The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-04
AMBER AND CRYSTALS
INTERESTING FACTS AsoUT THESE
CURIOUS SUBSTANCES

Working Amber Il = Very Ancient Bust
ness-Is Is Found Only in Europe.
Queer Old Roman ideas About Crystal
NerO's Valuable CupA
amber is curious stuff" said a eollec-
| tor Of curios the other day. 1T is only
comparatively recently that its nature has
been known, and even at this day very
Few people seem 70 have any notion az TO
what il is in reality. The ancients regard
ed it as altogether mysterious and even
magical They found that it was rendered
| electrical by friction so as TO attract light
substances, and our word electricity
comes from the Greek name for amber.
which was 'electron. a favorite puzzle with
them was how the insects so frequently
found in amber became TO be so situated
Il have myself seen a chunk Of very
1 transparent amber in which a small lizard
I with five legs was incased. looking as II is
\ might have been alive yesterday. though.
/ doubtless. il had been dead for thousands
| OF years. The mystery regarding this sort
I Of phenomenon is easily enough explained
/ when it is understood that amber Is act
ually the fossil gum OF an extinct kind OF
/ cone bearing tree In the process of hard
( ening it imprisoned the flies and other
/ creatures preserved in the chunks OF 10
[ that are found today. IL is discovered
plentilully by digging in certain parts Of
I the great plains Of north Germany, where
the strange tree once fourished.
1T is also found in considerable ouanti-
ties along the shores OF tho Baltic. in tho
yellow sandstone. At Palmicken. in east
Prussia. il is dug In regular mines; else
where &c is picked from cliffs, and good
deal Of il is gathered in the shape OF nod
ules cast up by the waves. The finest
specimen of amber in Europe is a cup
made Of that material now az the Brighton
museum. England. IL was found at Hovs
some years ago. together with weapons and
utensils Of stone and bronze, SO IL Is evil
IDENTIFY very ancient indeed
in the Fourteenth century. and before
amber was made into knives and forks
with one prong. which were used by princes
and church dignitaries. it was more
valuable than gold. Now IL is worth
from 81 10 $50 pound, according 20 it,
quality. The most important use made Of
it is for meerschaum and other pipes"
BEAUTIFUL CRYSTALS
What a very beautiful sphere OF crystal
this isl" said the newspaper man. taking
in his hand a cool globe that looked Ikea
him for examination.
Yes. that il a pretty specimen. I sup
pose you are aware Of the theory enter
tanned by the ancients regarding such rock
crystal They thought it was actually ice
frozen 10 great density by duration Of time,
CONCEALED beyond liquidation. 'KTystallos'
in Greek means ice The famous writer
on natural philosophy, Pliny, who wrote
more facts that were not true than ever
any man collected together before or since,
says the crystal il undoubtedly water
frozen by cold so intense that nothing can
melt it again. Roman ladies OF that time
were accustomed TO carry such spheres AZ
this one in their hands during hot weather
for coolness
1T was the thing, nlso, 20 have the ma
terial worked into wine Jugs and other
vessels. Nero had two drinking cups Of
crystal worth e. 900 each and a crystal
ladle also; but when no learned that he
had lost his kingdom he broke them, lest
they fall into the hands Of any one else. A
crystal lens was employed In Rome %
kindle the sacred vestal fire. Great caro-
was taken not 60 put the crystal ware in -
warm place for fear that 10 would melt.
The most remarkable discovery of crystal
on record was made In 1867 above the Tiefen
glacier by a party Of tourists, a single cave
in the granite yielding 900 crystals Of
from 30 10 100 pounds weight"
And what is ths'"
PEARLS AND PEARL pTvTRs.
That" replied the collector. is d.
ninutive Chinese god, covered with a coat
of pearl by q real pearl oyster. On such
parts OF the coast Of the Flowery Kingdom
rs produce pearl oysters a regular business
Is often made Of manufacturing pearls ar
tfcially by introducing into the shells Of
the live oysters foreign objects Of various
kinds. You doubtless know that the pearl
j. a morbid symptom in the biyalye. A
grain ~ sand or some such substance get
ting into the oyster produces irritation.
and the animal protects itself by covering
the Objectionable particle with coating
after coating 81 its own Penrly secretion.
The interruption Of light by the successive
coats Of which the pearl il formed In this
way gives 10 IFS beautiful luster. Taking
advantage % this habit Of the pearl oyster
the ingenious Chinaman prizes 10 gently
open and puts IN whatever he likes. maybe
a little figure Of a god like this The oyster
goes 10 work and covers II with pearl. until
after a few months the idol 10 pearl Idol
II is worth mentioning incidentally that
sharks are b. no means such q terror 90
pearl divers - ~ commonly supposed. Is
il true that now and then a diver docs get
gobblcd. but for every such human victim
hundreds 81 sharks are Killed By the divers.
Pearl divers in the Torres straits are not
one-twentieth part 20 much afraid ~ the
tiger sharks which are warming there -
OF the giant mollusk ~ the bottom. siK fess
or more across is she'll which lies with
extended jaws A. II waiting for the unfor-
tunate fisherman % drop into them. The
victim, dropping out o. his boat into tbs
depths with a heavy Stone attained 70 Bis
feet, bring his leg into contact with the
mantle Of the huge rDoIlusk. which closes
upon the Limb with one Tremendous bite.
Only one thing then remains FOR the diver
70 do, namely -amputAts the limb with bis
own knife, because the mighty hvslrss
Jaws are clasped together with . tsnacitY
that would taks several horss power 20
loosen, and 10 In anchored % the bottom
with a cable Of ~ own three tirnsa a. strong
e. the best inch rope w Warrington star
She Can Make PiIiG