Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-08-22
MINERALS BY MAIL
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Bx FREDERIC .. HAsxIx.

r ASHINGTON, Aug 1S.-The other day a man
wv out in Colorado found what he took to be
" large-sized diamond The varied mineral re-
of his native state pretty we'll known to
him, and knew that diamonds scarce in Colorado
outside of rings and scarf pins. So find,
carefully registered the United States geological
survey at Washington, where the mineralogists re-
GREETED to inform him that it wasn't diamond. but
lump of quartz.
Diamonds that aren't diamonds among the
things that come often the geological for
Identification large number of rocks of sort
another arrive with days mall most of them from
people think they have found great wealth. Com
monest of all specimens of fools gold"-iron
pyrtes. which is yellow, shiny mineral that comes
nearer the popular of what gold looks like than
does gold itself
Mica is another strong bidder for first place among
the minerals that look more valuable unnitiated
they Certain mcas in the form of very small
particles have yellowsh shiny appearance that leads
to their being for gold Many specimens of this
sort come the survey every week. Along with the
quartz diamonds" and the fools gold they
of the commonest minerals that mislead the amateur
prospector.
The geological survey little trouble dealing
with these. for an expert can tell at
glance what the mineral in question really is Several
people day, however, seno IN specimens Va O
sort or with the modest request appended tnat
the government furnish complete analysis oy return
mail
Now an analysis of a sample might cost the govern
nent $50 SIS, and might be very dangerous thing
when made. The survey is forbidden by law to make
sucn analyses private individuals and is efeeualy
restrained breaking the law by the lack OF money
appropriated for that purpose. The chemists and
mineralogists all kept busy analysing specimens in
connection with the survey work officials believe that
were any good purpose served by making analyses of
snecmens sent in by all and sundry, congress might be
persuaded to jurisdiction and the appropria
ton of the survey include such work Such STEP
however, might be far from desirable
Your miner may may not be honest and de-
serving person help Men have been known to sell
mines with the aid artistcally illustrated pros
pectuses that were something of disappointment to
the stockholders after actually begun There
are mine promoters who only need little encourage
ment and they sell you radium prospect in the
middle o the southern ocean
The assay of the important features of
selling scheme. The assay is supposed to show how
many dollars worth of gold is present in the rock in
question. 1t customary-not much as 1t once
was-to the from one. or two, or three,
fragments Of Needless to the mine owner
with a claim sale hunt through his rock
dump for unusually poor specimen as a sample for
assay has been known to spend some hours going
over the dump for rich rragment-maybe the only
in sight
Suppose that would send such a fragment to the
geological and that the law and appropriation
provided analysis of all specimens sent in The
chemists the survey would report that rock like the
sample would 500 to the ton in gold That would
be true enough, but might spend several years
OF his life looking the hillside sample
came from without finding another one rich But,