Daily Republican., 1884-09-04
FACTS ABOUT AMBER.

liItlo cfeu6uCo gam,
SchurZ can never make the nation
Lose its faith in Blaine.
CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT AMBER.
where n ~ FOund-The American
Product.
In one of the windows of store in
Fulton street is suspended row of bits
of amber containing insects, with a
notification that pieces desired fer col
lections are to be obtained within. A
Tribune reporter noticing this entered
the store and there found q thorough
amber enthusiast. Yes" he said, ~
have special liking for amber, and l
have just returned from trip which
made TO the amber district on the
Ba tic. All the amber of commerce
comes from there now. although amber
Is found in many parts of the world
in China, in Japan, since recently in
Patagonia, and from time TO time in the
u niLed States. 1t is a peculiar fact
that the amber found here and In
Patagonia is particularly ane. 1t is of
the transparent kind, or, AZ we say in
commerce, clear amber, but 1t Is much
darker than the Baltic Gear quality, of
reddish yellow approaching the color
of fine Oriental topaz. Pieces OF this
fine quality have been found in Amboy,
N. j.. l was very much struck with
one fact in East Prussia. All the
amber that il found is in q vein OF
blueish green sand. picked up a piece
m self, aud showed 1t TO q friend who
knew something of mineralogy, and he
pointed ont to me fine particles of IN lea
glittering in the sand which adhered to
the piece, for l kept IL unwashed on
purpose. He said to me that he thought
| this sand WAS in reality decomposed
aluminous clay. Now, at Atnboy there
, is, undt rstand, large deposit of this
clay which is used extensively in the
potteries of Trenton.
| 1t may be that the pieces OF amber
found at Amboy were in bed of thii
clay decomposed by the action of the
sea in past ages. However that may be
it 10 certain that on the southern shorei
of the Baltic the men who worked fol
this amber by raking the sea- weed aftel
storms. long ago came to the conclusion
that the precious article was rolled GU
by the tide from this peculiar blush
green sand. DO they follow the veins 0
the sand and mine them regularly. Tn,
IGovernment assumes TO own all tn,
amber and farms the work ont to one
contractor, who pays 300 thalers eact
working day for the privilege of work
ing it. ,., ..,,,.,,, g D., :.
ricken, which is about three hours
ride by rail from Konigsberg. Their,
were about 600 inhabitants who wer,
supported entirely by amber mining
There was one central shaft which wen
a oh final
different galleries, and cross cuts jus
like streets and cross streets. l thinl
There must have been forty miles O
them. The workmen dig into this sand
and fill small tram cars that hol,
|about 300 pounds. These are run to tn
Elevator aud hois:ed up by steam. Tn
Island is then washed in Bluice just q
in gold mining, the pieces of ambe
being stopped by nets ofvarious meshe
at different intervals.
"Then skilled workmen take tn,
pieces and assert them according d
Isize, shape and quality. Pieces con
tanning foreign substances, SO dear +
the collector, are put on ons side. AT
the first handling they are considered
inferior until further examination
shows the exact nature of the iuclose,
Substances. Pieces that are cracke,
, are of little value and generally go t
the varnish maker They could b
/ utilized in "a much more reInunerativ
way, for delicate perfum is made il
, Spain and Italy from This substance
Bnt this is done nowhere else.
got Colgate to experiment with scrap
from our workshop, but he did not sue
lceed."
Large pieces are much more valua
bile than small pieces. A lump of au
ber weighing pound would bring $5G
while one weighing thirteen pound
would be worth 5000. There Is in tn
national Neurological Museum at BeI
lin piece weighing nearly fourtee
pounds. The shape also il d consider
alton. An oblong piece is worth NOR
than a round piece, and well-shape
r round piece Is worth more than an il
D formed round piece"
1.-THE cutting is chiefly done in Dan,
, xic. Here this same man hat contract
with the Government has an army G
work people. He has 500 men employee
/ L In one branch alone, making mOuti
pieces, and 800 more employed on bead
and jewellery for Russia alone. He take
their work for the whole year and di
pesos of the whole in week in the gres
fair at Mini Novgorod. Then he ha
many more workmen who manufactuI
beads for China, Japan, India, Turke
land Arabia.
+ You must know that the two gres
divisions of amber are into clear an
cloudy. Now, 1t is peculiar fact ths
the Americans agree with the Turks an
Arabs and Persians in preferring til
clouded, whereas the Europeans esteeI
particularly the clear, and 80 do til
Chinese and Japanese, and the nor
Mohammedan Inhabitants Of India.
Mogul of Delhi will have his praye
beads clouded, and as red as he can e.
them. But the ives and daughters c
Rrahmins, Banians and Rajpoots wi
take nothing but the clear. They espt
Icially delight in cylinder earrings a
/ linch long, and ~ thick as the middl
finger, and have some superstitiousid e
THAT these prevent earache and heat
Iache.
"Such ornaments are light in spite {
their size and do not pull the lobe c
1.-THE ear down. The demand in the Eal
lis 30 great that it never has been sup
Iplied. In America the amber montl
piece is the one article for which thel
lis much inquiry. We are endeavorir
, to com ine the two qualities in came
, like ornaments, with background
= the clear, and a decoration in the cloud,
I1Nf m a n n