Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-08-05
WHERE AMBER COMES FROM.
The Supply Nearly Exhausted and the
Price Likely to Rise.

The Supply Nearly Exhausted and the
Price Likely to Rise.
News comes that the greatest deposit
OF amber in the world is on the point
OF exhaustion, so that this substance,
30 largely used in connection with
pipes, is likely to rise greatly in price
before long. The deposit in question
Is on the Samland peninsula, which
lnts out into the Baltic Sea. In that
locality, many thousands of years ago,
there were great forests of huge cone
| bearing trees, long since extinct as q
species. From their bark exuded
Quantities of gum, which formed ac-
cumulations about the roots of the
trees. Though the trees themselves
disappeared the gum was preserved in
fossil shape. How extraordinary was
the amount of it yielded by the trees,
to be kept over through the ages, may
be Judged from the fact that the mines
OF the Samland Peninsula have yielded
during many years past an annual
harvest of about four hundred thou
sand pounds. The diggings are below
the sea level, and the amber is found
i'll small and large Jumps, the biggest
ever discovered weighing thirteen
pounds. Along the shores of the Bal
tic nodules of the gum are so thickly
scattered that many vessels are en-
gagged IN dredging for them by means
OF chains of buckets dragged along the
bottom. Much amber is also obtained
by divers.
When the gum was fresh and soft it
was very sticky, like that of modern
trees of the pine family Insects were
caught in it, and thus it comes about
that bugs of numerous species are
found inclosed in the Jumps of amber.
In the same way fragments of twigs,
leaves, buds, flowers and even pollen
grains of plants are embraced III the
substances of the fossil gum. There
has been found piece of amber that
contains catkin of an oak tree as dis
tinct and perfect as when it grew.
Likewise the hairs of animals ard the
feathers of birds were caught in the
sticky rosin now and then, and wood
pecker and a squirrel have been ident-
itied as contributors.
Pieces of amber which contain in
sects or fragments of plants bring
fancy prices for mouthpieces of pipes.
But the finest specimens do not reach
the United States; they go to the East,
where rich Arabs, Turks and Persians
are willing to pay extraordinary prices
for them. The ruby-colored amber is
precious, and the green also is partic-
ularly valuable The BLUSH and per-
feet yellow are highly appreciated by
amateurs. In the fourteenth century
amber was made into knives and forks
with one prong, which were used by
princes and church dignitaries, the
gum fetching more than its weight in
gold. At present it is worth from So
to $50 q pound, though exceptionally
large and beautiful pieces bring almost
any price. The mouthpieces for pipes
are made with a turning wheel and
very sharp chisel The dust and scraps
are melted and supply the "amberine"
of commerce.
Just as the catlinite which furnished
the finest Indian pipes was obtainable
only from single locality, so the
meerschaum which is recognized as
incomparably the choicest of materials
for modern pipes is got from one
place and is found nowhere else. .-Bos-
ton Transcript.