Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-12-17
GEMS OBTAINED
f. BY SCIEN lists
ON EXPEDITION
Americans Travel Over
1000 Miles Through
BraziI'S Diamond, Gold
and Precious Stone Fields

Chicago, Dec. 16 (By the Asso-
ulated Press).-A topaz Weighing
five pounds, remarkable not only
for its size but for its clearness'
is among the specimens brought
back to Chicago by DR.. oliver G.
Harrington, curator OF the depart
,nent of geology of Field museum,
who has Just returned from an eX-
pedition to Brazil. o,oo
The expedition travelled 2,G0O
miles through the diamond, gold
and precious stone fields of the
South American republic, covering
more than 200 miles through the
mountains of the state Of Mlnas
Gerais on mule-back.
The specimens obtained include
gold, diamonds, dquamarines, per-
yls, emeralds and topazes, besides
a number of minerals of the rare
earths. Among the specimens DR..
harrington believes he has one or
two minerals hitherto Unknown to
science.
FiVe-pOund Topaz
The big five-pound topaz is one
Of a large number of enormous
semi-precious stones obtained by
the scientists, but in point of size
is an infant compared to a twenty
six pound topaz which they saw at
one of the mines. The giant stone
was valued at about $75 a pound.
Cut up and polished a first grade
topaz is worth from $5 to $40 a
carat.
Diamond mines were visited in
the region of Diamantina, 500
miles north of Rio, in the center of
n vast diamond bearing area. The
stones can be successfully mined
only in the neighborhood of water
for washing the coarse earth away.
The diamonds are found in beds
totally different from those in
south Africa, the matrix being q
quartzite composed Of sands wash
ed from older lands.
The semi-precious stones in the
state OF Minas Gerais are found
in coarse GRANTEES or pegmatites so
decomposed that the gems can be
mined with n shovel.
The expedition visited the MORO
yelho gold mine, which is the
deepest mining shaft on earth. Its
lowest level is 1000 feet below the
surface. At this great depth the
temperature OF the rock is III de-
Erees Fahrenheit, making 1t neces-
sary to maintain an elaborate re-
frigerating plant on the surface to
force cold air down to the miners.
THE deeper the shaft goes, howev-
er, the richer the ore found, so the
additional cost of mining is more
that offset by the returns.
Iron Orc of Zine Quality
Iron ore of the finest quality
for steel manufacture is so COM
mon in this district, according to
DIR. Harrington, that his party rode
for days and days over mountains,
valleys and plains of solid iron de-
posits. Manganese, aluminium and
other valuable ores were also
found in abundance.
The BraZilians or the interior
were almost uniformly friendly,
and willing TO give every assistance
TO the scientists, DR.. Harrington re-
ported, except in one town where
he was nearly mobbed when a ru-
NOR spread that he intended TO buy
a gold mine which was to be sold
ct auction. The natives objected
to a foreigner obtaining the mine.
and spent most Of the night in 4
demonstration in front of the
house where he was staying, shoot
ing. exploding dynamite cartridges,
Singing and shouting derisively.
Amer automobiles, type
writer ing machines and other
.a.Ga devices were very COM
a.n f.. ne interior, however, ana
movies enjoy almost q
Hmoa. he said. Even the re-
hrnzH 81. ges have their cinema
tGaa.. where the American
scgae- orites are shown. Wild
vest tl were the most popular.