Rare Find of Gems.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 216, 20 August 1887, Page 2

Rare Find of Gems.

The discovery of a ruby mine in the Northern Territory hae created much sensation. A party led by David Lindsay, who recently returned from an exploration trip in Central Australia, first made the discovery. The man's name is Arthur Warman. One day Lindsays party had camped for water. Warman was out looking for the precious fluid, when, lying 1 under a bush to rest and get out of i the heat, he saw some glittering red stones in the bed of a creek. On going into the creek he picked up some largo ones, and I holding them up to catch the sun's rays, saw that they glittered brilliantly. On returning to Adelaide Warman showed some of the stones to a jeweller, who on submitting them to a test, said that they were rubies. A syndicate of eight capitalists was formed to test the rr me, and without delay they took train to Hergott. Here camels were purchased, and the pai-by, well armed and provisioned, set out on their adventuresome journey., Arthur Warman, aided by a- black tracker, guided them to the right spot, which was reached on May 24 On the following day they pitched .their <te.nt, iandn at , onee << commenced' the search for the precious Btorioß. In the bed of a creek, which is a banker in tho wet

season, they found the sfcones which nro said to be rubies. They collected dirt and stones and wash«d, th«m and selected the rubies, which were fairly plentiful, but they could not be shovelled up altogether. The party searched two weeks, in which time they found on the surface, a big ruby which, is valued at LB,OOO. Huwson has taken it to Melbourne to have it tested* The value of the specimens obtained is estimated at LGO,OBO. The scene of the discovery is the Barrow Creek country, 1,300 miles from Adelaide. In Adelaide various opinions have been expressed as to the value of the discovery. Some jewellers say that the stones are genuine spinal rubies, and that sapphires, garnets, and other stones arc mixed with them.