Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1872-11-27
THE GREAT n FRAUD.

wv Asa@S $50 49,
report of Clarence King, U. 5. Geolo-
gist, to the Board Of Directors Of the
San Francisco and New York Min
Ing and Commercial Company, rela-
tive to his recent official examination
OF their reported diamond field In
Wyoming Territory:
Our first day was devoted to the
sandstone table rock, at the head OF
Ruby Gulch, where about all the stones
collected by your parties had been
gathered, and had our critical work
ended with the close Of this II day,
we should have left the ground conf
dent believers In the genuinesess and
value of the fields. My suspicious
were, however, aroused early In the
second days work, and | at once de-
termined to make an exhaustive series
of prospect" Of which the following
are the results:
First-A nearly uniform numerical
ratio exists between the rubies and
diamonds.
Second-The gems, In nine cases
out Of ten, lie directly upon the hard
surface Of rock or ar indurated crust
Of soil. In tho exceptional case, where
found them In crevices, there wa:
| always ample evidence that the sane
or soil had been disturbed and oroEen
up within q year.
Third-With tho diamonds and ru'
bies occur quartz pebbles OF various
| sizes, aud concretions Of iron oxyu
containing crystalline particles o,
quartz, which are found freely mingled
with the soil from surface and bee
rock hence If the gems were a natnr'
al deposit, being Of q specific gravity
intermediate between the quartz ano
Iron concretions, they must have also
settled through the earth to bedrock
| therefore selected ground OH M I'M
mediately about Table Rock, where
the top was more or less strown with
the so-called rubies. carefully shovelec
| off the surface-inch Of ground anc
| graysl-and examined by means o.
| sleeves and pan-washing, oil the mate
rial down to bedrock. About thirty
Of these tests were made encirclinf
| Table Rock, and In no Instance was 6
ruby or diamond found.
Fourth-Ruby Gulch leading direct
" from Table Rock to Arnold Creek
and BY necessity receiving the wash o
the gem-bearing surface Of sandstone
was found to be extremely rich In ru
bies at the head but this richness In
stead OF continuing down the bed. a!
II genuine 1t invariably must be
proved to exist only In ground direct
" at the foot Of Table Rock, where the
soil was clearly disturbed, mixed and
smothered over.
Isank = series Of four pits to bed
rock down the gulch at intervals, ex
cavating probably a couple OF tons o
material, and although as In every 9th
er Instance, quartz, and even concre
| lions were distributed throughout al
the gulch soil, not u ruby or diamond
was found.
Finh-In the top Of Table Rock ant
In the midst of thickly-sown rabies ART
certain crevices not opened by you
parties. They are filled with soil ant
pebbles, and more or less overgrowi
with grass, sage-brush aud small cac
tus plants. We carefully removed tn
top inch, dug out the whole crack
finding no trace OF diamonds or ever
rubies. In the crevices which bore un
mistakable evidence of having beel
tampered with. we never failed to flint
rubies and often small diamonds.
Sixth-Upon raised dome-like por
tions of Table Rock, rubies and Ola
mouds lay upon the summit and In
clined sides, In positions where tn
storms Of one or two Winters must In
evitably have dislodged them. ant
moreover, they were unaccompanie'
by quartz or concretions.
Seventh-An exhaustive cxamina
ton Of the rock material itself with
field microscope. revealed no grain
however minute, Of either gem.
Eighth-In the ravines and upon tn
mesa nearly. are numerous ant-hill
built Of small pebbles, mixed BY tn
ants, aud which we found to bear RI
bies on their surface. A still close
examination showed artificial holes
broke horizontally with some stick o
small instrument through the natura
crust Of the mound holes easily dis
tinguished from the natural avenue
made by the insects themselves. Whej
traced to their end, each artificial hol
held one or two rubies. Moreover
about these "salted" hills were tn
old storm-worn footprints Of n mat
Many outside ant.hills were studied
but there were neither artificial hole
piercing them, rubies Within nor with
out. nor human tracks.
Ninth-I discovered In the Tabl
three small emeralds. Summing "
the minerals, this rock has produce,
four distinct types OF diamonds, Orien
tai rubies, garnets, spinels, sapphires
emeralds and amethysts-an ass0cia
ton Of minerals l believe Of impossibl,
occurrence In nature.
Tenth - When altogether satisfied
that the gems had been "salted" Of
or abont the Table, "a party SET GU
upon n series Of outside prospects
which were carried OH over all tn
mesa and Its tlanking canyons unit
the absolute v~aluelessness Of the prop
erty was finally ascertained.
Hnrrihle Death