The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
AMERICAS DIAMOND LODE.
ITS EXISTENCE IN THE ran NORTH
PRETTY WELL DEMOSSIRiTED.

pOh'NHtGb III NpTIn AInPFlVn 'IlcTN llpS
diamond lode. Whcro It Is Is at present
matter OF scientific conjecture. That II vii
ever be discovered Ia very improbable: 40 i'm
probable that oven science will not undertake
the search Nevertheless. thorc Is substantial
proof that II lies somewhere north Of the Cana.
dian line. for no fewer than seventeen true
diamonds have been found In the northern
pnrt Of tho United states. deposited there. the
GcoloEBts say, by a glacial descent from above
II Ia probable that the gems were transported
q long distance. aud one geoloEist hazards tho
guess that the mother lode II to tho east of
Jnmcs's Bay in Labrador. II is Just possible
TINT In the lapse Of years tho discovery OF
other diamonds Will lead tho patient. far seeing
men OF science back to tho prehistoric source
OF the Jewels
Tho first American diamond to be dscov-
cred brought 81 to It's owners. 1t was found by
resident OF Eagle. Waukesha county. Wis.
who was digging q we'll in his back yard That
was In 1870. He sold tho curious looking peb-
bic to Milwaukee, jewoler for the price mem
toned The jewellcr put it away in his safe
and forgot about II until 1893. when. in going
over some old stock. he came across 1t and ex-
amined into its character. II stood all the
tests for the diamond. and the announcement
OF the discovery made great to-do in that
part Of the country. Promoters bought land
in Waukesha county and promptly "discov-
bEtu tWODilPT hlUIllDUus, Which subsequently
proved to be Of African origin. That ended
any hope Of a boom there. and naturally
tho original diamond was regarded as n
fake and rclegnted to oblivion. But In 1893
stone weighing between three and four cnrats
was found at Oregon. Wis. and the attention
OF Prof. W. II. Hobbs Of the University OF Wis
consln was directed to It, In this instance
there were no circumstances which would war
rant a suspicion Of the truth of the statement
Al
found. and this fact gave tho discovery OF tho
Eagle diamond new importance and interest.
Tho jeweller possessing it was sought out by
Prof. Hobbs the two stones were compared.
and the resemblance was such TINT there
NAMED no reason to doubt that the Eagle dla-
mond had truly come to light in the manner
described. regardless Of the possible fraud in
the matter OF the other two stones alleged to
have been found in the same vicinity. Both
the Eagle and the Oregon diamonds were soon
after purchased by famous New York firm
and added to its collection OF gems.
Col. Boynton. the former rossessor OF the
Eagle diamond. gave Prof Hobbs information
that led to his discovering another diamond.
the largest Of ali. weighing twenty-one carats.
The stone is the property OF the widow OF
Kewaskum farmer, and was found in fold in
Kohsville, near kewaskum. while ploughing.
All three OF these diamonds were found in
uSIOSltS vi klutlHl 1HuleTldl. WHltn lnulcHttS
that they were formed at some place probably
very remote frofh the one in which they were
found. and were transported thither in tho
sheet OF loo which long. long ago covered the
northern part OF the continent Twice this
sheet OF lee advanced into the great lake ter
riory, and the second time the great wall Of
drift, called the terminal. marginal, or kettle
moraine. was built up This morane, in
which Is accumulated the greater part OF
the rock transported by tho ice. has been
traced throughout its entire extent. and
that all OF the above mentioned diamonds
were found in it is considered to ind-
cate clearly that they were brought to the
places where they were discovered by the Sec
ond advance of the ice. and must have origi-
mated somewhere to the northeast along tho
path traversed by it. For this reason Prof.
Hobbs. In describing tho occurrence Of these
diamonds in 1924. prophesied that other dia-
monds would be found in tho kettle mornine.
His prophecy has been verified. for since 1894
diamonds have been found in the moraine at
the rate Of one each year or the seventeen
diamonds discovered so far fifteen are from
Wisconsin. and Of the eight localities Mt which
they were found six lilo within an area 200
miles square. having its centre near Milwaukee.
OF the two diamonds going to complete the
seventeen, one. weighing nearly eleven carats,
was found In 1894 at Dowagac. Mich. in
subordinate morainc formed during n halt OF
the glacier as 1t was retreating from the re-
gion; the other six carats in weight, was
found only last year at Milford. o. Excepting
tho Dowagaic diamond all the stones were
found In the marginal moraine. and oil through
accident.
Prof. Hobbs believes that the original home
OF these diamonds is to the east of James = Bay,
in Labrador more careful survey of tho
Canadian wilderness will have to be made be-
fore search there could bo proltaby under
taken; and t. survey OF the moraine In the
United States. notably in Pennsylvania and
Ohio. is considered OF great importance. as it
would materially aid in locating definitely the
area from which the stones came.
Prof. Hobbs gives the weight in carats Of the
largest diamonds from this region as follows:
Observation-Disclosures. 244 Eagle. l5'. Sank
vile. 1892 Oregon, 81 burlington. = l-1G:
Plum Creek. 2. The Plum Creek diamonds. OF
which there are several. all of them discovered
In sluicing for gold, were In all probability
washed down from the moraine by tho creek
in the bed OF which they were found. since
they lay some distance outside it. The
Dowagac. Mich. diamond weighed as has
been stated. eleven carats and the Milford, o.,
stone which has remarkably fine water and
The discovery Of these diamonds calls atten- |
ton and gives additional interest to others
United States. George i, Kunz. the gem ex;
pert. has given In his work on Gems and
Precious Stones OF North America" as well as |
IN various papers, published in the Mineral |
Resources OF the United States probably the |
most accurate as well as the most exhaustive |
info: .stion to be obtained on the subject Ac-
1T is 20 him. the occurrence OF DIAMONDS in
ID States has been chiefly confined to |
Bile barriens. geographically very remote and |
what | saJy quite dissimilar. The first IS
,ry ran. ing along the eastern base OF |
my race .,, lern Alleghanies from Virginia to |
true. Ihthe other extends al long the western |
eliminatP,e Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges |
as ..ern California and southern Oregon.
tiro nonds has a mark ed esemblance. They |
re usually found IN loose material associated
particularly gold in the search for which the |
diamonds are discovered. This resemblance Is
regions arc, merely the debris OF the crys- |
ta!line rocks !, OF the adjoining noun
tAinS and. therefore. present gem
eral similarity. while the geological ago |
OF the rocks themselves is vastly different. Tho |
diamonds have sometimes been overlooked or |
destroyed by rude and ignorant methods OF |
testing, but even taking all these lost or do !
.NnI iFnnn Inf, t,la.ra