oregon mineralogist vol1 [jun-dec 1933]

8/14/2019 Oregon Mineralogist Vol1 [Jun-Dec 1933]

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2 OREGON MINERALOG I S T

Take your Agates toSmith's for expert work-manship in spotting andpolishing. Suitablemountings for aU classesof Agate and Semi


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4 O REG O N MINERALOGISTTHE OREGON AGATE

andMINERAL SOCIETY, PORTLAND. OR.

Offi ce rsH. C. [ )AKE . Pres

23 85 N. '-Y. ThUl'man St .E. LAZTCLL, Vice ~ r , e s ..537 Railway Exchange Bldg'.M. V . GORDON . Secretary alld Treasur e l',501 Co uch 'Bldg.'P. S. YOFNG. Sales NIgl' .501 Couch Bldg .

'Prugra tn Comnl' i t teeL OU JS SCHMITZ, Chairlllan601 Swetla .nrl Bld g. 'Ca nl .van CO lnnl i t tee

L. J. REi'fTON. C hai rman .3 : ~ 6 6 N. E. Hea key.

.Tullio,' Membe rs hip Comm itteeIS A BOTTEN , Chaif 'man

711 Glisan St . 'Educatiollal Comm i t tee

R' l 'H'EL LID\VELLr ' ;N, Chail:man5806 S. E. 77th St. .lJ

Publ ic Meet ings held on Fi rs t and Thi rdFridays, 8 P. M .Port land Chamber of Commerce,5th Ave . and Taylor St.

lJSpeakers for June MeetingsJune 2

F . S. Y oung wi l l sp eak un I r i s A g a t a.nd.T. L . R ento n w ill show 1I'1011On Pic tures onsoil f orm ation. lJJune 16.J . Cleve land Haas will s pe a k on Go ld I ts Oc curren ce, Mining- an d Hec o very in Ol:eg:on.

J. H. NelsonGENERAL LAPIDARY WORK

Facet and cabachon work of allkinds.Special attention given to AgateCutting and Polishing of specimens .We carry a large stock of Preciousand Semi-Precious Stones.

WE CAN SAVE YOU MONEY410 Merchants Trust Bldg.

PORTLAND , OREGON

ESTABL ISHED 1920

Ray F. ParkerManufacturing JewelerDiamond Setter

Fine Platinum Jewelry and ClassPins to order,

Fine Engrav ing and Enamel ingSpeCial care given to Mount ingsfo r Agates and Semi -Pre ci oLisStones

Satisfaction GuaranteedPhone ATwater 1061

248 MORRISON STREETNear 3rdPORTLAND, OREGON

MONTANAASSA Y OFFICEAssayers of Ores and Minerals

Buyers and refiners ofgold, silver andplatinum

Your patronage respectfullysolicited

Phone ATwater 2726

142! Second St.Portland, Oregon


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Oregon MineralogistBULLETIN OF' THE

Oregon Agate and :Mineral SocietyPORTLAND,OREGON

VolUln&X JULY, 1933 Number 2

OREGON "IRIS" (RAINBOW) AGATE AND ITSRECENT DEVELOPMENTBy DR. H. C. DAKEPresident Oregon Agate and Mineral Society

Clear eo lorleH s quartz showing a playof colors has be en known for many ce ntur:es a.nel was popular at one tillIe as (lge m mat.erial. Th e cause of t l lP color inIris qnartz is due to th e presellce of minute fra (;tures (l.n.d can be proelucrd artificia lly by heat ing aud the suddell coo lingof t he material.Iris agate (ch ,tlcedony) ha s doubtlessbee n in ex istence for a g e ~ , but fo r variou;:refl sons this material has remainE'd COlUp


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OREGON MINERALOG I ST 3FINE GOLD SPECIMENS FOUND INOREGON

At the present time there is cOIlsid'erable activity in the mining of gold, bothplac8r and lode, in Oregon, and a numberof fine specimens of same are beingbrought to light.Gold was first discov8red in Orego nabout 1852 and si nc e tha.t t im e th e miningof gold has been an important industry inOregon. Many of the early placers werevery rich and mallY millions in gold havebeen t aken from the placers of Ol-"gon. InEa.s tern O r e ~ o n the most notable and richearly placers were at Grif[in Gulch , Canyon Creek, Mormon Basin , Rye Valleyand Sparta . In Southern Orego n, Jack-son, Josephine and Curry counties werea nd are ye t the main p}oducers.From time to time some very large nuggets have been found in th e go ld place rs .The Armstrong nugget, found in Grantcoun.ty in 1913, had a value of $1408. Numerous other large nuggets hav8 be enfound in Eas tern Oregon, many of whichcan be seen in the col lection of gold nuggets, the property of the Firs t Na tionalBank at Baker, Oregon .In Eastern Oregon in. addition to theextensive small scale operations whichare being carried out at th e pre sent timein the placers , considerable work is beingdone on many of the lode min es , some ofwhich have been idle for many years. Considerable dredging has also bee n done onsome of the large rivers of EasternOregoll.Southwestern Oregon is noted for th emany fine and large speci,mens of wiregold which have been taken from the rkhmines, The Santiam and Bohemia miningregions are producing some ve ry excellent and rich specimens.

The fa.mOlis Gold Hill "pocket" of goldwas probably th e richest mine in Oregonfor the extent of its workings, which -arenot extensive. This "pocket" yield edsome half million dollars in free gold.Gold was probably first mined in South-ern Oregon in the vicinity of the townof Jacksonville in 1852, wh e re some veryrich placers were worked . Mining of goldis still being carried out in this vicinitv ,The largest nugget of gold of record f ~ r . th is region was one valued at $3800, min edin 1865. Another large nugget of unknownvalue was found about the same time byChinamen. Thi s large nugge t was sawedby the Chinamen and only a -portion so ldlocally, but it was doubtless of very largesize.

Recently a number of nuggets have beenrecovered in th e placers , some we ighingseveral OelUce s or more. An unusualshaped nllgge t was [ollnd near Medford ,

Oregon, having the outline alld shape of awoodpecker perched on a tree, and wascalleq the woodpecker nugget. This nugget weigh ed about two ounces and was recovered ill a placer being operated byhand labor.Most of the gold found in Oregon willaverage a))out 18 carat. Many of the uodemine s produce handsome specimens ofwire a nd flake gold disseminated in amatrix of white massive quartz. Unfortu-na.tely much of the good specimen mate-rial is broken liP for it s intrinsic value,which would otherwise have greatervalue for s-pecimen purposes.

MONTANAASSAY OFFICEAssayers of Ores and Minerals

Buyers and refiners ofgold, silver andplatinum

Your patronage respectfullysolicited

Phone ATwater 27261 4 Second St.

Portland, Oregon

Amateurs AttentionYour worries are now over. Foryour convenience we have added acomp lete line of home shop supplies.Tripoli for polishing, Felt Buffs,Sticl,s and Cement. Disks for botbmud and diamond saws. DiamondBortz, etc. Information gladly,MOUNTINGS WITHOUT STONES

SMITH'S AGATE SHOP244Y2 ALDER STREETPortland, Oregon


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Notes from tJl,eSECRETARYWe want to call our members' attention to the fact that it is ou r advertiserswho make this bulletin possible, at no costto the society. Your patronage will begreatly appreciated by them and you willbe aiding the work of your society.The pages of our bulletin are open toevery member . We would like to receivearticles describing any mineral occurrences or localities in Oregon.The Oregon Agate and Mineral Societyhas been requested by "Rocks and Mineral s Association" to appoint a representative to serve on a national committee towork for greater popular interest in th e

study and collecting of minerals by th eyounger generation. We are pleased toannounce that one of our well known memhers, Miss Daisy Larsen, has accepted thi Rnational position.Nearly 100 mineral collections werebrought before the May 19 m eeting fromwhich six prize wiruners were selected. Inthis contest conducted by our junior memobership committee some 1500 collectionsof Oregon minerals were made by th egirls and boys .

THOMAS A. CARNEYFL OR ISTA Member of the SocietyInvi tes Exchang'es7269 S. E. THORBURN

Por t land , OregonT ABO R 4570

J. H. NelsonGENERAL LAPIDARY WORKFacet and cabachon work of allkinds.Special attention given to AgateCutting and Polishing of specimens.We carry a large stock of Preciousand Semi-Precious Stones.

WE CAN SAVE YOU MONEY

41 0 Merchants Trust Bldg.PORTLAND, OREGON

MI' . and Mrs. Dwight Hill , recen tlywe dd ed, have returned to Portland fm man extended honey moon an d o l l e c t i ntrip. The couple visited as far ea s t asCh icago and on the r eturn journey vi f;i(ednnny of the well Imown loca lities in Montal1la , Idaho and Or egon . 'Vi t I! th e he lp ofhi s hride Mr Hill r eturned with many finospecim ens collected il l th e fi el rL

MI'. J . L. Renton and family r ecent lyre turned from a field trip to SouthernOn':gon, visiting the we ll known ap; a teand jasper loca lities of th at region . 'TIl('Orpgon Caves were visited lid good Rh odonite and other specimens were obtaine rl .Numerous requests ar e bein g' l'E'ce i,'edby the society to publish the se ri es or

articl es on Oregon min eralogy, which al 'enow a ppearing in the Portland Oregoni an.in a book fOI'm. In the future th e ~ . o c i e t y hopes to make arrangem ent s to complywith these requests .'IV'e are pl eased to RnnOU llce th a t"Rocks and Mine rals" magaz in e wiIlprobably be iss ued montl1l r star ting withthe Septem be l' number. T ll en ) will be noin creas e in, the subscrip t ion pri ee which isonly one dollar a year. wishing; torece ive this exce ll ent pubLcatioll ean rIo

so by sending direct to "Rocks a nt! Minerals", Peeksk ill, New York. OU1' IOGalsecretary will also receiv e s ub:o;cript ions .Th e Oregon Agate a nd . 1 in e ral SodetyP.OW h n.:; over 100 paid up adult membersa nd n e,ll' ly 2000 ju nio r mem bers, ilIa,dng

IlS th e largest loca l mi neralog ica.1 societyin th e world.Dr. E. W . Oldham and fr iends rec e ntl yreturned from 11 fi eld tr i p into Cell l!'a iregon f:O llect ing a number of fille s p(ll: i-mens.Many le ttel'S of congfatu I! tio ll were re oce iv ed by our soei e ty up on t he a ppearan ceof the fir st number of Olll' llulle t in .

