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 North Carolina 
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 ENGINEERING LiBRARY 
 
-r.. «... Cornell University Library 
 TN 24.N8A16 
 
 Ores of North Carolina:being chapter II 
 
 3 1924 004 115 055 
 
The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924004115055 
 
THE GIFT 'OF 
 
 A^lk^kh : <jL*,._/j. r LU.Zj 
 
Geological Survey of North Carolina. 
 
 ORES 
 
 OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 BY W. C. KERR AND GEO. B. HANNA. 
 
Prof. J. A. Holmes, 
 
 Acting as State Geologist. 
 
 Dear Sir : — At your request and with your assistance, I have under- 
 taken to prepare for publication the material relating to the ores of 
 Norjh Carolina accumulated by the late State Geologist, Professor W. 
 C. Kerr. 
 
 I cannot hope to have emulated the skill which he showed in the 
 collation of his data, but my close relations with him for a long term of 
 years, and my great respect for his memory, have prompted me to do 
 whatever I could. 
 
 In my long connection with the U. S. Assay Office, Charlotte, N. C, 
 I have come into possession of a large fund of facts respecting the min- 
 ing resources of the State. These facts were freely given to him, 
 and he reciprocated, so that there came in time to be, as it were, a 
 common fund of information, and, to a great degree, a community of 
 views. 
 
 About one third of this mass of material had been put' into shape 
 by him, and in compiling the rest, I have endeavored to represent 
 him, whenever possible ; I have avoided theorizing, that I might not 
 misrepresent him. The whole is compiled rather from the standpoint 
 of the mining engineer than from that of the geologist. 
 
 About two thirds of the section on iron, and a large part of that on 
 copper are his ; in those on lead and gold a considerably larger part is' 
 due to the result of my own compilation. 
 
 It is fitting to acknowledge the assistance received from many sources, 
 particularly to superintendents of mines. Among others who contrib- 
 uted much and freely are Messrs. T. K. Bruner, Salisbury; John 
 Wilkes, Charlotte ; Calvin J. Cowles, Wilkesboro ; the late Dr. Daniel 
 Asbury, and Mr. Edward H. Bissell. The entire material of the 
 latter gentleman, covering a period of more than fifty years' observa- 
 tion and experience, was placed at my disposal. 
 
 GEORGE B. HANNA. 
 
 U. S. Assay Office, Charlotte, N. C, 
 February 26th, 1887. 
 
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER II. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Letter of transmittal 122 
 
 Section I. Iron ._ _ _ . 125, 
 
 Limonite ores of eastern counties 125 
 
 Hematites of Halifax and Granville 127 
 
 Iron ores of Johnston and Wake 128 
 
 Chatham and Orange.: 129 
 
 Guilford and adjacent counties 143 
 
 Mecklenburg and Cabarrus _ 154 
 
 Gaston, Lincoln and Catawba 155 
 
 Yadkin, Surry and Stokes 169 
 
 Burke, Caldwell and adjacent counties 1 73 
 
 Mitchell and Ashe 177 
 
 French Broad region _ _ 181 
 
 Cherokee county 184 
 
 Spathic ore 186 
 
 Section II. Silver, Lead and Zinc. 
 
 188 
 
 Section III. Copper _ 205 
 
 Copper ores of the syenitic belt 205 
 
 central Huronian belt 211 
 
 Granville and Person counties 214 
 
 western counties 221 
 
 Section IV. Gold. 
 
 Gold ores of Warren, Franklin and Nash counties 239 
 
 the central Huronian belt 242 
 
 the central syenitic belt 275 
 
 Gold gravels and accompanying vein deposits of the Piedmont 
 
 and mountain counties 308 
 
 Appendix A : The gold gravels of North Carolina — their struc- 
 ture and origin _ ... 321 
 
 Appendix B : On some peculiarities in the occurrence of gold in 
 
 North Carolina 326 
 
 Appendix C : On the action of frost in the arrangement of 
 superficial earthy material 328 
 
 Section V. Manganese - 343 
 
 Chromic Iron - - 345 
 
 Cobalt and Nickel 345 
 
 Arsenic, Antimony and Bismuth 347 
 
 Tin.... --- - 347 
 
 Geological Map - 348 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 ORES. 
 Section 1. IEON. 
 
 The ores of iron are very widely distributed in this State, their 00 
 currence being not only co-extensive with the area of the Archean (or 
 Azoic) rocks, but extending over a part of the Mesozoic, and into 
 the region of the Tertiary. These occurrences include all the princi- 
 pal kinds of ore : Magnetite, Hematite, Limonite, and Siderite, and 
 most of their varieties. As many of these forms are found in associa- 
 tion or in close proximity, it will avoid confusion to consider them by 
 districts — to group them geographically. 
 
 We begin with the most easterly occurrences : 
 
 But for the benefit of the reader who is not familiar with mineral- 
 ogy, it may be proper to state that Magnetite, (magnetic iron ore, gray 
 ore, black ore,) a granular, hard, dark to black, heavy mineral, contains, 
 when pure, 72.4 per cent, of metallic iron ; Hematite, (specular iron, red 
 hematite, red iron ore,) 70 per cent. ; Limonite, (brown hematite, brown 
 iron ore, brown ochre, bog iron ore, etc. ) very nearly 60 per cent. ; Side- 
 rite, (spathic ore, carbonate of iron,) 48.28 per cent. These ores are never 
 found in a state of purity in workable beds, but contain various impu- 
 rities, earthy or mineral, in varying proportions, e. g., silica, alumina, 
 lime, magnesia, manganese, sulphurets, and phosphates, etc., so that 
 practically an ore which yields 40 to 50 per cent, of iron in the furnace 
 is a good ore. 
 
 Limonite Ores op the East. 
 
 The clayey, sandy and earthy accumulations of the eastern section 
 contain in many places a rough brown ore, more or less earthy or sandy, 
 either in beds 2 to 4 feet in thickness, or more frequently in layers of 
 irregularly shaped lumps or nodules. 
 
 Blomary Mine. — One of the most considerable of these deposits is 
 found in the southern end of Nash county, near the Wilson line ; it is 
 in the form of a horizontal, continuous bed, of a loose, spongy texture, 
 
126 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 and rusty brown color, except in a few points, where it becomes more 
 
 compact and of a submetallic lustre. It lies on the edge of Toisnot 
 
 Swamp. The thickness is 2 to 3 feet, and its horizontal extent about 
 
 50 yards by 150. It is known as the Blomary Iron Mine, from the fact 
 
 that iron had been made from this ore in a Catalan forge a few miles 
 
 south during the war of 1812. Iron was also made here during the 
 
 Confederate war in a furnace erected on the spot. Its reputation was 
 good, and there is a tradition in the neighborhood, that the forge iron 
 
 was a sort of natural steel. The following is the analysis of a fair 
 
 sample of the bed lately selected : 
 
 ORE FROM THE BLOMARY MINE, (1 ) 
 
 Silica 15.06 per cent. 
 
 Alumina __ 0.55 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron _ 60.74 
 
 Protoxide of iron __ 0.24 
 
 Sulphide of iron. 0.06 
 
 Oxide of Manganese 1.56 
 
 Lime. ." 1.43 
 
 Magnesia _ 1.54 
 
 Sulphuric acid (anhydride) _ 0.03 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) _ 0.11 
 
 Organic matter and water _ 15.58 
 
 Metallic iron ... 42.73 per cent. 
 
 This analysis places the ore among the best of its class. 
 
 A second deposit, reported to be abundant in superficial nodules and 
 irregular lumps, is found in the southern part of Duplin county near 
 Wallace, on the farm of D. T. Boney. The following is a partial analy- 
 sis of an average specimen from a box of about 50 pounds sent to 
 the Museum : 
 
 ORE FROM FARM OF D. T. BONEY. (2) 
 
 Silica 7.59 per cent. 
 
 Oxide of iron _. _ _ 77.03 " 
 
 Sulphur _ 0.05 " 
 
 Phosphorus.. 0.02 " 
 
 Metallic iron 53.93 per cent. 
 
 This ore is often in quite large and tolerably compact lumps, of a 
 reddish brown color, and slightly magnetic. 
 
 Another bed of the same character and appearance, except in the 
 
IRON ORES. 127 
 
 size of the nodules, which are rather small, occurs in a field about two 
 miles north of Rocky Point in New Hanover. 
 
 Extensive beds of limonite are reported (by Col. R. W. Wharton) to 
 occur on the border of Tranter's Creek, near the Tar River, in the 
 eastern portion of Pitt county. The ore occurs iu the "second bot- 
 tom " about 10 feet above water level in the creek, at or near the sur- 
 face, sometimes in large lumps and blocks ; in other places it is found 
 in solid beds. 
 
