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H«t»ld * Untem It Septembw »1

Diamond Seekers (From Page not limited to any one areo and have even been found in gravel pita several miles Inland from the ocean THE CAPE MAY diamond comes in various shade* and'colon. They range in size from that of a pin hAd to the size of a hen’s egg. Many are colorless, but others are Unted fainUy with yellow, blue or amber When wet these pebbles are bright add clear but become dull and uninteresting when dry. Quartz, when cut and polished, become* beauUful and looks very much like a diamond. Report* state Chat the two large*! diamonds ever found In Cape May County weighed a pound each However, a diamood weighing more than three pounds wits found in 1886, not at Cape May, but at New Castle. Delaware The diamond was on display in Cape May. The Cape May ocean Wave newspaper reported: •■without a doubt, its one of the wonderful curiousities of the country and should be seen by all who take an interest in predoua stones." Weighing three pounds, fourteen ounces, it was six and three fourths inches long, five inches wide, and three, inches thick. It was reported to b^perfecUy clear and vajued at five hundred dollars. CAPE MAV DIAMONDS havet been around a longtime. Even Indians knew of them: King Nummy, chief of the Kechemeche-Tribe, gave a Cape May diamond to Chnstopber Learning as an expression oiliis friendship. Learning’s descendant, R. Afexander Montgomery of Philadelphia, had the stone cut, polished, and set in a necklace for Jiis wife. Cape M«y diamonds probably originated from the Pleistocene yelloto gravels which abound in southern New Jersey. The yellow limonite which covers the pebbles of the gravel conceals wide variety oL rocks and minerals. Authorities conclude that the clear quartz pebbles have had

limonite coating removed by natural abrasion as they are moved to and fro by the tides of the Delaware River Estuary and the waves breaking on the beaches. The pebbles were probably first carried down an ancient Delaware river from rocks containing vein quartz in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or.further north. , THIS MOST INTERESTING mineral - no matter what the scientific origins - continue to fascinate the seekers and has become so desired that a cheap, plastic imitation is being sold in some area stores as the "real" thing. ' Cape May diamond seekers aren’t con/cerned about the bogus "diamond.” They don’t give * dam what those fakers do to make a buck. They're on the inside track. They kftow that a true diamond seeker — a genuine non-imitdtor of life — wouldn’t be • caught dead buying a Cape May diamond. The thrill is in the SEEKING, that’s something the plastic world doesn’t seem to understand.

Fire Districts—: (From Page 1) - * LOWER TWP. — The Township Committee here decided, last Thursday to extend the service area of the Erma and the Tbwn Bank Fire districts. Unddr the new arrangement that is expected to be legally in effect by December, the Erma district will include Shawcrest and Diamond Beach, while Town Bank will pidkup Schellengcrs Landing and all otiWareas south of the Canal. Currently these areas are protected by a mutual agreement between tlte com-, panics, in the township, West Cape May, Cape May and Wildwood Crest. Legally, however, none of the companies are obligate^ to respond to the calls.

County To Continue Growth

(From Pagel)

rural atmosphere on the mainland is the major reason for growth in the County. Cape May County has always been, and continues to be, a major settlement area for retired persons for these very reasons. Theentire population growth of the County during the 1960’s was due to immigration and it is anticipatedfthe forthcoming data from the 1980 Census will show that this was also the case during the 1970s. DURING THE IWO’s and beyond, tne basic attractiveness of the County will corttinue to be the major factor contributing to growth through immigration. In addition, however, the advent of casino gambling in Atlantic City create^ an additional economic/recreational factor which will tend to accelerate the growth rate over the next 10 to 20 years. Not only will the rate of growth increase; but the growth in absolute numbe;? i^ill f *

It otherwise

tend to be higher than Id have been due to pie ex-

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pa ns ion of the^jib market.

The designaffon of the upper half of the mainland portion of the County as part\of the Pinelands will also have a significant impact on population growth. This impact, however, will not affect the • County’s overall rate of growth or the growth in

total numbers. What it will do, is to significantly affect the,distribution of that

growth Within the county.

During the latter part of the 70s, the northern municipalities of Upper Township, Dennis Township, Ocean City, Sea Isle City and Woodbine experienced an influx of "casino families" in addition to their “nor-y mal" growth. Proximity to Atlantic City dictated that these communites would be the first to feel the impact. With the establishment of the Pinelands, the acceleration of growth and the absolute amount of growth will both be diminished , within the above mentioned communities. * HowereJhe growth pressures from Atlantic City {are not going to simply go away. Tli restriction of growth in the northern mainland portion of the County will simply increase the rate and amount of growth in the island communities and in the southern

mainland communities.

Initially, this growth will most heavily effect on the island communities' where there is an existing supply of vacant housing the large number of housing units currently used for summer rentals. Eventually, some of this growth will shift to Middle and Lower Township as pew housing Is constructed to satisfy the demand.

I960 , \Population Avalon 2,162 Cape May City 4.853 Cape May t Point 255 Dennis Township 3,989 Lower township .17,105 Middle Township 11,373 North Wildwood 4,714 Ocean City .<13,949 Sea Isle City ...{^.2,644 Stone Harbor Upper' Tot^hip 6,713 Wwt Cape May. 1.091 Wen Wildwood 360 Wildwood 4,913 Wildwood Crest 4,149 Woodbine 2,809 Totals 82,286

1990 ( Increase) 3.300 (52.6) 5.500 (13.3) 350 (37.3) 5.600 (40.4) 23.000 (34.5) 15.600 (37.2) 5,700 (20.9) 18.500 (32.6) 4.200 . (59.0) 1.300 (9.5) 10.000 (49.0r 1,400 * (28.3) l 470 (30.6) 5,600 (14.0) 5,450 (31.4) 3.200 (13.9) 109,170 (32.7)

2000 ( Increase) V 4,300 (99.0) 6,200 (27.6) 420 (60.7) 7.600 (90.5) 26.500 (55.0) 20,100 (78.7) 6.600 (40.0) 24,000 (72.0) *,300 (100.) 1.500 (26.4) 12.500 (86.2) 1,700 (55.8) 530 (47.2) 6,000 (22.1) 6,300 (51.8) 3.500 (24.6) 133,050 (61.7)