The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-31
EXHIBIT
At ST. LOUIS FAIR
Display CreditabIe to Any
Commonwealth.
M MINERALS A FEATURE
That Surpasses the Display OF Any
State Along that Line. Woods,
Tobacco and Agricultural and
Game Products Combine to
Make a Unique Show
ing.

(By Fl. H. Brimley, Commissioner
GENERALLY
St Louis, Mo-, July 29.-North
Carolina is one of the few States
which keep up a permanent display
CT their natural resources on an eX-
tensive scale. This is in the pubic
museum at Raleigh, and the growth
Of the museum reflects to a great ex-
tent the advance made by the state IN
its exposition displays. Since the
Chicago Fair of 1898, the North Caro-
lima State Museum has quadrupled the
floor space devoted to exhibits. Ihe
inference is obvious.
At the ST. Louis Worlds Fair TINS
state museums influence is felt. In
the exhibit in the Mining Building ~
shown the most complete and compfe-
hensive collection of cut gems ana
gem material exhibited by any state.
About twenty varieties are represent
ed and among them are many specl-
mems of surprising merit. In golaeh
beryl. blue and geren beryl (Aquama-
rine) are number of stones OF pure
water and high value, and IN other
varieties of beryl are fine lot OF ca
bochcen emerald and emerald matIlX.
Tn corundum gems the oriental ruby
sapphire and topaz are conspicuous
the former, particularly, being SHOWN
in fine colors and quality. That peau-
tiful variety of garnet--the rhodollte
is tlaa,,e ia quality and -qIaA4stity, too
and the dark pyrope garrlets are ex-
hibited in a variety of colors ana styles
of cutting. That emerald green spodu-
meme, the Hiddenite, is shown IN sew
eral small cut specimens ana quite
lot of material in the rough. some
of the colors in cut amethyslsts are
exceptionally good for native STONES
and several clusters OF hne ahielnysI
CRYSTALS show the source OF supply
There are cases devoted to the COM
moner and semi-preclous stones,
which include cairgorm, rock crystal,
eitrune quartz, sunStone, rose ana
opaIescent quartz, carnelian, ETC., ana
the list is topped off with one small
diamond--a gem rare anywhere, put
particularly so on the North American
continent.
But this rich mineral State shows
other things besides gems although as
n feature attractive to the eye ana
likely to make a permanent impression
on the mind the brilliant beauty OF
the contents of the gem cases is al
wavs paramount. In mica, for IN
stance, North Carolina has always
Eeen pre-eminent and the display OF
is we'll beyond anything ever before
attempted along this line. AT the
great Chicago Fair eleven years ago,
electricity was comparatively IN lts
infancy and only crude mica as mined
and the sheets as split and cut squares
were shown in the exhibit. Here
things are different. Similar lines or
block. sheet and cut mica are display
ed. but alongside of them are quanu-
ties Of the material cut to the Shapes
as used in electrical CONSTRUCTION
some of them mere gun-Wad looking
discs. some in the shape OF washers
and some in the indeScriDaDle Shapes
cut to fit the special places IN Whlch
they are to be fitted. A lot OF the
products, too, are eXhlDlted, GAZING az
tention to the uses of mica as con-
stituent in some lubricants, in wall
paper, in the production of the lnsu-
Iating material called micanite and
in various other ways.
A new mineral industry that has
sprung UP since the Chicago Fair is
that of monazite mining. The mona
zite sand is washed from the contain
ing soil much as gold is washed from
the placer diggings, and the heavy
garnet and iron impurities contained
III the washed product are afterward
eliminated by running the impure ar
ticle through a magnetic separator
the product of that being the pure ar
ticle of commerce. A large series of
specimens of this interesting and
valuable mineral is shown, exhibiting
all the steps in the process of mining
and cleaning, even to the finished in
eandescent mantle for gas lighting
that we all know so we'll.
In the beautiful white clays of the
State a departure has been made from
the old way of merely showing the
raw material. Along with the clays
themselves are exhibited here in this
display a beautiful lot of chinaware,
tiling and enamelling brick, equal to
anything seen in the building, showing
the finished product alongside of the
crude clays and the added interest
to the exhibit is manifold. The
building stones are shown as in Chi
cago for the general collection, but
an added feature of great interest ana
value is the very fine series of polish
ed spheres. turned and polished col
umns and finished monumental work
that are ranged along the front. Some
of the most beautiful of these We're
not even discovered at the time OF the
great 1898 exposition, and others were
not sufficiently opened up for specl-
mems to be readily secured. so alto
gether, the building stone exhibit
which the State is making at st. Louis
is at least a hundred per cent more
beautiful and interesting that it was
eleven years ago. OF course the silver
and gold ores, the copper and the