 It is reported also as occurring on Tar River near the town of Wash- 
 ington, several miles above the mouth of Tranter's Creek. 
 
 Specimens of the same sort have been frequently sent to the Museum 
 from other points east — Edgecombe, Pitt, Halifax and Robeson, for 
 example — showing that this kind of ore is of common occurrence in 
 that region. 
 
 Hematites of Halifax and Granville. 
 
 Gaston Ore Beds. — On the hills fronting the Roanoke, less than a 
 mile below Gaston, are several outcrops of hematite ore. 
 
 There are two principal beds, of which the lower only has been 
 opened. The ore is granular, for the most part, and of the variety 
 known as specular, but contains a considerable per centage of magnetic 
 grains disseminated through it. On the south side of the river, the 
 bed has been exposed for several rods on the upper slope of the hill, at 
 an elevation of about 100 to 150 feet above the surface of the water. 
 The ore is generally slaty, impregnating and replacing the argillaceous, 
 quartzitic and chloritic strata, which constitute the Huronian forma- 
 tion at this locality. This lower bed is double, another parallel out- 
 crop appearing at the distance of about 100 yards. The strike is N. 
 20° E., and dip eastwards 80° The principal bed is about 20 inches 
 thick at the surface. There is a re-appearance of it on the other hill 
 front about a mile distant, on the north side of the river, the ore being 
 of the same character, but a little less slaty. It gave on analysis 63.76 
 per cent, of iron, and 0.09 per cent, of phosphorus. 
 
 The accompanying plate (plate I) shows the relations of the different 
 outcrops to each other and to the topography, and also a larger outcrop of 
 another bed nearly half a mile northwest. The course of this last bed 
 is marked by numerous surface fragments scattered quite widely. The 
 ore, in this case, is more compact and less slaty; the inclosing rock is a 
 gray gneissoid quartzite. 
 
128 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The analyses ( of both these beds are added below : 
 
 ORE FROM GASTON OBB BEDS. (3) (4) 
 
 Silica..... 9.10 10.12 
 
 Alumina 6.18 
 
 Oxideof iron 83.96 . 
 
 Lime 0.22 
 
 Phosphorus... 0.00 0.05 
 
 Sulphur 0.03 0.08 
 
 Metallic iron 58.73 53.31 
 
 The upper bed last described, is represented by No. 3, the lower by 
 No. 4. These analyses were made by Mr. G. Lobdell for the owners, 
 by whose courtesy a copy of them was obtained for this report. 
 
 About 5 miles southward from the above locality the same bed 
 makes its appearance on the farm of Mr. Hines. Here, however, it is 
 highly magnetic, fine grained . and dense, although still showing the 
 decidedly slaty structure of the first of the Gaston beds. At this point 
 it is represented as 3 to 4 feet thick. 
 
 These ores are of conspicuous purity and obviously adapted to the 
 manufacture of the higher grades of iron and of steel. There is evi- 
 dently here a range of ore-beds of considerable extent. 
 
 Magnetic iron ore occurs 10 miles east of Littleton and 6 miles south 
 of Gaston. Red Hematite is found one-third mile below Gaston. 
 
 In Granville county, about a mile north of Tar River, and the same 
 distance eastward from Fishing Creek, is an outcrop of a coarse, gran- 
 ular, somewhat slaty magnetic ore, having very much the appearance 
 of that of the upper bed at Gaston. The rock is a felspathic talco- 
 quartzitic and chloro-quartzitic schist. The bed is revealed only by the 
 numerous fragments scattered over the surface through the forest for 
 several rods along the roadside. This ore is in a small triangular patch 
 of Huronian schists, intercalated between the older rocks of the region. 
 It is reported that there are other outcrops of iron ore near Rainey's 
 mill, and also in the neighborhood of Lyon's mill, but I have not seen 
 either of them. 
 
 Iron Ores of Johnston and Wake. 
 
 There is, according to Dr. Emmons,* "a large deposit" of Limonite 
 
 * Geological Report of Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, pp. 125-127. 
 
GEOLOGY OF X. C. 
 
 PLATE I. 
 
 GASTON IRON ORB BEDS, 
 
 Showing the relations of the different outcrops of ore to each other and to the 
 topography of the region. 
 
IRON ORES. 129 
 
 4 miles west of Smithfield, Johnston county. The specimens brought 
 to the Museum by Mr. Guest, the owner of the land (1875), resemble 
 very closely the bog ore of Duplin county. They are more or less sandy 
 and earthy, irregular lumps of nodules. 
 
 Another "bluff" of limonite is referred to by Emmons* as found at 
 Whitaker's, 7 miles southwest of Raleigh, Wake county. These last 
 two are in the Huronian schists. Hand specimens of very coarsely 
 crystalline magnetite of 10 to 15 pounds weight, associated with sye- 
 nite, are found within a mile of Raleigh ; compact hematite also occurs 
 in veins in the same vicinity. 
 
 These and other specimens of these species and of limonite are from 
 different parts of these counties,** and are from the surface, as no 
 openings have been made. They indicate the very common occurrence 
 of these ores. 
 
 Iron Ores op Chatham and Orange. 
 
 Buckhorn Mine. — One of the best known mines of this region is the 
 Buckhorn mine, about 7 miles below the fork of the Cape Fear River, on 
 a hill nearly 200 feet high, overlooking the river from the left bank, near 
 the border of Harnett county. Its location will be easily understood from 
 the accompanying topographical sketch (plate II). The ore occurs as 
 a bed, capping the hill and sloping from the river, with a dip of 2° to 25° 
 towards the northwest. 
 
 The lower part of the bed, which contains much manganese, and 
 less iron in proportion, is of a mottled gray and dull reddish color at 
 the summit, and at the distance of 200 or 300 yards along the slope, is 
 a light colored, gray and spotted (black and dirty white) ferriferous 
 manganesian slate. 
 
 Occasional sheets of laminated black oxide of manganese, 1 or 2 
 inches thick occur in the bed. Some parts of the bed are slightly 
 magnetic. The outcrop, or rather the terminal face of the bed at the 
 opening, on the summit of the hill, is shown in the annexed diagram: 
 
 * Geological Report of Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, pp. 125-127. 
 ** Limonite from near Leachburg, Johnston county; Magnetite from near Smith- 
 field, Johnston county, may "be mentioned especially. 
 
130 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Ore* triSJi jWasurcmesc. 
 
 Slaty -Ma/taanesK 
 Garnet 
 
 Felsp. Gneiss 
 
 JHsvigascesc Garnet 
 Gneiss 
 
 BUCKHOEN SECTION. 
 
 The ore is properly described as specular; it is of a dull, dark gray 
 to blackish color, subcrystalline structure, and uneven fracture; the 
 streak is dark red. Occasionally pieces of the ore show a tendency to 
 lamination, and in such cases the divisional planes are commonly 
 coated with mica crystals. 
 
 The mine was extensively operated a few years since, and the sup- 
 ply of valuable ore was exhausted There are other valuable ore 
 deposits in the vicinity, but examinations sufficient to determine the 
 extent and value of the deposits have not yet been made. 
 
 The rocks of this region are slaty gray gneiss, and mica slate, with 
 occasional patches of massive, light gray granite. The rock which 
 underlies the ore (see the above "section") is a light-colored, felspathic 
 slaty gneiss, which readily decomposes. 
 
 Douglass mine. — The neighboring hills, at the distance of half a mile, 
 both north and south, are reported to show many scattered fragments 
 of the same ore on the surface; and on the right bank of the river, on 
 nearly the same level with the Buckhorn mine, at the distance of about 
 1 mile southwest is the Douglass mine (see plate II). This is a recurrence 
 of the Buckhorn bed, on the scale and with the features of its lower ex- 
 posure, being more schistose in structure, some of the strata being in fact 
 simply gneiss and mica slate, with disseminated grains and larninse of 
 hematite (and magnetite), and the lower strata passing into a slaty 
 manganesian silicate. The thickness, which is not fully exposed, 
 seems to be 10 to 12 feet. Angular fragments of dark, dense, granu- 
 
Missing Page 
 
IRON ORES. 131 
 
 lar ore, with -a black manganese stain, are scattered over several acres 
 of the hill top, indicating a wide extension of the bed. 
 
 From the facts stated, it will be apparent that these different beds 
 are mere remnants of an ancient and very extensive deposit, which 
 has been almost' entirely removed by denudation, and carried away by 
 the erosive action of the river. 
 
