The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-01-04
GEM FIELDS OF BRAZIL
AND DEEPEST GOLD MINE
AMERICAN GELoGlST TELLS OF
VAST AND VARIED MINER
AL WEALTH..

A topaz weighing five pounds, re-
marlSable not only for it's size but for
its clearness, is among the specimens
brought back to Chicago by Dr. Oliver
&c. Harrington, curator of the depart
ment OF geology of Field museum, who
has just returned from an expedition
to Brazil.
The expedition travelled 1000 miles
Gus stone fields of the South American
republic, covering more than 800 miles
through the mountains of the state of
AIinas Gerais on mule back.
The specimens obtained include
gold. diamonds. aquamarines, beryls,
emeralds and topazes, besides n num-
Der 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 pound topaz is one of
large number of enormous semi-preci-
GUS stones obtained by the scientists.
but in point of size is an infant COM
pared to a 26-pound topaz which they
saw at one of the mines. The giant
stone was valued at about SIS a
pound. Cut up and polished a first
grade topaz is worth from IS to $40
carat
Diamond mines were visited in the
region of Diamantina, 500 miles north
of Rio in the center of a vast dia-
mond 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 a quartzite composed of sands
washed from older lands.
The semi precious stones in the
state of Minas Gerais are found in
coarse GRANTEES or pegmatites so de-
that the gems can be mined
with a shovel
The expedition visited the MORO
Velho gold mine, which is the deepest
mining shaft on earth. It's lowest
level is 1000 feet below the surface.
At this great depth the temperature
Of the rock is III degrees Fahrenheit
making it necessary to maintain an
elaborate refrigerating plant on the
surface to force cold air down to the
miners The deeper the shaft goes
however. the richer the ore found, so
the additional cost of mining is more
than offset by the returns.
Iron Ore Plentiful.
Iron ore of the finest quality for
steel manufacture is so common in
this district. according to Dr. Earring
ton that his party rode for day after
day over mountains, valleys and plains
Of solid iron deposits. Manganese,
aluminium and other valuable ores
we're also found in abundance.
The Brazilians of the interior were
almost uniformly friendly and willing
to give every assistance to the scien-
lists Dr. harrington reported, except
in one town where he was nearly mob
bed when a rumor spread that he in
tended to buy a gold mine which was
10 be sold at auction. The natives OBJ
ected to a foreigner obtaining the
nine and spent most of the night in a
in front of the house
where he was staying, shooting, ex-
)loding dynamite cartridges singing
md shouting derisively
American automobiles typewriters
sewing machines and other mechani-
al appliances were very common in
he interior, however, and American
movies enjoy almost a monopoly, he
aid. Even the remote villages have
heir cinema theaters, where the Am
rican screen favorites are shown.
Wild west films are the most popular.