OCR Text |
Show Where we find emeralds Famous Muxo Mines In the Republic bf Colombia Produce Finest Coma. The 3nest emeralds are found In the Republic of Colombia, at tho famous fa-mous Muto mines In the department of Doyaca, seventy miles north by west of Itogota. which bavo been worked since 1558. The Spaniards mined there In the middle of tho sixteenth six-teenth century, but withdrew after a time, owing to continual fighting with the Indians; with the result that for awhile the locality of the mines waa unknown. They are now worked by an English company. In partnership partner-ship with the government The emeralds emer-alds at Muxo occur In calclte veins running through black carboniferous limestone In all dlrectlona and at all angles. Often the Ilmestono la covered cov-ered with earth, In which bushes and trees are growing; this has to bo cleared before prospecting Is possible. When calclte velna have been located, the aide of the hill la dug away in "banks." usually by Indians, whoso chief tool Is a steel bar forged to a ioint at one end. The pieces of calclte cal-clte vein are examined superficially for emeralda, and are then set aside (or conveyance to the sorting shed, where a detailed examination is made, and the emeralds are divided Into fifteen fif-teen gradea according to color, transparency, trans-parency, also, freedom from flaws, and so on. |