Mohave County miner., 1890-11-15
ONYX
something About its workings enc ie
usa In House Deeorstaos.

y
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Onyx Is coming into general use foi
decorative purposes. With the forma
tlon Of syndicate to work the Mexi.
can mines and with the discovery OF
onyx In other places lis use has sx.
tended until II is becoming one OF the
most fashionable decorations In New
York. Onyx is peculiar Formations
caused by drippings mixed with min.
eral and earthly substances under heat
and pressure. This Is not an exact
geological definition OF 1t, but II tells
what II is. Ouyx is usually discovered
In caves or other natural openings and
In mineral neighborhood. The most
beautiful kind Of ONYX Is formed by
various kinds Of minerals running
through It In streaks and tints.
Onyx Ia the same improvement over
fine marble that marble Is over or
fdinary stone. IL also costs as much
more. These are two reasons why
people who are putting up fine houses
In this town are beginning to use II. Ii
differs from marble in taking on q
higher degree OF polish. in being
harder. with greater reflection, a
firmer grain. more refined and delicate
tints and prettier ttreaks. Streaked
marble Is not popular because II Is
usually not streaked in way to add
TO its decorative effect. In onyx the
delicate green fern. reddish and brown
streaks. appear beautifully on the ivory
background.
Onyx Is got out in as large blocks
as II can be quarried. The quarrying
has TO be done with wedges aud saws,
as it cannot be blasted or dug out with
safety. The grain aud streaks are so
delicate that blast might spoil thou
sands of dollars worth. One cave OF
onyx was ruined by the use OF powder:
The man who owned the cave started
to get out the onyx by the slow process
OF saws and wedges. He got out scy-
eral car loads, when tho thought struck
him that he could take all the ONYX
out of the cave at one blast. So he
put bis men TO work and drilled around
the cave, arranging his blast so that
be would have $4,000 or eco, 900
worth Of onyx to be shipped AT once.
The drill holes were charged and the
blast was exploded, None Of the onyx
was fit for use except In mosaies aud
such work. There was not a sound
bit four feet long in the cave. This
taught the other onyx miners lesson.
and no shocks and blasts or detona-
tions are allowed Ia the cave or IN tho
neighborhood for fear that the onyx
may be cracked or that some small
cracks may be enlarged. y,
Onyx Is worth in the rough from ~
10 $l5 per cubic foot. The price Is not
steady, as it depends on the demand
and the length and shape of the block
got out as well as the appearance OF
the onyx. The market for onyx il
something like the market for meer-
schaum. only less regular. A man
who buys block of onyx takes il to
some extent on speculation. He does not
know how it will saw and polish. There
may be cracks inside Of il which he
does not see, and the grain and streaEs
on the outside may not be carried
through.
The onyx In its rough state looks
like other stalactites and stalaginites,
though it might be taken for marble
by any one not In the business. II
Is worked much AZ marble is, by saw
ing and polishing except that more
care has to be exercised and that the
polishing is more difficult. When it is
worked up IL will sell for 81 10 s5 a
square foot, according to its appear
ance and size.
Some dealers make onyx up in man.
tells but even though an onyx mantel is
costly, the dealers do not Ike 10 MAKE
it up 10 that shape. as they say it vul.
garizes the onyx and will e',i In cheap
ening 1t. Onyx is beautiful for tables,
mirrors, and panels. There are only
four or five dealers in il now in New
York, but when the new syndicate be-
gins shipping here steadily onyx will
be pushed. II is no more rare now
than the finer marble used to BEN
l. Sun.