 Pegram Mine. — About 1 mile north of the Buckhorn mine (see plate 
 II) is a small vein about 1 foot thick, of a highly magnetic ore. Its strike 
 is N. 60°, and dip eastward 30°; the gangue is an epidotic quartzite. 
 There are two openings on the vein, called the Pegram Mine. An anal- 
 ysis of this ore for the owners by C. E. Buck gave 56.57 per cent, of iron 
 and 1.51 per cent, of titanic acid. 
 
 This group of mines has been worked by the American Iron and 
 Steel Company. The product was mostly a spiegeleisen, of which the 
 following analyses, by Mr. Lobdell, will show the character: 
 
 SPIEGELEISEN, BUCKHORN FURNACE (5) (6) (7) 
 
 Manganese _ ...4.573 6.50 4.88 
 
 Silicon ..0.233 0.14 0.38 
 
 Sulphur 0.015 0.009 
 
 Phosphorus ....0.051 0.12 0.095 
 
 The origin of this peculiar and valuable product will be evident on 
 the inspection of the analyses given below. They were made by G. 
 G. Lobdell and C. E. Buck, of Wilmington, Del., and by the chemist 
 of the Pennsylvania Steel Company : 
 
 ORES PROM BUCKHORN (8 TO 11) AND DOUG-LAS MINE (12). 
 
 (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) 
 
 Silica 14.45 5.65 12.80 30.50 7.50 
 
 Alumina 0.80 5.20 19.20 8.49 
 
 Oxide of Manganese. trace 22.80 7.52 
 
 Phosphorus trace trace 0. 02 0. 04 
 
 Sulphur 0.06 .... trace 0.03 0.02 
 
 Iron 56.70 66.50 54.15 18.41 55.00 
 
 Of these, Nos. 8, 9 and 10 are from the upper and main part of the 
 Buckhorn bed, and No. 11 from the manganesian section. This last 
 analysis suggests the presence, in this part of the bed, of the mineral 
 knebelite, a characteristic ore of the most famous Swedish Spiegeleisen 
 mines. No. 12 is the Douglass ore on the other side of the river. 
 
 Besides the localities already mentioned, a number of additional 
 outcrops of ore, mostly magnetic, have been noted; one, for example, 2 
 
132 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 miles north of Buckhorn, at Dewer's, yielding 57.77 per cent, of iron, 
 and without sulphur or phosphorus, and three or Four others in a 
 southwest direction, for 10 miles, to the head waters of Little River— 
 at McNeil's, Dallrymple's and Buchanan's. Analyses by Lobdejh, are 
 as follows, respectively : 
 
 OEES FROM MCNEILL'S (13), DALLRYMPLE'S (14) AND-BUCHANAN'S (15), CHATHAM COUNTY. 
 
 (13) (14) (15) 
 
 Iron 52.90 36.47 53.25 
 
 Sulphur 0.05 0.05 0.04 
 
 Phosphorus : 0.12 0.11 0.57 
 
 Near Haywood, in the angle formed by the junction of the Haw and 
 Deep rivers, in the red sandstone of the Triassic, there has been opened 
 a series of parallel beds of a red ochreous earthy ore, on the lands of 
 Dr. Smith, (1875). The only bed exposed at the time of rny visit, was 
 20 to 25 inches thick, dipping southeast with the sandstone, 20° to 30°. 
 The ore has a rough likeness to the " Clinton " or " Fossil ore " of New 
 York, and the " Dystone " of Tennessee, but has a much coarser and 
 more irregular texture, and is composed of rounded concretionary 
 masses of various sizes from that of the Clinton grains to f inch and up- 
 wards. It is commonly more or less compacted into conglomeritic 
 masses, often of the entire thickness of the bed, but frequently it is 
 loosely and slightly compacted, and when thrown out, crumbles to a 
 heap of very coarse gravel. The ore is partly limonite, but seems to be 
 largely changed to red hematite. The following analyses of samples 
 taken from different parts of the beds, whose outcrops extend over an 
 area of several acres, will exhibit the character of the ore. The second 
 of the analyses (No. 17) represents the ore as it occurs on the lands of 
 Richard Smith, adjoining the preceding. 
 
 ORES FROM LANDS OF DR. SMITH (16) AND RICHARD SMITH (17), NEAR HAYWOOD. 
 
 (16) (17) 
 
 Silica _ 23.50 
 
 Alumina _ 2.54 
 
 Sesqui-oxide of iron 69.73 67.50 
 
 Protoxide of iron 0.84 
 
 Bisulphide of iron 0.17 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) 0.10 
 
 Lime 0.90 
 
 Magnesia 0.24 
 
 Water and loss 5.03 
 
 Iron 49.56 47.25 
 
GEOUK.Y OF X ('. 
 
 Pf.ATE III. 
 
 Black slates. 
 Calcareous slates. 
 
 Green calcareous shales. 
 
 Bituminous shales. 
 Calcareous shales. 
 
 Bituminous slates. 
 Ball ore. 
 
 Calcareous shales. 
 Black slates and ball ore. 
 Green calcareous shales. 
 Black slates. 
 
 Black slates and ball ore. 
 
 Fire clay and ball ore. 
 
 Sandstone. 
 
 Coal. 
 
 Black band ore. 
 
 Bituminous shales. 
 Gray sandstone. 
 Coal and black band. 
 
 Black slates. 
 
 SECTION OF EGYPT COAL SHAFT, CHATHAM COUNTY, 400 FEET DEEP. 
 Showing the occurrence of ball and black band ore and coal. 
 
GEOLOGY OF N. C 
 
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IKON ORES. 
 
 133 
 
 This ore makes its appearance again about a mile from Sanford, 
 some twelve miles distant, where it was opened and worked to some 
 extent during the late war. Only one bed was exposed here, which 
 is about 20 inches thick. 
 
 The ore is easily dug and shoveled from the bed, and crumbles into 
 a heap of very coarse, reddish-brown gravel — a rough sort of shot ore. 
 The preceding analysis will nearly enough represent the composition 
 of this also. 
 
 Blackband and Ball Ores. — The next ores demanding attention are the 
 Blackband and Ball ore, or " kidney ore " of the coal measures. These 
 are earthy and calcareous carbonates of iron, imbedded in the black 
 carbonaceous shales, which enclose the coal, or interstratified with 
 the coal itself. These ores seem to be co-extensive with the coal on 
 Deep River, outcropping everywhere with it, and at several places 
 outside of its limits. 
 
 Two seams are shown in the. accompanying sections, (plates III and 
 IV) and there is a third in the bottom shales, not penetrated at the Gulf, 
 but shown in the Egypt section, as accompanying the lower coal, 30 feet 
 below the main seam. 
 
 Emmons* also speaks of another argillaceous carbonate as occurring 
 at the depth of 230 feet in the shaft at Egypt, and four occurrences of 
 it are indicated as ball ore in the Egypt section. 
 
 He says of this carbonate :* " It contains 33 per cent, of metallic iron ; 
 the surface ores, being altered, contain 50 per cent." ; he also says that 
 it occurs in " balls, or in continuous beds." 
 
 About the Gulf it is found in rounded, flattish masses, 5 or 6 to 8 or 
 10 inches in diameter. They are dense, uncrystalline and heavy, of a 
 light gray to drab color, and are pretty thickly distributed in parallel 
 layers of 1 to 3 feet in thickness. An analysis by Prof. Schaeffer, as 
 given in Admiral Wilkes' Report to the Secretary of the Navy in 1858, 
 is as follows : 
 
 BLACKBAND ORE PROM NEAR THE GULP. (18) 
 
 Protoxide of iron 40.00 percent. 
 
 Silica - - 13.00 
 
 Earthy matter... 13.00 
 
 Carbonaceous matter 34.00 " 
 
 *Geology of the Midland Counties, 1856, p. 262, et siq. 
 
134 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The following is the analysis by Buck, of the ball ore proper, as it 
 occurs at the Gulf, and such as was used extensively and successfully 
 as a flux during the late war: 
 
 BALL ORE FROM THE GULF. (19) 
 
 Silica _ - 6.04 
 
 Alumina 0.48 
 
 Protoxide of iron _ 14.51 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 1.63 
 
 Lime...- 29.57 
 
 Magnesia _ . — 6.51 
 
 Carbonic Acid 38.30 
 
 Phosphoric Acid (anhydride) __ 0.92 
 
 Sulphuric Acid (anhydride) 0. 19 
 
 Organic matter .. _ 1.45 
 
 Water 0.40 
 
 There are many outcrops of ferriferous limestone in the vicinity of 
 Egypt. The following analysis is of a specimen taken from near 
 Dowd's saw mill : 
 
 FERRIFEROUS LIMESTONE, NEAR EGYPT. (20) 
 
 Lime. _ 31.68 
 
 Magnesia..... 0.79 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 9.60 
 
 Sulphur and Phosphorus _ none. 
 
