PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES
No New Discovery of Diamonds in the United States, but Mining for
Other Gems Has Spread to New Fields, Notably
Arizona and California.
It lias taken no trained eye to observe
tiiat the woman of fashion has gone
baek J,o certain primitive notions during
the past year, says the Mining World of
Dee. 2. Ornament lias not exactly su
perseded dress, but it has certainly be
come the distinctive factor in dress and
so usurped the place, in many instances,
as to make the original function of cloth
ing well nigh forgotten. This savage
glorification of adornment expresses it
self strongly in the present [Hipularity
of the 1 leads and chains with which
women festoon themselves. It will lie
a surprise to nobody, then, to learn that
(ieorge F. Kunz, special agent of the
United States Geological Survey, states
in his rejHirt on the precious stones in
dustry during HUM that the sale of semi
precious stone beads of every variety of
material has lieen extraordinary.
These iieails have been produced in all
sizes, either round, India cut or faceted.
They have been made of amethyst,
Spanish topaz, rock crystal, rose quartz,
aventurine, blue chalcedony, amazon
stone, New Zealand jade (nephrite),
Burmese (so-called Chinese) jadeite,
moonstone, garnet and other minerals of
every kind. Coral in the form of beads
has been especially in vogue. The de
mand for semi-precious stones has not
been confined to their use in liead form.
Quantities of the peridot have lieen cut
from Kgyptian material, and the yellow
smoky quartz fallen topaz, lrom >pain
ami Brazil, has sold well. The Queens
land opal matrix has also lieen much in
favor, both the variety with rich patches
of opal, either white or hluish, often of
great brilliancy, and the variety that is
dark brown, the entire mass permeated
with very thin, irregular streaks or veins
of highly colored opal, making an irri
descent play of color on a brown field,
like the lumaehelle marble.
If in this age of stone lieads everybody
can wear jewels, there are still a few
1 people who affect to care for no orna
ments other than the most costly. It
may interest them tip know that the
output of diamonds was less in quantity
in l!k>4 than it was in ItHJCS. The year
was markisl by several advances of 5
[s*r cent, in the price of the rough dia
mipinl material, which was inqsprted into
the I'nited States to the value of $•!,
IS7.'>,74:J. It thus appears that diimpiiils
and js-arls to a greater value are now
cut annually in the I’nited States than
were imported, cut or uncut, into the
country for the years istiT to 1S71, in
clusive, or f*»r any one year until 1HM7.
The strikes among the diamond cut
ters of Amsterdam, which were of long
duration anil threatened to Is- sodisas
tron* t«> Vlit- •h.ttiioM'i Vr.t'ii*. ar»- u|*|»u
rnitly ’•rtllnl for * |rri«»| of at lm»t
thrv** *t Umt vmni l« r«mr.
\m gr*ut ♦!•;»iitoitt! i||«infrri»*i« nhr«uiik
\*»*rv I’hrMnirlnl •luring I^M, Irtit tlw
•Irvrlo^iiM’iil *»f the initial* of the rraiH
vmI lm« h**rn r^markaM*, Ihr wn
|*r«*mi«*r n*»»»e hnvinn |iroluriH| «Im*
vno»<U »o * total of 71*» .AYt mrat«. v*lt*r«|
at ft.JtM iMt Inrun* «!*•• |*ron»
t«tng t*» bn<*iitr a «till Kmiti,r tit
l>f'»i»t«>*i«Ht. Nutli-H-Ho tiM of i|iani«*«i*lw
«rW mr*>r«lr«l tit the I
ing the year 11*04.
The most important condition revealed
by Mr. Kunz’s report is that one gem
discovery has followed another in south
ern California, notably in San Diego
county. Among these gems are magnif
icent blue and white topazes, crystals of
rose-colored beryl, axinite, epidote and
colored tourmalines. The new locality
for i>eridot, olivine, or chrysolite, as it is
variously known, atTalklai, tiila county,
Arizona, has yielded great quantities of
this mineral immediately associated
with or inclosed in the volcanic rocks.
Thousands of beautiful gems of from 1
to 5 carats have been cut from this ma
terial and extensively sold throughout
the United States.
Mr. Kunz’s re|s>rt is published as an
extract from “Mineral Resources of the
United States, It may be ob
tained on application to the director of
the United States Geological Survey,
Washington, I). C.
SEA OTTERS
GETTING SCARCE
Valuable Fur-Bearing Animal May
Soon Become Extinct.
Few persons not connected with the
fur trade have any idea of the enormous
destruction of animal life that takes
place each year among fur-bearing ani
mals, or of the extraordinary way in
which the supply of these animals ap
pears to keep up.
There are only a few sjiecies which
seem to he verging on extinction; such
as the sea otter, the beaver (over large
tracts of country), certain sorts of fur
seals and a species of West African
monkey.
Northern Asia and northern North
America still produce vast quantities of
fur. and from appearances will long con
tinue to do so.
1’erhaps the most valuable fur in the
world is that of the sea otter, formerly
so abundant on the shore of the Pacific
ocean in Northern Asia and North Amer
ica, but now in great danger of extermi
nation unless s.Hin effectively protected.
between the years of 177-and 1774
alsmt 10,(100 skins of the sea otter were
taken in the .Mention islands alone, and
the fur was so eagerly sought after that
at the end of the eighteenth century
about tao.uuo skins were taken each
year.
