Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-01-12
Jet.

This biturninous mineral, which is
now being manufactured so extensively
into useful and ornamental articles,
takes its ZANE from the river Ganges,
from the banks of which it was prob
ably first obtained. It was first called
" gagates," afterward "gagat," and
finally, very properly, corrupted into
"Jet." Now, however. it is found in
many parts of the world. The finest
quality that comes to us from Great
Britain is obtained at Whitby, in York
shire, where it is found mixed with
fragments of bituminized wood of con-
ferrous trees, in the Alum Shale of that
district
Jet, like amber, is electrical when
rubbed; hence, when found, as it some
times is, by the Prussian amber diggers,
it Is called black amber. In France
large quantities ere found in the de-
partment of Aude, where numerous art
isans are employed in-working it into
crosses, rosary beads and other beauti-
full ornaments, which at first were used
chiefly for mourning wear. The French
jet is very fine, is found in irregular
veins in the lower marls of the creta
ceous series corresponding with the
Sussex gault Spain, also, furnishes q
fine quality of Jet, which is found at
Villaviciosa, in the province of the
Asturias. Jet is easily cut and carved
admits readily of beautiful polish; is
about as hard as our ordinary coal, and
is, in fact, only peculiar form of pitch
coal, containing about thirty per
cent. of volatile matter.
Jet has been the cause for consider
able confusion in the opinions of those
who have given attention to the subject.
DR.. Young, in his Geology of the
Yorkshire Coast, writes: "Jet, which
occurs here, may be properly classed
with fossil wood, as IL appears to be
GOOD in high state of Naturalization. :"
Mr.. Simpson, the curator of the Whitby
museum, a man. of intelligence, and
who has given much attention to the
subject, says: "Jet is generally consid-
cred to have been wood, and in many
cases it undoubtedly has been so, for
the woody structure often remains, and
it is not unlikely that comminuted veg
etable matter may have been changed
into jet. But it is evident that veget-
jet, for we frequently find that bone,
and the scales of fishes also, have been
changed into jet"
Robert Hunt, keeper of mining rec
ords in England, disagrees with the
former authorities. He says: "Jet
certainly incrusts mass which has
something the structure of bone, but.
without q chemical examination of its
constituents, We should hesitate to say
it was bone. Wood, without doubt,
has been found incrusted with Jet, as
fragments of animal matter may also
have been. But it is quite inconsistent
with our knowledge of physical and
chemical changes, to suppose that both
animal and vegetable matter would un-
dergo this change. By process of sub
stitution we know that silica will take
the place occupied by carbon or woody
matter; as, for example, in the fossil
palms Of Trinidad and the silicified
forests Of Egypt; but we have no ex-
ample within the entire range of the
coai formations of the world, of carbon
taking the place of any of the earths. u
Jet is supposed to have been worked
by the Romans long before the time of
the Danes in England; an earring of
lady, having the form of heart, with
hole in the upper end for suspension
from the ear, was found lying close to
the jawbone In one of the Roman
tumuli. The manufacture YVES carried
on until the .nnc of Elizabeth, when it
suddenly ceased, and was not resumed
until about the yea 1900. Within the
last few ye;rs the demand for it from
the American market has been SO great
that the wonder is the inventive genius
of the Am erican mind has failed to find
an article in this country, where btu
minous natter or petroleum, from
which it has its origin, so largely
abouud,