The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1892-10-07
BALTIC AMBER MINES.
Digging for the Fossil Gum That Makes
Mouthpiecea.

Digging for the Fossil Gum That Makes
Mouthpieces.
"This exquisite amber mouthpiecc of
my pipe Is composed of substance
which was long regarded of mysterious
origin. II Is now known 90 be fossil
gum Of an extinct kind OF pine tree.
These pines formed forests thousands
Of years ago In the neighborhood Of the
baltic sea, where the gum which exuded
from their bark accumulated In such
quantities that IL has supplied the mar
kets OF the world with amber since the
most ancient times.
"The ancient Greeks got their supply
from there and the merchants Of Venice
during the middle ages made regular
annual trips 10 the Baltic for cargocs OF
amber.
Until recently no other way Of OBJ
tanning amber was known than to
gather such pieces of IL as were thrown
mp on the shore In stormy weather or
dive for Il. But to-day there are great
amber mines In the region OF the Bal
tic. which are worked day and night all
the year around Tho deposits Of fos-
sill gum extend from the very shore of
the sea To about n quarter ola mile In
land. To keep the water out of the
mines. which are below the sea level.
pumping has To be kept up all the
time" says correspondent
"The stratum I'm which the amber Is
found Is of blue earth, which Is SHOW
eled into cars and drawn up to the
mouth of the mine, where the earth Is
driven down sluicc by n force Of wa
ter that dissolves and separates II from
the amber. Nets with meshes OF diff
erent sizes catch the amber which L.
found IN pieces from the size of n pea
TO the bigness of ones hand sometimes
larger.
Thirty dredging ships work during
eight months of the year at fishing tn"
amber out of the sea with winding
chains OF buckets which drag along
the bottom and bring up sand, stones
and amber, the last being aftcrward
washed out in nearly the same manner
as ON land. Many divers also labor In
Tn, gathering of amber. descending to
the bottom from row5oats in divers
armor, with shovel and bag.
Sometimes they stay under the
water for five or six hours ut a time
not coming up until their bags ar,
filled. In addition To their regular pay
they receive a prize for every piece that
reaches certain weight
amber has II wonderful variety %
colors. Some of il II as clear as crystal
some as yellow rs honey, some ligh
blue and again n transparent green
Then II is found AS white IA,
snow, the color of cream. anI
often many of these tints are blended
in one piece. There is II popular motion
10 the effect that amber has curativ,
qualities for such ailments Us croul
and sore throat, and many thousan,
necklaces Of II are sold annually 70
that purpose.
because | have to bc 50 careful il
the smoking OF my meershaum, con
tent myself for common and comforta
BILE use with this old brar-root pipe. |
Is made from the root Of kind q
shrub that was formerly dug in grca
quantities in the south of France, bu
now IL comes mostly from Spain, ltal
and Algicrs. In the mountain forest
the roots are sometimes found biggc
than mans body. Instead of diggin
them out after the old fashion they ar
torn up nowadays with explosives. -
Washington Star