The result of such destruction could
not Is* doubted; the animal liecame
more timid and tla* unrulier killed mam
fell In tl»Hit | i,llU m b >ear aid kept
dwindling tosodi an extent that inl*H7,
when Alaska was sold to the I'nited
GENERAL
MERCHANDISE.
OUTFITTING _
MINERS STORE
(In the Postofflce Building:)
Cigars by the Box a Specialty
States, it was 700. In 1901 it was 406,
while in KW! Messrs. Lumpkin & Co., ol
London, the world’s greatest lurriers,
sold 46:1 skins, but they had none in
January, 1904, and none again in Octo
ber, 1904 The catch in 1904 fell to
about 75.
It is a questian if they can l>e effi
ciently protected, their habits being so
peculiar. They are very timid and have
a great range of scent, and their only
defense, it would seem, is their speed
and their sounding abilities. The churn
of a profiler of a passing steamer will
drive them for miles and they apparent
ly will not frequent the place from which
they have lieen disturlted for some time,
may be for years. This, in a manner,
may account for the growing scarcity, as
they may migrate to less noisy localities.
Such lieing the case it is difficult to
establish their habitat with any degree
of certainty. . . .
It is not unusual for a sea otter skin
to sell for $500, while remarkably good
skins may bring two, three or five times
that amount.—Nome Nugget.
THE WORD “ELDORADO.”
Originated From a Mythical Gold
Lined Temple Sought For
by Spaniards.
A (treat temple lined with gold, that
shone as the sun, hidden away in a great
unknown land, presumed to exist, not
known to, wus-the sought-for prize of
many Spanish ex|>editinns during the
sixteenth century. Conjecture had it
that this wonderful golden temple ex
isted in the Isind of Dahaihn, and this
land included a gisslly part of South
America. No temple of the kind was
ever found, yet ox|>edition after ex|*-di
tion made vain search for the golden
myth, penetrating into the then vast
unknown central South American region
and though not having been rewarded
by gold, yet they made known to the
world the nature of the wilderness vis
ited, and thus the cx|*stitiori* were not
wholly fruitless It was to the search
for this vast treasure that the world is
GHAS. A. TRAEGER,
HATS, CLOTHING AND FURNISHINGS
Notice of Forfeiture.
1 To George A. Corbett and A. B. Austin:
You, and each of you, will take notice that
i the undersigned co-owner with you in the
j placer mining claim known as 22 No. above
discovery on Little Minook Jr. creek, situ
ated in the Rumpart mining and recording
| district. District of Alaska, has expended one
' hundred dollars, in labor and improvements,
' on said plecer mining claim during each of
the years ending December 31, 1902, 1903 and
I 1904, us required by the law^ of the United
! States to hold the same, ana that if within
| ninety days from the date of service of this
notice upon you by publication—that is to
; say ninety days after the 10th day of January,
I 1906—you fail, neglect or refuse to contribute
your proportionate share of such expendi
ture, as co-owner, your interest will be for
feited to the undersigned co-owner.
Date of first publication, Oct. 11, 1905.
Date of last publication, Jan. 10, 1906.
W. M. HAWKINS.
Notice of Forfeiture.
To John Bock:
You will tuke notice thut the undersigned,
co-owner with you in the placer mining claim
known as cluim No. 23 above discovery on
Little Minook Jr. creek, situated in the Ram*
port mining and recording district. District
of Alaska, has expended one hundred dollars,
in labor and improvements, on suid placer
mining claim during each of the yearsend
ing Dec. 31, 1901, 1902,1903und 1904, us required
by the laws of the United States to hold the
same, and that if within ninety dayi from
the (lute of service of this notice upon you
by publication—that is to say ninety days
after the 10th day of January, 1906—you fail,
neglect or refuse to contribute your propor
tionate share of such ex|>enditure, ns co
owner, your interest will be forfeited to the
undersigned co-owner.
Date of first publication, Oct. 11, 1905.
Date of last publication. Jan. 11. 1906.
W. M. HAWKINS.
Jt nr vmi on* ot those people who
Mnt I UU seldom write home?
They will know yon ore oil right if yon
send them the YUKON VALLEY NEWS.
Noil yoors or let os send one weekly.
indebted for the word Eldorado. The
latter-day version of the word i* some*
what different from Unoriginal meaning.
The Sjmniard* applied the word Eldo
rado to the far-off temple wliieh history
told them wan lined with pore gold and
blazoned with emerald*, ami the word
ha* been pa**ed down, today referring
to extraordinary gold Held*, not of di*
triet* where gold i* extraeted from ore*,
hut |iei-uliar only to atiriferou* Held*.—
Exrlmniie.
Major tilamdord. oBrer in charge of
Alaaka cable an*l telegraph line*, ha*
e*tahli*hed a marine exchange through
which the town* connected by cable an<l
telegraph may lie kept poetcd regarding
the w herealx'iit* and movement* of ve*
*el*. It i* believed the Ynhnn river will
•w 11>« ln.I<•*I in Major tila**fnrd’* ex
change.
Indian* *ay a great many rahlut* are
■lying lately. Their •leath i* attributed
to the continnoii* odd weather Kahbtt*
kdl.*l lately have heen very poor
\ #**l many native* -t.irted Momlav
morning h*r the I*rouble** ».ne country to
hunt k>r rarihiMt