 Oyster shells from the Tertiary bluffs below Fayetteville, and lime- 
 stone from the Eocene beds about Wilmington, have also been used as 
 fluxes, and on account of their purity and cheapness, will doubtless 
 become the chief resource for this purpose. 
 
 The seam of blackband between the main coal beds in the Egypt 
 shaft, is stated by Wilkes to be 16 inches, and the lower one to consist of 
 two thicknesses of 3 feet each, separated by a thin seam of coal be- 
 tween. He adds, " this ore is readily distinguished from a slate by its 
 brownish black color." The following analysis of this ore is by Dr 
 Jackson* : 
 
 BLACKBAND ORE FROM THE EGYPT SHAFT. (21) 
 
 Carbon _ 31.30 
 
 Peroxide of iron (Protoxide ?) 47.50 
 
 Silica _ 9. 
 
 Volatile matter 8.81 
 
 Sulphur 3.39 
 
 * Emmons' Geoloy of Midland Counties, 1856, p. 264. 
 
IRON ORES. 135 
 
 Emmons adds : " the roasted ore gives sulphur 0.89 per cent." 
 An analysis of this ore by Schseffer for Wilkes gives : 
 
 BLACKBAND ORE FROM EGYPT SHAFT. (22) 
 
 Metallic iron...: 17.00 per cent. 
 
 Carbonaceous matter _ . . 42.00 
 
 Specific gravity - 2.12 
 
 The following analyses of samples selected from a recent opening at 
 the Gulf, represented in the section given above, were made for the sur- 
 vey by Mr. G. B. Hanna : 
 
 BLACKBAND ORES FROM THE GULF. 
 
 (23) (24) (25) (26) 
 
 Specific Gravity 2.361_ 3.150 2.110 2.110 
 
 Silica 9.154 7.089 34.390 5.188 
 
 Alumina 4.244 0.127 19.658 4.060 
 
 Protoxide of iron .19.419 33.802 12.371 9.614 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 0.000 1.755 1.430 0.938 
 
 Sulphide of iron 10.485 2.145 2.023 7.146 
 
 Oxideof manganese 1.750 1.980 0.995 1.500 
 
 Lime. 9.520 12.672 3.100 14.040 
 
 Magnesia 1.490 1.170 1.220 0.863 
 
 Alkalies none. none. none. none. 
 
 Sulphuric acid (anhydride) trace. 0.170 trace. 0.152 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride).... 4.960 6.820 0.730 6.300 
 
 Volatile matter ...22.065 27.244 14.933 15.009 
 
 CarbonFixed 16.213 4.726 6.562 34.473 
 
 Water 0.700 0.300 2.588 0.717 
 
 100.000 100.000 100.000 100.000 
 Ash, or Roasted ore 60.475 72.070 76.902 '48.571 
 
 The important constituents of this Ash are shown below : 
 
 Metalliciron ...33.032 39.593 14.645 23.619 
 
 Sulphur. 0.839 0.800 0.319 0.360 
 
 Phosphorus 3.581 4.131 0.474 5.664 
 
 No. 1 is the lower stratum of blackband between the coal, about IS 
 inches thick ; No. 3, the upper and earthy part of the same, 6 to 10 
 inches. 
 
 No. 2 is the seam, about 12 inches thick, lying above the coal and sepa- 
 rated from it by 16 inches of fire clay. This is a hard, black, slaty ore, 
 with occasional balls still more dense ; No. 4 is the stratum, about 3 feet 
 
136 GEOLOGY OT NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 above the coal, which consists of black, heavy, Very tough, concretion- 
 ary lumps of ore. The amount-of phosphorus which these beds con- 
 tain is very notable, and is, of course, due to their highly fossiliferous 
 character; and yet no fossil bones, shells or identifiable organisms were 
 visible. The high percentage of phosphorus excludes them from the 
 manufacture of wrought iron till the introduction of some method 
 effective in eliminating this injurious ingredient; otherwise these ores 
 are Well constituted for the manufacture of iron very cheaply, by mix- 
 ing with other and purer ores from the neighborhood. It is not prob- 
 able that the phosphatic character will follow the ore beds and appear 
 at the other outcrops in the same force ; it is a character likely to be 
 local. These ores will make pig iron suitable for castings. 
 
 Outside of the line of outcrops of the coal, and within a few rods of 
 it, is a bed of limonite belonging to the underlying shales. The thick- 
 ness is 2 to 3 feet, and it is traceable for a considerable distance along 
 the surface. Probably it is the result of the weathering of some of 
 the argillaceous carbonates already described. 
 
 Mclver Ore Bed. — A similar outcrop of a partly stripped bed has 
 been noticed at a point 1J miles southeast of Egypt, on Pretty creek, 
 known as the Mclver ore bed. It is 20 inches thick, and carries a very 
 slaty and somewhat shaly limonite, with occasional masses of ore of 
 considerable size; it is obviously the result of the oxidation of one of 
 the blackband or argillaceous carbonate seams already described, but 
 its exact geological relations are concealed by vegetation and soil. 
 
 The analysis by Buck shows the following composition : 
 
 LIMONITE FROM THE MCIVER ORE BED. (27) 
 
 Metallic iron 47.59 
 
 Sulphur 0.14 
 
 Phosphorus 9.94 
 
 Evans Vein — This occurs about 6 miles north of the Gulf, on the 
 Graham road. Its thickness is 6 feet. The ore is a non-crystalline jas- 
 pery hematite. 
 
 The country rock is talco-chloritic argillite, (Huronian), which in the 
 hill a few hundred yards beyond becomes a sort of spotted slate con- 
 glomerate. Wilkes gives the following analysis by Schaeffer* : 
 
 HEMATITE FROM THE EVANS VEIN. (28) 
 
 Peroxide of iron _ ,. 96.4 
 
 Silica . 2.1 
 
 Earthy matter 1,5 
 
 * Examination of Deep Eiver Country, 1859, p. 14. 
 
IRON ORES. 137 
 
 The ore is abundantly scattered Over the surface of several acres, stnd 
 Emmons traced the bed three^fourths of a mile. He also speaks, of an- 
 other vein of hematite*, (specular and crystalline), on the neighbor- 
 ing farm of Mr. Glass, which was revealed only by surface fragments ; 
 and also of " a magnetic ore of fine quality on the plantation of T. Uh- 
 thanks, 2 or 3 miles beyond the Evans place," and of another of the 
 same class at Heading's near Ore Hill. Still another locality is noticad 
 by both Emmonsf and WilkesJ as containing a bed of reddish-brown 
 ore, which is magnetic. It is represented as 2J feet thick at the Tyson 
 Place, and as occurring at various other points. The analysis given by 
 WilkesJ is as follows : 
 
 MAGNETIC ORB, TYSON PLACE, CHATHAM COUNTY. (29) 
 
 Peroxide of iron 79.72 
 
 Carbon 7.37 
 
 Silica 4. 
 
 Water 8.80 
 
 Metallic iron 61. 
 
 Ore Hill Mine. — The most noted locality in Chatham County is 
 known as Ore Hill. 
 
 The accompanying plate (plate V) shows theiopography and general 
 relations, and approximately the situations of the veins, which are 
 numerous and lie at various angles with the meridian and with the 
 horizon. 
 
 The rock is a talco-quartzose slate, knotted and toughened with 
 much tremolite. The ore is limonite, with the exception of one vein 
 near the top and back of the hill, which is hematite, partly specular, 
 and much resembles the Evans ore. 
 
 The abundance of the scattered fragments would seem to indicate a 
 vein of considerable extent. Most of the veins had been opened, but 
 had subsequently fallen in, and accurate measurements could not be 
 taken when the mine was visited. Still it was easy to see that two or 
 "three of them were verj' large — 10 to 15 feet and upwards. The ore 
 is spongy, porous, scoriaceous, botryoidal, mammillary, stalactitic, tab- 
 ular, and of many other fantastic forms. The workmen stated that 
 
 * Geology of Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 122. 
 
 f Geology of Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 262, et seq. 
 
 \ Examination of Deep River Country, 1859, p. 15. 
 
138 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 there were large cavities (vuggs) in some parts -of the veins. The 
 analyses here given are of samples from the 90 foot shaft, nearest the 
 hematite vein, and may be considered as fairly representative : 
 
 HEMATITE FROM OEE HILL. (30) (31) 
 
 Silica.... _ 1.42 3.79 
 
 Alumina.. 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 82.02 83.69 
 
 Peroxide of iron 0.11 
 
 Lime. __ 1.19 
 
 Magnesia 0.11 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) trace. 
 
 Sulphuric acid (anhydride) 0.77 
 
 Water.... _. 15.26 
 
 ! 100. 
 
