The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-08-05
A TRUE DIAMOND FIELD
Farmer in Pike County, Ark.
Upset a Story Belief
PEBBLE WAS A DIAMOND
He Picked II Up While Walking
Along Country Road in the Sum-
mer of 19oG-It Was a Shining Bit
of Stone-Caused the Upsetting of
Strongest Beliefs of biologists.

When that farmer out in
Murfreesboro, Pike County, Ark,
picked up a shining bit of stone
while walking along coun-
try road in the summer of 1906, a
pebble that later on was shown to
be diamond, he had little idea that
he was the cause of the upsetting of
one Of the strongest beliefs Of geolo-
gists. This was the opinion that dia-
monds never would be found in the
North American continent in their
natural surroundings. or "matrix,"
in genuine diamond field"
Murfreesboro Is about 100 miles
southwest from Little Rock and the
diamond field" is owned by two COM
panies of local capitalists. who are
working 1t under the usual secret
conditions that attend labor of this
sort. The country Is particularly
favorable to outdoor work. for the
climate is mild all winter long, a riv-
er runs through he property. there
Is an abundance of timber and coal
is cheap and easily obtained Not all
OF the 600 acres in the two farms to
W !cE the diamond field" is limited
is Of Importance. for the area of
peridotite rock that shows near the
surface OF the ground is only forty
acres in extent The field" how
ever, is still further extended. to an
area of 100 acres, by the spread of
the 'decomposed peridotite, or por-
tions OF the original formation that
has -crumbled away by the action of
the elements.
Il over this small, area that the
two companies are at work now with
drills and the usual accessories Of
diamond mining. Up TO the time. in
August last, when DR.. G.. F. Kunz
o. Tihiany's made his first scientific
report of the discovery of the field"
about 140 diamonds had been picked
up. but since then 20 report has been
made of what further quantity has
been found. It is known, however,
that the operating companies have
reached depth of 200 feet. and the
peridotite rock shows no signs of
either change or giving out. 1t is
also definitely known that a depth Of
Is feet below the surface good-sized
diamonds have been found in the
rock. or "matriX"
OF the 40 diamonds that were
found up to August last. they ranged
in color from the purest white. like
the so-called river stones" OF South
Africa, TO tinted brown, gray, others
almost black and yellow, some OF the
latter being of pure lemon color
The largest stone found thus far.
weighed 6 IA carats. this being an
absolutely pure pellucid white, free
from inclusions, while others weigh
ed carats. several 8. and 5. while
the smallest ranged down to 1-64
carat, the general average being
a0out l carat
IS to Just what commercial value
this field" has, o one whose opinion
is Of value, viii hazard a guess now.
II has already, however. caused DR..
kunz 10 revise the opinion he ex-
pressed in his book on diamonds.
published seventeen years ago. as 20
the lack Of the probability of these
precious stones ever being an i'm
portart mineral product of this coun-
try. The future o. this genuine dia-
moni field, which is of the same
formation precisely as the famous
blue ground" of the Kimberly
mines. lies now in the hands of the
companies who are operating them.
When Little Rock jeweler came
East year ago with samples of the
diamonds found in Murfreesboro he
was surprised 10 learn that Dr. Kunz
and the other Government gem ex-
perts knew far more about the Ar
kansas fields than the persons who
lived there.
That this field of peridotite was
not strange TO DR.. Kunz is explained
by the fact that il was first described
as long ago as 1912 by the State
Geologist OF Arkansas. and was sub
sequently mapped" by another
geologist in that States employ. But
nothing was ever done TO find If the
pTeclOuS stones were II the ROCK ul-
I'll the chance discovery in the sum-
mer of 1906. Diamonds have been
found from time TO time in this coun-
try ever since 1880 on the eastern
slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains,
OF the western slopes of the Cascade
and Sierra Nevada Ranges. and in
Wisconsin. Michigan. Ohio and In
diana. II was known that those
found on the mountain slopes came
from their normal geological abiding
place; but the actual source had new
er been discovered. Those picked up
In the Middle Western States were
also known 70 have been carried there
by the flow OF the glaciers from Can
ada in prehistoric times. One curious
and practical effect of the finding OF
this curious bed of peridotite in Ar
kansas. is the starting out OF several
exploring parties along the line OF
the new Canadian railroad, that is
10 run from Quebec 10 Winniueg TO