Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-29
CURI0S FOR MUSEUMS.
Some Funny Adventures Met With
in Gathering Them.
FOSSILS AND MINERALS
A Talk With Prof Ward on CollectinG-Piek-
ing Up Mineral Currant Bushes In Japan
Two Rig Saiamanders-The Largest Gold
Nugget Ever Discovered.
esvT,HAT BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF MINERAL

attached to it," said Prof. Henry A. Ward, the
famous natural science collector of Rochester,
to a STAR writer yesterday. 1T is antimony-
a substance without which you could not print
your paper very well, inasmueh is il re-
required to harden the types in the process Of
making them. A few years ago there were
very few crystals known in the world Of this
bright 'stibnite. as mineralogists call 1t, anti
mony having nearly always been found in duh
crystals. At that time, therefore. such a
specimen as this one would have been worth q
great deal Of money.
at was Just my luck at that period to be
travelling in Japan. As usual 1 was on a col
lecting tour. and it CHANGED that 1 had made
up my mind TO do the country in a rather &C.
centric manner. 1 had hired jinricksha and
two men. and in this vehicle saw what could
of the mikados empire, inside and cut. One
afternoon we were going along road at an
easy gait, my hirelings dragging the miniature
buggy in n dog trot. when saw in front oil a
house what looked like row of metal currant
bushes. i cried stop. and, hastily jumping
out approached the curiosity. FOR sume MIN
utes ! could scarce believe M eyes, for the
currant bushes in question were evidently
masses of pure stibnite crystals.
II asked the people what they wouid take
for them. and they put on what they thought
was high price. because they saw l was anx-
ious to buy. The bargaining ended with my
taking the lot for about SIS. One small piece
the wife Of the owner insisted upon retaining,
but neither of them imagined what was the
fact-that L would have willingly paid for a
scrap of that size much as gave fer the en-
tire quantity purchased.
.Iloaded my jnricksha as full as it would
hold with the stuff and made my way back with
it TO the nearest town. whence shipped 1t by
express to Yokohama. 1t was a good days
work, for that one find paid the entire expenses
Of my tour through Japan, Borneo;
Sunatra, New Guinea, New Zealand
and Australia, with considerable mar
gin besides. [ sold $1,000 worth of the stib-
mite before left Japan. and up TO the present
time have disposed of "a, 900 worth of il, though
/ have good deal left for sale. Perhaps you
will buy this piece; il is only S75. Subsequent
finds of the mineral have cheapened it good
deal. so that it is no longer worth more than a
third of its value at the time speak of
1t was while riding in that very jinricksha
through Japan that / came across two superb
salamanders. l picked them up by the road
side and they measured three feet each in
length. Iput them into the conveyance. but
subsequently missed one. Evidently he had
crGwled out over the back of the vehicle, there
was no telling where. l had only just about
time to catch my steamer but decided TO miss
ii If necessary rather than lose my beautiful
salamander. So turned back after it and was
fortunate enough to find it in the road only a
quarter OF a mile back.
BIG NUGGET.
THAT gold nugget on the shelf above the
stibnite is the biggest one ever found. No,
that is not the original. but only cast in
plaster gilded. The original was come across
in very funny way 1t was at Ballarat. Aus
tralia. and the owners of the hole had gone
away TO lunch. leaving hired man digging III
it with pickaz. Suddenly the pick struck
something. The workman dug around it to
see what it was, and then he tainted. Pres
entity the owners returned and seeing the man
lying in the hole they thought he vas dead
One OF them jumped in to see, turned the man
over, and then he tainted also. The two were
dragged out. and Immediately digging was
wildly begun for the nugget, which lay partly
exposed.
The mass was SO great that at first they
thought they had como upon q reef OF pure
gold When they got IL out 1t weighed $50
pounds and odd ounces. The value was Gal 900.
1t was taken to England and exhibited there for
a time. during which was given an opportunity
to make mold Of it. under strict watch by bank
officers. lest any of it should get away. The
lump was finally melted and turned into good
English sovereigns.
HOW HE FOUND LIVINGSTON.
81 have often thought" said the professor,
IN conversation later on, that would like to
write little account about How Found
Livingston. 1t was not in Africa, but in Lon
don and the incident was n rather odd one. l
was very young man then. Ii was in the
early days of my collecting for livelihood.
aud was very poor. incidentally to my work
for a certain museum l met Lord B.
nobleman, who took keen interest in science
II was living In six-penny lodging near
London bridge, and 1 remember we'll the
establishment Of my fellow dodgers when there
came for me superb card of invitation to a
reception at Lord BIS mansion, with
armoriA bearings on it. 1t was puzzle with
ne whether to go or not. because had 10 dress
suit. but at length decided to do so.
"fhe footmen. as / entered the great house,
stared at nue. with impudent establishment, re-
marking the black street suit l wore, bu. l pre-
sented my card. which was carefully scruti-
nized, lest there be some mistake, and So /
could not be denied admittance. As 1 went
into the drawing rooms the butler announced
Mr. Ward, in a naughty voice, scanning me
from head to foot. Ny lord shook hands with
me and passed on to a group Of youths fault
lessiy alfred III evening costume, with whom 1
exchanged few words, while they winked
slyly at each other. commenting aside upon
the unconventionality of my attire.
incidentally made dreadful faux pas; for
seeing a very neat-looking maid arranging
things about table in the adjoining apartment
l inquired innocently if she was Lady B..
This accustomed a smoker. and could see that
my question was repeated around. Altogether
IT. was very embarrassing, and l found myself
very uncomfortable and quite out OF it,
so 1t went on until about o'clock. when
there was hustle without, and the butler an
nounced in q loud voice, Mr.. Robert Living
ston- The great explorer was at that time the
lion OF London society. He entered, and Lord
B and himself literally fell into each others
arms, for they admired each other greatly.
WHY HE WAS GLAD TO SEE HIM.
''Then it was that began to feel better. for
Livingston Africanus was attired not in even
ing dress at all, but actually in pea jacket and
without either collar or cuffs. My own unconyen-
tonaiity was thrown into the shade. OF course
every one gathered about the explorer, who
was the guest of the evening. and discourse
naturally fell upon what MIR. Stanley has since
called the Dark Continent Lord B. asked
Livingston some question respecting the Di-
affra country, along the Gulf OF Suez, and the
latter replied that he had never been there.
g i have long wished he said, to find some
one who had visited that country and who
could tell me something about 1t, but have
never been SO Fortunate
Pardon me-. said, breaking for the first
time into the conversation, If interrupt Won
to say that myself have been all through the
Diafira country and it will give me great pleas
ure at any time to tell you anything can about
it,
81 don't think that Lord B. relished what
he probably considered an impertinence on my
part; but Livingston immediately became in
serested and Piled me with questions respect
ing the region discussed, to which was able
to respond in detail, having made q journey on
foot for 800 miles across it to Dshomey. The
result OF this was that became the center of
conversation for more than half an hour and
left at the end OF it with flying colors That In