 Metallic iron 57.26 58.67 
 
 Sulphur _ _ 0.33 
 
 Phosphorus _ trace. 
 
 The first of these' (30) was made by Dr. T. M. Chatard, for Prof. F. A. 
 Genth, and the second (31) by Mr. Hanna. 
 
 This ore was worked on a considerable scale during the American 
 Revolution, and again during the late civil war ; and the iron is re- 
 ported to have been of good quality. It is obviously an ore very readily 
 smelted. 
 
 The presence of the hematite vein and the proximity of the ball ore, 
 which was successfully used as a flux in the last working of the fur- 
 nace-, furnish admirable conditions for advantageous iron manufacture*. 
 
 Many other specimens have been sent to the Museum from various 
 parts of the section : magnetite, hematite and limonite, representing 
 veins and deposits of which nothing is known in detail. It is worth 
 while to mention two of these specimens, one from Chatham county, 
 between Lockville and En dor, and the other from the adjoining county 
 of Moore, Governor's Creek, as they are almost the only examples of 
 the species of ore called jaspery clay iron stone yet found in the State. 
 
 JASPERY CLAY IRON STOXE. (32) 
 
 The former contains. .... 48.92 per cent, of iron. 
 
 0.39 " " '• phosphorus. 
 
 * The proposed "Western Railroad located on the accompanying plate of Ore Hill 
 has developed into the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad, which now affords 
 ample transportation facilities. 
 
GEOLOGY OF N. C. 
 
 PLATE V. 
 
IRON ORES. 139 
 
 Magnetite at Tyrrell's Mountain. — A fine quality of magnetic ore, 
 dense metallic, and very pure, is found on the east side of Haw River, 
 and about 2 miles distant, at the foot of Tyrrell's mountain, on the farm 
 of Mr. Snipes. The vein has not been fully exposed, but it is reported 
 to be 3 or 4 feet thick. It is in syenite, and has an" epidotic gangue. 
 The analysis by Lobdell is as follows: 
 
 MAGNETIC ORE FROM MR. SNIPES, TYRRELL'S MT. (33) 
 
 Silica 1.62 
 
 Alumina 6.60 
 
 Magnetic oxide of iron . . . 88.41 
 
 Manganese _ 0.56 
 
 Lime _ trace. 
 
 Magnesia... 0.85 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) 0.00 
 
 Sulphur 0.13 
 
 Metallic iron 63.49 
 
 Hematite on Collins' Creek. — A very fine micaceous hematite is found 
 near the mouth of Collins' Creek, a few miles above, in Orange county. 
 It has not been explored, but surface fragments are abundant. 
 
 Chapel Hill Iron Mine. — The most notable ore bank yet opened in 
 this county, is that at Chapel Hill. It is a very dense, steel gray hema- 
 tite, specular in part, with a slight percentage of magnetic oxide. The 
 accompanying plate* (plate VI.) shows its relations. The vein is found 
 on a hill one mile north of Chapel Hill, and more than 200 feet above 
 the creek at its base. The rock is gray granite and syenite, but the 
 vein is carried by a much jointed, fine grained, ferruginous, slaty 
 quartzite of several rods in breadth, the iron-bearing part of it, the 
 vein proper, being 7 to 10 feet at the main shaft, and suddenly enlarg- 
 ing near the summit of the hill, just beyond the second shaft, to 25 to 
 30 feet. 
 
 *The accompanying plate of the Chapel Hill Iron Mine, is a reproduction of 
 that given in the Report for 1875, (Geology of North Carolina, Vol. I., 1875, p. 234), 
 with the topographical features redrawn from a survey by Prof. W. B. Phillips. 
 
140 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The character of the ore is shown by the following analysis: 
 
 HEMATITE, CHAPEL HILL IRON MINE. (34) 
 
 Silica - 2.63 
 
 Alumina 1.68 
 
 Protoxide of iron - 2.45 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 91.24 
 
 Oxide of manganese _ - 0.34 
 
 Lime ..- - 0.56 
 
 Magnesia... 0.00 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) -_ 0.04 
 
 Sulphur 0.11 
 
 99.05 
 Metallic iron 65.77 
 
 This ore is of notable purity, and the practical tests thus far applied 
 have confirmed the indications of the analysis — that it is an ore of 
 high grade ; the quantity is very great. The vein, as shown in the 
 section, (see plate VI) has a dip to the west at an angle, which is little 
 short of 90°. 
 
 A second vein of the same character crosses the main vein near the 
 first shaft, as shown in the plate. The ore becomes poorer as the vein 
 is followed beyond the summit of the hill northward, till at the dis- 
 tance of 150 yards beyond the upper shaft, the quartzite predominates 
 and the ore becomes poor. 
 
 This mine was operated on a small scale a few years ago, — at inter- 
 vals from 1872 to 1882, — and several thousand tons of ore were removed. 
 Work has been suspended for the present, but is to be resumed at an 
 early date. , The Chapel Hill Railroad passes near the mine, and is 
 connected with it by means of a tramway. 
 
 There are surface indications on the neighboring hills, both north 
 and south, for several miles, which show that this vein has a consider- 
 able extension; and, in fact, it may be considered as a continuation of 
 the hematite veins of Deep River. 
 
 Magnetite near Chapel Hill* — Magnetite occurs about 3 miles S. S. E. 
 of Chapel Hill, on the Cheek farm, in surface fragments, a few inches 
 to one foot in diameter, scattered over a portion of an old field. No 
 explorations have been made with view to determine the nature and 
 extent of the deposit of ore. 
 
 * Journal of Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 1883-84, p. 87. 
 
GEOLOGY OF N. C. 
 
 PLATE VI. 
 
 CHAPEL HILL IRON MINE. 
 
 A topographical sketch, showing the relations of the ore deposit. Scale : 
 1 inch=200 feet. 
 
IRON ORES. 141 
 
 Analysis of a specimen from one of these surface fragments made in 
 the Chemical Laboratory at the State University gives the following: 
 
 MAGNETITE, CHEEK FARM, NEAR CHAPEL HILL. (34 a) 
 
 Magnetic iron oxide 96.03 
 
 Silica _ _ 3.02 
 
 "Water _ 53 
 
 Sulphur 19 
 
 Phosphorus trace. 
 
 Magnetic and Hematite Ores near Hillsboro. — Five miles southeast of 
 Hillsboro a vein of magnetite is traceable for one-fourth mile, and a 
 considerable quantity of ore is reported as occurring on the surface. 
 
 Hematite is also found on the Hastings place; where blocks of ore 
 are said to cover the surface for an acre or so in extent. 
 
 Deposits of hematite outcrop 3 to 4 miles W. S. W. of Hillsboro ; 
 and others are reported on Eno River \ mile above railroad bridge 
 west of Hillsboro, and further S. W. of Hillsboro, and a little to the 
 northwest of Oaks. At the outcrop 3J to 4 miles W. S. W. of Hills- 
 boro, the ore is a fine grained hematite, much jointed, in wedge-shaped 
 pockety masses, 4 feet and less in thickness, bedded in a ledge of bluish, 
 shaly. jointed rock. 
 
 Another outcrop occurs along the top of a ridge \ mile long, in ail 
 E. N. E. and W. S. W. course, about \ to \ mile W. S. W. of the above, 
 and about 4 to 4J miles W. S. W. of Hillsboro. The ore here appears as 
 a heavy ledge of fine grained, dark blue slaty hematite, which in places 
 changes into quartzite schist, and in other places into a ferriferous, 
 spotted, conglomerate, talcoid, slate, as near the Evans vein in Chatham 
 county, which ore it resembles. The bodies of ore are irregularly dis- 
 tributed through the slaty ledge. 
 
 Other outcrops have been observed in this region, and hand speci- 
 mens of very fine specular and magnetite ore have often been brought 
 to the museum from many other parts of Orange county, but nothing 
 is known of their quantity. 
 
 Magnetite on Knapp of Reeds creek, Durham County. — A magnetic ore 
 makes its appearance in the northeast corner of Durham county, 
 3 miles beyond the upper fork of the Neuse River on Knapp of 
 Reeds Creek, on the farm of Joseph Woods (1875). The rock here 
 is clay slate, more or less chloritic or quartzitic, and thin bedded. 
 The ore is slaty, and is, in fact, an impregnation of the chloritic 
 
142 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 argillaceous quartzite with granular magnetite and hematite. The 
 ore is very extensively scattered over a succession of hills, for 
 about a mile, in a northeast direction ; the ore bed outcrops at one 
 point for a few rods, where it appears to be about 3 feet thick, and has 
 a strike N. 40° E., and a dip at an angle of 70° to the northwest. 
 
