Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-05

the location ultimately of the home of
the gems, some piquant incidents. In
1889 the celebrated eagle stone" was
brought to Milwaukee and sold for the
nominal sum of 81. Upon its being subs
mitted to expert examination 1t was
learned that it was diamond Of 10
carats weight. and that 1t had been dis
covered seven years earlier in earth re-
moved from a we'll opening This dia-
nond attracted considerable share of the
public attention at the time. owing to the
peculiar circumstances which followed
upon the discovery of it's real nature.
The woman who had parted with the
stone for 81 brought suit against the
ieweler TO whom she had sold il. III or
der to recover it's value. This singular
litigation. which naturally created a great
deal of interest. was finally carried to
the supreme court of the state Of Wis
consin. from which a decision was hand
ed down in favor of the defendant, on
the ground that he, no, less than the
plaintiff. had been ignorant OF the value
Of the gem the time Of purchasing it.
The other event which followed upon the
discovery of this diamond was the boom
of the town OF Eagle as a diamond CEN
ter. which: after the finding OF two other
gems with an Enmistakable mark OF
African origin upon them to the critical
gaze Of the expert ended as abruptly as
it had commenced. incidentally discredit-
ing. in the minds of BIOLOGISTS for the
time. the actual genuineness of the
original discovery.
i
About a decade after this incident a
white diamond of little less than four
carats weight came 10 light in a colec-
ton Of pebbles found in Oregon, Wis The
stones had been picked up by a farmers
lad while playing in a clay bank near
his home. An inquiry which was in
stituted upon this discovery brought out
the fact that a third diamond, and this
the largest OF all, had been found at
kohlsville. in the same state, in 1883. and
was then in the possession OF the family
on whose property it had been discovered.
After a careful examination OF the cir
cunlstances attending these diamond finds,
conducted by expert biologists, the latter
came to the conclusion that the gems
had, in fact, been deposited by the ice
carrier long before the advent OF man
on this continent. In Wisconsin have also
beautiful white stone Of six carats
weight, end also the Burlington stone,
having a weight Of a little over two
carats. The former had been for more
than sixteen years in the possession of
the finder before he learned Of its value.
In Michigan has been found the Dowagiac
stone OF about eleven carats weight. and
only recently a diamond weighing sN
has come TO light at Milford, hear Gin
cinnati. This augmentation of the num-
Der of localities and the nearness OF all
10 the kettle moraines" leave little
room for doubt, in the minds Of the geoio-
gists, that the diamonds were conveyed
by the Ice at the time OF Its later inva-
sion Of the country.
4 X
The scientists having thus arrived at a
satisfactory conclusion regarding not only
the agent which conveyed the stones, but
also respecting the period during which
they were transported. next set them
selves to the solution Of the problem
which is at present occupying their at
tention This involves the tracing OF the
paths by which the diamonds were
brought to their adopted homes, and the
retracinx Of these paths until the starting
point or points Of the gems are definitely
located II this fascinating task be sue
cessfui, it will be learned whether the
stones have q common home or whether
they were formed in regions more or less
widely separated. From the great rarity
OF diamonds in nature it il inferred that
the hypothesis of a common home is more
probable. and ethis view is further
STRENGTHENED by the fact that certain
marks Of ''consanguinity" have been OBJ
served upon the stones already found.
With the precision OF the detective of
fiction, the geologist now traces the
marks of the ice mantle that, at
cessive periods the last millions of years
ago engulfed large portion of what is
now the United States. Not only is the
record read in the great ridge Of mo-