DR. E . G . HOUSEMANOSTEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN AND

SURGEONSuecializing in Gastl 'o In tes t in a l Conrl itions. A Complete Osteop athic :X-Ray alUt Electro Ther a.lIY Olinic .MEMBg n 01 " ' T ' R ~ OHEGON AG TEA)


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I O REG O N MINERALOGISTWJIY OU SnOULD BE A MEMBEROF THE OREGON AGATE ANDMINERAL SOCIETYThe Oregon Agate and Mineral Society,

whose membership is made up of agateand mineral collectors, school teachers,eclucators, mining engineers and otherpublic-spirited citizens, feel that througha n organization of this ldnd a great dealof constructive wOl'k can be done .Our Society is purely an educational organ ization, conducted for th e gene ra l good81ld not for the benefit of any individualor group. As an org a n ization we are interested in the study of the minerals andminera l re sources of our state, for th egeneral good of the state and not for a nyspecial district or locality.We have been to ld by our lead ing edu

C1l tors that every person, child as well asad ult, should have a "hobby" of somekind. What more delightful one ca11 beIlad than that of mineral s tu dy a nd co llec ting, th e oldest hobby Imown to man?The study of minerals is an avocation i11-vo lving not only a stud y of th e scip nces .cu t of art, co lor, the wa ys of Nature, aliais, incidentally, a very us ef ul on e a R well.Hi story tells us mankind did not ad ,

van ce from the Stone Age where he remained for a long- period of time , ullti l helearned to s tudy minerals and lea rned toutilize the metals found bound up withinthem. Thu s the very hi story and progrer,:sof our civilization closely fo llows man 'sa bility to discover and find mean s ofusing: the many metals in theIiVh a. t better a vocation could we in Or e-gon follow - a state richer probabl y thana ny other in fine agates and replete withmany other interes ting and usefu l min er a Is? One of the chief aims of the Orego

Agate a nd Mineral Society is to e n c oev en greater interest in this impol'ta nOregon asset.

You Can ReceiveThe OregonMineralogistRegularlyA I that is necessary is to become amlo'm bel' of th e Oregon Agate andiVl ineral So cie ty_The Mineralogistis free to members. Annual du f'''$1.00 per year. Make member shipremittance to wI. V. Gordon, Secretary, 501 Couch Building, Portla.nd_Oreg on, and be a member of this liveand fast growing society.

Take your A gates toSmith's for expert work.manship in spotting andpolishing. Suitablemountings for all classesof Agate andPrecious Stones.

WE SPECIALIZE INAGATE AND MINERALSPECIMENSFor your benefit a Special Salew ill be held during June , Julyand August, offering rare buysin Agates, Jasper , P etrifiedWood , Geodes , Water Agates,etc. This is a fin e opportunityto secure many of the cho icestspecimens at a price wi thinthe reach of a ll .A COMPLETE LINE or A R R O WH E A D S INCLUDED IN T H ESALE.Expert J ewelry and Watch Repairing.

Smith's Agate ShopPhone ATwater 5779

ALDER ST.Bet. 2nd & 3rd

PORTLAND , OREGON

Louis F. SchmitzMANUFACTURING JEWELERS

DIAMONDSWATCHES

SILVERWAREWe specialize in mounting ofPrecious and semi-prec ious stones

601 SWETLAND BLDG.Portland, Oregon

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OREGON MINERALOG I ' r

THE A.MATEUR SHOPBy OSCAR. SMITHAga.t e Exper t

Th e writer in trying out differentwheels and sanding abrasives find s thatthe carborundum products are the bestsuited fo r lapidary business. In selectingthe grinding wheels the average Tl"rsonwants those that will give the bes t re osuits in the lea.st amou nt of tim e. So fa ras I have been able to determine there isno other manufactu red product whi ch willstand up und er water allid speed anel s tillhave the cutting power that is deri.vedfrom carborundum. The mo st sui tablewheel for roughing out a gates and othersemi-precious stones is a vitrified bondof 120 grains (size of grain that will siftthrough a screen of 10 mesh to th e s quareinch). The grade of wheel shou ld be medium soft, eithe r "L" or "M" . The " J"grade carborundum wheels will las t longerbu t will not cu t out nearly as rapidly asthe softer wheels . I f you wish Lo do nicework your shop should be equipped withanother whee l for smoothing up, a moredelicate cutting operation . Your seco ndcutting wheel should be a No. 220 and thel'.ardness 'L" the same as the 120 wheel.Do al l your heavy grinding on th'J roughwhee l, then finish up on the fioer wheelWhich should be kept true and even a t alltimes. Never use the sides of the wheelsfor grinding purposes , rather use the sidesonly when a flat surface is desired likebacks of sets. Use plenty of runnin g wa ter a nd considerable press ur e call be applied. When you think th e back is thor-oughly smooth release th e pressure andgently pull the set Loward the out llr partof the wheel and the result will be a beautiful surface which will require a minimum of sanding before going to th e polishing process. E ither the 120 or 220wh ee l ca n be used for th is smoothing process bu t use pilen.ty of water. Lack ofwater will ca use the stones to heat andcrack. 1 recornplend the us e of 10-inchwheels for the amateur shop. Smallerwheels may be used i f your arbors a re ofinsufficient s ize to- carry them. Bothwhee ls can be placed on the same grinderhe a d, that is one on each end. In using10- or 12-inch wheels the a rbor s hu:shou ld be ooe ioch in diameter. In theuse of smaller arbors the manrufacturersupp lies bushings for a ll wheels. Thecarborundum people recommend that thesurface speed of al l cutting wheels shouldtravel at an a rp roximate speecl of 5280feet per minute . As a caution , rem emberthat your fingers cut much easier thanstone and great care should be exercisedin t he han.dling of the roughing out process from this angle.

Headquarters for

CARBORUNDUMGRINDING and POLISHING

SUPPLIES

Wheels for RoughingWhe els fo r FinishingGrains fo r CuttingCloth for Finishing

L a r g - Stocks of Co mmonly Used Gritsan d Grades for Agate ,V o rl,

We Can Also FurnishFELT WHEELS

LEATHER BELT1NGBELT PULLEYS

STEEL SHAFTING

Woodbury & CompanySecond and Pine Sts .Portland, Oregon

It Costs Less to Do theJob Right

T,e t us help ' in selecting the properequipment fo r build!ng your home orco m mercia l work shop .USE V BELT DRIVES. PULLEYS ,

BELTING , SHAFTING ANDBEARINGSCal'eful Attention to All In s tallationsR egardless of Size

H. W. SHARP CO.209 OAK ST.P ortland, Oregon AT 9396

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8 OREGON MINE R AL O G I STOUR ANNUAL CARAVAN

F . S. YOUNG, DirectorOn Sunday, July 9, mineral societies illsome 25 states wil l conduct th e ir annualfield trips to the mi.neral localitie.. Oursociety will vis it agate and mineral lo-calities in Central Oregoll, where a variety

of large and exce ll ent specimens of thequartz group can be obtained.Through the generosity of J. L.Rentonand F. S. Young a rrangemen ts have beenmade by th ese t\VO members to take aseries of motion pictures of th e caravanand the localities. The pictures takenwill be exhibited at a meeting of theso ciety.A large number have expressed their intention s of atte nding this caravan andmany will probably leave th e city 011 Saturday, July 8. Some ten or more localities are available fo r collecting in the vicin it y of where the caravan will visit. Detail s of th e trips will be announced at the

our junior membel's. Experts from th esociety will be on hand to assist in obtaini n l ~ : suitable specimen material. I t Is predicted Olll' society will have a larger turn out than any other orga.nization.

l\UNERALOGICAL NOTESWith the present activity in prec iOUSmetal mining in Oregon. at the pre senttime, a great deal of attention is be in g

given to the black sand deposits of Orsgon. Due to numerous requests tile starrof writers of the Oregon Agate and Miller-al Society will write a series of article son the mineralogy of the black sauds ofOregon, which will be pl.lblisl1ed in thePortland Oregonia.n, and late!' will appea rin the Oregon Mineralogist.A deposit of Epsomite r ecently brough tto light in Oregon is being invest igale(]

by the Oregon Mineral Society.

s'ociety meeting July 7, or in formation Harold Printz and F. ,\V. Church , en-ca.n be obtained from F . S. Young or from thusiastic members living at Roseburg,Oscar Smith, 244lh Alder street. recently ca lled UPOll loca.l members an dThis caravan is open to the public and displayed a la rge amount of material col-will be well attended by adults as well as .. lected in Southern Oregon.

OREGON IRIS AGATE(Not Iris QuartZ')

QUEEN OF THE RAINBOWRARE AND BEAUTIFUL

THE ONLY KNOWN SINGLE GE M STO NETHAT EMITS SEVEN IRIDESCENT COLORSThis beautiCul specimen has just recently been brought to light and you callpossess one for your collec ti on at a very reasonable price.Specimens were sent to the Smithsonian and American Museum of KaLllra lHistory . Neither museum possessed an Iris Agate and both were profounc1 ii'their praise for this new addition to their collections.

Beau.tiful sets cut and polished ready for lllOunting to penda!lts,Watch fobs, etc. Sizes ranging from '12 to 2 square inclles.$1 .00 to $5.00 Each

We recommend the $2.00 specimen for y o u ~ f i rs t order. We knowtha t this wil l mean repeat orders.

THE IRIS AGATE SHOP3207 N. E.11th Ave.

PORT LAND , OREGON


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OREGON MINERALOG IST

THE OREGON AGATEand

MINERAL SOCIETY, PORTLAND, OR.OC!1cers

H. C. DAKE, Pres .,2385 N . W . Thurman St.E. W. LAZELL, Vice Pres. ,537 Railway Exchange Bldg.M. V. GORDON , Secretary and Treasurer,501 Couch Bldg.

F. S. YOUNG, 'Sales Mgr .,501 Couch Bldg .Program CommitteeL O mS SCHMITZ, Chairman,601 Swetland Bldg.Caravan Committee

L. J. RENTON.,!., Chairman,.366 N. E . .tSeakey.Junior Membership Comtnittee

MRS. BLANCHE BELL, Chairman,3720 70th S t. S. E .Educational Committee

ETHEL LElWELLEN, Chairman,5806 S. E. 77th St .National Board Committee

DAISY LARSEN731 N . E. Holladay St.I l

Adver t is ing ra tes for Oregon Mineralogiston application . Address office of Secretary.