 The bed seems to be duplicated towards the northeastern termina- 
 tion, another line of fragments marking the course of a parallel vein 
 several rods to the east of the former. This last is associated with a 
 bright vermilion red, and a banded, black and red jasper. Dr. Genth's 
 analysis of the ore is as follows : 
 
 MAGNETITE FROM J. WOODS, KNAPP OP EEEDS CREEK, DURHAM COUNTY. 
 
 (35) 
 
 Silica __ _ 20.38 
 
 Magnetic oxide of iron 75.69 
 
 Magnesia 1.26 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) ... 0.05 
 
 Water, etc _._ 2.62 
 
 Metallic iron _ 54.81 
 
 The analysis of another sample (by a different chemist) gave iron 
 56.50. 
 
 Hematite from Mt. Tirzah, Person County. — At Mt. Tirzah, in the south- 
 eastern corner of Person, near the Durham county line, there is a vein 
 of hematite (specular), from which iron was made to some extent dur- 
 ing the late war. It is described as about 6 feet thick. The specimens 
 sent to the museum resemble the ore of the Buckhorn mine. 
 
 The Ores of Montgomery and Randolph belong geologically to the 
 Chatham range, for they are found in the same great slate belt (Hu- 
 ronian) that constitutes both geologically and mineralogically the most 
 notable feature of the middle region of the State. The best known of 
 these ores is found near Franklinville, Randolph county, and is re- 
 ported to be largely magnetic* Another vein, near Ashboro, carries 
 specular hematite. Some of the strongest and most highly prized iron 
 obtained during the war came from this locality. 
 
 Dr. Emmons* describes an occurrence of hematite of apparently 
 considerable extent, 7 miles southwest of Troy, in Montgomery county. 
 
 * Geology of Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, pp. 118 and 119. 
 
IRON ORES. 143 
 
 He says it is free from sulphur and a very pure ore. Another occur- 
 rence of magnetic ore is noted by him 4 miles north of Troy.* It is 
 found with talcose schist (" slate "), is soft and friable ; and it sometimes 
 happens that a vein of specular ore lies by the side of a magnetic vein, 
 being separated by only a few feet." 
 
 Iron Ores in Moore County. — Oolitic iron ore occurs at Brown's Mine 
 one-half mile south of railroad, and 3 miles north of Sanford, Moore 
 county. 
 
 A bed of ore, in sandstone, is found 1J miles northeast of Sanford ; 
 it is reported to be 18 to 20 inches thick ; strike N. 90° E. ; dip 25° to 
 30° S. 
 
 Iron Ores or Guilford and Adjacent Counties.! 
 
 One of the most remarkable and persistent ranges of iron ore in the 
 State crosses the county of Guilford in a northeast and southwest di- 
 rection, passing about 10 miles northwest of Greensboro, near Friend- 
 ship. It extends from the headwaters of Abbott's Creek, in Davidson 
 county, entirely across Guilford to Haw River, in Rockingham county, 
 a distance of 30 miles, making its appearance on nearly every planta- 
 tion, and indeed almost every hill side in the range. The ore is a gran- 
 ular magnetite, and is everywhere titaniferous. It is usually rather 
 coarse grained, and frequently associated with crystals of chlorite in 
 small seams and scattered bunches. The ore is in the form of beds, 
 which partake of all the foldings and fractures and irregularities of 
 bedding to be expected in a region where only the oldest metamorphic 
 rocks are found. The deposits lie along and just west of the line of 
 junction of what has been provisionally set down as the lower and 
 upper Laurentian series of granitic rocks, as marked on the geological 
 map accompanying this volume. 
 
 There is a second, but much more interrupted range of ore parallel 
 to the one just described, and lying a few miles to the northwest. I vis- 
 ited this region in 1871, in company with Dr. F. A. Genth, at that time 
 chemist and mineralogist to the Survey. The entire range was taken 
 into the tour, and samples carefully made from many points by Dr. 
 Genth, in order to ascertain the average character, and to bring out the 
 
 * Geology of Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, pp. 118 and 119. 
 f Reprinted with slight alterations from Prof. Kerr's Report of 1875. (Geology of 
 North Carolina, 1875, p. 236 et seq.)—G. B. H. 
 
144 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 local peculiarities of the beds. The beds had recently been extensively- 
 opened by means of trenches, so that the general features of the de- 
 posits were well exposed. Dr. J. P. Lesley, now the Director of the 
 Pennsylvania Geological Survey, had just prior to this made a very 
 careful study of the entire range in all its bearings. Some of the 
 more important points of his results are here given. Whatever is 
 found below on the subject of this range of ores in quotation marks, 
 is taken from his report, f unless it be otherwise stated. 
 
 " This part of North Carolina is occupied by some of the oldest rocks 
 " known — the same rocks which hold the iron ore beds of Harford county, 
 " Maryland, and Chester county, Pennsylvania, and the gold ores of 
 " Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Canada. The gold mines of 
 " Guilford county, N. C, are opened alongside of, and not more than 10 
 " or 12 miles distant from the Tuscarora Iron Belt. Both the gold and 
 " iron range continuously, (with one break in New Jersey,) all the way 
 " from Quebec, in Canada, to Montgomery, Ala. The gold and iron 
 " bearing rocks are : granites, gneissoid, sandstones and mica slates, all 
 " very much weathered or decomposed, and that to a depth of many 
 " fathoms beneath the present surface. The solid granites are decom- 
 " posed least, the mica slates most. All contain iron, which has been 
 "peroxidized and hydrated, in the process of decomposition of the 
 " whole formation, and dyes the country soil with a deep red tint. The 
 " surface of the country is a smooth, soft, undulating plain, broken by 
 " gentle vales, the bottom of which are never more than 100 feet below 
 " the plain, and commonly not more than half that depth." 
 
 The local relations and geography of the ore belts are shown in the 
 accompanying map (plate VII).* 
 
 The two accompanying maps (plates VIII and IX) show the ore belt 
 on a larger scale, giving the names of the plantations crossed by the 
 ranges, with a scale of miles, which commences at the southwest 
 extremity of the beds on a branch of Deep River. It will be seen that 
 the length of the outcrops, air line measure, is 28 miles. 
 
 t Note on the Titaniferous Iron Ore Belt near Greenboro, North Carolina. Am. 
 Phil. Soc. Proc, Vol. XII, p. 139, readJune 16, 1871.— G. B. H. 
 
 * The plates for the accompanying illustrations of the Guilford ore beds have 
 been reproduced from the illustrations published in Prof. Lesley's original report 
 (see note above), and republished in the Geology of North Carolina 1875. 
 
GEOLOGY OP N. C. 
 
 PLATE VII. 
 
 STOKES 
 CO. 
 
 IDa.TlhUJ'x 
 
 X-^-^L 
 
 TJ- i I ' I I 
 
 IRON ORE BELTS OF GUILFORD COUNTY. 
 A sketch map showing the n?lali< ns of the ore deiaosits. (After Lesley.) 
 
geologV of x. c. 
 
 PLATE VIII. 
 
 (fctf/rij)7iarri* 
 ■ j .... -4 .ff.Li n cLi ay 
 
 fc/scA/70/rj fb/rG£s 
 
 lease frt>/7iAb&9a/z(Za* 
 
 v4/td &am.$6e 
 
 
 
 -— .Kr*. (JAflhrit?) 
 
 Susanfirir/u, c-. 
 
 IRON ORE BELT OF GUILFORD COUNTY. 
 
 A map showing the southern half of the ore belt, on ■% scale much larger 
 than that of Plate VII. (After Lesley.) 
 
GEOLOGY OF X. (;. 
 
 PLATE IX. 
 
 CclZA Warren. 
 OttUut Mrv fJ&Cl* 
 
 ffrii JfK ffurra.y 
 
 ... GeeWMbrfy 
 
 — Jotly^enn 
 ... Soloirmi hirrtfjt. 
 ■G/ioj 
 
 -■ irutoH.'IFGm-uta- 
 •'■I,fwiJ Ttoyf 
 
 IRON ORE BELT OF GUILFORD COUNTY. 
 
 A map of the ncrthern half of the ore belt, on a scale much larger than 
 that of Plate VII. (After Lesley.) 
 
IRON ORES. 
 
 145 
 
 The mode of occurrence in beds is illustrated by Dr. Lesley, by means 
 of the following ideal diagram: 
 
 " The beds were deposited, like the rest of the rocks, in water; depos- 
 ' ited in the same age with the rocks which hold them, — are in fact 
 'rock-deposits highly charged with iron, and they differ from the rest 
 ' of the rocks only in this respect — that they are more highly charged 
 'with iron. In fact all our primary (magnetic and other) iron ore beds 
 ' obey this law. 
 
