The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-03-14
BIOLOGICAL MYSTERIES.
Supposed Origin of Some of the Preciou
Stones of Commerce.

Stones of Commerce.
Geology has been a revelation to man.
kind and has told us wonderful things of
the past history of the earth But
geology has secrets of it's own that are
as hidden from comprehension as the
atmosphere of the moon or the belts of
Saturn. Certain things have been done.
says the geologist, through volcanic
action or the agency of fire, and that is
as near as he can come to it, So that.
after all, we see effects, but know little
or nothing of causes. There is a rock
known as amygdaloid, one of the
lgneOuS rocks, which in some of the
gigantic transformations of nature. we
will say in cooling from a melted
state, formed within itself cavities
from the size of marble or bead TO
that of the closed hand. Now, as nat
ure abhorS vacuum, she set to work
to hill these cavities, and in doing so
she used other materials. and these
combinations produced some of what
we call the precious stones of COM
merce." Exactly how this was done we
can not tell. but we see some hint of the
operation in every subterranean cave
where stalactites and stalapmites
are found. Every student knows that
this is the result of dropping water
which contains carbonate of lime. The
water evaporating leaves a minute mar
tlcle OF lime, which takes sometime to
itself from the earth or atmosphere and
IN the course of ages bodies are formed
OF most remarkable character. Tn
probably somewhat the same fashion
nave these cavities been filled in the
igneous rocks, and then come time and
storms and other agencies-earthoua
pefhaps-and the rocks are sent anart
and out drops bead or a bowlder and
curious man picks it up, and hammers
ana breaks 1t. and then he puts a polisb
on III by some process more or less ad.
vanced, and 10. he holds in his hand an
agate or an onyx.
MANY OF the stones used in the arts
aaVe no other origin, and are deposits
Oh silica, alumina, oxide of iron and
other coloring substances. If is tho
color or arrangement of colors that
gives the name, and thus we have AGATE
onyx chalcedony, carnelian. sard. cbrvs-
oprase, sardonyx and others. all mem
oers of the quartz family and all bav-
ing family resemblance. The agate
has veins of different shades of color in
parallel lines. Sometimes those are
very close together. as MANY as fiftv r.
the inch, but this is unusual. Whom
here are alternate bands of color and
transparent medium we have the
'nyx; but the latter may be obtained nv
,utClng the stone in different wav
Agates are used chiefly for ornaments,
purposes, such as cups, seals. rings
nanoles Tor parasols, swords. table anc
'hantel ornaments, but the material &c
% nara that it can only be worked h,
hose who have practiced skill. The
'nyx was valued by the ancients for Il.
ipp4lcatlon to canoes and intaglios-tb.
list an object in relief. the latter a ..cn,
III process; and these objects are still,
made. Nature produces some vary
strange forms occasionally. and agate
are found with exact resemblances ..
soss and other natural objects and
ngures, which are very curious and ofter
very NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ANALYST.