The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-23
GEMS IN ARIZONA.
Gigantic pctrincd Redwood Trccs Coated
With Amcthysts.

Gigantic Fortified Redwood Trees Coated
With Amctliysts.
Ono day last week. upon falling in
with Colonel Manuel Gomez, of Parita,
Mexican mining engineer, who has
lately been travelling extensively in
Arizona and old Mexico, investigating
tho mineral resources of that part of tho
country in the interest of some Eastern
and European capitalists, / asked him
what truth there was in the report that
precious stones in paying quantities
could DO found in Arizona. He said:
81 was not looking for precious stones,
but picked up some information about
them, for go on tho principle that no
sort of general information can do q man
harm. My experience in Brazil. how
ever, taught me that wherever there
were precious stones to be found thero
was much larger number of fairy
stories afloat rs to tho Value of tho
finds You know that precious stones
are simply crystallizations and with tho
exception of the diamond which is puro
carbon. they are water formations, col
orcd with some mineral or vegetable
appropriations. Those found in Arizona
arc spinal rubies, sapphircs, emcralds,
turquoisos, an excellent garnet, anne
thysts and small pearls. Tho ruby has
been found in large sizes up to fourteen
carats, but much inferior to the Burmah
rubics. Tho sapphircs, cmcralds and
pearls are worry small, and the anne thyst
crystals very large. They arc often found
i'll ants nests in the deserts, as those in
dustrious insects have n habit of carry
ing shining stones to their ncsts.
I,nprOr I'm -.
anywhere else, but very light in color. Tho
majority OF them are grcenish, but many
are light blue. The rubies, sapphircs
and emoralds are corundums, and are
generally found in Il granite country.
Tho pearls are found along with petri-
lied clans and oysters, showing that the
country has been, at some remote pc
riod, under water. havo been told by
biologists that Arizona was tho first
land appearing above tho waters in pre-
historic ages. The Turquoise is found
in seams of an eighth of an inch to four
inches in width. Tho Spaniards mined
them at n depth of about thirty feet
There are torquiose mines in both Now
Mexico and Arizona which have long
boon abandoned, and IN which are found
Indian hammers, made Of stone. showing
that tho Indians made them. The largo
torquoiso set in the Spanish crown, and
which IS as largo as pigeon's egg is
supposed to have come from Arizona.
Torquoises arc very popular among the
Indians, and good perfect stone
can generally DO traded for pony to
some of the chiefs. About twelve years
ago somo INSCRIPTIONS Eastern man.
finding that corundums arc in the desert
got up diamond excitement, scattered
soEso small rough diamonds at certain
points, and OH tho strength of tho
finds" organized diamond-mining
company. lie is said to have made
money out of it, but tho company didn't
The emeralds found in Arizona are Of
very good quality and very clear, but
they arc small.
I'm tho eastern part OF the Territory,
near where most of tho gems are found,
there is 4 petrifed forest somo l, 500
acres in extent, the major part of which
seem to have been California redwood.
There arc number of pctrificd trees
lying about that locality that are 100
feet long and some are feet thick at
the butt. Where these trees arc hol-
low, the inside is often coated with
crystals-amethys topaz or black and
white. Some of these arc very large.
Tho trees take very high polish, and
have been used for table tops and other
ornamental purposes, but on account of
their hardness, and tho necessarily
great expense of transportation and
working, they are not used so much as
their beauty would warrant."-N. Y.
Star