The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-11-26

i"|S INC SCetblb1 masses OF matter winch
had been agitated in its bosom for thou
sands oi years These masses. on coming
IN contact with lower temperature, in
stantly crystalized just as water crystals
ICES into ice in winter time
The captain Of vessel, trading between
San Francisco and Valparaiso, describes
what he witnessed in the Pacific ocean,
but in what latitude he keeps a secret to
himself. This captain has, or rather had,
brother boarding in house on North
Fourth street, and il is a letter which he
wrote to his brother that has given occa~
sion TO the rumors that are whispered
about IN that quarter Of the city The
substance of the letter, as it has reached
US, is mainly as follows:
When nearly half way on the voyage,
and at the time the earthquake took place.
fearful phenomenon presented itself
The ocean became convulsed to its highest
depths, and a terrible wave was swept
along 50 high that, as the captain humor-
ously said, he thought it would have
landed him in the city OF Quito. The
seamen were terribly frightened, but the
vessel was to rights aIain in less than ten
minutes. The affair was mere joke
among the men, for they fancied 1t was
one OF the high tidal waves " hich are com
mon In the Pacific. They continued their
voyage. bat towards midnight were alarm
ed by an extraordinary light which ap-
peared in the heavens. and was first no
tlced on the larbcard side, and which the
ignorant and supeTstitiUus attributed to
supernatural causes. The captain. who
seems to be an intelligent and courageous
man, sieered his vessel right in the dIrec-
ton OF the light, and just before sunrise a
sight, of magniiicence-such as no human
eye has ever rested on-met his gaze. 1t
was no less than group of islands form
ed of huge masses of solid diamond of
every color, and, in some places, of the
purest brilliancy. The sailors fell into
ecstasies, and one man, half breed from
the Sandwich Islands, lost his senses so
far that he would have thrown himself
overheard if he had not been tied down.
They sailed among the group the entire
day, and found il to consist. on a rough
calculation, of from u to 20 in number
bat the exact number, or their relative
size, there was no time to asceI tain. They
consist of a large, white flint rocks of
crystalized shape (some places nearly
transparency which rise 20 a height of
about $50 feet from the water. Thick
layers of various roetals are imbedded
into them, and the diamonds form thick
layers beside these latter. This is the
general formation; but some of the
smaller islands are composed nearly al
together OF diamond, in which the emerald
prevails. There are agate, opaque topaz,
ruby, and, indeed, diamonds of every hue;
but one island, which he describes as
being almost seventy miles long by fifteen
wide, consists of an entirely pure emerald
without any admixture of foreign sub
stance. 1t was difficult to effect land
ing on any Of the group At length some
of the men succeeded but the captain
himself, satisfied with what he had seen,
did not leave the vessel
The men describe the interior of the IS
land on which they landed as consisting
almost entirely of mud, which is gradually
coagulating under the heat of the sun A
curious thing was, that the briIlants were
seen in the muddy quarters of the island,
lying about like huge bouIders-the small
est ones they saw being about 200 tons in
weight, but there were mum bers of others
considerably larger OF course there was
no water or vegetation 10 be seen The
most curious effect the sight had on the
men, both those in the vessel as well as
those who visited tie island, was that the
extraordinary briIiiancy sickened their
stomach, and vomiting, followed by a
copious discharge from the bowels, was
the consequence All efforts to detach
portions of the diamond rock proved abor-
tive; and it was out of question TO attempt
removing any of the great brilliant bould-
ers. They made an attempt to detach
portions of rock by means of "A crowbar
and sledge, but it was so hard all efforts
were useleS, and, though they had pow
der enough on board, they had no implies
ments with which to drill the holes for
blasting The captain would have pro
ceeded on his voyage to Valparaiso but
the men mutinied and obliged him TO put
back to Panama. He afterward, with
the consent of the crew, ran the vessel on
shore on the northern coast of Columbia.
and, telegraphing to the owners that she
was lost, came on as tar as Aspinwall
from which city he wrote to his brother
in ST. Louis He desired his brother TO
come along at once, and bring with him
the finest and best tempered implements
for blasting purposes, and if possible, a
quantity of nitro glycerine. The brother
departed for New York immediately, but.
before going, he communicated the secret
10 confidential comrade, through whom
the news leaked out only as late as yester-
day evening | am told that it has al
ready reached the ears of rich leweler in
this city, who is about to start an expedi-
ton which, he proposes to carry on himself
1t is more than probable that the crew Of
the abandoned vessel have anticipated
him; and if they were lucky enough to
keep their secret and it out small craft