The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-24

genius of which is to swallow them
In view of these facts, much interest
attaches to bulletin by the expert, Mr..
q. +. kunZ, soon to be published by the
United states geological survey, to the
e1ect that great deposits Of rubies have
Doeen discovered recently in valley in
long by half mile wide, traVersed by
stream. The gems are found in layer of
gravel from two TO ten feet thick and
from three to twenty feet below the sur
face Of the ground. Exploration has prov
ed that the ruby-bearing gravel extends
through the entire valley. but not beyond
Ii, Many of the stones already picked up
are of large size.
The most important precious stone Of
the United States, commercially speaking,
is turquoise In 1891 there was mined Of
7 IN this country $4,000 worth; in 1892,
$4,000 worth, in 1893, $4,000 worth. I'm
mense deposits of 1t, some Of which were
worked anciently by the Indians, have
been found in Arizona and New Mexico.
Recently new mine was discovered in
Texas, to the north of FL Paso. Whereas
the aborigines, long before the first COM
ing or the white man. took out the tur-
quOise by the crudest methods, building
hres against the rocks to crack them, the
deposits to-day are attacked on scientific
principles, and are made to yield stones
equal to the finest Persian Gems up to
sixty cardts weight and valued at $4,000
each have been cut from them. A great
advantage which they have over most inn
ported turquoise is that they do not change
color. Owing to the stringency Of the times
however, the output of turquoise in this
country in 1894 was worth only $4,000.
During the past year deposits of beauti-
full sapphires were discovered twenty
five miles west of Phillipsburg Mont, on
the eastern slope of the Bitter Root range.
The crystals are scattered over an area of
l,500 acres, and seVenty-fVe pounds weight
or them has been obtained already. They
are of light shades of blue, pink, yellow
and purple. A few months ago the Tren-
ton Flint and Spar Company, at Topsham,
Ne, while mining for feldspar, came upon
number of pockets filled with remarka-
bic crystals of beryl, green, yellow and
white. Some of them were as much as
five inches long and one inch in diameter
Nearly all were transparent and capable
OF yielding gems equal to those of the
Ural mountains.
During the last few years the Indians
on the Navajo reservation have found so
many garnets and peridots that the sup
ply has exceeded the demand Thus al
present, there is a large surplus of these
stones on hand at the various agencies.
The Indians collect them from ant hills
and scorpion holes, the occupants of which
bring them TO the surface. Some of the
They have a better color by artificial light
than South African garnets. During the
past twelve months a valuable ledge of
moss agate was discovered al HartYlle,
100 miles north Of Cheyenne, Wyo. 1t is
six inches thick. five feet wide and runs
by prospectors who We're looking for cop
per. The material, as quarricd in the
crude, sells for 500 ton. 1t is not
many years since moss agate was con-
carat. II has only ceased TO be so re-
garQed because the finding Of great de-
poslts or II has made 70 drug IN the mar
ket.