The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-28
RICHES ARE SHOWN
Geological Exhibits at the Cotton
States Exposition.
To BE Ono of the Most Interesting Min-
eral Displays Ever Made in This
Country-Some Unique
Features.

DIR. David I. Day, chief mineralogist
of the United States geological survey,
has been appointed by the Atlanta ex-
position management to take charge or
the whole mineralogic exhibit in the
mining building. The mineral exhibit
at the exposition promises, according
to the Washington Post, to be one of
the most interesting ever assembled IN
this country While it may not be quite
SO large as that at the worlds fair. it
will have many novel features that
were wanting in that exhibit, and the
main collection win be assembled on
systematic plan that viii make it a
very valuable object lesson to visitors.
DIR. Day, in planning the exhibit, has
been given larger powers than were
held by the managers of the mining
building at the worlds fair, and he has
so far chosen to exercise it by calling
upon exhibitors for certain materials
to complete the systematic collection
rather than to leave it to individuals
and companies to send what they
chose.
This plan is rather relished by the
exhibitors than otherwise, as it saves
them the trouble Of formulating plan
of their own for their particular ex-
hibit, while DR.. Day, from his personal
knowledge of the mineral resources Of
the country, is enabled to put his hand
on just the material be needs that can
be furnished by the producers of the
various sections. The great feature of
the systematic exhibit VIII be the ar
rangement of mineral products from
the Appalachian system, which really
includes in greater or less quantities
everything from gold and diamonds to
coal and sulphur.
4 number of special features of inter
est are now being negotiated for. On
DR.. Days desk in the survey building
is a slender shaft of parti-colored min
eral that looks almost as though 1t
might be good to eat. This is small
specimen of rock salt and potash salts
from the famous Sassfurt beds of Ger
many, which will form an important
feature in the contemplated collection
and will be of very general interest to
the south.
The potash salts are one of the chief
constituents of corn and tobacco fertil-
iZerS that are used almost exclusively
in the southern states. Nearly all Of
this variety of fertilizer comes from the
Sassfurt mines of Germany, where the
potash salt was discovered by accident.
The Sassfurt beds form one of the
greatest rock salt mines of the world
and have been worked by the German
government for years. Some time ago
deep drillings were made to ascertain
how. deep the salt deposit extended.
Far down below the surface it was
found that the rock salt abruptly
changed to potash salt, an immense bed
of which formed the foundation of the
mine The demarkation is as sharp as
in block of harlequin ice cream, and
the specimen on DIR. Days desk is a Sec
tion of the drill core where it passed
from one deposit to the other.
Another feature of the exhibit Will
be a complete collection of southern
gem stones. Though it is not general
ly known, North Carolina produces al
most every variety of precious stone in
greater or less quantities from dia-
monds to hiddcnite, which is found no
where else in the world. The largest
crystal of this very rare stone, by the
way, is owned in Washington, and will
probably be secured to grace the At
lanta collection.
One of the big diamonds of the world
will also be shown there. 1t is the
Cogsyyen, not the largest stone, though
well up in the front rank, being about
the size of 4 big hickory nut, but in
crystalline formation and purity one
of the very finest gems that has ever
been found. This stone is a product of
the South African fields.
All the foreign governments will be
Invited to exhibit, and the wonder
full Russian iron castings that were
such an attraction at the worlds fair
Will probably be secured for Atlanta.
The Russians excel in this class of
work, and what are undoubtedly the
most beautiful art castings in iron in
the whole world come from little ST.
berian furnace one hundred and eighty
miles from railroad. The work turned
out by these workmen equals high-class
die work. These castings, if the ex
hibit is secured, will be made on the
ground as souveniers.
Returning to the native products of
the south, there will be classified ex
hibit of petroleum, shown with refer
ence to its geology, from the fields of
kentucky and Tennessee, and from the
better known and more fully developed
regions of West Virginia.
Sulphur from therecently discovered
deposits in Louisiana viii also be shown.
This deposit is very remarka bic in its
location, being underneath a bed of
quicl1sand- There is plenty of it there,
and novel method of mining it is now
being tried. Superheated steam is sent
down in pipes, and the melted sulphur
Is then pumped out TO the surface.
The contribution Of the geological
survey to the exposition will be 2 col
unln of cubes. representing the mineral
products Of the sopth. Each cube viii
represent the amount OF that mineral
produced in one minute by the COM
bined southern mines. The base Of the
column on this scale viii be cube cf
southern coal fifty tons in weight.
Besides this the survey viii contrib
ute a classified collection Of the mineral
products of the United States. In con-
nection with this there will be practical
Illustrations of the technical terms OF
mineralogy, such as color, streak,
''luster," etc, thus enabling a novice
to ground himself in the principles OF
mineralogy with d view to recognizing
any minerals OF commercial value he
may meet with on his own land.
The survey will also bava n large COL