The Treasure Chest NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH JERSEY

The Treasure Chest
NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH JERSEY
MINERALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC.
Charter Member of The Eastern Federation of Mineralocal & Lapidary Societies
and affiliated with The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
Volumn 67, Issue 1
Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011
671st MEETING
Time........ Social—Mineral Sales........................6:30PM
Meeting..............................................7:30PM
Program..............................................8:00PM-9:00PM
When...... Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011
Where.... The Paterson Museum —- (phone 973-321-1260)
2 Market Street,Paterson, NJ 07501-1704
Editor:..... Jack R. Troy, 48 Beverly Rd., Hawthorne, NJ 07506
973-423-5225 — e-mail: troy39@optonline.net
DIRECTIONS
For those unsure of a route to the museum, these
directions should help. You can get to the museum via
Rt. 80 using exit 57a,b or Rt. 19 north, following the
signs to downtown Paterson. Left at the first light,
(follow red dots) left again at the next light (Market St.)
and then two and a half blocks to the museum on your
left. You could also come north on McBride Ave. from
Rt 46 in West Paterson to Overlook Park, right at light
to next light, left at Burger King and 100 ft. to museum
entrance on your right. A winding but safe route to a
paved, fenced and well lit parking lot.
PURPOSE
The North Jersey Mineralogical Soc. is a non-profit,
educational organization founded in 1945 whose goal
is to bring together people with an interest in the Earth
Sciences in general and mineral studies in particular.
Guests and prospective members are always welcome.
Young people under 17 years of age are welcome to
attend if accompanied by a parent or adult friend.
FOR INFORMATION CALL
Rolf Schudel (201-925-2716) or Mel Pollinger (201-7919826). Call the the museum or one of the officers if
inclement weather might cause meeting cancelation.
TREASURER’S COMMENTS
The first meeting of the year is our installation of
new officers. It is also a convenient time for our members to keep their membership current and stay eligible to attend club sponsored activities for the year.
SEND DUES TO
OFFICERS FOR 2011
Arlene Castleman
126 St.Rte.46—40A
Lodi, NJ 07664
973-591-1942
Individual members: $12.00
Married couples $18.00
Additional family members
are $6.00 each
Junior members: $5.00
President…....................Ron Schulz
1st VP..........................Rolf Schudel
2nd VP...........................Jeff Wilson
Secretary.................................open
Treasurer.............Arlene Castleman
Assoc.Treas..............Juan Gonzalez
3 yr trustee…......... Mike Machette
2 yr Trustee...................Bob Santee
1 yr Trustee...................Judy Baglio
PROGRAM
Our program for this evening will be “How to build a
mineral collection” and will
be presented by Bill Butkowski, owner-operator of
“The Mineral Cabinet”, New
Providence, NJ.
Bill has
been an active dealer at
many of the major mineral
shows here in New Jersey,
getting close to 40 odd years
now. One look at the quality
of his display teaches you
one of the most important
lessons on building a collection. Quality of the piece
and a clear legible label are important parts of a properly set up collection.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Greetings everyone!
I hope everybody had a happy holiday season. It
looks like everyone had an enjoyable time at the holiday party. The food was plentiful followed by a very
informative presentation, "The Fluorescent Minerals of
Greenland." There were many choices of minerals for
most everybody at the silent auction. Some very fair
deals were to be had. If you wish to contribute any
ideas for our holiday party next year, please bring them
up for discussion. Thanks to Bob Horn and all who
helped to make our party a success.
I would like to thank the past board members for
their time and effort. I would also like to welcome the
incoming board. 2011 looks to be a great year.
Mike and Jeff, who are the field trip committee, are
going to try to set up a couple of trips this spring/
summer. It is getting harder and harder to collect in
New Jersey, so we thank them again for their efforts.
Our Sterling Hill Day last October was a lot of fun.
We even added a barbecue. Hopefully, we can do it
again. At the event, just like the previous year, the
weather cooperated. A few people have suggested we
have our day at Sterling Hill in May or early June instead. What do you think? Let us know. If you are not
an active collector and if you do not want to take the
mine or museum tour, you should still think of coming
this year. It will be a great time to fire up the grill and
have some good food. You can catch up with other
members and maybe meet some new enthusiasts.
I look forward to undertaking my new position and I
welcome your participation.
Ron
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A DOG LOVER’S E-MAIL
Many of our members know Franko, our wire wrapping dealer. When Franko came in for our March show
his major worry was to make sure his dog was well
taken care of. Our dog seemed to sense that Franko
was a dog person and welcomed him into our house.
When he finally lost his dog, one of his friends sent
him the following e-mail. He forwarded it to me.
From:<frankoz@juno.com>
Sending You
Blessings!!!
This is one of the
kindest things you
may ever see..
It is not known
who replied, but
there is a beautiful soul working
in the dead letter
office of the US
postal service.
