The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-08-12

Several Years ago a syndicate of
mining men began sinking a shoft in
Arizona TO reach the largest diamond
in the world. believed to be no less
han hall a mile thick. This shaft is
now 1900 feet deep. Three or four
hundred feet more, it is expected, will
reveal the great prize.
The scene OF his most wonderful
mining operation is Meteor mountain.
Ar!z, The mountain is such in name
oniy. as ii is little NOR" than a butte
/ rising 700 or 3"n feet above the des-
c.t. about ten miles from Canyon Di-
aho!o station, on the Santa Fe rail-
road.
Viewed from a distance Meteor
mountaiM looks little different from
tho countless other buttcs that rear
their heads above the southwestern
desert. hut as soOn as II begins Ia
climb lis sides, strcWn with meteorio
fragments, he Realizes that he is on
the threshold of one of the worlds
greatest mysteries.
From the top of the 'lnountain'
M eazes into q boWl-.ike depression
in the earth 500 feet deep and a mile
across 1t is iii appearance like n vol
canic crater.
Scientists agree tina his crater
marks the place where q giant meteor
ito, as large as tn" circumference OF
the bowl would indicate. struck tho
earth in ages past, perhaps a million
OF Years ago, and buried itself deep in
to the bowels of the earth-just how
deep it is the purpose Of the mining
/ syndicate to lind out.
Fragments are Black Diamonds.
When this giant mass struck the
earth there WAS no butte there: the
butte was created when the meteorite
pYr,,nl> &c. =, ,, n~/Jn,,e ,..iuht Ijcrlnr
ing strata of rock, sending huge clouds
of dust into the air and forming the
mountain as it exists today.
After the meteorite sank into the
earth the sand and dust settled into
the depression. The drift Of ages
siftcd over the edges of the huge bow
and assisted in the work of covering
the meteorite.
Bat the most remarkable thing
about this meteorite, apart from its
prodigious size, is the fact that in al
probability is consists Of one huge dia'
mond. This IS inferred from the fac
that numerous large fragments of the
meteorite found in the crater, anc
which are unusually heavy, were
found. upon investigation, to contain
besides meteoris iron. large. hard
black diamonds of great value.
Even if the meteor itself consist!
olllS VA bIuth dltIIlOIldS L NdluC "Oolt
be quite uncomfortable. for a goot
black diamond, though worthless a.
a gem, is worth even more than {
white one for mechanical purposes. L
is quite probable, however. that the
bulk of the meteor consists Of white
diamond. in which event there would
not be enough wealth in the world tt
pay for it at the current price of tn
precious stone.
It's Value Uncomfortable.
The largest diamonds in the world
including the koh-i-noor, the GULL
Orloff, the Great Premier diamond
laire, and a dozen others Of the same
standard. worth In the aggregate hun
dreds of millions OF dollars, might al
be placed together in an ordinary der
by hat and not reach the top. Thi.
meteoric diamond, scientists believe
must be at least half a mile thick! The
significance Of this comparison Is ap'
parent.
1t has long been supposed that al
diamonds might be Of meteoric origin
the scientists being unable to agree
whether the bottomless bores in which
they are found and which are known
as diamond pipes" are the result o.
ancient volcanic neutrality-suspicious. Of
su~bterranean laboratories which are
natures diamond factories, or of me
teors, which are themselves the cruel
bleS from celestial regions in which
diamonds are produced.
The latter theory has many distin'
guished supporters. OF whom the mos
| eminent is perhaps Sir William Crooks