ESTABLISHED 1920

Ray F. ParkerManufacturing Jeweler

Diamond SetterFine Platinum Jewelry and Class

Pins to OrderFine Engraving an d EnamelingSpecial care given to Mountingsfor Agates an d Semi PreciousStonesSatisfaction Guaranteed

Phone ATwater 1061248 MORRISON STREETNear 3rdPORTLAND, OREGON

OPAL CHALCEDONY AT ASHWOOD,OREGON

By H. C. Da


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OREGON MINERALOGIST 3THE STAR GARNETBy Victor Kayser

One at the rarer gems found In OregonIs the asterated or Chatoyant garnet. Thisunique gem Is found among the Almandine garnets of Jackson and Wallowacounties, Oregon, and the Snake river atIdaho. About one out of a hundred speclmens will show a. star. Unlike tn e usualwell-formed garnet crystal this variety isvery distorted , the surface being checkedas if sometime after forming the stonewas subjected to great heat which almostcaused melting . However, one should notworry about this as It seems the rougher.more di sto rted crystals usually producethe finer stars. Large fragments of crystals often turn out to be the finest speclmE-Os . Asterism or chatoyancy Is usually1 ~ l d to mycroscopl.c tubes arranged parallel to each other and (in the sapphire)parallel to th e crystaline facet , with theIIp,-ht reflecting art the surface of thesetnbes. When cu t en-caba'chon the e n d ~ ofthe tubes are exposed destroying the r eflection at this point and concentratingthe effect to the point where they ru nparallel to the surface, giving a.n eyeIlI:rht effect or six-pointed star. This Isnot true however in the case of th e garnetwhe re we have thousands of tiny ovalsh ::lperl bubbles, some lying parallel nndothers perpendicular to one another. The.Karnet Is of cubical system and the bubbleR are probably parallel to the crystalineplanes . giving a four-pointed star effect.In order to determine whether or not aAtone w!l1 show a star it Is necessary topolish the surface. We mu st know whereto look as garnets are difficult to polishf'n d much time and labor would be wastedIf w o wElre to go over the entire stone, forunl'kfl the sapphi re, which shows dec idedsilk. tl:1e rough sta r garnet wilJ only showa faint !'!heen if any indication!'! at all,This stann will probably give the amateurmuch to think about should he attempttn ("1 + It. fo r , ranking next to the topaz inhardness. It Is slow to polish and eviclently being a slow conductor of heat orhav\ng- a high rate of expansion, Ilke opal,they fracture easily, therefore, the greatest of care must be taken in cutting, sanding and polishing . In fact , they are sotroublesome and hard to handle that theytry the patience of many professional cutters, although when finished are worththe trouble . Garnet is the birthstone forJ a nuary and should anyone of th is monthdesire a stone different from th e facltedVariety or the common carbuncle theywill find the star rare and beautifule n o u ~ h to stand severe wear In rings andits size sufficient to make a desirableshowing. Garnet derives it s name from

the Latin word "granatus" or seed-like, asthus they appear when embedded in theirmatrix . They come in six varieties . Thealanandlne, of which we speak, being ofclaret color, is an iron aluminum sllieate.Another variety, pyrope, Is found In Oregon, which when facet cut makes a splen.did rubylIke gem.WHY IS GOLD USED FOR MONEY?

By S. C. GoldbergThe ueeds of primitive man were few;local barter In tools, weapons, cattle, seashells and so forth, satisfied modest reo

Quirements .Occasionally, shiny bits of metal withastounding and truly uncanny propertieswere found . This metal was far heavierthan any other substance, It had a fatty.dlrt.reslsting surface, I t could be easilyhammered cold into bracelets, rings, thinsheets or wire without breaking. I t couldbe melted and cast, yet would retain Itsshape in fire which was destructive tocopper and other metals; It acquired abeautiful polish; above all, It would reotaln Its bright, rich, yellow colo r underal l conditions, be It hot or cold. no acidcould corrode nor moisture tarnish .To a deeply superstitious people suchsuperior and noble qualities were aweinspiring; they could only be associatedwith Deity, making gold a worthy objectas a temple offering, or a fit gift to thechief or ruler . Display of noble orn aments stamped the possessor at oneglance as a superior person. Gold becameth e symbol of wealth and power.As trade expanded , a universal mediumof exchange appeared desirable . Metalswere coined Into money . Arabians andSyrians used hard money 5000 years ago .probably silver and copper, as gold wass till too rare to enjoy favor as a universalmedium of exchange. The use of goldcoins has been traced back to the timesof archaic Greece, 700 to 400 B. C. Goldcoins were originally issued by cities andrulers, they were more or less crude indesign and variable in composition andcould only be sold by weight and assay .Thus the trade of goldsmiths and moneychangers developed .Traders and travelers who possessedlarge quantities of gold and feared losswould entrust their supply into safekeeping in th e strong boxes of the moneychangers, and receive a recepit for thegold. The receipt of a reputable keeperwould be readily accepted In trade.Goldsmiths and money changers de veloped Into bankers and government advisers. Governments, by law , decreedI


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OREGON MINERALOG I S T

cbecks, drafts, gaM bonds, etc. But thesystem of pyramiding written promises ona small supply of gold continued, until agovernment having four billion in goldissued bonds to the amount of 20 billion,al l supposed to be redeemable in gold.In addition bankers and private individuals obligated themselves to repay in goldsome 150 billions of deposits and cantracts . Yet th e total available gold in th ewhole world amounts to only about 11billion dollars.Tracing the history of gold from earliest to the present times, the one conclusian is brought home forcibly: th e SUll.er stition of the primeval savage' may takedifferent forms in the more civilizedcountries, but t1le old voodoo spirit is stillWit.h us. The modern Oedipus who willconquer the superstition, will also solvethe riddle of the mod ern sphinx: "W hyis gold 'used for money?"

Some excellent finds of agates have reocently been reported to the so ciety ascoming from the beaches along the Columbia river, east of Th e Dalles, Oregon.J. L. Renton an d F . S. Young, our official photographers, will exhibit the motion pictures taken on our recent annualcaravan, at a meeting of the society inSeptember.

OREGON SUNSTONERecently a new variety of semipreciousgem stone has been found in Lake county, Oregon. This gem material belongs totbe feldspar group of minerals and is an

aventurine oligoclase, more commonlyknown as sunstone.The sunstone of Lake county occurs assmall, partially waterworn pebbles an dfragments , lying loose on the surface andalong dry stream beds . The materialvaries in color'from a light tan to a brightred and yellowishred. The hardness isatout that of opal.Both facet and cabochon stones bavebeen cut from this material w.ith good reosuits, the brilliant fa cet cuts being especially attractive. Many of th e red stonesshow brilliant, firelike reflections of redwhich is probably due to microscopic inclusions of the iron oxide, hematite, within the material. Most of th e ge m rnaterial which has been found at the locality has been collected by individuals notfamiliar with same, hen ce the specimensseen were probably taken at random. Afurther search of the locality would doubtless bring to light some excellent gemQuality specimens.The material was first tentativelyclassed as enstatite, but subsequent testsindicated same to be a feldspar.

OREGON IRIS AGATE(Not Iris Quartz)

QUEEN OF THE RAINBOWRARE AND BEAUTIFULTHE ONLY KNOWN SINGLE GEM STONETHAT EMITS SEVEl'l IRIDESCENT COLORS

This beautiful specimen has ju st recently been brought to light and you can. possess one for your collection at a very rea sonable price.Specimens were sent to th e Smithsonian an d American Muse um of Natura lHistory. Neither museum possessed an Iris Agate and both wer e profound inth eir praiBe for this new addition -to their collections.Beaut i fu l sets cut and polished ready fo r mounting to pen(.ants,Wa.tch fobs, etc. Sizes ranging from '12 to 2 sqna.re inches.

$1.00 to $5.00 EachWe recommend the $2.00 speCimen for your f i r s t order. We knowtha.t this will mea.n repeat orders.

THE IRIS AGATE SHOP3207 N. E.11th Ave.

PORTLAND, OREGON


17/52

OREGON MINERALOGIST 5IRIDESCENT OREGON OBSIDIAN

Obsidian being of a variable composition is generally not classed as a mineral ,but looked upon as a rock, a natural glassof volcanic origin. W11en a molten massof acidic lava , is pOured out at or nearth e surface, where rapid cooling can takeplace, th e individual minerals present donot have the opportunity to segregate intolarge crystaLs, as is th e case with a s lowlycooling magma . Obsidian is similar toordinary manufactured glass in Its hardness. appearance and fracture.

While large quantities of fine obsidianare available in many places in Oregon ,a new type of obsid ian was recently sentinto the society for examination. Thematerial under inve's tigation is black incolor but exhibits a distinct iridesence un-like that seen in any other obsidian . Theiridescen.t play of colors is confined tolayers in the massive material.

At the locality where this materia.1 isfound a large number of ordinary lavarock volcanic bombs are also present , inaddition to large quantities of ord inaryobsidian . both in black and mixed red andblack colors. Some two hundred poundsof material was sent in to the society forexamination . All specimens of obsidianshowing irldesence we 're unmistakably" volcanic bombs" or fragments of same.

The theory is advanced that moltenobsidian was thrown from th e crater withexplosive violence, and in its passagethrough th e air th e material became partly coo led , thus forming incipient microscopic crystals of quartz as well as otherminerals. Upon striking the earth ' thecrystals being yet in a somewhat p.Jasticstate, were either fractures, bent or di storted in such a manner as to act as aprism upon white light thus producing aniridescen t effect.While there are literally hundreds of 10calf ties in Oregon where obsidian isfound , the iridescent variety has beennoted in only one restricted area in Lakecounty. I t is available in large sizes butnot at all plentiful, being present only inthe material which was cast out as a"bomb ."When cut into cabochons, beads andpendants the iridescent colors show a re markable play of colors. Doubtless thematerial wlll find use as a semi-preciousgem stone and for cabinet 8llecimens.

Robert White and his sister, Bernice,junior members, are spending part oftheir vacation adding agates to their col-lection.

In many parts of western Oregon rolledpebbles of a fibrous mineral are oftenfound associated with agates in th egravels. Most of these pebbles are of anopaque white color and are si l icate minerals, thompsonite or natrolite . Somespecimens seen are seven inches In size.

Pbotographs taken on the annual caravan are available from th e secretary atten cents: each.

COLLECTORSI will exchange rare specimens ofOregon Agates, Jasper and GeneralBeach Agates for Uncut Opal Turquoise and other cabachon cuttingmaterial.

D ~ V I G H T HILL316 Board of Trade Bldg .Portland, Oregon

COLLECTORSWHEN in Madras, Oregon, call

on L. H. Irving, and see thelarge collection of minerals foundin that territory. NIr. Irv'ng willgladly give direct ions fo r visitingth e localities in his region .

COLLECTORSI hav" many specimens of the finerqualltlf of Oregon Agate and Jasper 10 rexcha"ge . Co.rre"pondence Invited.

J" LEWIS RENTON3366 N. E. BEAKEYPORTLAND, OR.

THOMAS A. CARNEYFLORIS' l 'A Member of the SocietyInvites Eltcha.nges7269 S. E. THORBURNPortla.nd, Oregon

'l'ABOR415'10


18/52

OREGON MINERALOG I S T

NOTES OF THE SECRETARYDO YOU KNOW: That when thePresident had the lead of the caravan ofsome fifteen cars thrust upon him at theClarno crossroads, his ears "burned" for

the following ten miles. Mr . L. Schmitz,a guest in the car, suggested that i f theroad ended in someone's farm yard thatDr. !)ake leave the car and run.On the recent annual caravan two verylarge, fine quartz geodes were found atAntelope and a few large masses of fineopallzed wood were collected at OpalButte, near Ashwood.A number of good specimens of enhydros (water agates) have recently beenfound by visitors to the Newport, Oregon,beaches. Some of these were shown at arecent meeting of the society.Mr. and Mrs . Thos. Carney spent thegreater part of July all an extended collecting trip by auto into Utah , Nevadaand Oregon.Some new mineral localities in southern Harney county, Oregon, have recentlybeen reported to th e society and a ca ravan will be conducted to that r egion inAugust. This tour will probably ret\uire aweek, but little or no collecting h a ~ everbeen done in this isolated region anddoubtless some good specimens will beavailable.iVe want to thank our genial and efficient secretary, Mrs. Mabelle Gordon, forthe detailed and interesting report of ourrecent annual field caravan.On a recent field trip to the Madrasregion, members of the society collecterla number of amethyst crystals, whichhave previously no t been reported fromthat locality.Many favorable comments have beenreceived on the talk given rece ntly by Mr.J. Cleveland Hass on "Gold Mining inOregon."Of the several specimens of pegmatitematerial recently sent in to the SOcietyfrom Oregon and Washington for beryl

lium determination, none was found inany of the material. Tourmaline, feldsp.ar and quartz were the chief constituents found .

