The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-06
BADGERS FIND RICH GEMS.
Deposit of Precious stones Unearth-
ed by the Busy Animals.
From the Chicago Chronicle.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
The discovery of the ledge of precious
stones on Yogo creek, Fergus county,
Montana, was made by the finding of
true blue sapphires in the earth thrown
out by the badgers in digging their holes.
The ledge was traced across the country
for a distance of several miles by means
of these badger holes. These animals
were numerous In that section of the
country, and, as the limestone came very
near the surace of the ground, the only
place where the badgers could dig holes
deep enough for their dens was in the
soft yellow clay which filled the lead at
the surface. The gems are pronounced by
experts to be equal to the true blue orien-
tai sapphries, and command as good If
not better prices from the leading jewellers
of London, Paris and New York The
stones are found at the surface of the
edge in soft, yellow clay. When depth
is attained on the vein 1T is found to be
hard clay or shale, the result of volcanic
eruption and identical in appearance with
the diamond deposits of Kimberley, in
South Africa.
True blue sapphires are found in India
in the glacial gravels, but never before
have they been found in the original mat
rx in which they were placed by the vol
cano which created them.
The new gem fields are located about 100
miles northeast of Helena, on a tributary
of the Judith river, in Fergus county The
geological survey took note of the de-
posits in its late report The first ship
ment of these stones was a cigar box full,
which was shipped to a New York jeweler,
who bought them for $3.50 He pro-
nounced them equal in every respect TO
the true oriental sapphres. Jewelry con-
Germs in London have asked for all that
can be obtained, offering prices ranging
from Sc to as high as 800 per carat.
There are two companies mining sap
phires. One, a London concern, has all
of its stones cut in London, while the
American company has plant in Helena,
where the stones are cut The American
cut stones with the characteristic skill
OF American workmen, command a better
price, because of the superior fire and
luster, due to the more skillful cutting.
The American company has in addition to
its claims in Fergus county acquired
large amount of ground on Rock creek in
Missoua county, from which there are
washed every month several thousand
carats of sapphires of all colors and tints.
ranging from greenish blue, pinks, straw
colors and whites.
The Rock creek field also produces
among the sapphires number of rubies
some Of them of the true pigeon-blood
tint, which exceed many times over the,
value of the finest diamonds. These
stones in Missoula county are found in
the gravel and not in the matrix like the
ones in Fergus county. They have evi-
IDENTIFY been washed by glacial action from
some vein, the locality of which has never
been discovered. These off-colored sap
phires are found in nearly all of the placer
mines of Montana, but until the Yogo
fields were discovered in 1896 very few OF
the true blue sapphires were found. Many
of these off-colored stones. as they are
called, are of great beauty, the pinks and
straw colors being exceptionally beauti-
full. and, while they have not the stamp OF
fashion the finer ones are purchased at
high prices by the lovers of fine gems.
Both of these companies are preparing to
mine these stones on a large scale.