Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1905)
Wednesday, January 18. 1905 THE SUMPTER MINER IMPORTS OF GEMS TO UNITED STATES , Reports concerning tho precious stone industry from coubuIb in all parts of the world are summarized in a pamphlet itfued by the depart ment of commerce and labor. The imports from tho several ootintries into the United States duriug the year ended June 30; 1903, totaled in value 131,470,223, the countries from which they came being principally Austria-Hungary, Belgium, France, Germany,' Nether lauds, Switzerland, United Klug dom, Costa Rcia, Mexico, Brieish Gaiaua and British ludia. ,, In tbiB total, diamonds figured for 820,507,780, the remainder being divided among rubles, sapphires, emeralds, opals, turquoises, beryls, crysolites, tourmaliueu, cuts-eyes, peridots, ollvouos, spinels, ametbyBts, topazes, garnets, moonstones, lapis, lazuli, rose quartz, spodumeue, sphenes, sunstoues aud Amazon stones. Tho diamond iudustry of South Africa completely overshadows all other branches of the precious atone iudustry of tho world. Tho outlre diamond output of South Africa is exported from tho Gape of Good Hope to Loudon; yot, strange to say, it finds no plaao in tho British official publications showing the imports into the Uuited Kingdom. After South Africau diamonds leave tho Gape of Good Hope all official record of them seems to be lost. The only record of the exports of these diamonds is the aUestatiou of the Gape of Good Hope custom oflioers that over $20,000,000 worth are annually exported tn London. Diamonds do not appear among the exports from the Uuited Kingdom, save to a very small extent. British statistics make no mention of dia monds exported to the Netborlauds, Belgium aud Frauoe, uor do tho otlicial publications of tnose coun tries uoto tho import of diamonds from the United Kingdom, although practically all the diamonds import ed into these countries are fiom South Africa, shipped through Lou dou. As the majority of all South Afri cau diamonds, after passing tbruugb the bauds of European traders and lapidaries, Hud a market iu the Uuited States, it follows that Ameri can dealers aud purchasers have as much interest in tho trade in them a? even the Loudon, Arxsterdam, Antwerp aud ' Parisian dealers' and manipulators who buy and work thorn over uud sell to Amerioau dealers. Evideutly this whole diamond business is the closest uud most powerful of tfustB, fur not only is the trade conducted iu nu "under gronud" way, coucealed from all publio scrutiny, but it teems to la tnnuuged independently at all custom' houses intervening between Ctipe Colouy and the United States. Nearly one-half of the cut dia monds imported into the United States come from the Netherlands. There are in Amsterdam more and larger establishments than in the rest of the world combined for the manipulations and processes of clean ing, cuttnig and pollsbiug "rough stones," from which the brilliant is turned out. Diamouds are the only precious fatoues found iu British Soutb Africa. It is iu the city, of Kimberly, (374 mlieB from Cape Towu, that the De Beers, the greatest diamond mines In' the" world,0 are 'situated. Here many of the' most responsible positions are occupied 'by Americans. The D( Beera company occupies 200,000 aoreB of laud, employs 15, 000 natives aud 25,000 white's, con sumed each mouth in tho "com pounds" 25,000 pouuds'of muttou aud 200.000 pouuds of beef aud turns uut uv,vvv oarats or diamonds a month. i : Iu the. Bahia district of Mrav.il, diamonds, Bapphires, topazes, ame thysts and rubies are found. Dia mouds, beryls, ohryaoberyls, chryso lites, tourmalines, 1.. topazes I; (rose colored), amothystB aud garnets are mined iu the seutiou of Brazil tributary to Rio Janeiro. In southern Brazil diamonds are mined to a limited extent near Faruua, iu the state of Sao Paulo, and near Tibagy, iuthe state" of Parana rind to a larger extent uear Dagageu, Agua ouja and various other points iu Southwestern Mluas Geraes aud at various poiutB iu Goyaz. Hyaliue quartz (Brazilian pebbles) and, to a