Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1872-08-29
The New Diamond Fields.

The SIN Francisco Bulletin gives the
following details concerning the recent
discovery of precious stones in Arizona:
The existence of deposits of the precious
stones in Eastern Arizona and Western
New Mexico has been quite well autbenti-
Gated for many years. The Aces, at the
time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico,
had large stores Of rubies, emeraIds, and
turquoises, which are not known to be
found in ony part of the present territory
OF Mexico, and which they invariably told
the conquerors came from the north. To
this day diamonds, mostly of an inferior
quality, rudely cut and clumsily set, are
exceedingly abundant in Mexico, and the
fact that they have generally similar ap-
pearance, and do not resemble the Brazil
ian, African, or Asiatic diamonds in color
has led to the conclusion that they came
| from fields somewhere on the North
American continent. There are also many
ruins which were long mistaken for tenn
piles for religious worship, being generally
located on the SUBMITS of commanding
hills, but which later investigations have
demonstrated to have been intrenched
mining camps, built in an enemies couI-
try. One of these, in a good state OF
preservation, may be seen on the hill on
the western border of the city Of Prescott,
Arizona; and between Prescott and
Wicksburgh, on the bride trail which
leads up the Hassiyampi River, is very
fine one, which we believe has never been
described in detail by any visitor. On a
broad flow of lava, extending many miles
southwark from the now extinct volcano
of Mount San Francisco, in the northeast
ern Arizona, many miles from water, there
are in several places ruins of what were
evidently mining camps.
On the barren plain near the head
quarters of the Colorado Chiquito, a
species of large red ant has thrown to the
surface large quantities ofgravel, in which,
some years since, a party under Kit Car
son found rubies of deep color, varying
in size from a grain OF wheat to small
pea. Many of these were given to friends
now residing in Arizona, and about a
dozen of the rubies, with an emerald of
very pale color, were given to gentleman
now in this city by Fred. Henry, an OLD
frontiersman. The emerald was brought
to this city, ground by a lapidary and pro-
nounced genuine. The rubies, were, how
ever, too small and the emerald too pale
to be of much value. They are now in
the cabinet of Wells Female College, Au-
burn, New York. In 1866 man named
Lamberson. owner Of small grist-mll at
Walnut Grove. on the Hassiyampi River,
few miles southwest Of Prescott, showed
the writer large handful of rubies, some
of which were Of good size, which he said
he found in his mill-race in coarse gravel.
The stones already received in this city
comprise several hundred diamonds, vary
in size from very minute particles to stones
of 100 carats. There are also a large
number of rubies, many sapphres-some
very large, few black diamonds, and a
half dozen emeralds; the latter of an in
ferior quality. The value of the entire
collection cannot be definitely stated, but
portion which was exhibited to a few
persons in the cashiers room of the Bank
OF California to-day are estimated to be
worth fully 100000. This does not in
clude quart or more of small stones, not
vet carefully examined, nor does it include
the large diamond before referred to. The
region is not far from the projected rail-
way, and the discovery must result in the
speedy settlement by Americans Of region
heretofore a wilderness or occupied only
by race of murderous savages.