The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-02-05
DIGGING FOR ToURMALINE.
How the Mines of Burma Are Worked
Some Rare Finds.

Tourmaline is beautiful mineral
| known according to its color by a
variety of names. The red is rubel-
| lite, the pale blue or blush black is
indicolite. the Berlin blue is called by
| jewelers. Brazilian emerald. and so Oh.
Tourmaline is found in separate
crystals in the interstices of hard
granite looking rock. As conse-
quence men with no means find it oc-
casionally profitable when they have
on the off chance of finding some not
very valuable bits says c. 8. George,
deputy commissioner. Ruby Mines
district, Burma. This system is call
ed Kathe talk or kathe system, after
the idea of the original ruby diggings
at Kathe. The next method is the
ordinary Twinlon method of sinking
a vertical shaft about four or five feet
square. By custom the owner of the
shaft is entitled to extend his work.
ings underground anywhere to
radius of five fathoms from the CEN
ter of the shaft.
1.-THE vein is formed by a vein of
white hard granite rock, in the in
terstices of which the tourmaIine is
found, at times adhering loosely to
the rock, at others lying separate in
the loose yellowish earth that is found
with the granite. When vein is
possible. subject to the five fathom
limit alluded to above. What. how.
ever, makes the mining SO exciting
and at the same time keeps the indus
try fluctuating is that the tourmaltne
crystals are only found internationally
in the vein.
One may get several in the length
of one yard, and then they will I'M
accountably cease. Directly one man
strikes a vein yielding crystals every
one who can commences digging along
the line of the vein. but it is all toss
up as to whether. when the vein is
reached, there will be tourmaline
therein. Adjoining Twinlons give alb
sOlutely different results. and it is call
culated that at least two-thirds of the
shafts sunk yield nothing at all. while
only an occasional one is at all rich
Of the sixty-two Twinlons at the
time of Mr.. Georges visit only three
were yielding, and of these only one
had traces of the best quality stone.
The veins are fairly deep down, none
having ever been reached at a lesser
ordinary depth is forty or fifty cubits;
when the vein" takes a downward
direction it is followed as far as pos
sible. but that is rarely over about
sixty cubits, for at that depth the
foulness of the air puts the lamps out.
1.-THE vein is said rarely, if ever, to
show an outcrop, and it is a matter OF
pure speculation where to dig" said
Mr.. George. AS the whole place is
covered with jungle, prospecting any,
way would be 1aborious. There have
been three finds, each causing rush.
The first was seven years ago at Hpai
Bang (Mi1aunggon), about q mile to
the south of the present place and
near where the Chinese had worked
formerly. The next was a year or
two later at Htaukat between Mi
launggon and Sanka.
Then there were three or four lean
years, and then, early in 1905. one
Konhkan struck vein. near Sanka
village, which has attracted the pres
ent growth of population to Mainguin.
but, as explained, above, though the
area within 100 wards of Konhkan's
original shaft is honeycombed with
pits, only three are yielding, and
Konhkan's twin has ceased to yield.
All the material dug out from the in
side Twinlon is pulled UP to the sur
face in small buckets, all worked by
enormously long pivoted bamboos
worked with a counter-poise, and the
tourmaline is sorted out of hand. the
granite fragments being piled in
wall around the mouth of the shaft.
London Globe.