more limited extent, citriue quartz (false topaz) aro mined at tho Sorra dos Grlstoes, in Guyaz. Agates and amethysts aro gathored from tho sur face at varcius points of Bio Game do Sul. Thoro is no ilsblug for salt water or fresh-water pearls auywhoro iu Brazil. Diamouds are tho only stouoi mined in British precious Guiana. Mauy small saphiros, running from 20 to 30 to the carat, are oucouutered in the search for diamond.,, but thoso are considered of no commercial value aud aro uot saved. Columbia produces various precious ntor.es, but the emerald is tho oue Btone mined in that country, aud large quantities are takeu from the Muzo miues, situated in Boyaca, 70 miles by mulo road from the Mag dalea river aud 070 miles from the Atlantic coast. Tho rental paid to the Columbia government has ranged from 1250,000 to 9300,000 a year. These mlnea were discovered by the Spanish In 1555 aud bavo been worked intermittoutly ksinoo that dato, but only of lato 'years on a large scale. About five years ago a mine, extensively worked j 200 years ago by the Spaniards, was rediscover ed by means of old records, aud, ac cording to expert reports, la Jikoly to compete with the Muzo'grouplu production. CRUCIBLE 4SSAY OF TEWJRIDE ORES 4. Mining meu iu cortaiu districts of the-Uuited Status will be In terested' iu Bulletin No. 253 'of the Uuited States gnological survey, in whiatrthe subject of inquiry is the accuracy of the crucible assay method for telluride gold orep. Tho main polut definitely OBtublished is the faot that the doubts which have been entertaiuod as to the accuracy of the diy method are not well fouded. It is clearly determined that the tire assay by crucible for gold telluride ore gives remits which are quite equal to those obtainod by the wet method, provided due correc tions are made for slag aud cupel losses. N . The gold Iosbos iu the slag .is very small, but the cupel losses are very appreciable. The eupellatiou Iobs.oI gold by volatilizatiou 1b gener ally slight aa compared with that by absorption. At a temperature which I allows the formatlou of abuudant i feather litharge the volatilization is' negligible, or is perhaps compensat ed by reteutiou of. lead. The case is otherwise, however, at high tempera tures, as the volatilization may thou average one-half of that by absorption iu the case of a miortatlon aril n v. The Joss of gold .byabsorbtlou-is very important, and ia lutln'onced,. far , , , a -- v - moro than is generally supposed, by slight changes in temperature It is greater with pure gold and alloys poor iu silver tbau with alloys rich Ib silver. Tho.oxporlmentB of Mover. V. F. Hillebraud aud !2. T. Allen, tho authors of the bulletin, failed abso lutely lo show the need fur a higher termperature at tho eud of oopella tiou with gold beads thau with thuBo of silver. The most exact results were obtained when feathor Jitbargo was still abundant at the timo of brightening. Furthermore, it is altogether uuueceBsary to havo gold beads in the mulllo for some time after brightoiiiug iu ardor to remove the last of tho lead, for thoro is no loss iu weight from so doing, but if anything, a verj slight tendency to increase. Tho results ou abaorptiou, as liilluouood by tho amount of load used in eupellatiou, wore luoou olulsvo. The error causod by the rotoutiou of lead In tho bunds ia serious, if tho result of two careful tests are to be depouded on, which shows 0.30 and 0.37 per cunt of lead. The amount of this rotoutiou is uot loBsonod by loiiviug tho boadH iu the mulllo for some time after brightening. Sliver can bo completely extracted from quartation alloys by nitric acid, but moro thau two repetitious of the acid troameut aud subsequent wash iugs aro called fo., if any aertauity of complete exatrotiou ia to bo ex pected . Tests made with mixtures of pure nitrous aud nitric acid, show that tho solvont action of acid is so slight if iudeed thore 1h auy at all, that it ueed not be considered as a possible disturbing factor In parting. It was similarly shown that the losses in parting with pure nitric acid, whother