Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-09-22
The Maine TourmaIines.

/ The Maine 1ourmaIines.
1t has long been known that the tour
malines found at Mt. Mica in Paris,
Oxford county, are among the finest in
the world, even if they are not, indeed,
the most beautiful of these gems that
have yet been known to collectors and
experts.
The Paris tOurmalines were discov-
! cred in 1920 by the late DR.. Ezekiel
Holmes and the late DR.. Elijah L. Ham
lin. father of DIR. Augustus G. Hamlin
OF this city. The two young students
We're intimate friends, passiOnately
fond of natural history. DR.. Holmes
! had Just graduated from Brown uni
versity and had come to Paris to take
, a course in medicine, preparatory to his
lectures at Bowdoin medical school,
with his uncle DR.. Chandler, of that
town. When at Brown he became IA
,aous among his classmates and teach
o:s for his many excursions into the
country for the purpose of studying the
plants. birds. soils and geological for
! nations of the sections visited. AL
though well equipped with a knowledge
. of nature through the books, young
Holmes preferred to study nature frs,
/ hand and it was these field eXcursio IS
| with this object in view for which he
later became famous.
1t was on one of these field exclr-
siOns, geological hammer in hand. that
| the two young nature students founo
the first mica deposits ana tourmalne
! pockets on what has since become
| known at Mt. Mica, i'm Parts. The dis
coVery was one of first most important
| ones ever made revealing the mineral
| wealth of that section of Maine Later
it has been ascertained that TIL. pecu!-
lar mineral belt furnishing the rcn
| tCurmalines OF which these from Mt.
| Mica are the most famous, extends
from Paris in Oxford county, through
the towns of Newry, Byron, Andover,
Peru. Greenwood. Woodstock. Hebron,
Auburn, Poland, Yarmouth and Litch-
field. This belt therefore, extends
partly through four counties.
When the tourmalines were first dis
covered in Paris it made great
sensation among mineralogists both in
this country and abroad. They We're
the rare red and green tourmalines CT
, great brilliancy and of perfect form,
! many specimens of which We're sent
| to various parts of Europe to enrich
! the famous museums of the old world
some of the most beautiful Of which
are known to be in the royal museum
| at Vienna DR.. Hamlin of this city
possesses magnificent collection of
these brilliant stones and has pub
| liShed two books about the Maine
tourmalines in addition to his other
work on gems.
| Discoveries are still being made at
! Mt. Mica Of rich and beautiful gem
crystals and from the large number of
these precious stones which the
pockets at that place have recently
yielded, it may be presumed that flu
ture discoveries are liable to be more
extensive and brilliant than any which
have heretofore been made.
! Some recent finds have lately been
cut for an Auburn collector which are
almost as brilliant as diamonds, some
CT which are two carats in size. This
gentleman also has a fine lot of
carbOulon pink tourmalines, which are
among the most rare Of Maine gems.
These have also been cut and show a
remarkable brilliancy and beauty.
These gems very largely came from
Auburn. although Paris, Buckfield and
Topsham each furnish a few. A rare
specimen is what has been named a
watermelon tourmaline. This is a
large uncut piece, pink in color. with
a dark rim looking exactly like the rind
of melon. One of the rough beryls
from Mt. Apatite is over two inches in
lergth by one inch wide and will cut
into several large and valuable gems
Mt. Apatite is turning out some of the
finest gems in the beryl, tourmaline
ana aqua marine lines in the world to-
day. Golden beryl crystals in the
rough are worth s14 per carat.
Inc Auburn tourmaline company.
now operating their mine, has lust
opened several large pockets of ex-
ira me green tourmaline most Of
when Will cut into fine gems. They
have also found some royal purple
apatite and pink and clear white
specimens Of great value. Lithia
MICA crystals in groups have been
turned out during the past week as
wen as circular lithia mica, which is
one Oh the rarest of minerals. Sew
era' pockets are now in sight that have
not YET heen exposed where valuable
specimens will doubtless be found
Iney are piling up their feldspar and
quartz mica sheets as a by-product
gems neing the objective point NJ tho;r
eno,'s. Their discoveries already
maze e"cel in richness and value any.