Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-08-21
An a,1EEsICAN s.oECoNcA.
The DfsnnoIls; NGrifa 2>sJ, SOC
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According to DIR. NJ. T. Stephenson,
of Atlanta, Georgia, who has publish
ed little volume on geology and min
eralogy of that State, its mineral
wealth, asyet only partially developed,
is not to be compared with its future
in the production of jewels, particular
ly diamonds. In the great belt OF its
plutonic and metamorphic formation,
extending in a diagonal line through
middle Georgia to the line OF its lime
stone formation in northwestern Geor-
gia, are found fiyo distinct outcrop-
pings of itacoiunite or elastic sand
stone, the matr;x of tho diamond. In
each of these lodges, diamonds Of
greater or less value, according to DR..
Stephenson, have been found.
The most extensive OF these hedges
| is il Hall county, in upper northern
Georgia, i'll belt about thirty miles
wide, running diagonally northeast
and southwest, about seventy miles.
In every gold deposit Or branch mine
that has been worked in Hall county,
splendid diamonds have been found
by the gold washers, who, being igno
rant of their value, have lost or thrown
them away. A few of them have been
sent to Europe to be cut and set, but
most of them have been lost. None
were picked up except those without
incrustation, and it is well known in
Brazil that only one-tenth of the dia-
mords there are without incrustation.
In washing for gold, all the large dia-
monds would necessarily be lost on
| account of the construction Of the me-
chimes, or thrown away with the
quartz gravel. Only such as passed
into the riilers with the grains OF gold
and fine sand were found in the pan
nings after the days work was finish
ed. All those picked mp in Hail county
were found i'll this manner. Most Of
them weighed from two to six cara's.
Three very large ones were found.
The first was broken i'll pieces by the
j. norant miners to see why II Ia SO ius-
irons The second was tIsei By the
boys If GAINESVILLE TOR il long time
as middle man IN playing marbles.
But the largest by far, as large as a
guinea egg. and parity ercrusted, was
lost soon after it was found by D..
Lloyd, the overse er of the Glade God
Mine, a deposit about twelve miles
northeast of GAINESVILLE. This was ten
or twelve years before the war.
In the four years OF DIR. Llo7d S
overseership of this gold 1nine, he CDR.
Lloyd picked out of the sands of the
paintings every night after the days
washings about half pint Of pretty
shining stones, which he gave to his
wife. Some of these the children took
a fancy to for play things, and they OF
. course were lost OF course the chill
dren took fancy to the largest and
most brilliant. Those which they re-
iected, Mrs. Lloyd put into an empty
mustard bottle, and when the bottle
was full she made little bag and put
in all that her husband brought home
as store of future playthiDgs for her
children. From the description of
these it is inferred some OF them must
have been worth from SEQ, 600 T. $50
geo apiece.
The large one DR.. Lloyd found not
among the paintings, but while work
ing himself IN the mine i'll the place of
sick hand. While raising gravel lie
found a stone just Ike the little ones
except that it was bright and shining
on one side, the other side being cover
ed with a crust of brown. 1t was
about the size OF a guinea egg. AS lie
was obliged 10 work very hard to keep
tie wheelbarrows filled with gravel for
the rifiers, he laid his pretty stone on
the bank of a stream hard by, at the
root of q large gum tree. But at night
fall he WAS very tired and forgot tie
pretty stone.
Twelve years after that he YVES
shown a rough diamond, and was in
| or Sfr = Re HI n
the contents of the mustard bottle, and
it struck him a. once that the stones
were diamonds. He was at that time
keeping hotel in Atlanta, his wife
was dead, and his daughter was mar
ried and had removed TO Northwestern
Georgia, taking from Hall county all
the Old furniture they had during their
stay at the mines, and with it an old
cupboard into which the bag of dia-
monds had been carelessly thrown.
Dr. Lloyd. convinced of the value Of
the stones, at once went to visit his
daughter. but she had no remem-
brance of the bag or mustard bottle.
Faint with disappointment the wear
led old man TUNED his footsteps to
the site Of the old Glade Gold Mine
The ground was under cultivation, and
where the forest and the old gum tree
formerly stood was field OF waving
corn. He found the old heaps OF
gravel, and for weeks and months sift-
ed the sands and grit and sought dill
lgently for the lost diamond. But all
in vain. At last, wearied and disheart-
ened, he gave up the bootless searcii,
and returned to Atlanta to die.
DIR. Stephenson says that there is
not doubt that this stone was dia-
mond and if pure aud of the size of a
guinea egg, rs stated, it WAS worth at
least So, 900, 900. According to DR..
Stephenson, it is established beyond
question that diamonds of great value
have been found in Hall county, and
that it requires only judicious outlay
of capital and labor to develop dia-
monl beds IN that county, and per
haps III other paris of the State, as
rich as the diamond fields of Brazil or
South Africa.
HeiMibold,s REctsHIS toe great family
medicine for diseases OF the kidneys anu kind :
red organs. Full directions accom- pany each
IL 0,, xs,-. fnTf-