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1054 MINERAL RESOURCES, 1912.
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found.
Three specimens sent to the Survey by R. L. Parker, in 1907, were
described in this report for that year, as (1) a cleavage fragment of a
waterworn crystal, colorless and perfectly clear; (2) a perfectly clear
crystal with a slight bluish tint; (3) a large crystal, weighing about
4-1/2 ounces, clear in portions, with a delicate bluish-green tint. At
that time Mr. Parker mentioned amber-colored topaz crystals as having
been found. Meyer describes the largest crystal found here as about 3
inches in diameter, with a faint greenish-blue color.
An
interesting discovery made by Meyer is that of the presence of stream
tin or cassiterite in the concentrates from the dry placers. This
mineral was found in broken crystals and angular grains of resin-yellow
to brownish-black color and evidently was not far removed from its
source.
The
deposit near Katemcy was also found by R. L. and P. H. Parker and is on
D. E. Amarine's property. Here the feldspar is greenish-blue microcline
or amazon stone, which is reported to occur in large, cleavable masses
with excellent color. Small specimens received at the Survey are light
bluish-green and rather more trans-
p
arent than usual with
amazon stone. Transparent sea-green fluorite has also been found in the
deposits near Katemcy. The topaz is intimately associated with quartz
and feldspar, and the interstices are filled with a reddish felsitic
rock. A specimen of the matrix furnished by Mr. P. H. Parker is
composed of an agglomerated mass of brilliant, clear, glassy topaz
crystals, gray and smoky quartz, tuffs or radiated groups of tabular
albite or clevelandite crystals, gray micro-cline crystals, plates of
muscovite mica, and red and gray fine felsitic rock inclosing minute
black tourmaline needles and a lew small plates of albite. The topaz
crystals range up to an inch or more in thickness and are frozen in the
rock. Meyer states that topaz composes about 80 per cent of the mass of
this rock. A much smaller proportion of the topaz from this place is
suitable for gem purposes than at the other locality described.
TOURMALINE.
The
production of tourmaline in 1912 reported to the Survey amounted in
value to $28,200, an increase over 1911, but fair below the production
of several preceding years, the maximum being that of 1909, which
amounted to $133,192. The very large productions of those years were
obtained chiefly from the numerous mines of southern California, where
there was great activity in gem mining. These large outputs of
tourmaline overstocked the market and caused the large decrease noted
above. Maine has been an important contributor to the production of
tourmaline during 1910, 1911, and 1912. This output came chiefly from a
quarry near Poland, belonging to F. L. Havey, of Brunswick, Me. This
property yields high-grade gem material in which green is the
predominant color, but some crystals containing red and blue are found.
Mr.- Havey reports a production of 25,000 carats of fine green
crystals, which, it is estimated, will cut into about 7,000 carats of
gems. According to E. S. Bastin,1 the prices received for
native tourmaline in Maine are higher than those current in New York,
because most of the stones are sold at retail to residents of the State
or to summer tourists and have an enhanced value as souvenirs.
1 Pegmatites and associated rocks of Maine: Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 445,1911, p. 144.
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