New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-13
MR.. NIVEN'S EXPLORATIONS
HIS FIND OF A MAMMOTH TOrRMALlNE
IN UPPER MANHATTAN ISLAND.

r,,r cToNr PURCHASED BY MORRIS X. JEstP
Avn PRESENTED TO THE MUSEUM OF NATU-
PAL. 1rrsToRy-RICH MINERAL VEINS
CONTAINING XENoTIMEs GARNET
AND MoNAzITE CRYSTALS.
Morris X Jesup has purchased for S@'o lot Tie
American Museum Of Natural HlS'oiy d 'o"'"i'
limo crystal which is believed to be the largest IN
,h world and which was recently found on Man
HAITIAN Island by William Niven, well-Kho""
mineraloglst Of this city The crystai Is no" o''
vhh,,ion IN the Mineral Hall OF the Museum.
cor,e If the results Of Mr. Niven's excavation OF
tho roadbed OF the new Speedway along the ma
lem River and his finds Of the rare minerals
xenotine and monazite. were described III an lliuS
trated article published in The tribune las' SUM-
A., cd
nav, lac, sum-ner and the rock had been blasted
quay ne turned his attention to exploring the west
side Of Manhattan Island. He was particularly III
terosted in the granite outcrop at one-huhnreu-anu
saventv-drst-st and Fort Washington-aVe' wh'ch
had Welded him during the last six years seN'rHi
notably large garnets, one OF when Is no" III INC
american Museum OF Natural History. On visi'
IN tbie locality last July accompanied by professor
: L. Penneld of the Sheffield Scien'ihc Schoo''
Mr. Niven was rather surprised TO ma lhe H'S'
v,otin,e crystal associated with the garnet ana ne
resolved at the earliest opportunity TO oesHl "o'"
As the location WAS III Aii' 9N'''' fN'''
sion WAS obtained from the owner Of the land ana
= s,ocioI porn,i, from the Department OF Pubic
vorls ia cxcavate the street. Work was besu"
,arI,. IN October and after blasting and removing
nearly a hundred tons Of rock, Mr.. NiVeh was re-
warlcd by finding a mammoth touImahhe cr|S'"
which is declared 10y experts TO BE- the largest l''
l,,,s,al of This Mineral in the world This IS the
opinion of Professor Thomas Egglesion' oil 20
Irmbla; Professor Whitfield. Of the American MI
comm of Natural History ana George +. Kunz the
gem expert of Tlnanys.
This tourmaline crystal IS about nine lncA's ions
and about four inches in its greatest diameter 1t
Is a very simple crystal showing one termination
Its body is quite round. black in color ana bFIila"
on one side IS a small parallel growth extending
about two-thiris of its length. About SIX ana d
half inches from the terminated end a seam or
granular gray quartz from one-hith 10 W. .
Inches in thickness divides IN" crysl ~, mo ~,
portions. but otherwise IL u compact IN F,r,,
il embedded in mass Of grammar era! p"'' w.
Black tourualine was found abund4nl III '"e N'"'
Associated with tho tourmalinc In this ocality Ni'
Nivcn found sarnci ci>sth MI,rn' , ~ i1c,..
Vcoped. would haN" Hi'a9u''d .' ,',, H., s., IN
in axia diameter In this connection IL may -, 49,,
that the finest larr" garnet iTnhu IL, ~ v,,,,
states, when ls now H H' -, ~, V,,,,,st t>4-
History was brought 20 Mr.. NiNcn IN Angus
from upper Iroadway II Mrtn il'', ,ipI ~, l,r
ounces. Many small Ncnotim-s were iouI. ny ",
Niven on the Speedway. one OF them n'lH| dn' ,'l-
cs, found on th' island mp 70 ihnt ' en- a., n n,
Mr. Niven found a dozen nearly as large d '''
largest and about 1Up smaller ones.
Monazifr Of good quality was discovered ih ih'ilf
small CRYSTALS The largest measure thrc'-quar'fi
of an inch I'm length and quarter oi an inch N'
width Mr. Nivou also found in ia" locality mon
toned zircon IN small. long pri-inatc crystals az
tunife IN small. applcgrcrn. microscopic cry
auatite green in color. abundant ana some Niu's
seen IN perfect crystals p"n'i Auns lAr iouih"'i'
and dumorticrlto 100 long needle cry stalls n'"s.h m
IN. mica Tn. last mineral wa FIRST innuH ln NV
York bu, meyer before ln such h'AuthI pnil'
CRYSTALS All these minerals were oifaln'd IN i"NH
Mr. Nfv.n's personal excavations from ''t"h,f D.
10 October ~ last. and. including ih"-" taken ll'W
Tho Sp..dway are worth several thousand '"iii.
'.Ther. are numbers Of veins ~ granite OF. TITO
island containing these minerals. -h.l Mf. NJ. ID
yostcrd S. and whir j. would hc pronI'mai'hl -
cetiuaf. the value ihe" might Weld WIN plnf'i
exploration doubt thousands Of doliaf- '"iii l'
realized from intelligent work don. In IN" h.iIN' l
mart In my explorations ON Manhattan leihHi .N
The last ten years I hat" found rhc inoHt prom
ground FOR minerals has been from puc-hnndr' u
and nffy-nfth--i to Fort G"1rsr. west ~ hN,
In $50 while sNcaNating the collar ~ IN" GA M'i ,
Home at Fort George. found several uNHdI'b
dollars worth 90 minerals which obtained on Sa'-
urlay afternoons during q period ~ three months
Among the nudn were handsome hor}ls. som, ~
them three inches On diamo''r. ani "a coluWiN'
crystal q brilliant black. and ou" ~ ~" h'. cry
tails Of that mineral 20 the l n.i'l state MOS ~.
those minerals from Fort G'oTEc arr III me f"oI &c
+ kunz collection loaned 90 the American Museum
OF Natura. History.