Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-08-14
ONYX
Something About its Working and
it's Use in House Decoration.

Onyx is coming into general use for
decorative purposes. With the forma-
ton of syndicate to work the Mexican
mines and with the discovery of onyx in
other places, its use has extended until
it is becoming one of the most fashiona-
BILE decorations in New York, says the
| Sun of that city. Onyx is peculiar for
nation caused by drippings mixed with
mineral and earthly substances under
heat and pressure. This is not an exact
geological definition of it, but it tells
what it is. Onyx is usually discoye red
in caves or other natural openings and
in mineral neighborhood. The most
beautiful kind of onyx is formed by va
rious kinds of minerals running through
it in streaks and tints.
Onyx is the same improvement over
fine marble that marble is over ordinary
stone. 1t also costs as much more.
These are two reasons why people who
are putting up fine houses in this town
are beginning to use it, 1t differs from
polish, in being harder, with greater
reflection, tirmer grain, more refined
and delicate tints and prettier streaks.
Streaked marble is not popular because
it is usually not streaked in a way to add
to its decorative effect. In onyx the
delicate green fern, reddish and brown
streaks appear beautifully on an ivory
background.
Onyx is got out in as large blocks as
it can be quarried The quarrying has
to be done with wedges and saws as it
cannot be blasted or dug out with safety.
The grain and streaks are so delicate
that blast might spoil thousands 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 several car loads,
when the thought struck him that he
could take all the onyx out of the cave
at one blast. So he put his men to
work and drilled around the cave, ar
ranging his blast so that he would have
$40, 600 or $40, 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 mosaics and such work. There was
not sound bit four feet long in the
cave. This taught the other onyx miners
a lesson, and no shocks and blasts or de-
donations are allowed in the cave or in
the neighborhood for fear that the onyx
may be cracked or that some small
cracks may be enlarged.
Onyx is worth in the rough from So to
SIS 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 is something
like the market for meerschaum, only
less regular. A man who buys a block
of onyx takes it to some extent on spec
ulation. He does not know how it will
saw and polish. There may be cracks
inside of 1t which he does not see, and
the grain and streaks on the outside may
not be carried through.
The ONYX in its rough state looks like
other stalactites and stalagmites, though
it might be taken for marble by any one
not in the business. 1t is worked much
as marble is, by saving and polishing,
except that more care has to be exercised
and that the polishing is more difficult.
When it is worked up it will sell for 81
to So square foot, according to its ap-
pearance.
Some dealers make onyx up in mantels,
but even though an onyx mantel is cost
ly, the dealers do not like to make it up
in that shape, as they say that it vulgar
ICES the onyx and will end in cheapening
it. Onyx is beautiful for tables, mirrors,
and panels There are only four or five
dealers in it now in New York, but when
the new syndicate begins shipping here
steadily onyx will be pushed. 1t is nc
more rare now than the finer marble used
| to be.