Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1907-09-27
ARKANSAS GEM CRAZE
Rocky Farm Proprietors Wild
Over Diamond Discovery.
THINK TiEY OWN KIMBERLEY
Large Portion of Diamond Bearing Dis
trct Restricted-How the Stones
W4rs Found Near Murfreesboro, In
Pike County.


Pike County.
Arkansas is in flutter of excite
ment The rest of the country has rea,
with interest Of the discovery of dia
: monds, but this Is nothing to the com
motion that the report has caused II
the state itself. Every owner of /;
rocky farm in the hills sees himself
the prospective owner of a diamond
mine that win rival the Kimberle,
mines, says Little Rock (Ark) dis
patch to the New York Herald.
Up to the present time, however
only one find Of what Is believed TO BIZ
diamonds in paying quantities has
beea made. This find is near Murfrees
boro, IN Pike county.
The mere fact that diamonds had
been found would not of itself he OF
importance, because they have been
found in twenty-nne other places IA
the United States at various times, but
all other finds have been Of one or two
stones at a place, and in each case
they have been glacial.
The geological survey has issued
this report relative to the Pike county
diamonds:
"They occur IN an igneous rock, smi-
lar 10 that IN the South African mines,
which forms small stock near Muir
freeshoro. The first two stones were
found Aug /, 1906, and since then
mary have been picked up, the total
number found at last report being 100
Many are white and of good water,
others are yellow, and some are Of
brown bort. The two largest stones
weigh six and one-half carats, one be-
ing exceedingly fine white and the
other brown. They are found on the
surface as well as within the greenish,
friable, decomposed periodotite, rock
somewhat like the famous blue ground
of Kimberley"
DR.. John c. Branner several years
ago expressed the opinion that the
presence OF diamonds was indicated in
Pike county, but nobody took sufficient
interest In his statement to make fur
Their investigation. A company has
been formed that will carry out the
work OF developing the mine.
John Wesley Huddleston owned
farm in the hills of Pike county. He
was an enthusiast about minerals and
always carried around specimens of
ore bearing rock. He lives much out
doors and bought farm more for its
mineral possibilities than for fertility.
But one day he picked up a crystal
which gllnted brightly In the sun
shine and seemed to hold the light
more than any other he had noticed.
He took IL home to add to his collec-
ton Rubbing it against another crys-
tai, he noticed that it cut it. He then
decided to take the stone to Murfrees-
boro and get some other persons opln-
ion on H. Mr.. Huddleston rode mule
back toward Murfreesboro Possessed
now with the idea that the crystals
on his land were valuable he kept his
eyes on the ground as he rode along.
Passing through one of his fields, his
eyes caught a CLINT of reflected sun
shine from q pebble in the dirt Dis
mounting, he picked it up and proceed
ca on his way.
Eventually he showed 1t to Judge ].
c. pinnlx. who. finding that it cut a
watch crystal like glass cutter. adj
vised him TO send 1t 10 Little Rock
Tue specimens were sent there and
thence to New York. where experts de-
clafcd they were diamonds.
Or. Henry s. Washington of New
York visited the Huddleston place. but
a f.t-
monds had been found. making TWEEN
ty-one After a careful investigation
covering several weeks Or. Washing
ton gave it as his opinion that the
formed by Little Rock men
had included all of the diamond bear
Ing area IN their purchase.
Since that time systematic effort has I
been made to locate the crater pipe 7
or tube. as il is variously 1
called. Diamonds are formed by the (
of carbon and are Z
brought from below the surface Of the
earth by volcanic action. BY this up
heaval tube or chimney is forced
through the rock and the diamonds are
found in the blue clay which is then
itD'0iicts
In the original uphcaval several dla-
monds We're forced 60 or nearly to
The surface Of the pipe. and it was
hose surface stones that were first
lound by Mr.. IIuddleston and others.
They were freed from the mother
'arth by the erosion Of the blue clay
~ exposure to the elements for hun
ireds or thousands of years.
A core drill was put in and by its
Use the crater aud its dimensions were
Iscertalned. Diamonds TO the number
II 40 have already been found, even
With the inadequate machinery. Most
Il these have been on or near the sur
ace. and three. or four have been
ound by pan washing though only
he crudest method of working has y>t
,een pursued.
When work was Systematically be-
,un Colonel Theodore Hartman of Lit
lie Rock was selected as manager, and
lie went down to devise an economical
method of developing. He has made
he best find He picked up a stone