The San Francisco call., 1898-03-19
Scientists and Miners Give Their Opinions of the
 Turquoise Mines.
Declare That The Calls Expedi- tiOn Has Opened New Chan neIs of Scientific Research
 and Industry.

similar to regions elsewhere where the gems are found"
 Professor Christy.
 Professor Samuel B. Christy, who is an expert on mineraloov and metal lurgy, was not willing to venture an opinion as to the commercial impor tance of the discoveries.
 "The value of turquoises," he said, lis even more variable than the value of diamonds, and it is impossible to tell their value as we can tell the value of gold or silver. It is not a matter of science, but purely matter of artistic beauty. None but an expert lapidary can tell the worth of a turquoise. Be- sides, everything depends upon the cutting and polishing of the gem, and out of a hundred rough stones there may f,a Snd not S,a be a single gem of any con l siderable value. It is quite improb able that the mining of the gem will be- | come an industry of any great impor- | tance. The total value of the tur- quoises mined in the United States in 1896, while nearly half the total value of all kinds of gems, amounted to only $40.000."
 Professor Mitchell.
 Professor G. o. Mitchell, vice-princi pal of the Girls High School, who, while quite young man, is yet a rec cgn1Zed authority upon all matters of research, and especially the study of ancient history as applicable to the prehistoric races that once inhabited this continent said:
 If 1 were not a student and took no i interest in the study of science, should unhesitatingly indorse the great | importance of the discovery of these turquoise mines, as described by Gus tav Eisen in The Call, for I know him l to be man of wonderful mental abiI- ity, a scientist whose discoveries have | been of the greatest value to the scien- tific world. Anything that he pro nounces of importance is unquestion- ably worthy of the closest attention from all students.
 | My knowledge of the prehistoric races that once inhabited this conti- nent assures me that in the finding of | these turquoise mines The Call has ac- | compnShed a most wonderful under taking, one that will be of great help to the students of prehistoric relics and archaeology. There can be no doubt | that from the discoveries made by The Call it has helped tt more firmly establish the historical fact that at one time this part of the continent was in habited by a race of people who were l of vastly superior knowledge and men | tai attainmentS
 History shows the fact that the | trend of prehistoric civilizat ton was l from the north to the south, that the races of superior education were grad ually driven southward by the more barbarous nations of the north The | discovery of the mines, the implements with which they were worked, the hier- oglyphics upon the rocks and the caves wherein the race of people lived, confirms the declaration of history, that this section of the continent was once inhabited by @ race of Indians that were as civilized as the Aztecs
 The Call has done great thing, and it is to be commended for it's energy and the great assistance that it has rendered to science"
 G. F. Rixford.
 G. P. Rixford, secretary of the Aca- demy of Sciences, who has personally made some investigations as to the ori- gin of the hieroglyphics that have been | discovered in Owens Valley. of which he has taken number of photographs for the Academy of Sciences attributes great importance to the discoveries u7QM 'IIeO 9qL fq epBm ueeq eABQ leul seen by a Call reporter and asked for an expression of his opinion as to the effect that the discovery of the tur- quoise mines would have he said: The specimens of turquoise brought back by the members or The Call ex- petition are certainly very beautiful, and l see no reason why they should not also prove to be of great value I un- derstand that well-known lapidary or this city has pronounced them to be of high value. The discovery is cer- tainly an interesting and important one, and 1t may have great effect upon the value of these beautiful stones Turquoise mines have existed for years | in New Mexico, and 1t IS certain that the natives were aware of their great | value. From the recent discovery made | by The Call it can be successfully | argued that this section of the conti- nent was once inhabited by prehis- i toric race of superior civilization for 1t | Is evident that they appreciated the value or these stones, because their i'm 1 plements for mining them were found where the mines were discovered. am not prepared to say just how | valuable these mines may prove to be, for that cannot be ascertained until the quality of the turquoise has been tested. but the stone is one that when secured in a perfect state commands an excellent prico
 The discovery made by The Call, from scientific point of view is of i'm portance, and one that is very interest ing to all students
 Dr. J. C.. Branner. l PALO ALTO, Cal, March 18-Dr. J. c. Branner, head of the geological de- partment, was interviewed to-day re- gardfng the wonderful archaeological discoveries made in the wilds of San Bernardino County. He had noted the account in The Call and was much inn pressed with it. He did not care to ex- press himself directly on the find with out closer investigation, but was quite ready to speak of the matter in gen .eral way. He saw no reason, however, to doubt the importance of the dis covery as related.
 In speaking of the rarity of the tur- quoise in this country he said: "The l only places in the United States where this precious stone is found are Los | Cerrillos, N. Mex; Turquoise Moun- tain. Cochise County, Ariz.; Mineral Park. Mohave County Ariz.; near Co., lumbus, New; Holy Cross Mountain. Colo, and Taylors Ranch, in Fresno | County, Cal"
 The nature of the country, the doctor thought, had little to do with the find- ing of turquoise. However. the pits, excavations and volcanic rocks which are described by Professor Eisen were