Guide 366For many years the River Diggings were confined to the river beds in the neighbourhood of the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers, but since 1926 the S.W. Transvaal has been the centre of greatest activity.
1955 E. Rosenthal in Saron & Hotz Jews in S. Afr. 115Apart from the development of Kimberley proper, many Jews continued to be active on the river diggings.
1985 [see wet digging].
Usually in the plural :The mining operations associated with prospecting for diamonds near a river or stream; wet digging.
Derivatives:
Hence river digger  noun phrase.
1904 L.J. Spencer tr. of Bauer’s Precious Stones I. 185The amalgamation of the ‘dry diggings’ to form the De Beers Consolidated Mines, has had the effect of increasing the number of river diggers.
1920 F.C. Cornell Glamour of Prospecting 10There were..men of past experience — principally ex-‘river-diggers’.
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18761955

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river digger

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ritual, adjectiveadj.Riversdale foot, noun phrasen. phr.
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