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day
after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was
crying and talking about how much she missed her,
She asked if we could write a letter to God so that
when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I
told her that I thought we could so she dictated these
words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She
died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I
miss her very much. I am happy that you let
me have her as my dog even though she got
sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes
to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You
will know that she is my dog. I really miss
her.
Love,
Meredith
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of
Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven.
We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted
several stamps on the front of the envelope because
she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all
the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into
the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she
asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I
thought He had.
Nov.
Oct.
Jan.
10,
14,
13,
2002
2002
2011
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold
paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an
unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a
book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to
the inside front cover was the letter we had written to
God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was
the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having
the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore.
Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in
your heart. Abbey loved being your dog.
Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I
don't have any pockets to keep your picture
in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something
to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and
thank your mother for helping you write it
and sending it to me. What a wonderful
mother you have. I picked her especially for
you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love God
You know the phrase 'stop and smell the flowers'
Happiness keeps you Sweet, Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrows keep you Human, Failures keep you Humble,
Success keeps you Glowing, But Only Friends Keep
You Going!
Barbara L. Krueger
The photo to the
right is our doggie
Diesel.
He loved
going for walks, this
one in Bear Mt.
Park. The kids got
him so tired out he
had to rest for a couple of days. He was
protective of our
home and the street
in front. That’s what
Sheppard's do...Jack
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STERLING HILL FIELD TRIP: OCT. 2010
On 10/17/10 our members and guests took a tour of
the Sterling Hill Mining Museum. First our tour guide
Ron Mishkin took us to
Zobel Hall, the old
change house, to see
all the exhibits. There
are all kinds of things
on display, minerals,
fossils,
meteorites,
sculptures,
posters
and mining implements showing the
history of mining. The
guests have their first
exposure to fluorescent minerals here. The minerals
donated by the Oreck family are the best of their kind.
Next the tour group
is taken underground
to see the history of
the mining operation.
The group experiences
what it was like when
the lights go out and
there is also a simulation of a blast which
broke the rocks. Near
the end is the Rainbow
room which is lit with
short and long ultra-violet light. After that the tour goes
into the Thomas A. Warren Museum of Fluorescence
to see the best fluorescent minerals in the world! Then
we walked to view the
Passaic Pit.
We broke for lunch
which was a wonderful barbecue.
Ron
brought a lot of hamburgers, hot dogs and
the fixings and did
most of the grilling. It
must have been pretty
good because there
was a line waiting to
get their share. There was even a comfortable place to
sit and enjoy the food. Thanks to Ron and his wife everyone had a great time.
My fiancé’ Richie Saukas, and my grandson
Robby Coco really enjoyed being outside on
such a nice day.
Then I took Robby
who is 6 ½ years old
on his first field trip to
the Passiac Pit, the Fill
Quarry, the Saddle
Nov.
Oct.
Jan10,
14,
13,2002
2002
2011
and the top of the Nobel Pit. We collected some nice
fluorescent minerals including Willemite, Pink Calcite
and Wollastonite. We looked at them in the lamp room
in the mine run dump
area to make sure we
got some good examples. We also collected
some Franklinite and
some Biotite samples.
Robby really enjoyed
holding the rock hammer and using it to
break a rock for the
first time. I think he’s
hooked! It was really
and enjoyable day for everyone! Are there stil some
ore samples at the mine that could be collected? A
look at the picture at
the left give you an
answer. We old timers try to encourage
all our members to
attend these functions.
It’s not only to get
some new minerals
for your collections.
Part of the fun is to
meet with and get acquainted with your
fellow members. You might even find that you like
them. Years ago we ran a swap/picnic up to Franklin,
generally at the pond site. It was the first week in June
and more often than not it was sunny and hot. But it
was a picnic and everyone enjoyed themselves. This
article was supplied by Arlene Castleman.
I LOVE GEODES
Since I began collecting rocks four years ago, I have
always loved geodes. I got my first geode at the Franklin show. It was about two inches in diameter. I did
not know what to expect, but I could not wait to crack
it open. I was driving my dad crazy all the way home
from Franklin because I wanted to open it that second.
When my dad and I opened it I saw purple and clear
crystals. The purple crystals were Amethyst, and the
clear ones were Quartz. The crystals were small but
beautiful. Last year, I got two big geodes as gifts. They
looked like cannon balls. They were too big for me to
crack open myself. So my dad and I went to the stone
yard near my house, and asked the guy if he could
open it for me. He cut them open with a diamond
blade. Inside one was smoky quartz, and the other
one was Amethyst. The crystals were large and beautiful. The best part about geodes is, you never know
what you're going to get.
By Brandon Hirsch (age 8)
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Nov.
Oct.