Marshall Hill, first prize winner in ourjunior collection contest, is spending th egreater part of his summer vacation collecting in the vicinity of Scappoose, Oregon, where he has made a number of interesting finds .

L.ouis F. SchmitzMANUFACTURING JEWELERSDIAMONDS

WATCHESSILVERWARE

We specialize in mounting ofPrecious and semi-precious stones601 SWETLAND BLDG.

Portland, Oregon

Jr. H. NelsonGENERAL LAPIDARY WORKF ~ t c e t and cabachon work of allkinds.Special attention given to AgateCutting and Polishing of specimens.We carry a large stock of Preciousand Semi-Precious Stones.

WE CAN SAVE YOU MONEY410 Merchants Trust Bldg.

PORTLAND, OREGON

Quality AgatesQuality Workmanship

For Complete Satisfaction SendYour Work to UsNo Job Too Large or Too SmallWe Guarantee All of Our Work

RUDDIMANJS AGATESHOP112-114 Beach St .

NEWPORT, OREGON


19/52

OREGON MINERALOGIST 1TH E AMATEUR SHOP

By Oscar Smith, Agate ExpertThe wel1-equipped amateur lapidary

should cut stones with a diamond-chargedsaw for best results. A three-quarter incharbor running at an approximate speedof 350 to 400 R. P. M. will be suitable forthis operation. Secure an ordinary softiron disc ten or twelve inches in diameter.The material for the saw blade should besoft iron such as is used in automobilefenders or stove pipes. Armco iron isvery suitable for saw blades . The material should be of 20 to 22 gauge. Thesize of the saw blade required will dependupon the size of stones one desires to cut.The next o p ~ r a t i o n after installing th esaw on th e mandrel will be the truing upof the surface. This operation is best accomplished with the use of small fragments of sharp-edged agates . Make asmall portable brace which can be placedin front of the saw as a rest. Next take asmall piece of three-quarter in ch fi r wood,approximately two feet long, and twoinches wide. Vi7JJ.ile the saw is rotatingpress against the wheel and cut a groovein the wood which will ac t as a guide andrest to r the pieces of agate which are usedin the truing up operation, which is donein the same manner as a machines t toolssteel. I t is extremely Important that thewheel be made absolutely true as an untrue wheel will be bumpy and fail to function properly. After the truing-up processthe next operation is nicking the rim ofthe wheel. Use an ordinary pocket knifefl.nd nick the entire rim of the wheel approximately 1/16 of an inch deep at intervals of from 1/ 16 to 1/8 of an inchapart. Diamond grains mixed with vase-line are next inserted into the nicks withthe thumb and forefingers. Be sure andworl{ the paste well into the nicks . Nextuse a small peen hammer and gently closethe metal down on the diamond paste.For best results the wheel should berolled With a case-hardened steeled rollerafter the grooves are closed with the peenhammer. To facilitate matters the amateur would eliminate much trouble by buying his diamond dust already mixed andth e roUer from any reliable dealer. AdIamond saw must run in oil, therefore, itwill be necessary to ..properly shield the .saw With galvanized iron and make . areservoir to contain oil. Several methodscan be employed for c!amplng th e ! ! ~ o ! 'on the carriage in order to hold i t again :;_th e wheel during the cutting Themost efficient method will be disc uss edin a subsequent issue of the Oregon Min-

Thanks, Mr. I r v i n ~ Our meeting of July 7th was made mostInteresting by the splendid talk given byMr . L. H. Irving or Madras, Oregon . Mr.Irving modestly claims to know very littleof mineralogy, bu t in his talk he gave a

very illuminating description of the specimens found in his locality, leaving nothing the imagination. The Society appreciates the long journey Mr. Irvingmade to appear before us.

I(

You Can ReceiveThe Oregon MineralogistRegularlyAll that is necessary is to become amember of the Oregon Agate andMineral SOciety. The MineralogistIS free to members. Annual due f$1.00 pe r year. Make membershipremittance to M. V. Gordon, Secretary, 501 Couch Building, PortlandOregon , and be a member ot this liveand fast growing society.

It Costs Less to Do theJob RightL et us h elp YOU in selecting the propercCilllpme nt for building your home orcomm ercial work shop.USE V BELT DRIVES. PULLEYSBELTING, SHAFTING AND 'BEARINGSCare fu l Attention to All InstallationsRegardless of Size

H. W. SHARP CO.20 9 OAl[ ST.Portland , Oregon AT 9396

CARBORUNDUMGrinding and Polish ing

SupplieaWHEELS , GRAINS, CLOTH

FORAGATE FINISHINGW oodhury & Company

S


20/52


"YOU GET BOT:H QUALITYAND PRICE Wl-IEN YOUBUY FROM SMJTH"

Rare Oregon Water Agates $2.00 each and up. We make a specialty ofcutting these delicate stones.Beautiful Polished Specimens of Jasper, Agates, Petrified Wood andother specimens l5c each and up, or we will spot or face yours at lOcand up .Hlmdreds of Fine Arrow Heads from Oregon and Washington lOc to$1.50 each.Specimen Sawing l5c and up per slab .Cut and Polished Sets ready for mounting 50c up . This includes a com-plete line of Agate Jewelry such as B r o o l ~ h e s Charms, Tie Pins, Pend-ants, Lavallieres, Ring Sets, Cuff Buttons, etc.Complete Line of Geodes ranging in size from 1 inch to 1 foot in diam-eter. Chalcedony Agate lined with Crys.tal Quarts, some with CalciteNodules. Prices 50c to $5.00 each.Rare Specimens of Medfordite, Oregonite, Rhodonite, Oolite, OpaUzedWood and Rose Chalcedony Nodules .SPECIAL ATTENTION GIVEN TO HEL1PING JUNIOR COLLECTORS

Complete Jewelry Repair ShopSend us your Watch or OldJewelry for Expert

WorkmanshipSpecimens sent on approvalto responSible parties. Write

for complete information.

Anrlateurs AttentionYour worries are now over. Foryour convenience we hav e added acom]plete line of home shop supplies.Tripoli for polishing, Felt Buffs,Stic]{S and Cement. Disks for bothmud and diamond saws. DiamondBortz, etc. Information gladly.

MOUNTINGS W I T H O U T STONES

SMIThl'.SAG}\TESHOP.- -

228 ALDERPORTLAND, OREGON


21/52

egon MineralogistBULLETI:-.J OF TH E

Oregon Agate and Mineral SocietyPORTLAND, OREGONV olume I SEPTEMBE R , 1933 Numbe r 4

Uncommon and Rare Minerals In OregonBy H . C. DAKE .

A n umber o f uncommon an d rare mi ne r:"Is arc foun d en O regon. Som e o f th ese occurren ces have been described prev iously,while with othe rs lit tle (J" no thing is avai lable in m inera lo gical li terature . In a se rie sof a rticl es sta rt ing with th is issue of t heOr ego n Minera logis t , and appearing unde rth e above heading, " description will be giv'CD of th ese occurre nces.

Th e Orego n i\ gate a nd M iner a l Societyhas undertaken t he stud y o f o f occ ur rencesof unu sua l minerals in O reg o n , as we ll asthe in ves tigat ion o f rep o rt ed [>ec u rrence,p rev io usly unknown. A n occu rr ence o f thevcry rare InineGd , livingstonite, w a ~ recentlyhr o ught to ligh t through th e w o rk o f theSoc iety. A prelim ina ry ment io n is made oftbis min er a l, in th is ISsue , bu t a )llure dc,tailed repurt wi ll be forth co ming I a t ~

T he Society is alSt) making a study o f theminera ls found in the Co lumbia river lavas,w hich co ve r th e greater part o f cen t ra l an deali tern Orego n. So me un u sua l silica te an dzeolite minerals occur in th ese lavas an d it

very likely tha t a f,_nh e r de taile d studyor th is materia l will shed furth er li g ht on th ege nes is o f th e zeo lite min er: .! s as well asth e Co lltmhi ;) river lav ,)s .

A la rge nu mb e r of the m emb er, u[ theOr ego n t\,tptc an d Minera l Suei ety ha vet il ke n an ac tive pa rt in the field work con 'du cte d by th e society, with t h e res ult tha ta nu mber of minera ls new to Oregon havebee n br ou g ht to ligh t as we ll as a large num'he r of loca li ti e, prev iuus ly un kn ow n . An yrep orts on mi nera ls ne w to Oregon, un usualr. nd s a nd new lo ca lities will he reported fromtim e to time.

Laur iteLa Ut' itc, a member o f th e platinum group

o f min e ra ls, is on e o f the vcry rare mineral"sometim es fo un d in the black sand s o f so uth western Oregon. Only on e other localityin the world is listed for this min e ral , a 10'eal ity in Bo rneo.

Laut'ite is a sul phid e of ruthen ium an dusmium, occurs in min u te octa hedrons an dgrains , is dlark iro n black in co lo r, with ametallic lustre . The ha" dn ess .s 7 .) and th e

v i t y ne a rl y 7. Thi s minera l has bee nto und sparill g ly in so me 01 the b lack sa ndconce ntrat es co ming fro m Curry county , espe cia ll y a lo n g th t Sixes rive r, P o rt Orfordand Cape Blanco.

The mate,' ial is rather diffi cult to d eter 'mi ne as th e ery , tab greatly resemble magne-ti te in co lo r a nd crysta ll ization.Josephinite

Jusc phinitc , o n t o f the native clem entmineral s, and namcd af ter Josephine coun ty ,Oregon: is ofte n e ncountered in the goldplace r o pera tions of so uthwe ster n Orego n.T his material occurs as water worn peb hle s,usua ll y with a n outer dark brown o xidizedsurface , mak in g th e m;nera l a ppea r as ano rdinary rock pebb le. T he pebhles va ry insize fr om sma ll gra.ins up to about tw o in che sin diam eter, th e la rges sizes hein g un co mmon.T h e nickel conten t ave rages about 68 pe rcen t and i ,'o n 19 pe r cent , both pr ese n t int he meta ll ic sta te , an d a, a natura l a lloy.

O ccu rr en ces of nickcl ife r o us iron a rcu nusual. J sep hinitc is found at no ot herl"ca lit ), in th e wo rld other than Oregon, bu tit is s imi lar ill co mpos ition to th e awarui tco f New Z ea lan d and th e so uc sitc fou nd inBritish C( lumhia .

Josephinite is found mainly in a sma ll arcaun Josep hi ne cre ek in Josephin e county, O rc-r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ :, OREGON AGATE AND MINERAL SOCIETY PUBLIC MEETINGS Ist aud l ' i f l 'o.'t l n nd ( 'h :l1uh('I' f,t (OIlHH("rt 'C: \ \' . 5t h l\ " ' (" , 'l' a y lo r "-t.. S:OO P. U. I, Kf"I'KVIH 1,;n I S E:PTE:lIIU ;H 1 "t ./'. L. T O X ~ H E , \ L : \Nl. l AR TIF" lCJA J THOMAS C \ R:\,J';Y ,I CO LODED . \GAT!, ; :'; ~ ( ' .\11 .\ \ . \ , \ , , t : ~ ' I ' : ~ \ T B ) ) L } ; C T e n l OJ'" O < > . l ' : l ! T E.\ CT I \ ' J "JBS, I : IU ( ' I; , \ ] \ ; j ) G R \ ] \ ; ] ) C.\ XYO.\lS.... . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


22/52

2 ORE GON MINERALOGISTTHE OREGON AGATE

an dM.INURAL SOCIETY, PORTLAND , O R.

