The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-08-02
DIAMONDS IN CALIFORNIA,

Many persons about Placerville have
been much interested by the report Of a.
movement in San Francisco to explore
some diamond fields in this state. The
locality was not revealed by Colonel A.
Andrews, the protector Of the enter
prise, but number of miners who are
familiar with the conditions here de-
clare that Ell Dorado county, where
gold was discovered and where came
the first rush Of the gold seekers, can
now make pretensions to being the
most promising diamond mining field in
the state. Justice of the Peace w. p.
Carpenter Of Placerville. who came to
this country in 1850, has for many years
been an enthusiast in regard to the pos
sibilities here in the direction of dia-
mond mining. Mr. Carpenter has al
ways been actively interested in devel-
oping gravel mines, and through his
connection with them he has secured
proof that diamonds exist In the gravel
deposits of this section. He, as well as
others, is strongly of the opinion that
II some mining was attempted here
with view to securing diamonds they
could be found in quantities. Hereto
fore only few have been picked up ac-
cidentally by parties who were engaged
In gravel mining.
In an interview Mr.. carpenter exhib-
tied two diamonds in the rough that
were found two years ago by his son,
Albert Carpenter, in the sluice of his
gravel mine near Smiths Flat, a few
miles east of PlacervilIe. The largest
of these stones is of pure white color,
and so perfect In form and appearance
that experts who have examined it have
declared it to be more valuable as ge-
illogical specimen for a cabinet than it
would be if it were cut and polished.
It's weight is a little over two carats.
Assistant State Mineralogist e. B.
Preston visited Placerville a few
months ago and examined this stone
He declared that it should be bought by
the state for the public collection, as it
was the most perfect rough diamond he
had ever seen, both as to form and ap-
| pearance.
Said Mr.. Carpenter: GAS regards the
conditions in which these and other
| stones were found in this country, they
have been declared by experts to be IA
vorable to the existence of diamonds in
large quantities. The blue clay in
which the stones are found imbedded in
the South African fields exists in large
quantities in the gravel here. This
clay much resembles putty when it is
wet Itacolumite a soft micaceous
sandstone, always the associate of the
diamond, exists in large quantities in
the gravel belt where the diamonds
were found In this country. The stones
that have come to fight thus far in this
section were found in purely accident
al manner as with the methods neces-
sarily used in gold mining it would be
possible to overlook and even destroy
bushels of diamonds. The specific
gravity of these stones Is about one
fifth less than that of gold, and the
force of water used in the sluices to
separate the heavy metal from the
gravel would carry the comparatively
light crystals beyond the reach of min
ers. In gravel mining, also, on account
of the hard cement in this formation,
mills have for many years been used
similar to those employed in crushing
quartz. The impact of the stamps
would crush diamonds, and in conse-
quence many glittering fragments have
been found among the tailings of grav-
el mines in this country With the EN-
ployment of the methods that are spec
tally adapted to the mining of dia-
monds there is no doubt that there
would be great possibilities in this d.