The morning call., 1890-11-10
THOSE IDAHO OPALS.
Young William Lessure's End That 1
Father Despised

Young William Lessure's End That Els
Father Despi.ed
A year ago William Leisure dug a we'll
near his house. The volcanic rock that
underlies the alluvial deposit in all this
Palouse country was thrown in pieces be-
side the we'll Mr.. Lessure's only son, 13
years old, began finding beautiful stones in
the volcanic formation. His father said it
was glass but the boy persisted. 81 know
they are worth q good deal, because they
are so pretty" the boy would say.
For year he has been hunting for the
pretty stones. His father scoided him and
told him to go to work at something useful;
but the boy hung around the well. He went
down into it and threw up loose volcanic
rock, and these he broke TO pieces looking
for the pretty stones. The father began to
despair Of ever making useful man out Of
the son.
Last Saturday Mr.. Allen, a jeweler, was
out hunting. He stopped at the Leisure
we'll for drink. As he raised the cup to
rock before him. His experienced eye told
him that he had found beautiful opal.
Mr.. Allen glanced around him. and it was
not long before he was stalking mineral
claim on William Lessure's ranch 600 feet
wide and 1900 long, with all the etceteras
of corner stakes, and the notice that he had
located a mineral claim there. Mr.. Leisure
was astOnished to see his valuable land
taken without so much as by your leave. He
was simply paralyzed when Sunday came,
and with it hundreds of Moscow people.
Lawyers, doctors. real estate men and
nearly everybody else went on William Les
sure's ranch and began stalking minerel
claims. Mr.. Leisure was not in it. He was
told that he would be given bonds to In
demnify him for the loss of his land, and he
acquiesced for the time. Not less than GOO
acres in all we're staked that day. Some OF
it is school land and some belongs to neigh
boring ranchers.
The formation where the opals are found
is volcanic one. at Lessure's well there
is about seven feet of earth. Then comes a
soft volcanic rock, which is easily removed.
1t is porous with air spaces running through
it. The white opal Is found through this
formation. Next beneath is a hard volcanic
rock, very difficult to work. Ths beautiful
specimens SO freely exhibited here are found
in this rock. 1t is not known how far down
it extends.
The excitement over the discovery at
Lessure's has caused a revival of the talk
about the earth formation through the Pa
louise country. Below the surface here at
Moscow there is ample evidence that we'll
defined surface forty feet below the exist
ing surface once bore luxuriant vegeta-
ton. Not well is dug in Moscow, but
old logs in various stages Of decomposi-
ton are found and have to be
removed. Once, in well forty feet
in the lava formation, a peaeh-pit was
found. Wise people say that the great
tragedy of Pompei and HerculaneuR had
been preceded by one Infinitely more terrible
In the Palouse country, and lava and ashes
from great volcanoes, now long since eff
faced, had been poured out on the plain. AT
some stage of the game nature went into
the opal business and scattered her product
in the lava. But all this is for wise people to
decide.-Idaho Statesman,