OfficersH. C. DAKE, e ~ . 2385 N. 'VV. Thu mlan St.

I;. VI". LAZELL, V ic e PI'(>s .537 Rai lway Exchang e Bldg'.

;\\. Y. GOnDON, SecI'et.ll Y and '1'1e"$ I1I' C' I.50 1 COli C!) Didg- .

F' R. YOU:-.IG. S e ~ MgIf,O l ClJ ll CIl D ldg .

PI'u gTanl Qln ln itL 'cI,( )\ ; IS SC I [:\1 1'1'2. Cha i rl1lan.HU l Swe t land l :Idg .Ca r lLy;, n (:ol)lJnitte(>

.J. " . n r;"TO". Chairn1u 11.3366 N. R Bea l" , .\".Jun io l' ;l;fel11bel's l l ip CO l11mitt ee

MrtS. B I,A.NCH.8 BELL. C hai rman .: 1 7 ~ O 70th SI. S. rD .

{ ~ d \ H a . L i l > n a C0 111111ittcQ1;TlTP.L LJ;vVl':I,Ll.;:-.I , Chai I'mit n.5801; ::;. K 7 i th St .

Nat iuna l D08.yd Co mmi t t c( 'DAIS LAI'lSEN.7n N. g HollacitLY St .. ' l .d\ 'cr l id in g ratC', tOl' Oregon ; ' [ j l l ~ l ' a J o g i .un appl icat ion. AddrC'.'s or(ice of Secl"e t ,u')'.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ESTABLISHED 1920 1

Ray F..Parker IManufacturing J ewelcl'

Diamond SetterPine Pbt1l1um J ewell')' and C la.s Pin s

to Order.FiJI' 1:; 1l;;: I": n ' iu g '


23/52


24/52


25/52

OREGON MIN ER ' LOGIST 5---LARGE MOSS JASPER FOUND

What is probably one of the largest ifnot the largest, masses of jasper ever foundin Oregon. was recently found in a plowedGeld n e ~ r Antelope. The mass was encountered by a farmer while plowing and a teamof heavy horses was necessary to drag thespecim en from the field.\Vhen first found th e mass measured ap proximate ly five, by four, by three feet, witha weight of about three tuns . The predom inating color was red, bu t areas of palegreen, yellow and brown were also 'noted .On e portion of the mass tend ed more toward chalcedony, b"ing quite translucent,with green. brow:! and yellow "moss"th roughou t .From time to time specime"s as well ascutting material would be broken from theoriginal mass , by th e liberal use of a sledgeham mer, until the mass is now reduced toabou t half. Most of th e material broke nnway is.free uf flaws, of good co lo r and manyexce lle nt cabi ne t specimens well as cu tstones have been obta ined from this find .So far as we can lea rn this occurence is th elargest mass of jasper (occuring loosc) yetfound in Oregon .In the saine field and near the jasper, alarge spc Imen of colorle 's chalceduny wasalso obta;ncd . The chalcedony specimenwas nearly three feet in diamenter, with nweight of s:vcral hundred pounds, translu cent , frec o f fractures and with a snwoth

- - - -rounded ou te r surface . T o date no colleccorhas shown a wdlingness to undertake theremoval of either oi the specImens.

FINE AMETHYST FOUNDOn a recent field trip to the Malh'as re

gion, E . H . Rockwell an d wife co llectedwhat is believed to be the finest amethystyet found in Oregon. The total we ight o fth e specimen is S0111e forty pounds and isin th e form of g.eodc, with the amethystcrystals linin g th e geode and resting upona thick layer of co lurless chalcedony.The crystals range in size from quitesmall up to about one half inch and areof good quality and of a r.led iu nl color.While ameth)'st is found in s ~ v e r o l l parts ofOregon, It is usually of pale co lo r .The spec imen of Mr. R oc kwell was obtained in a shallow pit where a number ofother collectors had obtained ordinary quartzcrystal geodes . V ery littl e co llectIng hasbeen done at this loca lity and it is very like lyfurther work here will di sc lose additIOnalamethyst, both in specimen and gem quahty.

A new locality, )'ielding la rge masses orcommon opal and ;:,gate, has been reported tothe Society. The locality can be reachedon ly on foot or horse back and is some l5miles from Welches on the Salmon ButeeTrail, Mt. H ood Forest Reserve, Clackamascou nt)' Oregon . No collecting has be endone at th e locality .

r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 , ,I SPECIMENS FOR COLLECTORS !I NOTHING BUT THE BEST I, ,, Geodes, Crystal Lined, 3-in. to h n . ,I Geodes, So lid , 3-in . to 5 -in. I, Geodes (Sunflower Flats), 2-in. to 4-in. II N odules, Agate Lin ed, 2-in. to H n. ,I:Agatized Wood, an y size .Opalized Wood, an y size.Moss Agate (Red, Green, Yellow). an y size.'I Jasper. Banded or Mixed Colors. IPolka-dot an d Banded Quartz (Near Agate) Surprisingly Different . :, ---- - ,! A" pf", . poll.,,,, P" Po . ,,, ' III Th ese Specimens reco mmended for Co llectors wh o nre particubr . 1\

Will exchange for materials that wil l cu t and po lish ., ,'I I. Lewis Rentoni 3366 N. E. BEAKEY STREET PORTLAND, OREGON !L .- __.__ .~ O f f i c e r in. ~ h ~ ~ r ~ ~ o ~ g a t e an d Mineral Society) n __l


26/52

6._ _ __ OREGON MINERALOGIST~ ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -OPALIZED FOSSIL BONE IN OREGON

A rece nt and unusual find made in o ne ofth e foss il beds of Central Orego n, is that ofa fossi l bone, o palized . Th e specimen isabout eight inches across and represen ts acomplete section o f a leg join t. A th i n o utercrus t o f th e specim en consists of silicifiedbone, bu t th e entire inner portion has beencomp le te ly opa lized with, tran slucent , reddish brown , com 01 on opal. A few s ma llareas show "fire" op a l.The specimen ha s no t ye t been classified .The bone has bee n cut in half an d polishedand can be seen at th e estab lishment of.1 . H. Nelso n, M erc hants Trust Bld g. Theexact loca lit y where found ha s no t been di s-closed, bu r i t is very likely add itio nal nla terial will be fo rthcoming . Common s ilicifI ed fossil bone is rea d ily o btained in th efossil beds of Oregon, b u t opa liza tio n o fbo ne is of uncommon occur ence.Practical ly all th e agate and chalcedonyfo un d in easte rn Orego n has bee n de pos itedin th e we ll known Columbia Rive r Lavas,wh ich cove r th e greater p..rt of ea stern Ore-gon, Washingto n, pa r t o f Id aho, N evadaan d extend int o British Columbia, fo rmingo ne of th e greates t fl ows o f lava known,covering some 200,000 square m il es. Theselavas are geologica lly speaking of Mi oceneAge, which wou ld place the m as being fromte n million to th irty millio n years o ld . Theagates and o ther silica m inerals have bee n dep os ited in cavi t ies an d sea msw ithin th ese la vas

O UR NEXT CARAVAN TRIP .Th e: next caravan trip of th e Oregon Ag-

ate an d Mi ne ral Socie ty will be h eld Septem 'be r 4th covering the region o f Vernonia ,for th e purpose of securi ng marine fo ssilsan d oth er min era l specimens. The ca ravanwi ll ass emble at Smit h 's A gate Shop at 9 'A.M . Th ose making th is trip shou ld be eq\lip-ped w ith a heavy ha mme r a nd chise l. A sa co ur t esy to [he members of th e society whoare lacking tr anspo rt a tion th e carava n com mittee will " p p rec iate hav ing th ose w ho ca nfurnish t ranspor t" tion for additi o nal passenge rs give [h is in forma tion to J. L R en tono r Smith's Agate Sho p . The fossils foundin the Vernonia region are of a ve ry h i):hquality an d are spl endid material. no t o nlyfor your ow n collection , but for tradingpurposes. Be sure and register at Smi th 'sAgate Sh o p , 228 A ld er Street .

SOCIETY NOTESpecial a u ~ n t i is ca \led to th e lectur eso f J. Lew is Renton an d Thomas Carneyschedu l ed for Se pt ember meetings. Bo th o f

th ese tal ks will be accompanie d with mo tio npictures . Bo th p e a k e r ~ are wo rkin g dil i-gent ly [ 0 make th e Se pt ember pr og rams theoutstanding even ts of th( year. Be sure a ndcome.

r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I

! BELIEVE IT OR, NOT - - - - II: The " Iris" (Rainbow Agate ) is th e only known single Gem Stone that gives Seven II Iridescent Colors. II I: This stone is de mand ing th e attention and admiration of th e leading :! ge m authorities of America. II Iris A gates w hen mO llnted in a g lass frame are th e most beauriful spectacle i01ag- II i : Build a pane for your co llec tion or home. II Single p e c l m cut and po lished ready for mount In g to jewel ry or for your col- I!I s P ~ ; y s : I : ~ : s f ~ ~ e t ; e ; :r$ ~ ' ~ ~ n O g ~ a : : c ~ m e $ I 5.00 II

to $100 .00 .I ISTONES SENT ON APPROVAL TO RE SP ON SIIlLE PARTIE S. I

IIII ORTLAND... *The Iris Agate Shop3207 N. E. 11th AVE .ItIttIIIIII

OREGON II.. .__ _______ . . _ . ~ ...._ . _ ~ a ~ . _ a > _ . _ a _ . __ - ~ " - ' ' ' ' ' ' ' - - - . . I .


