﻿ON 
  THE 
  OCCURRENCE 
  OE 
  SAPPHIRES 
  AND 
  RUBIBS 
  IN 
  SITU. 
  303 
  

  

  24. 
  Note 
  on 
  the 
  Occurrence 
  of 
  Sapphires 
  and 
  Rubies 
  in 
  situ 
  with 
  

   Corundum, 
  at 
  the 
  Culsagee 
  Corundum-mine, 
  Macon 
  County, 
  North 
  

   Carolina. 
  By 
  Colonel 
  C. 
  W. 
  Jenks. 
  (Read 
  February 
  25, 
  1874.) 
  

  

  (Communicated 
  by 
  David 
  Forbes, 
  Esq., 
  F.E.S., 
  F.G.S.) 
  

  

  The 
  oriental 
  ruby 
  and 
  sapphire 
  are, 
  mineralogically 
  considered, 
  

   merely 
  coloured 
  crystals 
  of 
  corundum, 
  which 
  mineral 
  species 
  has 
  

   been 
  shown 
  by 
  chemical 
  analysis 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  alumina 
  in 
  

   a 
  crystallized 
  state 
  and 
  nearly 
  pure 
  condition. 
  "Where 
  these 
  gems 
  

   have 
  been 
  met 
  with, 
  they 
  appear 
  almost 
  always, 
  if 
  not 
  invariably, 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  rivers 
  as 
  waterworn 
  pebbles 
  ; 
  

   and 
  although 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  corundum 
  in 
  small 
  quantities 
  in 
  

   granular 
  limestone 
  in 
  Asia 
  Minor 
  and 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  has 
  long 
  

   been 
  known, 
  any 
  thing 
  like 
  a 
  deposit 
  of 
  this 
  mineral 
  in 
  situ, 
  suffi- 
  

   ciently 
  abundant 
  for 
  commercial 
  exploration, 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   altogether 
  unknown, 
  until 
  the 
  author's 
  attention 
  was 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  

   occurrence 
  of 
  numerous 
  fragments 
  of 
  corundum 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  river-beds 
  of 
  Macon 
  County, 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  which 
  encour- 
  

   aged 
  him 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  minute 
  examination 
  of 
  this 
  district, 
  and 
  resulted 
  

   in 
  the 
  discovery, 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1871, 
  of 
  the 
  deposits 
  of 
  corundum 
  

   now 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Culsagee 
  Corundum 
  Mine. 
  

  

  The 
  locality 
  of 
  this 
  mine 
  is 
  a 
  hill, 
  situated 
  about 
  nine 
  miles 
  east 
  

   of 
  Franklin, 
  the 
  principal 
  town 
  of 
  Macon 
  County, 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  some 
  400 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  about 
  2500 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  ; 
  geologically 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  boss 
  of 
  serpentine 
  pro- 
  

   truded 
  through 
  the 
  surrounding 
  granite. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  which 
  runs 
  past 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  this 
  

   hill, 
  now 
  commonly 
  known 
  as 
  Corundum 
  Hill, 
  numerous 
  waterworn 
  

   pebbles 
  of 
  corundum, 
  often 
  of 
  large 
  size, 
  were 
  met 
  with, 
  along 
  with 
  

   small 
  fragments 
  of 
  rubies 
  and 
  sapphires 
  ; 
  and 
  subsequent 
  explora- 
  

   tions 
  revealed 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  some 
  fine 
  nearly 
  parallel 
  veins 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  corundum, 
  cropping 
  out 
  for 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  mile, 
  along 
  

   the 
  steep 
  side 
  of 
  this 
  hill 
  in 
  a 
  north-east 
  and 
  south-west 
  direction. 
  

  

  These 
  veins 
  all 
  dip 
  to 
  the 
  south-east, 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  about 
  45°, 
  

   and, 
  although 
  generally 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  across 
  at 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   widen 
  out 
  as 
  they 
  descend 
  into 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  hill. 
  In 
  the 
  deepest 
  

   working, 
  now 
  75 
  feet, 
  the 
  vein 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  10 
  feet 
  thick. 
  The 
  

   veins 
  themselves 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  chlorite, 
  jefferisite, 
  and 
  corun- 
  

   dum, 
  the 
  latter 
  forming 
  from 
  about 
  a 
  third 
  to 
  one 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  

   mass, 
  and 
  occurring 
  as 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  well- 
  developed 
  crystals 
  imbedded 
  

   in 
  the 
  other 
  minerals. 
  Along 
  with 
  these 
  the 
  following 
  mineral 
  

   species 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  minor 
  quantity 
  : 
  — 
  chrysolite, 
  anthophyllite, 
  

   margarite, 
  damourite, 
  felspar, 
  talc, 
  sapphire, 
  ruby, 
  spinel, 
  zircon, 
  

   hornblende, 
  staurolite, 
  diaspore, 
  black 
  tourmaline, 
  chalcedony, 
  quartz, 
  

   chromoferrite, 
  magnetite, 
  and 
  two 
  new 
  silicates 
  to 
  which 
  Professor 
  

   Genth 
  has 
  given 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  kerrite 
  and 
  maconite. 
  

  

  