The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-01-04
AMBER.
What II Is and Where FOund-The Uses
TO Which IL Is Put.

much more esteemed than gold. Its
nature was known then, and two thou
sand years ago, Pliny told them it was
fossil rosin of an extinct confer, ,succt'-
um piaites. 1t is found in many
countries, but the greatest deposits
have been found on the shores of the
Baltic, where many thousand years
ago confer forest extended from
Holland over the German coast far
into ths aajscent countries. II was
the rosin that dropped from these
trees, Just as We see similar deposits Of
gum on our spruce and other trees of
to-day. AS it ran down it entangled
insects, caught lizards in its sticky
embrace, holding them fast, and final
ly burying them up, hardening and
preserving them intact for unknown
ages. One of the finest deposits is To-
Gated in the Hauptvaterland, where on
the Pomeranian plains the peasants
take it from the surface clay, and near
Brandenburg pieces weighing four
pounds have been found. The penln-
sula of Samland is noted for the rich.
ness Of its deposits. and formerly all
the amber here was claimed by the
Crown, the finders being carefully
watched by gendarmes and receiving
one-tenth of its value"
Are large pieces rare?" asked the
reporter.
"Yes," was the reply, "both rare and
costly. There is piece weighing
eighteen pounds in the Berlin museum
for which $1,000 was paid. and previous
to this $4,000 was refused for a thirteen
pound lump found in Prussia. In the
earliest days amber seems to have eX-
cited the cupidity of man. During
the reign of Nero an expedition was
sent to the Baltic coast which brought
back $4,000 pounds of 1t, including
one specimen that weighed thirteen
pounds. This was nearly all obtained
in the regular vein or belt that lies be-
ween Pillau and Grosz Huben-
icken, on the Prussian coast. Here
are regular mines for the workers Of
amber. They extend to a depth of
+ 100 feet, penetrating under stratuln
of sand, and then into stratum Of
bituminous wood forty or fifty feet in
thickness. These old trunks or re-
mains are more or less impregnated
with amber. The supply does not di-
minish and pieces are washed up after
storms, showing that the ancient for
ests are now under water far out in
the Baltic, and the gum being broken
off during storms rises and is washed
up. Such great quantities came ashore
formerly that the peasants used nets to
catch it and dredges were used to drag
the bottom Of the sea
1.-THE mines all along the Baltic
coast yield yearly about 100000
pounds, and some one has estimated
that the amount still in the amber dis
trict is worth sl.250,000. The vast
amounts taken seem incredible, yet
probably since the beginning of this
century 2000 tons have been quarried
and for the last 5000 years over $4,000
. tons have been taken from the Baltic
locality, and made up into jewelry
and articles of luxury. As the amber
Is taken from the mines it is placed in
baskets and slowed away in vaults
arranged according to the size and
quality. In the vaults Of Patchel
: Douglas the records can be seen OF
q mining as early as 1907
as amber found in this country?
asked the reporter.
q Eyes, it occurs at Gay Head, Mar
tha's Vineyard, and Camden. n. J. II
n the latter place, some years ago, sever
al barrels were taken from the greer
/, sand, but burned by mistake, or rather
4 through the ignorance of the finders
At the present day it finds its creates
value ss an adjunct to the smoker
q outfit, but in olden times it was consid
q cred a jewel and worn as such. In al
Irish tumulus cup of amber ha
been found that would hold hal
~ pint. The Gar Of of Russia possess
# es a tea set cut from amber block
that are probably worth much NOR
" then treble their weight in gold
Il For commercial purposes the ray
N material is separated into ditferen
i. classes. The finest generally goes t
IN Constantinople, there being made int
IN mouthpieces. The next class, compos
. ed of small pieces, is made into bead'
70 They find lively sale abroad, but G
off rather slow here. A set of ambe
v jewelry--pin, earrings-ean be bougf
= very reasonable here, but at preser
~ there is no call for it. The low priC
y is on account of there being no dut
r. on it; curiously enough, it comes III
der the head of gum and is admitte
m free. For the last year nearly $4,000
worth of it was imported, shown
nj that there is some demand for it; bu
n as l have said, 1t comes frol
m. smokers. The dealers here buy it |