 " They are merely certain strata consisting more or less completely 
 ' of peroxide of iron, with more or less intermixture of sand and mud, 
 ' which, when crystallized, fall into the shape of felspar, hornblende, 
 ' mica, quartz, etc., etc. 
 
 " The belt of outcrops of ore-bearing rocks has a uniform breadth of 
 'several hundred yards, and I believe a uniform dip towards thenorth- 
 ' west or north -northwest. 
 
 " The map, however, shows another ore belt, running parallel with 
 'the former and at a distance of three miles from it. This is called 
 ' Highfield or Shaw outcrop. Beyond Haw River these two belts ap- 
 'proach each other, and are believed to unite in Rockingham county. 
 ; This and other considerations make it almost certain that the Shaw 
 'belt is the northwest outcrop of a synclinal basin, 3 miles wide, and 
 'that the Tuscarora belt is the southeast outcrop. 
 
 "If so, the Tuscarora ore-beds descend with a northwest dip to a 
 : depth of a mile beneath the surface, and then rise again as ore-beds 
 at Highfield's and Shaw's, thus: 
 
 dAan& 
 
 7%tzateri!&r 
 
 'llllllllllll"" 
 
146 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 "The locality of the ore-beds is indicated by the occurrence of frag- 
 " ments of ore scattered over the surface, and there are indications by 
 " which nearly all iron ore deposits are discovered. Large pieces on 
 " the surface are the best evidence we can possess that the beds are of 
 " good size, for they have come from those portions of the beds which 
 " have been destroyed in the general lowering of the surface of the 
 " country. There is no reason why the parts of the beds left under the 
 " present surface should not yield as large masses as the parts which 
 " have mouldered away.'"' 
 
 As will be readily understood from what has been stated above, the 
 number of ore beds in the cross-section will be likely to vary from 
 point to point along the range. " A large number of rock strata will 
 " become ore-beds locally. But there will always be a particular part 
 " of the formation more generally and extensive^ charged with great 
 " quantities of iron than the rest. In other words, the iron of the 
 " formation, as a whole, is concentrated along one or more lines. This 
 " is evidently the case with the Tuscarora Ore Belt, as is shown in the 
 " almost perfect straightness of the outcrop of the Sergeant shaft ore 
 " bed, when its outcrop has been opened for half a mile northeast of 
 " the shaft. There are two principal beds cropping out on the Teague 
 " plantation, at the (southwest) end of the belt, both vertical, about 300 
 " yards asunder." 
 
 And not only does the number of ore beds vary, but they are often 
 very irregular in position. This is illustrated b) 7 the following section, 
 revealed in a '' trench, cut at right angles to the outcrop, fifty feet long 
 and four to eight feet deep." It is on the widow McCawisten's plan- 
 tation. 
 
 " Similar irregularities are noticeable everywhere. The miners say 
 • that the pitch of the outcrop of the ore bed, worked in the Sergeant 
 : tunnel and shaft, was southeast for some way down, after which it 
 : took its regular northwest dip, such as it now has in the shaft and 
 
IRON ORES. 
 
 147 
 
 " t tunnel at the depth of 100 feet. Besides which, there are in fact two 
 ^ beds cut in this shaft-tunnel, the smaller bed underlying the other, 
 f( ^ nd Wlth a di P which would carry the two beds together at some 
 
 distance beneath the floor. 
 ^ " Another instance occurs on the Trueblood plantation, where the 
 ^ two ore-beds appear to be only 200 yards apart at their outcrops, and 
 ( " See ^ to dl P different ways, which I explain by reference to the false 
 " surface dip of the Sergeant shaft and bed. The Trueblood section is 
 " as follows:" 
 
 PlancftAe. occtcrofis fr c/iggirufs or,, tfe 7?uc6loat PLr,„J a lco 
 
 nfeate f CncA. fii fOOya ref.'. 
 
 were- 
 
 Gneiss. 
 33/t. .Soft tfecempcnrt n „ Gn^iss. 
 
 ZflJfaret u/A,it*.Ct>aj:>*ffra.tnc<£Gr'aLni£*>, 
 "-^ Gr& o£sclc~<-<£ Ay rno-r-t gfj-oefc* 
 
 The sections made at the Shaw plantation (Shaw range), furnish a 
 further illustration of these irregularities. " The ore bed is full six feet 
 " across, solid ore, a very green, chloritic mica slate, rock-ore. In this 
 " run of 800 yards, there are apparently two hundred thousand (200,000) 
 " tons above water level, in the one 6 foot bed. The outcrop runs along the 
 " top of a hill about 100 feet above the bottom of Haw River valley. 
 " There are apparent variations in the dip, some of the outcrops seem- 
 " ing to be vertical, whereas the principal part of the mining has 
 " already shown a distinct dip towards the southeast and south." 
 
 The average dip of the ore oeds of this second range was observed 
 
148 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 by Dr. Lesley to be considerably less than that of. the Tuscarora beds, 
 as is shown in the section, p. 145. 
 
 The quantity of ore which this remarkable range is capable of yield- 
 ing is immense. The number and extent of the beds have been noted ; 
 their size varies greatly, as is shown in several of the diagrams. " They 
 " consist of strings of lens-shaped* masses, continually enlarging and 
 " contracting in thickness, from a few inches to 6 and 8 feet. The 
 " principal beds may be safely estimated on an average of four feet, 
 " and in the best mining localities, the average yield of a long gang- 
 " way may reach five feet. It is certain that centuries of heavy min- 
 " ing could not exhaust it, for each of two or three principal beds may 
 " be entered and mined at fifty places." 
 
 The kind of ore has been stated in general terms as titaniferous 
 magnetite. More particularly, not only titanium, but chromium and 
 manganese are uniformly present, as will be seen from Dr Genth's 
 analyses, given below. " The ore belongs to the family of primary 
 "ores, the same family to which the Champlain (or Adirondack) ores, 
 " the Marquette (Lake Superior) ores, and the ore of the Iron Moun- 
 " tain in Missouri belong. It is very similar to the New Jersey ores, 
 " which are so extensively mined for the furnaces on the Lehigh river. 
 
 "It is a mixture of magnetic crystals and specular plates of sesqui- 
 " oxide of iron, with quartz, felspar and mica, in a thousand varying 
 " proportions. Sometimes the bed will be composed of heavy, tight, 
 " massive magnetite (or titaniferous magnetite), with very little quartz, 
 "&c; at other times, of a loose, half-decomposed mica-slate, or gneiss 
 " rock, full of scattered crystals of magnetic iron. The ore is, in fact, 
 " a decomposable gneiss rock, with a varying percentage of titaniferous 
 " magnetic and specular iron ore, sometimes constituting half the mass, 
 " and sometimes the whole of it." 
 
 Dr. Genth, who made a special chemical and mineralogical study of 
 these ores, says in his report, published in the Mining Register : " All 
 " the ores consist of mixtures of magnetic iron with titaniferous hem- 
 " atite, or menaccanite, probably also with rutile (titanic acid), mixed 
 "with a chloritic mineral, or a silvery micaceous one resulting from its 
 " decomposition. Some of the ores contain alumina in the form of 
 " granular corundum, in one or two places in such quantities that they 
 " become true emery ores. None of the constituents could be separated 
 
 * For a further description of this peculiarity, see the account of the Lincoln, Gas- 
 ton and Catawba Ore Beds. 
 
IRON ORES. 149 
 
 in a state of such purity that in all cases their true mineralogical 
 " character could be verified by analysis." . 
 
 But besides the characteristic ores of the beds described, Dr. Lesley 
 mentions beds of ochre of various sizes, " as one of the constituent 
 "elements of the whole formation." 
 
 What the exact relationship is of these ochre beds to the magnetic 
 ore beds, I do not know, but the ochre, outcrop seems to be always in 
 " the immediate vicinity of the ore beds; the largest exhibition of ochre 
 " which I saw, is on the plantation of I. Somers, on Brushy Creek. Here 
 " an ochre bed twenty feet thick rises, nearly vertical, out of a gully in 
 " a hillside covered with small pieces of fine compact ore. The whole 
 "aspect of this place gives an impression of an abundance of ore be- 
 " neath the surface, but no openings on the beds which have furnished 
 " these fragments have been made." 
 
 The following table presents the analyses of sixteen samples, col- 
 lected, as previously stated (p. 143) by Dr. Genth, along the entire 
 length of this range of ore beds in 1871 : 
 
 IRON ORES FROM THE TITANIFEROUS BELT OF GUILFORD AND ADJACENT COUNTIES. 
 
