The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-08-16
GENUINE AMERICAN GEM
Montana Sapphires Are Attracting the
Attention of the
World


World.
The report of Joseph Hyde Pratt, who
visited Great Falls year ago in search
of information regarding the distFibu-
ton of corrundrum in the United States
is now completed, and has been sent to
the printer by the geological survey de-
partment, says the Great Falls Leader
The reports pays a great compliment to
the Montana fields and especially to
those worked at Yogo by Great Falls
people.
In the report Mr.. Pratt says that the
only systematic mining that has been
undertaken for sapphires is in Montana.
Sapphires were first discovered in this
state by miners who were washing the
gravels of the bars on the Missouri river
east of Helena for gold These were
first described in 1878 by j. Lawrence
Smith, but it was not until 1891 that ac
tual mining was begun. During this year
a number of companies were organized
to work for sapphires
These bars are located from IL to Is
miles east and northwest of Helena, and
have been followed for a distance of
the river to American bar. At various
intervals these bars have been worked
for the sapphires from Emerald bar. A
few sapphires have been found as far
down the river as Beartooth, but sap
phires have not been found in large
quantities below American bar.
Above Emerald bar there have been
no sapphires found on any of the bars,
but in the gravel of Maple gulch, less
than mile above. many sapDhires have
been found by miners who We're washing
the gravel for gold. No sapphires have
been found in this gulch. but Kunz has
noted the occurrence of sapDhires that
were found in dixie about six feet wide.
cut through the green slate below the
gravels. At French bar dixie was
found about so feet above the river that
had greenish sapphires scattered spar
ingly through it. The beds of gravel
in which the sapphires occur are from
10 to so feet thick and rest for the most
part upon slate. in bluffs that rise many
feet above the river. At Emerald bar
the gravel beds are nearly 1870 feet above
the river and rest on granite rock.
Most of the mining has been done at
Spokane and Eldorado bars. The Spo-
kane bars We're extensively mined
few years ago by an English company.
which also controlled the French. Dana
and Eldorado bars. The company afr
ward became an American one. with
Frank Spratt of Helena as manager
Metropolitan bar is now worked by Robin
Bird, Charles Johnson and John Dur
rant of Helena. Henry Crittenden of
Canyon Ferry controls the deposits at
Emerald bar.
Most of the gems obtained from ALI
these bars during the last year have
been put on the market through the
Helena Lapidary company.
AS mining investments these sapphire
deposits have not thus far been imam
cially successful partly on account of
the heavy capitalization of the COM
panies who have bought the mines and
partly on account of the color of the
stones. They are for the most part
pale greenish or greenish-yellow color,
and do not command a very high price
in the market. Occasionally pink and
yellow ones have been found that have
cut good gems. Stones approaching a
| red or blue color are, however extreme
| ly rare. The largest crystal found was
| on Eldorado bar. It was nearly an
/! inch in diameter. SapDhires have also
| been found at Rock creek and Nogo
gulch. From these sapphire deposits
| stones of deeper colors have been OBJ
| tanned, those from Rock and Cotton
wood creeks being of all colors from red
! to blue and those from Yogo gulch be-
! ing all blue. The Rock creek sapphires
are found about 20 miles west of Ana
| conda. They We're extensively worked
| during last summer by Mr.. Knuth Of
| Helena and William Mofft of Philips
| burg. All together about 100000 carats
| of rough sapphires were obtained, of
| which about $4,000 carats were fit for
| cutting. The prevailing color of these
! sapphires is much deeper and they are
| much more varied than those found on
| the Missouri river. The Rock creek sap
| phires are coming to be highly priced
| by many who are acquainted with them.
| 1t is confidently predicted that these
! sapphires will become important in the
| jewelry world.
The Cottonwood creek deposits are
| about 10 miles east of Deer Lodge. The
| sapphires here have been taken out by
| Franz Cobalt of Helena. They are sim
| liar in character to those of Rock creek
and the report says:
| Future developmnt at this locality
! may show these deposits to be of con-
siderable important and extent"
The Yogo gulch sapphires have at
tracted more attention than the other
| Montana gems. They come from the
eastern slope Of the l. tie Belt noun
tain, IS miles northeast of Helena
near Utica. The prevailing color is a
bright blue. While they are not as dark
as the highly priced Ceylon stones. they
show a richness and brilliancy not
equaled by the oriental stone. The Yogo
sapphirese deposits are controlled by the
| New Mine Sapphire syndicate Of Utica
and London. George A. Wells of Great
| Falls is president of this corporation.
In a letter to the geological survey. s.
| S. Hobson of Lewistown-a director OF
the syndicate-says $4,000 carats of Gu
| label material was taken out last sea