The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
!. o. Helm, while walking through field or

Fork Creek, observed in the gravel small
bright stone which upon investigation proyet
and weighing 7;lj carat. The feld in wRici
the stone WINS found was very gravelly. tn,
r%y edra s5d q Nort G% GnqGh hSv
lew ~ South Carolina and one or two in south.
J Grn Virginia. al apparently derived from the
| The remarkable itacolumite rock, populnrly
associated with the occurrence OF diamonds
ALEC present at many points Of the Blue Ridge.
finds OF diamonds have frequently been re-
norts were erroneous il is an estabshcd fact
that they have been found in certain localities.
some Of these stones, are both beautiful and
valuable. but In most instances they nrc small
m9nds found1in The United states. y are valuable
California. rs IN South Carolina, the. diamonds
| were found In the aurlfetous gravel. from which
Those which occur in the loose gravel OF tho val.
iIeys and bars Of moderg streams are found un;
| occupying the alloys OF much larger ancient
! streams Is covered with masses OF lava or COM
phct volcanic tufa. thrown out in former pc
riod OF volcan c disturbance, is not so good
for thoy are almost invariably crushed in the
stamp mills so that only fragments are found
thing else which does not amaigamate with
the mercury. by the force Of the current II the
rs %SFk from * d pPs 9s
county. Cal. which hns since proved to be one
q tho most prolific diaWopd localities in tho
since been reported from nyc counties in
itornia-Amnador. Butte. FL Dorado, Nevada
gIst. is of tho opinion that other localities and
larger numbers are yet to be discovered.
small diamonds have been found in Idaho
and Montana under similar conditions to those
exhibited IN New York sent from lutte. Mon.
q which II, was said that they, were found in
Montana, They were small andnot peculiar.
There have been reports Of the finding OF
diamonds in other paris Of the country from
iDatnDppu
dcncf is wanting. ono stone; brown DIAMOND.
Vas. however, found near thiladelph9s; Arlz.
Two stones woro for some time exhibited in
Indianapolis as having been found In Indiana.
Tho, Arizona swindle' $50 well known that
company was formed to collect the diamonds
ana othcrpreciouS stones described as abound
scented in San Francisco that Philip Arnold and
John Is. Slack had found diamonds and other
Precious stones IL quantities in certain re-;
carats Of so-called rubies and many diamonds.
one Of them lO9 cInrats in weight. were exhib-
taists on both coasts became deeply inter
s,,sted.. and finally mon from the East and the
from ya @ Mics ssx
ony. chosen by the investors. set out prospect
ing Reaching tho fields after some difficulty.
diamonds and 5000 or 1000 carats Of rubies
f. week. A later expedition failed TO reach
failure Of a third party Clarence King. director
of the United States Geological Survey. set out
upon an expedition which resulted in proving
that the mines had been sailed; that the :. ru-
bies" were garncts; that tho 1OS-carat 'dia-
mond" was piece OF quartz. and that the
yestng in the mine about s15O.OOO. hight have
been prevented had competent gem expert
been employed instead OF the one so easily de-
Mr., Kunz's published Dissertation Of the Wis
the one cited here and RTo H h his sgat
was the privilege OF the reporter to SEQ the two
diamonds from Eagle, and Oregon, as well as a
Nlnr .1f thnr .lfn H., .
United states origin, The Eagle stone is quito
yellow. but has such n lustrc and Ia OF SO
attention and awaken the Interest Of any one me
The other stone Is much smaller. white more
P1 Re T. 1 hsrG nn n1" the EoSo
interest in the Wisconsin finds il has
lake region for scattered stones. and II ia
hored that those living in the regions whore
entire course Of the moraine. will cooperate by
submitting to the biologists any stones they
find Of which there is good reason TO be-
Mr.. Kunz deplores the prevalence Of the erro-
n ne., IMPRESSION on that a. diam2nd Vim not
Is very hard, but brittle and easily broken.
Mr.. Kunz gives as the best test for determin-
se snS S # L viii do i
cannot be scratched by diamond, the speci-
men men may safely be assumed to be q diamond.
would best be polished since the possible
scratch made by the specimen il then so much
more readily detected.
e" How are African diamonds, distinguished
from the American ones?" Mr.. Kunz was
asked.
More by their color and lustre than any
thing else. he replied. and the Same Ia true
of diamonds from every diamond bearing To-
cality such as Brazil or India. There are some
reculiorites Of rehabilitation. too. and some
times the markings are peculiar to the locality
but III It i t chIieiiy matter OF experience
We'll, yes, that too talent schooed by long
experience"
What do you think is the probability OF
mbers?"
There is no reason for believing that they
will ever be found in Wisconsin other than in
the way they havo appeared as yot-schttercd
stones, Of interest as spec linens and from geo.
logical viewpoint but Offering no inducement
to the place from which they have been carried,
that may be as far north "a James's Bay. or it
may be much nearer: but the proba bilities Of its
being a paying diamond field even II located.
are not great: the diamonds may be present
there in no greater number than In the
the passage Of the lee. or the whole field may
have been buried under the material trans
ported by the glacier from still further north
80 the probability Of their being found to any
considerable extent Ia very small"
And the prospects of tho United States for
not hrliant?'
No indeed. The value OF all the diamonds
ever found in the states would not exceed So
600 to Sl2,OOO, and there is nothing, as vet
known to geologists which would warrant tho
belief that the future production Of diamonds
vii! differ ut all from that of the past. Tho
United States will always have TO import their