White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1911-03-05
WILL EXAMINE
NEVADA OPALS
GOVERNMENT EXPERT IN GEO
LOGICAL SURVEY GIVES OPlN-
ION THAT DIAMONDS MAY BE
FOUND IN NORTHERN NEVADA

The attention of the United States
geological survey TO a reported
new opal deposit in Nevada has
been called by a dispatch from
this state. Douglas B. Ster-
rett, the surveys expert on pre-
| cious stones, was glad to hear of the
reported discovery and says he will
write to c.. r. Webster of Gerlaeh,
Nevada, who is said to have discover
ed one specimen of the gem weighing
IL pounds, asking about the partie-
ulars of the find and for specimens
of the mineral. Mr.. Sterrett says:
I'VE cannot say anything definite
about the discovery until We hear
from Mr.. Webster. 1t has been
known for some time, however, that
there is plenty of opal to be found in
northern Nevada and adjacent por-
tions of Oregon and Idaho. | have
visited the various deposits of opal in
that section and obtained valuable
specimens from them. There is a
great difference in the quality OF
opals. some glowing with colors and
being fit for the finest jewels, while
others are dull and ~lifeless in ap-
pearanee and worth comparatively
little"
In Sterrett's last report on the pro-
duction of precious stones in the
United States, he has the following
to say about opals in Neavda:
IL. +. DEMO of DEMO, Ore, re-
ports the discovery of opal in Hum
boldt county, Nevada, about twenty
miles south of the Oregon state line
and forty miles east of the California
state line. The opal has been found
over an area of seven miles long by
one mile wide. Two groups of claims
about five miles apart, have been
located on the best prospects. The
character of the opal is different in
these two groups, one furnishing a
brilliant black stone, the other blue,
green and red opals. Much petrified
wood occurs in the region, with
which good opal is sometimes found
in seams or attached to the outside
of the petrified wood. The regular
supply of opal is in a decomposed
porphyry of brownish red color.
Basaltic rock outerops nearby. Only
limited prospecting work has been
done so far.
j. b. Stott kindly sen in speci-
mems of opal from a deposit being
tested by himself neal Austin, Ian
der county. The specimens consist
ed of common white opal, yellowish
opal, lilac-tinted opal and milky opal.
Some of the specimens displayed a
faint flash of fire when viewed in
certain positions. Mr.. Stott reports
a 100-foot incline sunk on the de-
,s..tt IL .rhs,h tho 1na1ffu Of AnaIg
improves with depth. The opal oe-
ours as a core in balls of partly silici-
fled rock whose nature could not be
determined. The specimens exam
ined contained crosse of opal liz
inches through in balls three to foul
inches in diameter. Mr.. Stott states
that the o~pal-bearing balls occur
in a of blue clay, about two
feet thick, between black and red
lava beds"
Mr.. Sterrett has been watching de-
velopments in diamond mining at
Oroville, California. He visited that
town last summer and personally saw
several diamonds found there, which
he says were beautiful. He says that
conditions of rock in that section are
very similar TO those existing in the
enormously rich diamond fields of
South Africa. Mr.. Sterrett's next re-
port on precious stones will probably
treat somewhat extensively on this
subject.
G. r. Webster, who owns this opal
bed in northern Nevada says that he
is finding some beautiful specimens
and that the opals he is uncovering
are nearly as hard as diamonds. He
says that he would not be surprised
to find diamonds also.