27/52

__________________ N M I N E R A L T _________________ _ ~ 7 THE AMATEUR SHOPDy 0 3car Smith, Ag1te Expert.

In the August issue o f the O regon Min eralogist we discussed th e pwp ec method sfor c harging the saw with di amo nd . A s-5umiog tha t thi s operation has been understoo d th e nex t important ste ps are th eshielding o f th e saw and th e carr iage whichho lds th e stone in th e cll tti ng positio n . Th espace allowed on th e bench fo r th e sawshould be ap p rox ima tely 30 inches wide and20 il\ches deep. A dia mond saw must oper ate in run ning oil. One part of ordinarycrank case oi l to four parts of ke rosene .Secure a shee t of galvanize d iro n fro m anyti nsm ith and fa shio n a hoo d which comp letely encascs th e to p part of th e saw. An ordinary bread pan wi ll do for th e reservoir .This pan shou ld be abollt 12 in ches by 18inches and 3 in che s in dep th . Th ere is llOset meth od use d in shieldin g th e saw bu t th emain objec t ive is to ke ep th e o il drop p in gback in to th e pan . It would be we ll to firsttill -in th e e ntire saw booth as in spite o f allprecaution som e ('i l ma y sp lash ou t duringthe cutting process . Th e sim plest meth od(or th e s to ne carriage is obtained by fastening permanently a piece of Yl -inc h waterpipe, approx im ate ly 3 (eet over the saw_A 3 foot len gth o f pi pe will be plenty . Th ispipe is placed ho rizon tal and ac ts as a hang e r for th e carriage arm . Secure a piece ofoak woo d 1 inch thi ck, 6 in ches wide and4 fe et long. Cut o ff a piece about 6 inches;lnd bolt to th e end o f the carria ge a rm .Drill a hole th roug h th e do ublepiece, wh ich when th e bolts a re loosenedwi ll permit yo u to clamp th e arm on to th ewa ter pipe. Y ou th en can move th e arm todesired p os ition ar.d re tighten the b o l t ~ . This arm should bang d ow n to the ce nterof th e saw blade at whic h point anot her 6inch s lice of th e oak wood is placed at th ebottom with one bolt through th e center.Thi s bolt should be about 8 inches lo ngand 3/16- inc h th rea d . The sto ne is pla cedo n th e saw side between the clam p a nd lit tl eblocks o f wood p laced on th e far side inor der th at )'OU may clamp dOWll even l)' onthe s tone. With the arrang emen t o f bo ltsth e ar m may be moved fo rward as the cll ttin lo(of any addit iona l slabs are desired . It willbe necessary to h,ave pr essu re on th e ar mwh ich is accomplish ed by placi ng a coi l springat the back end of the bench , a tt aching ashor t piece o f wi re wbich will ho o k o nto th earm. This s ho uld be so arranged th at variou s pressures may be Th e pressur e requ ir ed on the stone will vary in propo rtio n to the siz.e. Ordin ari ly about 10lbs. pressure is sufficient for th e cu t ting ofthe average stone. The auth or o f this co lumn has recen tly had photog raphs take n ofall th e various processes o f agat.e cutting .

The se photographs wi ll soon be available-[or amateurs. Grea t care nl \lst be cxe rci se dill th e makin g o f a saw , as it is esse ntial th at it ab so j'Jtely true. If th esaw is not prop e rl y tr lled your cut s w ill beuneven and considerable di ffi cu lty will beexperienced by havin g tht! saw bl ades buckle .Any inquiries add ressed to this de pa rtmentsho uld be acco mpan ied w ith se lf add resse dstamped en velo pe .

- - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ..It Costs Less - - - Io Do the Job Right!Le t 1I$ h e lp you in "E'l e cLi n g' th e propel' ,e ql1 ip l l l f' nt j ' () l ' bIJi!di l lg YOl l l ' h( ' l lne u i'co nlro' l'ci a i \'voJ' k 1 0 p . USE V-BELT DRIVES, PULLEYS.BELTING. SHAFTING AND

BEARINGS I!a r efu l _\I t ' ' ll l.ion A l l i n " ' 1Ll lllti'.ll].:; ,neg-ardlf ' :4:-) of ~ ! Z 0 ,I. \V. SH ARP CO.::n !) S. W . OAI( S'l '. ,

P orth .u l, Orez.:.'OJl .. 1\ '1 ' . L ______ _______________l

I" CARBORUNDUM IIGrinding and PolishingSupplies'I W H EELS . G ~ ~ N S , CLOTH IA G ATE FI 'I SHI NG ,I WOODBURY & COMPANY I, S cond and Pine Streets 1I Po r tland, OregonI~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ I uality Agates IQuality Workmanship II For Com plete Satisfacti on Sen dYour Work to U s. II No Jo b Too Large or T oo Sm all IIII

We Guarantee All of OU f Work.RUDDIMAN 'IS AGATESHOP

11 2-114 Beach St . 1NEWPORT, OREGON-----------------


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8 ___________________ R E G D N M I N E R A I _____________________f ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.------------------------ . ,I ,I ,I Y . I! " OU GET QUALITY !! AND PRICE W H l ~ YOU III BUY FROM SMIlrH" I: I: Rare Oregon Agates $2 .00 cach and up. \V c make a p e c i a 1 t y or I'I cutting thc se delicate sto nes. "

13e.nutiful Polished Specimens of Jaspe r , Agates. Petrified \V f) (, d ""d ot hcr: speci mens 15c and up , or we will spo t or face YOllrs at IOc and lip . :I Hundreds of Fine An'ow Heads from Or'cgon ilnd W" , hi ngton 1Ue to :I h '[50 eac . III Ipecimrn Sawing I 5c an d up pe r slab.I II Cu t and Polished Sets ready for mounting 51 h; " l ' . Thi s incl udes" ( O ll l - ,I ,I plete line of Agate Jewel ry suc h as Brooch es, Charm s, Tic PillS. Penda nts. :I Lav allieres, Rin g Se ts, Guff Buttons, etc. I, Complete Line of Geodes ra ng ing in size frnl11 1 inch to I foo t in diameter . I,, Cha lcedon y Agil te li r.ed with Cryst;d QUilrt z, so me with Ca lcite Nodules. ,I Prices 50e to $ 5 :00 eaeh. I, Rare Specimens of Medfordite, Oregonitc" Rh odon ite. O olite. Opali lc d ,I ,, W oo d and Ro se Chalcedony Nodules. ,: ICutting Material for Amateurs 25c Ih . and up . II ,I 'IPECIA L ATTENT ION GIVEN TO liELPI NG JUNIOR COLLECTORS.I Ir-- ,, ," Amateurs Attention II, Comp lete Jewel ry Repai r Sh o p ISend U ' )'ou r Watc h or O ld i Your wO ITics are ov er now. FOI- y O III 'I Jewe lry for Expert conve nience we have added a COIll- ,I:W or kman ship _ p lete linc of h ome shop su pplies.Tripoii for polishing, Felt Buffs,)pec im ens se llt 011 approval to S ti cks an d Cement . Disks fOI- bo th I: respon sib le parties . _Write fo r mud and diamond ,a ws. Diamond II comple te i.lformatio n . BOL;:. etc. Inf o m .a tion gladly. ,I M" untings Without Stolles. _ I !I :,I SMITH'S A G P ~ T E SHOP !,: 22 8 S. W. ALDER STREET :, ,! P 0 R T LAN 0, 0 REG 0 N II !..________________ ._._ ...__________________________________ 4


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Oregon Mi eralogistB U LLETIN O r THE

n Agate and Mineral SocietyPORTLAND, OREGON

Volume I OCTOBER . 1933 Number 5"

The Painted H ills of Central OregonBy ETHEL W. LEWELLEN .

Lave ca pp ed, their shoulders clad w ithbrigbt band s o f green, w hite, rcd and - -a veritable coa t o f man y co lor s--- such arcth e sedimentary hills o f the John Day valleyof central Oregon. Called th e " PaintLJHills" they comprise the most impre, , ;vcscenery along the John Da y Highwa y.Hundr eds 01 feet thickness2s of true ,ediment; interspersed with bands of volcanictuff can be see n . Some of the strata archori'lontal, but some o f th e beds are bow edup into anticline s, or highly tilted.

Near th e Kent ranch, two miles north n(Dayville JUllction, is an interesting formation kn own as the Maseall formation, beingnamed after a pio nee r family of that region.In some places these sediments a re a chalk yappearing mate rial an d at other places it isof a li gh t green or a jade gree n hue. Thi ,formation ha s been ca rved an d sculptu redhy erosion until it forms a typical "bad land"topography. It is to a ll appeara nces, acrumbly cla y, bu t one blow o f th e hammerconvinces the ers twhile geologist that hestruck a cross between a limy cement andrubber. So re sili ent is it that the hammerfairly hound s fr o m the impact and his horesof an abundant harvest of fossils speedilyvanishes. This formation contains fo>s;Js.to be sure, but finding them involves mmethan go od intention s and a few hours work011 a ho t afternoon. The writer saw te cthof an ancient rhin oce rous, fossils of car'ly th ree toed ho rse and of th e camel, whichcame from th is loca lit y. From a point 011 theriver, loo king toward the high hills COI11'p osed partly o f the Ma sca ll formation , mayhe se en an interes ting se ries of fanlts . wherea wide green band of strata is trae 'able fo rprobably half a mi le in three stepfau lts an d

wh at is ca lled in a str ik e fault. an. offset withove rlap, an overthrust. Th e 's tructural geol of th is reg io n is as fascinating as th eh ,sto rieal geo logy .

The sedim ents compr ising th e Pai ntedHills were orig inally depositcd in an a n c i e ' ~ t lak e which cove red the greater part of ce n 't,-al Orego n during early Tertiary. Ma n yof the Jo hn Day formatiOn> cOfl-e1ate witbthe Bad Lands o f th e Dakotas , an d ,-escmbkthe se in appearance. The John Da y bed s,h ,)wevn , are not surmounted hy so manyf"nta stic pinnacles, as nearly all the bed ., haveremnants o f lava cappings, while those o fth e Da kotas ar c free of lava and are thu sc,)pahlc o f being eroded to the very to p .

On a recent vi, it to the region th e writerf< )und that the Bridge Creek Eoc ene lea fheds yie ld ed th 'c best and mos t abundantflls, ils. Here the AraIda, or Oreo panax\ \ , \S avai lab le in abundance. The fos sil hedsncar the Clarno oi l well abound il) goodf ) s s i of Dogwood , th e Aridi :;, theOak, a nd many of the communer trees, butthe mos t interesting leaf ever fou nd thereby your sc ribe was a cycad leaf, clearly subtr o pical. In thc Cretaceous (Chico ) bed sIlea l' Mitchell , three hours of prospectingyielded a numb er of large ammonit es. Tri~ o n i a is also found here, but no t in ahundrt ncc.

R ea lizing that our brief stay at the locality wa s entirely inadequate for a sucee.,sflllfo ss il hunt , we decided to visit the Weather for d R anc h , and see a collection which is famous an d well kno w n to al! gc olop: ist ; visiting the John Da y . The Weatherford co llection is th e res lilt o f a numher of ) ' ~ awork , and is rep lete with many rare find s.Perhaps the rarest specimen in th is co lleer - .. ~ ; ; ~ ~ ~ - : G A T E AND M I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ; ; ~ - ; ~ ; ~ I - C - ~ ~ ~ ; - - -I J ."" t nn(1 : ~ r ( 1 Frhhl)", Po.rtlnnrl (:JutJuJu'r o f ComlllCrt'CS. ,v. ::ith Avc. :\llfl 'J'n,,'lo r ~ t . , 8:00 P . . I.OC TOBlCH G 11

'I Dr. \;Y . C. Adam, . "UeoloK.v anll Fo"-~ i l s of Centl 'al Oregon, showings l ides and eimens."- ----------

OC'I 'OImll 20thIll'. I-I. C. Da!( l will lectur e and d e monstr a le th e fluore1';c(:'l1ec of l ) l in l? l' -

a.IA under Viole t Ray .


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2 OREGON MINERALOGISTTHE OREGON AGATE

andMINERAL SOCIETY, PORTLAND , OR.

O fficersH. C. DAKE, Pres.2 38 5 N. W . Thurman 8t.

E . , "T. LAZELL, Vice P l ' ~ : : - . 53 7 R ailway Ex change B ldg'.

