The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-01-11
Digging For Tourmaline.

London Globe: Tourmaline is a beautiful mineral
known according to its color by variety of names
The red is rubeite the pale blue of blush black is
indcoe, the Berlin blue is called by jewelers. Bra
zbian emerald, and SO on.
"Tourmaline is found in separate crystals in the
interstices of hard granite looking rock AS con-
sequence with means find it occasionally prot
liable when they have leisure to dig down eight or
ten feet on the off chance of finding not very
valuable bits" says C. S. George, deputy commits
sioner, Ruby Mines District, Burma "This system
is called Katie talk Kathe system, after the idea
of the original ruby dggings at Kathe. The next
method is the ordinary Twinon method of sinking
vertical shaft about four or five feet square. By
custom the owner of the shaft is entitled to extend
his workings underground anywhere to radius of
five fathoms from the center of the shaft
"The vein is formed by a vein of white, hard gran
e rock in the interstces of which the tourmaline is
found at time adhering loosely to the rock at others
lying separate in the loose yelowish earth that is
found with the granite When vein is once found
it is followed up as far possible, subject to the
five fathom limit alluded to above What, however,
makes the mining SO exciting and at the time
keeps the industry uctuating is that the tourmaline
crystals are only found ntermittently in the vein.
Zone may get several in the length of yard
and then they will unaccountably cease. Directly
strikes vein yielding crystals every one who
can commences digging along the line of the vein,
but is all toss-up to whether, when the vein is
reached there will be tourmaline therein Adjoining
Twinlons give absolutely different results and it is
calculated that least wo-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 yielding and of these
only one had traces of the best quality stone. The
veins are fairly deep down. having ever been
reached at a lesser depth than nine fathoms, while
ordinary depth is forty or fifty cubits; when the
vein takes downward direction it is followed
far as possible, but that is rarely about
sixty cubts, for at that depth the founess of the
air puts the lamps out
'The vein is said rarely if ever to show an out
crop, and it is matter of pure speculation where
to Dig" said Mr.. George. AS the whole place is
covered with jungle, prospecting any way would be
aborious There have been three finds, each causing
a rush The first seven years ago at Hpai Baing
(Mlaunggon) about mile to the south of the pres
ent place and near where the Chinese had worked
formerly. The next year or two later at
Htaukat, between Miaunggon and Sanka
Then there three or four lean years, and them
early in 1905, one Konhkan struck vein, Sanka
village which has attracted the present growth of
population to Maingnn, but, explained above
though the within hundred yards of Konf-
kan's original shaft is honeycombed with pits only
three yielding, and Konhkans twin has ceased
to yield. All the material dug out from the inside
Twinon is pulled up to the surface in small buckets,
all worked by enormously long pivoted bamboos
worked with counter-poise and the tourmaline is
stored out of hand, the granite fragments being
piled i'll a wall around the mouth of the shaft