Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-01-28
ABOUT DIAMONDS.

Scientists Cannot Account For Their
Formation.
The diamond, one of the most cauti-
full products of nature, is at the same
time one of its greatest mysteries.
How can the black lead Of your pencil
be, so to speak, own brother to the
most brilliant of gems2 They are both
crystallized carbon, but how unlilxel
The chemist who could find out the Sc.
cret of turning common carbon into
diamonds would be able to heap up a
fortune by the side Of which Monte
Cristo's cave Of treasures would look
poor enough; and there are chemists
who do not give up hope Of some day
discovering the priceless secret.
OF late years, the scientific study of
the diamond has led into q new field Of
investigation. Men have found out, not
how nature makes diamonds, but where
she makes them, and that is q great
step in advance. There is strong evil
dence of connection Of some kind be.
tween diamonds and volcanoes.
In the South African diamond fields
the gems are found in what are called
''pipes," which are round or oval stems
of a peculiar kind of rock, several acres
in extent at the top, and running down
to unknown depths into the earth.
Near the surface this rock, which is
rich in iron, is disintegrated by expos.
ure to the weather, and assumes a yell
lowish color. 1t would not be exactly
true to say that it holds diamonds as q
pudding holds plums, but the imagina-
ton naturally forms such simile. The
precious pebbles are readily extracted
from the friable rock.
Deeper down the "pipe" changes
character. The rock becomes a COM
paratively hard, blue mass, much more
difficult to work. Yet it is still
sprinkled through with diamonds.
lying EN- bedded in the molds where
nature made them. This blue rock has
to be exposed to the weather or treated
with water before it will yield up its
treasures.
Now it is clear from the nature and
appearance of the diamond bearing
rock that it is of volcanic origin, and
the pipes" are evidently the necks of
ancient volcanoes whose fires died out
probably thousands of years ago.
When we consider that the diamond
burns and is consumed at high tenn
perature, we cannot think that the
gems contained in those ancient pipes
of rock We're brought there from the
interior of the earth while the rock was
in a molten condition.
1t is far more probable that, under
peculiar conditions of pressure and
temperature, they were formed where
they are now found while the rock was
cooling off. 1t romans to be learned
what the real conditions of their forma-
ton were.
1t is very interesting to know that
this "mother rock" of the diamonds,
as it is called, bears a considerable
analogy to some of the meteoric stones
that foil out of the heavens.
If the ancients had known this fact,
they would have invented a romantic
story of some celestial forge in which
the gods made gems; but we more
practical minded moderns simply draw
the conclusion that some Of the meteor
ties that fall upon the earth may pos
sibly have been elected from its vol
canoes, or from the volcanoes of some
other planet, and have gone circling
through space until, meeting with the
earth, gravitation brought them down
again. Companion.
HOW to Test . aOrss.
When examining horse with view
to purchasing, always have him led
down a steep or stony descent at the
end of halter and with no whip near
him. Many horses when brought out
of the stable are excited by the pres
ence of strangers and become still more
SO at the sight Of a whip. A slight
lameness may therefore be momentarily
overlooked by the horse himself, just
as man, under strong excitement.
will sometimes forget a sore foot.
Leading the horse down a slope will
show any defect in his forequarters,
and running him back will develop any
weakness that may exist in his hind
legs. Horse sharpers know these facts
as we'll as anybody, SO il the horse is In
the least affected they will generally