1\{. V . GOR DON, Secret


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OREGON MI N ERALO GIST

GEOLOGISTS VISIT OREGONBy Dr . W Claude Adams, D. D . S. , M. S.

The visit to Oregon during August ofdistinguished scientists from 17 difT crcntcountries brought to the attention of Ore".011 people the fact that the geology of thisstate holds a llilc' lo r students that JS unsurpassed elsewhere in tbe world, where riveralld ocean, rod,s and minerals come into ac 'tive conflict and also where the formationhas preserved a marvelous record of theflora and fauna of the ages. This pilgrim'ag e was a tribute to the achievement in pio'neeri ng research and the lasting contributionto science of Dr Thomas Condon, circuitrider geologist, wh o brought the region tothe attention of the scielltific world.The write( and two other Portlallu men,Ira A. Williams, consulting geologist, andCity Commissioner Bean, grandson of Dr.Condon, were pr(yileged to accompany theparty of geolo,psts Oi l their trip throughOregon.

The party was composed of members ofa tour sponsored by the Sixteenth Interna'tional Congress of Geologists which recentlycompleted its


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33/52

OREGON MINERALOGISTNOTES FROM THE SECRETARY

Th e Iecturc give n by M r. J . L. Rentonal l th e subject of artificially co lored an d na tura l agates was mo st interesting as well asi,)structive. Mr . R en ton brought ou t th ebct th at in Oreg on we are fo rtunate in haIlin g a mple material for Clltting purp oses,which does not require artific ial coloring.A large d isp lay of material was made to il lustr ate th e le


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6 OREGON MINERALOGIST

Specimen ExchangeDirectory

DR. H. C. DAKEMINERAL COLLECTOR

2:18G N. IV. 'l 'hul'man StreetPort land, Oregon

ELUS W. LAZELLChemical Engineer and Mineralogist

Min era l Collectol'-Spec.:ialty CrystalsC0 1'l'espo nd enc e invited.537 Hnih,'uy Exchange n l d ~ .

POltluud, ON.g;on

DR. EDWIN W. OLDHAM .AMATEUR COLLECTOR

COlTespondence invited.U12 Snndy Blvd.Portland,Oregou

E . H . R O C K W E L LAmateur' Collector.CO rl' esp ond ene e invited.2503 N. E. 41st Ave .Po rtland , Oregon.W. A. B U R T

Amateur' Col lectorCo rrespondence in vi ted.G015 N. E. SkidmoreP o rtland. OrE'gon.A. . . SCHNEIDERAmateUl" Co ll ectorCo rre s pondence invited .

1023 N. 'iV. 18th Ave.Portland. Oregon., \VAL1'ER , \VOLVERTONAmateuT CollectorCorrespondence invited.OrChards, vVashington

A. W . HANCOCKAmateur CollectorCorl'espondence invited .2700 84th S tr ee t, S. E.P o rtland, Oregon.T . . GREEN

Amateur Collectol'Co nesp ond e nce invited .6927 N. Oatman Ave .Portland, Oregon.GUY A. BLOMQ,UISTAmateu l' CollectorCorrespondence invited.2733 N. E. 35th Ave.P ortland, Oregon.

interes ting arti cles pertaining to Orego n gvo logy an d mineralogy, whieh will be of ill 'terest to o ur members. A sample co py canbe had by app lying to the publisher.Th e in teresting Se p tember number of th

bull et in o f th e Mineralog ical Societ>' ofSoutbern California, has heen recentl y re-ceived. We are glad to note the substantialincrease in membe rship made by our neighbor ing or ganization during tbe past year .The Cali fornia organization now h3" 1 79paid up me mbers, wbich is some 40 murt:than that of the Oregon Society.

Our president, Dr . H. C. Dake, recentlyspen t a n\Jmber o f weeks visiting and eolb:tin g at a number of localities in H arney amiLake counties, O regon. Dr . Da kc t a th ere are a la rge number of locil litios in th c,ccou nties which have, never been vi sitcu hycol lecto rs and are practically unkn ow n . H ar -ney and Lake co unties ar e much la r)!e r inarea than many of o ur eastern sta tO $ andbei ng spa rse ly populated vny litll e is knuw nconcnning th eir mineralogy.

The A. V. Goddard Observatury lur astronomy, at 1310 N. E. 49th Ave ., k " tendered an invitation to th e members oj' the'Oregon Mineral Society to visit the obser-vatory an d use the telescopes. Mr. Goddardhas very kindly offered to an swer qu estion sconcerning th e mineralogy of meteors, aerolites an d bolides. The Socie ty wishes tothank Mr. Goddard fo r his generous invita-tio n.

Dr. W. C . A dams, a well know n P O r t l ~ 1 I 1 ' pc rfectedis introd\Jced in th c industries, the demandfor mercury will bc eno rm o usly incrca,cd.

J H . H owa rd, 504 Crescent Ave ., Green 'ville , S. C ., has ;, good stock of ClItting ma'terials fu r thc amatcur lapidary, at a lowprice .-Adv .

-------------_._._--_.------_. .SEMIPRECIOUS STONESFOR CUTTING AND POLISHING

Start With Carefully Selected MaterialWard's Semi, Precious R o ugh Stones included in the follo\'Ji: ' g asso rtl)lcnts arccarefull y selected for quality and corr ectl y labell ed . Stoncs ill pacb g cs A and Bwill cu t hand some cabochons in sizes o f %" to liz" or la rge r. Sto n es in ~ c b gC will cut brilliant faceted stones Y::4" to Va" or lorger.PACKAGE A-Blue Aga te , Amazonstone, Californitc" Rcd African J""per ,Hem atite , Malachite , Ceylon M oonstone, Jasperizcd \Voo d , .Williamsite , TigC( Eye-Lot $1.25 po stpaid.PACKAGE B-Blond stone . Chr yso prase, Orbicular Jasp cr, Lapis Lazuli , Mad ,agascar Mo o nsto ne , Precious Opal in Ironstone , Pyritc, Sun'stone, Tourmaline, Cat's Ey e, Variscitc - Lor $2 .00 postpaid .PACKAGE C-Almandlte , Am ethyst, Cairngorm. Citrinc, Mor ga nite, Yd lowOrthoclase, Pyrite, Ye llow Sca politc , Colorlcss Top az, R osePink Tourm a line- -Lot $2.5 0 po stpaid.Write for our Free 40 ,Pa ge Price List of I nex pensive Minerals , No . 359, an dfor our Fr ee Min era l Bulletin.

I n bu sincss fo r 70 years .WARD'S NATURAL SCIENCE ESTABLISHMENT, Inc.

ROCHESTER , N, y,I~ ~ ~ - . ~ . ~ _ - - _ . - . - . - - _ ____


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__ ________ -- "O_R_E_C_O_ N MINERA_LO-'---'-C _ S-'T=----____SAMPLE COPIES

\V e wish to announc e to th o se who ha vereceiv ed sample co oies of The Orego n Min -eralo gi st, th e pa st few mon th s, that begin -ning with the January is sue we will bel! bliged to drop th e ir names fr o m th e ma il -in g list.

\Ve anticipate increas ing th e number o fpages in futur e issue s and wi th the increasedcosLS o f printi ng and th e increa sing numberof requests fr o m sc hool s, libraries and mu -seums fo r sample copies, we find our files arcbe in g rapidly deplete d of extra copies .

The O rego n Mineralo gist ca n be se cur edby joining th e So ciety at an annual cos t of$l.OO pe r year. This applies to both intUW Il and out of to w n members. Mail du esto M . \1 Gord o n, Sec., 50 l Cou c h B ldg .

T he P a terson Museum would lik e 't o ob -tain Oreg o n min e rals by exchang e. M e mbersof th e So c iety having suitable materia l fo rexchange can send their list of duplicates tot h e cu rator, James F. Morton, Paterson Mu -se um , Paterson, New Jerse y.

- - - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ THOMAS A. CA RNEYFLORIST

M e mber of S o ~ i e t y . 7!!:69 ' l '11orhnrJI S. ] ~ .

l 'or t lnnd,Ore-g"on

Specimen ExchangeDirectory

ELLIS W. LAZELLChemical Engineer and Mineralogist

Min era l Co ll e c t or-Spec ia l ty CrystalsC o rresp ond ence in v it ed .531 U .Hihvuy E x c . b u J l ~ BJdg .

Por t land , Oreg"oll

DR. EDWIN W. OLDHAMAMATEUR COLLECTOR

COl'l'espond en ee invited.'1112 Sandy l l h .-d.Por t l and , Orcgon

UNCOMMON AND RARE MINERALSOF OREGONDr . H. C. Dake .

MonaziteMonazite , a ce r tain phosph a te, but .Iso

cau ying o ther rare earth ~ t a l " , which ar epr lsent as a rep lacem en t of th e ce rium, i,fOll r,d in th e form of sa nd s along thc coa, t01 O r e gon. M0nazite is found ass ,)CiJt t dwith zir co n in residues from granite ,1l1d s y ~ -nik. It d o es not appear to occur in Ji o -r it lS or di a bases.

' j h :s mineral, w hile it fo rms o:,[y a verym :l 10 r cOI :st i tu(, i'lt of rocks , it m ay P . . H. - : . I J J J , ) in b rg .; Uln ,) U " t s III".L. d ,c an d wOLdJ u l,dcr lh os;, con d it ions a v ~

J 1 ) . . ; r c i a l vulue a sourc e of the rarecHths. Thor i:! , w hich is ill th e nU I; lI-fa cture of i i tCU.lu CS(C nL gas mantl es. lS f UU i ldin vaj>yi ng d m u l l t in nH) l1az, :te san d s , w h ~ ~ r c it exists jn th e form of thurium compuund,:;,as ad impurity ill t he m o nazite .

V a d i n i tV"na di nite occurs mo re or less sp arin g ly

a t a few loca litics in th e Baker min in g di s t-rict. The Snow Creek mine, near Sumpterin Ba ke r cou.) t y, has produ ced t h is mineral.,bu t so far as th e Suci ct y can goodspeci"m e ns arc n u t fo u nd ha c . I n recentyea rs little or no mining has been d on e fo rthis min eral and as a result specime ns a resca rce. * *Epidesmioe

This zeolite t1)incral hu s essentia ll y th esame co mpositi o n ;-,-, th e bet tt r kn ow n sLil bite, but the former cr ys tallizes in the or th o rhombic , whil e stilbite " monoclini c.At a locality near Klam a th Falls Sl>mevery fin e specimen s of epides mine have bcenobtained. I t ot:cur s he re as c r u s ~ s o f crystalsre st ing upon other silicate mi ne rals or ins mall cr ystal grOUps. The indiviJual cry stals ar e usuall y closely p.rcked tog e th er form -in g a layer. :;ume of th e speci mens w erestained a nd dirty from exposure but ut he r swere o f a good white color, making attract -ive spe c imen material. A t th e last visi tmade by mem bers of th e Soci ety to t he lo-cality, very littl e mate rial was o btained an dth e o riginal loc ality appea re d to be exhaust-ed . The m a t , r i a l occurs in a basa lt an d itis po ss ible that so me rock work may bringaddi tional spec;mcns to light.