tracoB of gold really dis solve or uot, may bo Ignored, In an oro assay, at leait, This bulletin, which is entitled "Comparison of a wet and oruioiblo (Ire mothods 'for tho assay of gold telluride ores, with notes ou the errors ucourriug in tho operations of lire assay aud parting," is among the survey's free publications, it may bo obtainod ou application to tho director of tho Uuited States goo logical survey, Washington, I). C. Mining Crook Arrested. C. IX. Griggs, wanted for alleged frauds whereby tie secured 930,000 in Noma mining swindles from mauy parties in various parts of the country was arrested iu Portland Saturday. Ho located mauy claims in the Nome district sold Interest in them, took purchasers in hpecially charter ed vessel to show the mines, but dis appeared before their arrival. The cairns wore always fouudjto be Motitlous. freeze-Up at the Dixie. A sudden cold snap at the Dixie mine, uear Quartzburg, owned by Zoetb Houser, has delayed the opening of the new Dixie five-stamp mill. It was Mr. Houser's iuten tiou to put on a double shift but the freeze forced a suspension of all but undergroundjwork. 4. KING SOLOMON'S MINES LOCATED Tho mines of King Solomon, sung and told of iu psalm aud story, havo boon found at last. Tho country mini tinned in the Bible as tho Land of Ophir, whoro tho gold was so plentiful that Solomon, when tho Imporlal troaBiiry ran low or thore wan a temple to be decorated, had to but ordor tho captain of tho palaco guards to tnko an army of slaves aud tiring back such wealth to tho'templo as never a Bockefeller or Al organ dreamed of, lies in the northern ptirt of Rhodesia, in tho country . of tho great Zimbabwe, if the generally credited rnporta of R. V. Hall, F. B. G. S., an Kugllsh archaeologist. aro to bo takeu aa true. Mr. Hall has but recently re turned to Loudon, after two years spout iu delving into the ruins or what is supposed to havo been the city of Ophir of Biblical times, ilia researches havo settled to tho satis faction of all scientific men tho mines of King Solomon and tho wealth or tho kingdom over which ruled tho beautiful quoon of Shoba. In tho ruins of tho old city, Mr. Hall has found evidences of a wealth of gold tieyoiid tho droama of tho many who have lost life and reason on the sands of Sahara, and tho jungles of Miishonalaud searching for the gold of Ophir. Apparently gold was tho most common thing iu this city. Tho floors of the houses wore built of it, tho utonsila of tho home, cooking pots, drinking aups, fond bowls and knives were all made of tho precious metal. All the orna ments found in the ruins of the buildlugH and tombs aro of gold aud of excellent design aud make. The oxiHtonco of this wonderful city of rulna in tho heart of Africa was first known In 1510. Iu that year Aran gold, ivory and slave traders found their way Into thin rogion aud brought back talos which the early Portuguese heard of aud gave to the world. Then the rulna wero still standing nearly intact, but no white man ever penetrated iuto the country to gazo upon them In this state. Krom then the ruins woro lost sight of until in 1H08, when Adam Bonders, an intrepid ilophant hunter. following his nativo hunter far into the continent, rediscovered thorn. By this time tho Hinds of the do-iort, carried by tho winds of hundreds of years, had swept down upon thorn and burled them. Fxchauge. Gold King Will Resume. The Miner Is iu receipt of a letter from President W. F. Calveil, of the Gold King Mining company, the general ofllims of which aro iu Seattle and tho properties in tho Cracker Creek district, south of Bourne, say ing that though work has been sus pended for the remainder of the winter; the company will start early In the spring with a big fence of miners, to develop the mine ou a large noalo. The work already done demonstrates that the property is a valuable oue aud justifies the ex tensive development which has .been planned aud will be executed duriug the coming seasou. John Arthur came dnwu from 'the Imperial mine last night. :ii... (.. i i. i.ti. nil. vt ' J UtW