Jan10,
14,
13,2002
2002
2011
MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER MEETING
COMING EVENTS
Bob Horn opened the meeting and introduced our
newly elected officers: Ron Schulz new pres, Rolf
Schudel 1st VP, Jeff Wilson 2nd VP, Arlene Castleman
Treasure (And the real Secretary! club rules says she
can't hold two positions, so...) Chris Laskowich new
secretary, Juan Gonzalez. Associate treasurer,Bob Santee 1 yr trustee, Mike Machete 2yr, Bob Horn 3 yr.
Our host for our annual Xmas party, Bob Horn was
set for December 5th and featured minerals for sale,
and a food buffet. Our featured speaker was Ron
Mishkin who gave an excellent and insightful talk on
"Mining Appreciation" (his words) and talked of his experiences as during and after college as a starting
mucker, learning how to load and tram the ore, drill
patterns, fuse settings, timbering the stopes, spiling(?),
and the 4 "D"s; Damp, Dark, Dangerous, Dirty. He
showed slides of old Franklin, Sterling Hill, and the
Magma mine, Arizona, (117 degrees avg.), showed the
self-rescuer and explained the Sunshine Mine disaster
and mine fire fatalities. Ron had a few Iron mine samples but the real interest was his first hand account of
what it took to get salary and product before EPA regulations, and it seems, shortly after slavery was abolished. (You want to get rid of ALL regulations? government too intrusive for you?) Any Mexican who mentioned unions was fired) People are still dying of black
lung and silicosis, and fighting for a government run
system of medicare that's safe from privitization's tender mercies. But I digress. Bob Allen and Bob Santee
will be going to St Clair, PA on an informal field trip for
fern fossils this Saturday, Nov.13, 2010.
Happy
Thanksgiving!!! 4 months to glorious Spring!
Jan28-Feb 13--Tucson, AZ: Show; For complete listing
of all the shows that take place during this time period,
check the internet.
Jan 29, 2011: New Brunswick, NJ:
The Rutgers Geology Museum, The
State University of New Jersey and its
mascot, the Fighting Scarlet Red Dinosaur Presents its Forty-Second Annual
Open House. Sat, Jan 29, 2011 9:00
am to 4:00 pm See the Rutgers Geology Museum web site. For additional
information: Rock and mineral identification Rm. 135 in Scott Hall from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
SPEAKER SCHEDULE
10:00AM Continental flood volcanism presented by
Morgan Schaller, PhD candidate.
11:30AM Dinosaur Hunting/ the NJ State Museum
Presented by Jason Schein, PhD student
01;30PM Forensic Seismology & Nuclear Testing
Presented by Dr. Brian Stump, SMU, Dept of Geology
03:00PM The Missing Sink: CO2 and the Ocean
Presented by Dr. Elisabeth Sikes, Rutgers U.
Feb. 19-20: Albany, NY: 18th Annual James Campbell
Memorial Gem, Mineral, and
Fossil Show and Sale;
New York State Academy of
Mineralogy, Capital District
Mineral Club; 4th flr,
Museum, Empire State
Plaza, Madison Ave.; Sat. &
Sun. 10-5:admission $6,
includes NY State Flower
Show; 20 mineral and fossil
dealers, geological lectures,
staff on hand to identify
minerals and fossils; contact
Michael Hawkins, Geology
Collections Manager, 518486-2911
e-mail:
mhawkins@mail.nysed.gov
Mar. 5-6: New York, NY: Annual Show, New York
Mineralogical Club, Holiday Inn, Midtown, 440 West
57th St., Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5, Adults $6.00 students
and seniors $5.00, children free. Retail and wholesale
dealers, minerals, gems, fossils, jewelry, displays,:
contact Excalibur Mineral Corp., 914-739-1134.
Mar. 12-13: Wayne, NJ: The 22nd Annual Clifton/
North Jersey Gem, Mineral, Fossil & Jewelry Show to
be held at our new location at the Benway School, 970
Black Oak ridge Road, Wayne, NJ formerly known as
the Neuman Prep High School.
North on Rte 23 to
Respectfully submitted,
Chris Laskowich, Sect. pro-tem
OBITUARY
Yoost, Peter B. age 69 of Waldwick, died Tuesday, Dec.
21, 2010 at the Calvert Memorial Hospital in Prince Frederick, MD. Peter was born Feb. 10, 1941 in Orange,
NJ. He was a resident of Waldwick for the past 6 years
and enjoyed his second home
in Lusby, MD. Peter worked in
the printing department for
Kearfott Guidance and Navigation Corp. in Wayne and served
his country in the U.S. Air force
during the Viet Nam War. He
was a member of the North
Jersey Mineralogical Society.
Surviving is his loving wife,
Patricia Hayden Yoost, his son
Derek Yoost of Lake Hopatcong,
NJ and his sister Patricia and
her husband Edwin Mitchell of
Suffolk, VA.
Wayne Lincoln-Mercury, right off highway, left at
light (north) to Benway School on your right.
Sat, Mar 12, 2011, Sun Mar 13 —- 10 am to 5 pm
Adults $5.00, Seniors: $4.00. Children: $3.00