A ne w local ity. w h ich holds promise ofyield i ng some good specimens of the zeo li teg roup, has been re ce ntly reported to th e so-cie ty . Th e lo cality is on th e north fork ofth e }\Isea river, ab ov e th e town of Als ea a ndabou t one-fourt h mile above th e auto ca mp .Thornpsonit e a nd natrolite are kn ow n to oc-cur here an d probably other silicates will bebrought to light, when th e locality isworked .


49/52

.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ O E C O N MINERALO G IS TSPECIMEN HOUSE

A unique and in te resting resid ence hasrecently been completed at 62nd and EastBurnsid e Street. Th e o uter walls o f th ebuilding a re built of agate, jasper, ch alce'don y, qu artz crystal an d man y other min e r'a ls and ornamenta l stones, fou nd in Oreg o n.The build er has d ev ised a cl eve r way of im 'bedding th e specime ns in a block of con'cre te, which is then used in the sa me man 'ner as bri cks.Th e entra nce hall ceiling is made lip ell'ti rely of slabs of quartz crystals, mad e mor cimpressive by indirec t lighti ng . Th e fi re 'place facin g is made of a la rge number o fdi H'crc nt minera ls, while th e bathr.oom fl oo ris of polished petr ified wood made into til in g. Mall Y ot her portiolls o f th e residen ceboth inter io r as we ll as exterior are mad e upo f minera logical mate ria ls.

Th e owner, Cha s. Be rnard, persona lly co l,lected mu ch o f th e materia l 'used in th e con-structi on o f t he residence . Antel op e, Ore 'gon, furni shed most of th e quar tz. crys tal,wh ile so uth er n Ore gon loca lities suppl iedthe chalced o ny an d agate.

Dr . Dak e re cent ly gave a lec turc anddemonstration on th e fluore scence of min 'erals befo re th e science club o f Jc ffersonhigh sc hoo l. Several arg o n bulbs were usedeffec ti ve ly in the dark roo m in illumina tin gup the entire display, in a spectular manner.

NOTES FROM THE SECRETARYThe jo int mee ting recent ly held wi th th eO "cgon Audubon Society, \Vas very we ll at'tend ed, so me 300 o r mo re being p resent .Our president, Dr. D a ke, gav e a sho rt talko n minerals, Mr. Th.omas Carney exhibitedco lored motio n picture s, and Mr . F . S.Youn.g di splay ed a larg e frame o f Iris agateaLd spoh of his experiences in finding these

lI .. u 'l ial agates.* .;: *At th e meeting o f November 3r d Mr.V ictor Kayse r gave a n interesting and ilium'

inating lecru re on the hi sto ry of jade. AdisplJy o f jade from ne arly a ll th e loca li tiesin t.h t: wor ld was shown , with a numb er o fca rve d orna ments and mounted pieces. Alarge number of speci mens o f Ore.gon " jade"were also i ncl uded in {'he display, some o fth ese having eve ry ap p earance o f be ing a1\L'phrite in co mp os iti o n.

Th e N ov em be r 17th mee ting o f th e So 'ciety was enhanced with a large di spl ay 'o fcrysta ls of many differeM minera ls. Dr . E.\\1 . Laz.e ll lectured on the crystal systems,an d illustrated his lecture with a large num'ber o f drawings as well as mode ls of crysta ls.This mee ting was most in teres ting and in 'struct ive a nd th an ks is g iven to Dr . Lazellfor the sk illful man ner in which he pr ese ntedth is d iffic ult. subject . .

,--- S ~ ~ ~ I M ~ ~ ~ - - F ~ ; - - ~ ~ ~ H ~ ~ ~ E NOTHING BUT THE BESTI Geode s, Crystal Lined , 3'ln to 5' ln

-----Geodes, Solid, 3,in . to 5in.Geodes (Sunflower Flats ), 2in. to 4 in.Nodule s, Agate Lined, 2in. to 5, in .Agatized W oo d , any size.Opalized W oo d , any size.Moss Agate (R ed , Green , Yellow). any siz.e .Jas per. Banded or Mixed Colors.P o lkadot an d Band ed Quartz (N ear Agate) Surpr isi ngly Diffe rent.

POLI SHED OR UNPOLISHED CPECIMENS

Th ese Specimens recomm ended for Collec to rs who are particu lar.Will exchange for ma terial s that will cut and polis h.

J. Lewis Renton3366 N. E. BEAKEY STREET PORTLAND, OREGON

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6 OREGON MINERALOGIST- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dr. E. G. Houseman and Dr. E, W. Old-ham, on thei r recent caravan trip to Chica-go, collected a number of fine specimens in

the l3 lack Hills region. The doctors alsosea rched fo r agates along the Yellowstoneriver in Montana, but reported that goodclilting material is scarce and difficult to find.Collecting has bee n done at most of theM()ntana agate localities for many years past.Severa l days were spent viewing the fam01lsmineral collections in the Field Museum.* >,:The work of preparing a large map ofOregon, and indicating thereon the knownmineral localities in Ore.gon, has been startedby the localities committee of the Society.Mr. J. W . Motley, who is skilled in work ofthis kind, will furnish the monnting for themap. * *At the Quart" mountain locality, ins011thern Lake county, some attractive opal-i1:ed woo d has been found. The specimensseen are of fairly large sizes, translucent andblack in color, and classed as common opal.Little or no collecting has been done at thislocality,The article relative to a public museumfor Portland , appe


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OREGON MINERALOGIST 7TH E AMATEUR SHOP

By 09Car Smith, Agate Expert.The purpose of cementing sets to sticks

or dops is to facilitate the work of sa ndingor polishing . In grinding or shaping setsfar better results will be obtained if dops arenot used. The carborun dum wheels are running in co ld water and will chi ll the ceme ntand cause the s t o n ~ s to drop off the dop. I fflat bottom sets are to . be cut and shaped(presumIng that the stones have bee'n cutto approximate size) it is better to have thebot tom of the set facing you. This will enable you to obtain a better symmetrical shape.This cannot be done so well when stones arecemented on to sticks. Stones that taperfrom the bottom up naturally will be largerat the base. .oops are more extensively usedfor the sandlllg and polishing process. ItIS necessary to keep the stone constantly inmotIon when sanding and polishing; a process whIch IS practically impossible to accomp lish with small stones 11 nless they arccemented to dops. Wbile most any woodcan be used for tbis purpose I would suggest ora ngec wood as thIS material is less susceptible to warping and offers an excellentbase for the cement. Secure a variation ofsi.es ranging from 3/ 16 to 1/2 inch in diameter. and approximate ly 4 inches long. Inmountlng your stones use a stick or dopwhich is a trifle smaller than the back of theset itself. This will prevent the cementfrom lapping over the sides. When yourcementing material adIJeres to your sandingpaper good results are impossible due to thegumming effect. When sandin g do not apply much pressure as pressure causes heatwhi ch will in turn crack your stones. Besure and warm the sets over a slow heat before cementing to dops but never allow themto ge t too hot, as extreme hea t will burn thestones and white spots will appear. Stonesare more or less porous and retain a naturaldampness which makes it almost impossiblefor cement to stick to sets unless heated .Ordinary sealing wax can be used as cementbut far greater results and satisfaction will beobtained by purchasing a special doppingwax through a reliable dealer. Th e sets canbe easily removed from the dop by dippingin cold -water. This causes th e cement tochi ll and beco me very brittle . I n most casessets will drop off the dop when given a coldwater bath. Fragments of cement often re-. main clin.ging to the set a fter it is removedfrom the dop . In such cases extreme careshould be used in scraping off with a knife

. ,FOR SALEA l imited number of copies of th eLif e of Dr. Thomas Condon.

DR . "\V. C. ADAillSBE. 0 7 ~ ~ 70 1 Selltng Blelg .Portlund, Oregon

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to prevent ~ c r a t c h i n g of the stone. A farbetter method is to dip the set in alcohol.This agent quickly removes all surplus wax.CABOOiON TOPAZ

While all lapidaries are familiar with to 'pa. cut faceted, this material also shows upvery well cut cabochon fashion . Mr. A. W.Goddard, an amateur cutter of De troitMichigan, reports the cutting of a 14 eara;cabochon cut topa., using one of the watcrworn crystals from Nigeria, Africa.This material very difficult to pobhand Mr. Goddard state: "It is like a COil 'gealed drop of the purest wa ter and I amindeed proud of this stone as the product ofan amateur culler , even though I spcntseven hours to nllish same ."A number of amateur cutters have or enexperimenting with this mater ial an d a fcwhave . reported cutting somc very attractivecabochons and ~ p h e r e s . Topaz can be eas 'ily roughed ou t on the carborundum wheels.bu t to remove scrat ches is a stow proccs..Large cabochon gems cut from water white .flawless topa., make very attractive gems.which are full of life and brilliance. Morrdata will be published later on this mate ria l.

Choice ApophylliteWhile good crystals of apophyllite ar c

found at a number of localities in Oregoll,the best and largest yet seen were hroughtbefore a recent meeting of the Society byArthur L. Fryer of Yamhill, Oregon. Theapophyllite associated with analcite and otherminerals of the .eo lite group, occurs il1sp lendid crystallizations in the rock quarriesaround the town of Yamhill.

I

-------_._. --------------------iARBORUNDUMGrinding and Polishing

SuppliesWHEELS . GRAIN S, CLOTH

FORAGATE FINISHING

WOODBURY & COMPANYSecond and Pine StreetsPortland, Oregon

- - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - .. . ... . . . . . . . ,THE TIN MAN

c. A. DUTROSpecializes in Tin and Sheet Metal Workof All Kln.1s5717 N. E. UNION I

________ _o_r.t_l_O_Jl.d_.~ . r e ~ o n . _ .1


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8 _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ REGON MINERALOGISTGEODE COLLECTION --.... . -----.IESTABLISHED 1920What is probabl}' thc IMg2st 3nd fine stcollection of quartz cry>ta l, liJlcd geo de> inthe city is to be seen in thc cabinets of E. H.

Rockwell. Me. Rockwell ha s s pecialized inhollow crystal lined geodes an d has a mostspec tacu lar collection of this material. Thefine geodes found at Antelope , Oregon. arcespec ially we ll represented , and of which noJe ss than Ii fty can be seen in the Rockwellcollection. \'lhile Amethyst crystals arcseldom found at Antelope, Me. Rock\Vell\Vas fortu nate to sccure seve ral exc ellentspe

LADIES ' SILVER RINGSLADIES' SOLID GOLD RINGSGENTS' SILVER RINGSGENTS' SOLID GOLD RINGSH .H . .LADIES' FANC Y SIL VER PENDl\NTS ..LADIES ' SOLID GOLD PENDANTS . .GENTS' GOLD FILLED TIE PINS . .GENTS' . SOLID GOLD TIE PINS ..

..... $ 2.00 Each4.(J() Ea ch~ . ) ( ) Each7.50 Up3.()0 Each

3.00 Up1.00 Each1. 50 Each

Special attention to ou t of town orders. A few mo untings without stones fo ramateurs . A complete line of mineral specimens, lapidary supp lies and arrow 'heads.

oregon mineralogist vol1 [jun-dec 1933]

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