Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-01-02
AMBER.
What II Is ana Where Found-Ths Uses
to Which II Is Put.

A gentleman well acquainted with
the curious substance known as am
Der, said to Philadelphia Times re-
porter: an olden times amber was
much more esteemed than gold lts
nature was known then, and two thou
sand years ago, Pliny told them it was
fossil rOsin Of an extinct confer, ,Succtll-
nm piniteS. 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 the adjacent countries. 1t 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 Pomeranan plains the peasants
take it from the surface clay, and near
Brandenburg pieces weighing four
pounds have been found. The penin-
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
0ne-tenth Of its value"
"Are large pieces rare?" asked the
reporter.
"Yes," was the reply, both rare md
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 tho cupidity Of man. During
the reign Of Nero IN expedition was
sent to the Baltic coast which brought
back $4,000 pounds OF it. including
on specimen that weighed thirteen
pounds. This was nearly all obtained
in the regular vein or belt that lies be-
woen Pillau and Grosz Huben-
icllcn, on the Pruss!an coast. Here
are regular mines for the workers Of
amber. They extend to depth of
100 feet, penetrating under a stratum
OF sand, and then into a 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
of 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 10 drag
the bottom of the sea.
"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 S1,250,00Q. The vast
amounts taken seem incredible, yet
probably since the beginning Of this
century 200O tons have been Quarried
and for the last 5000 years over 10000
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 Patcher
Douglas the records can be seen OF
mining as early as 1900"
as amber found in this country"
asked the reporter.
"Yes it occurs at Gay Head, Mar
tha's Vineyard, and Camden, n. J. In
the latter place, some years ago, sever
al barrels were taken from the green
sand, but burned by mistake, or rather
through the ignorance Of the finders.
At the present day it finds its greatest
value as an adjunct to the smokers
outfit, but in olden times it was conSid.
cred a Jewel and worn as such. In an
Irish tumulus cup of amber has
been found that would hold a half
pint. The Car Of of Russia possess
es tea set cut from amber blocks
that are probably worth much more
then treble their weight in gold,
For commercial purposes the raw
material is separated into different
classes. The finest generally goes to
Constantinople, there being made into
mouthpieces. The next class, compos-
ed of small pieces, is made into beads
They find lively sale abroad, but 60
off rather slow here. "A set of amber
jcwelry--pin, carrings-can be bought
very reasonable here, but at present
there is no call for it. The low price
is on account of there being no duty
on it; curiously enough. it comes un-
der the head Of gum and is admitted
free. For the lust year nearly $4,000 |
worth of it was imported, showing
that there Is some demand for it; but.
as l have said, it comes from
smokers The dealers here buy it by
weight; where about two hundred |
and fifty pieces make Il pound it is
Sl.50, but where four pieces go to the
POI nd it runs up to $50 or 500, as the
case may be, 1t has many colors
Green is most valued, though Others |