Pennsylvania, and also near Reading, Berks county. A beautiful moss jasper is found in Trego county, Kansas.
Chrysoprase.—Possibly
the best American chrysoprase was found -within the last year by Mr. F.
E. Monteverde, at Nickel mountain, near the town of Eiddle, Douglas
county, Oregon. The chrysoprase was observed in small veins about
one-eighth inch thick, and furnished a number of flat stones of a rich
green color, that were over.l inch square; it occurs in a vein of
serpentine associated with the nickel ores.
Traill(a)
mentions chrysoprase from New Fane, Vermont, which mineral Prof. J. D.
Dana refers to green quartz and not chrysoprase, although it was also
so-called at the locality where found.
A
fine green-colored specimen intermixed with a black hornblende that
would afford gems 1 inch across was shown to me by Mr. E. A. Hutchins,
of New York, and was found at some locality in Macon county, North
Carolina.
Mr.
Thomas A. Tabor, in 1839, mentions in a letter to Dr. C. A. Lee the
occurrence of chrysoprase in Chester county, Pennsylvania, without auy
description of its quality, though one would infer that it was of gem
quality, since Mr. Tabor was a jeweler. Dr. F. M. Endlich(b) mentions
chrysoprase as of rare occurrence in Middle park, Colorado.
Opal.—Beautiful
fire opal without any opalescence is found in Wash-iugton county,
Georgia, and was first described by Prof. G J. Brush, who has the
finest piece in his cabinet. It is a vein about one-fourth inch thick
and 2 inches square.
Common
opal occurs rarely in small masses of a greenish and yellowish white
with vitreous luster, at Cornwall, Lebanon county, Pennsylvania. It is
found at Aguas Calientes, Gilson gulch, at Idaho Springs, Colorado, in
narrow seams in the granite, and most of it is brownish. Mr. J. W.
Beath states that he had seen fine opal specimens showing play of
colors, said to have come from the Idaho Springs locality. At Colorado
Springs it occurs milk white in color.
The
following is communicated by Mr. C. G. Yale: " While the precious opal
has never been found in the Pacific division, the common kind occurs in
numerous localities. Large and very beautiful opalized wood is
frequently found in the hydraulic mines of California. Small stones in
great number are also taken out of some of the drift mines. A few of
these being infiltered with the oxide of manganese, giving them the
appearance of being filled with moss or possessing other pe-culiarites,
are enough sought after to give them some little value."
Hoffmann(c)
mentions opal in magnificent colors (evidently opalized wood) with
silicified wood, and states that on breaking some of the large trunks
at San Antonio, Nevada, fine specimens were obtained.
a "Quartz and Opal,"page 35,
b" Catalogue of Minerals found in Colorado," 1876; tenth annual report of the Hayden Survey, page 150. c " Mineralogy of Nevada."
