Idaho tri-weekly world. (Idaho City, Idaho) 1875-1875, 1875-03-24
HAVE VIA n1kndxl, l4sE.
RonNswrcK. GA. Jan. 20, 1915.

EnrroR OF THE South: ---L trust, 2 de-
sire to promote an interest in sclent NJ
t. researches, will be q sufficient ex-
cuse for the liberty | take in address
ipr YOU on asubject, with reference enc !,
to which I have addressed !. several 's.a'' J
[uould-be scientific men, without el ha
ing satisfactory reply, :, Z. = f..
| In ls64-5 resided in the Territory
Of Idaho, being engaged IN quartz
mining, In 1863 discovered and To-
Gated a quartz ledge, which was sup
nosod to be an extension OF the cele-
hrated "l'oor Man Gold and Silver
Quart Ledge and secured by puf-
chase and otherwise, eighteen hundred
feet of ground. In sinking shaft on
this ledge, discovered near the sur
face of the mountain, imbedded u
ferruginous sand, overlapped and un-
derlaid by dark blue clay or mud, nod
uIes of various sizes, ranging from
that of small pea to the size aud
shape Of pigeons egg, which when
broken open were found to contain a
remarkably hard and brilliant sub
lstance, more brilliant and harder than
crystalized quartz. These nodules
were encrusted by clay of the color
of crude gutta percha, eight drab)
and could only be broken by using an
81 ID. steel sledge hammer, driven
with great force. As stream TIN had
been found in the gulchcs near the
mine; AID as the crystalizcd nodulcs
were formed of concentric circles, |
naturally concluded that | had dlscov-
Tered a tin mine; but having no means
of testing the ore for tin, could not
arrive at a definite conclusion.
| have been informed by a N"rwe-
gian miner, visiting this port, Tat
my description of the strata in which
the nodules were found, answers ex-
actly that in which most of the finest
diamonds are found in Brazil-wi,h
the one exception that in Brazil they
are found in the same strata in the
beds of rivers, whereas in Idaho |
found them on the side of Il hill. the
top of which contained marine shells
and which must have been at some
remote time the bottom of al inland
sea.
In the Encyclopedias Britannica"
find the following description of Bra
lillian diamond deposit, viz: "Thc mp
per stratum of eighteen inches con
ssts of sand, gravel and loan; next.
there is deposit of stiff black clay,
or mud, of about four feet; and next
the diamond bed, whic!, is dis,in-
guished by mixture of large. round
ed stones. 1t is from two to two and
, half feet thick, closely connected
together with cIay;' and the follow
ing: Diamonds arc found in an ag-
glomerate composed of rounded white
quartz pebbles and light-colored sand,
which is sometimes crystalizcd;' and
the following: "The diamond is mos,
usually found in a mixture Of red and
yellow jasper, calcedony and horn.
stone cemented together by quartz
paste. ltpasses into pudding-stone,
, composed of rounded pebbles OF
quartz, etc, cemented together by an
argillo-calcareous cath, of loose fra
bic nature, in which the diamonds are
found.
, Under these circumstances, tho
question naturally arises: Why die
you not secure some of these nodulesI
and why do you not have some Of
them in your possession? 70 which
: answer that. at the time | found then
| supposed they were, like the crys
taIized quartz of the mountains, val
r ueless and that when I left for the
| South onnoll ..o.-. EAAl r.