The Republican journal., 1903-10-22
GEMS FOUND IN MAINE.
LAPIS LAZULI IS ONE OF THE NEW
EST BEAUTIES. POCKETS FULL OF
TREASURE, AND WHERE THEY ARE
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LAElS LAkUAA 40 VN0 We AAAAS S~s" "
EST BEAUTIES. POCKETS FULL OF
TREASURE, AND WHERE THEY ARE
FOUND.
The Maine gems are found in the lep-
idolite strip, strip of territory fifteen
to twenty miles wide extending from
Newry, Andover and Byron down to
Casco Bay. Lepidolite, or lithia mica,
is always associated with tourmalines
and is the first thing to look for when
searching for those gems. Tourmalines
are found in Newry, Andover, Rock
land, Byron, Peru, Greenwood, Paris,
Hebron, Norway, Mihot, Auburn and
Poland. The color of these gems varies
somewhat with the locality. The finest
tourmalines are found as loose crystals
in pockets and they vary both in color
and in the rock in which they are found.
For tne past fifty years it has been
known that tourmalines abounded IN
Maine. 1t has been estimated that
from Mt. Mica at Paris, which has been
in operation for the past twenty years,
$3.50, 1000 worth of the gems have been
taken. The color of the Mt: Mica tour
malines, owing to some freak of nature,
is different from those found elsewhere.
Here are found the ordinary pink, white,
green and the blue which sometimes re-
sembles sapphires, and the rare yellow
tourmalines. But the green tourmalines
vary in shade from the very light up to
almost black and it is these dark green
tourmalines which are peculiar to the
Mt. Mica mines.
In the Mt. Mica mines the mineral
sheets consist of coarse gneiss and field
spar rock and associated with the tour
malines is considerable cookite. Many
of the tourmalines in the matrlx are
found in white quartz At Mt. Mica
was seen day or two ago, crystal
about eight inches long, eight inches
wide and twelve inches long which was
studded with tourmaline crystals from
one inch to an inch and half In length.
White quartz crystal cuts and makes
very fine gem. Rose quarts when
translucent is handsome gem. Smoky
topaz or smoky quartz is the cairngorm
stone of Scotland. Smoky quartz makes
gems, which vary in price according to
their clearness from $50 to s15 or $50.
The most valuable pocket of smoky
topaz which was ever found in Maine
was taken from the Littlefield mine
which is on the west cant of the hill at
Mt Apatite.
The quartz obtained from the Hatch
mine is used in the manufacture OF
China ware and sandpaper and for lin
ing the digestors of pulp mills and also,
because acid has no effect upon it, for
lining the vats used in phosphate works.
About ten tons of feldspar are being
taken daily from Mt. Apatite. This is
delivered to the feldspar mill at Little
field Corner and there crushed before
being sent off in powdered form to be
used in the manufacture OF dishes.
Mt. Apatite was named for the pretty
clear, pink, green and blue stones OF the
same name which are very common
here.
Apatite is not properly speaking
gem. for it is so soft that it breaks and
wears away easily. At Pit Pulsifer's
mine which is west of the Littlefield
mine on Mt. Aratite, 5000 loose crys-
tails of royal purple apatites were found
in one pocket aside from IS specimens
in the matrix This collection was
bought by Harvard college and one of
the professors has published a twenty
page pamphlet on this find, for apatites
of a royal purple color are found no.
where else in the world. This mine is
being worked for tourmalines
A quartz crystal taken from this mine
has coating of albite one-eighth of an
inch thick. The albite is found mixed
in the rocks of the Hatch mine on the
south cant of the hill at Mt. Apatite,
while at the Littlefield mine Cleveland
ite is found mixed in the rocks.
Just across the AndrOscoggin river
from Mt. Apatite is the feldspar mine
of A. R. Berry. He has a contract to
furnish one thousand tons of feldspar a
year. or two thousand tons if he can get
it. He now averages five tons of field
spar Gay. In his mine are pockets
from which he obtains fine clear, green,
pink and blue tourmalines. A rare gem
found in his mine but nowhere else in
Maine is the lapis lazuli, pretty blue
stone which is most common in Italy.
This lapis lazali has been found in
pieces as large as pea at Mt. Apatlte,
but not in any quantity. In connection
with the lapis lazuli at the Berry mine
is found rhodochrostite, which is OF
yellowish pink color and occurs IN dog
tooth-spar crystals.
Coarse garnets are very common IN
Maine and occasionally stones suitable
for cutting are found. Cinnamon gar
net or cinnamon stone resembles gold
stone. In Minot is large ledge full OF
this cinnamon garnet. Near this ledge
in boulders are found extra fine garnets,
some of which have angles sharply de-
fined and others, close to them, have
truncated edges. Cinnamon garnets
have twelve planes and iron garnets
have from twelve to twenty -four planes.
One of the most valuable gems found
on the American continent is aqua ma
rine, beryl. This stone is harder than
tourmaline and is only two degrees
softer than diamond. 1t sells for SIS
a carat. At Stoneham was found an
AQUA marine which cut 113 carat and
was valued at $4,000. This stone was
exhibited at the Worlds Fair at Chica-
60. White beryl and particularly pock-
ct beryl is very valuable and is found
in long six-sided crystals in Auburn
and is also found in masses of green
beryl. Beryl is ordinarily opaque and
of yellowish green cast but varies
from mountain green and blush green
to white.
The golden beryl, which is clear and
resembles an aqua marine crystal, is
rare stone, although plentiful at Tops
ham and Brunswick. 1t is worth about
$14 carat in the rough.
At Gouldsboro was found the only
piece of turquoise ever found in this