 (36) (37) (38) (39) (40) (41) (42) 
 
 Silicicacid 0.76 5.68 0.40 1.84 1.30 1.31 12.75 
 
 Titanic acid 13.52 11.67 11.95 13.28 12.35 13.60 15.35 
 
 Magnetic oxide of iron 79.53 72.74 81.89 77.62 77.90 76.04 57.93 
 
 Oxide manganese and 
 cobalt 0.81 0.64 1.02 0.95 1.10 0.96 1.15 
 
 Oxide chromium 0.46 0.48 1.07 0.65 1.10 0.72 1.25 
 
 Alumina 1.68 5.08 1.06 2.30 2.54 4.26 5.17 
 
 Magnesia 2.79 2.61 1.99 2.01 2.41 2.33 4.14 
 
 Lime 0.45 0.76 0.24 0.58 0.51 0.60 0.90 
 
 Water _ 0.34 0.38 0.77 0.79 0.18 1.36 
 
 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 
 Metallic iron - 57.68 52.68 59.03 56.21 56.41 55.06 41.95 
 
150 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 IRON ORES FROM THE TITANIFEROUS BELT OF GUILFORD, ETC. — Continued. 
 
 (43) . (44) (45) (46) (47) (48) (49) 
 
 Silicic acid 1.30 26.80 0.50 1.80 0.74 1.39 0.98 
 
 Titanic acid 1.27 16.20 12.27 14.46 13.92 0.78 2.42 
 
 Magnetic oxide of iron.... 93.63 30.90 79.16 74.80 76.80 42.77 46.29 
 
 Oxide manganese and 
 cobalt 0.93 1.55 1.21 1.53 1.30 1.00 1.27 
 
 Oxide chromium 1.43 0.43 0.57 0.97 1.07 0.30 trace. 
 
 Alumina 0.55 8.87 3.62 2.66 3.82 52.24 44.86 
 
 Magnesia 0.75 10.30 2.04 3.09 1.80 0.68 3.27 
 
 Lime 0.14 0.40 0.63 0.69 0.55 0.84 0.91 
 
 Water __ 3.55 _ 
 
 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 
 Metalliciron 67.60 21.63 57.32 54.17 55.61 30.97 33.52 
 
 The following are Dr. Genth's notes, in part : 
 
 "Nos. 36 and 37, K. R. Swain's, Davidson county. The ores on 
 " this place are both massive and granular magnetite, with small ad- 
 " mixtures of greenish chlorite, mostly between the fracture planes, 
 " partly altered to the above-mentioned silvery white or brownish-white 
 " micaceous mineral, and in those in which the latter forms a conspic- 
 "uous constituent; 36 represents the massive ore, 37 the micaceous. 
 
 "No. 38, Elisha Charles', Guilford county. The ore is granular, 
 " iron-black, with small quantities of the silvery micaceous mineral. 
 
 " No. 39, widow Cook's. The ore is similar to the last, but a little 
 " more chloritic and micaceous in little patches throughout the mass. 
 
 " No. 40, John Clark's. The ore resembles that from the widow 
 " Cook's plantation. 
 
 " No. 41, widow Stanly's, Sergeant Shaft. The ore is compact, gran- 
 " ular, iron-black ; it shows rarely octahedral crystals of magnetite, and 
 "is associated with dark green, foliated chlorite, especially on thefrac- 
 "ture planes. 
 
 " Nos. 42, 43, and 44, widow McCawisten. The greatest variety of 
 " ores exist at this plantation. They are peculiar, but highly interest- 
 " ing and important. No. 42 is the soft micaceous ore ; 43 the mag- 
 " netic portion of 42 ; 44 the non-magnetic portion. 
 
IKON ORES. 151 
 
 " No. 45, W A. Lewis'. Very fine granular ore, with very little ad- 
 " mixture of chlorite. 
 
 No. 46, Levi G. Shaw's, Rockingham county. Fine-grained, black, 
 " slightly micaceous ; shows a somewhat stratified structure. 
 
 "No. 47, P. Hopkins' (Alcorn Farm), Rockingham. Very fine- 
 grained, black, fragile ore, with little admixture of foreign substances. 
 
 " No. 48, Granular, reddish ore. It has much the appearance of a 
 " granular reddish-trown garnet, for which it has been mistaken ; but 
 " the analysis proved it to be not a silicate mixed with granular mag- 
 " netite, but corundum. 
 
 " If this and the next should be found in quantity, they would be 
 " of considerable value, as a good quality of emery. 
 
 " No. 49, Granular grayish ore. This is of a similar quality, and is 
 "found at the same locality; the minute grains of corundum have a 
 " yellowish or brownish-white color, and show in many places cleavage 
 " fractures, which give it the appearance of a feldspathic mineral. 
 
 " From these analyses, it is seen that the average of the ten speci- 
 " mens of original iron ore, which represents the whole range for a 
 " distance of nearly 30 miles, is : 
 
 AVERAGE OF GUILFORD ORES. (50) 
 
 Iron 54.61 per cent. 
 
 Titanium. 8.07 " " 
 
 Titanic acid 13.24 " " 
 
 " The ratio of titanium to iron is, 1 : 6.77. 
 
 "All the ores were examined for sulphur and phosphorus, and were 
 " found to be entirely free from these substances." 
 
 As there seems to be an unfavorable impression of the titaniferous 
 ores in some quarters, it is worth while to quote Dr. Lesley on the 
 effect of titanic acid in iron ores, as there is no higher authority in 
 this country: 
 
 " This kind is difficult to smelt in the high-stack blast furnaces, but 
 " makes the best iron in the world, when smelted in the Catalan Forge, 
 " and is of great value for the lining of puddling furnaces. It serves 
 " the same purpose as the Lake Superior ore, which is brought in large 
 " quantities to Pittsburgh and the surrounding districts of Eastern 
 " Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, for lining puddling furnaces, and to 
 " mix with poorer ores in the blast furnaces. 
 
 " The titaniferous magnetic ores of the Ottawa region, inJCanada, 
 
152 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 " are also brought by a long and expensive route to Pittsburgh, to mix 
 " with the Pennsylvania ores. These Canada ores are of the same geo- 
 " logical age, and of the same mineral character as the Tuscarora ores 
 ■" under consideration. 
 
 " The trial of this ore has been made by Nathan Rowland, Esq., at 
 " his work in Kensington. Mr. Rowland expressed his opinion that it 
 " stood up three times as long as the Champlain ore, which he used for 
 " that purpose. This difference is due to_ the superior compactness of 
 " titaniferous magnetite, over that of pure crystalline magnetite." 
 
 Dr. Lesley also says that these ores are " essentially like those of New 
 " Jersey, as to age, situation, consistency and general composition," but 
 unlike in this titaniferous quality. " The New Jersey ores seldom pos- 
 " sess this property, and in any case only in a low degree. The Can- 
 " ada ores and the ores of South Sweden hold large quantities of titanic 
 " acid — as much as 30 and 40 per cent, sometimes. 
 
 " A very minute quantity of titanium in pig iron, is believed to add 
 " greatly to its value, increasing its hardness and firmness, and its abil- 
 " ity to stand wear ; the Canadian ores were introduced to the Pitts- 
 ■" burgh works for this end." 
 
 These titaniferous ores require a higher heat in the stack to reduce, 
 than pure oxide of iron ; but they labor under another disadvantage, 
 of suffering a loss of iron in the process of smelting, since the " only 
 " solvents of titanic iron are the double silicates of iron and lime, or 
 " iron and alumina and lime, or iron, potash and lime, etc.," and of 
 course the more the titanic acid, the greater the waste of iron in the 
 slag. These Guilford ores " have the advantage that they contain less 
 ■" than 14 per cent, on the average, while the Canada ores hold 25 to 
 " 35 per cent, of titanic acid," and at the same time " they have all the 
 " advantage which the presence of titanium affords : 1st, making the 
 " ore so firm that it is the best possible lining for the puddling fur- 
 " naces : 2d, making the iron tougher and harder, like the best Swed- 
 ■" ish iron, and 3d, imparting a certain quality which adapts the iron 
 " especially to the manufacture of steel. There is no question that 
 ■" titanium in iron ore favors the production of iron peculiarly suited 
 " to conversion into steel. 
 
 Dr. Lesley refers also to the fact that the ochre-beds, already de- 
 scribed as accompanying the iron ore range (p. 148), furnish a superior 
 flux for these ores. An analysis of "this ochre, which forms large beds 
 
IRON ORES. 153 
 
 "on the outcrops of the more ferruginous feldspathic rocks," by A. A. 
 Fesquet, gives the following : 
 
 OCHRE, GUILFORD ORE BELT. (51j 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 19.43 
 
 Silica 34.12 
 
 Alumina 33.21 
 
 Water, etc., etc 13.24 
 
 I add a few of Dr. Lesley's general conclusions as to the quality, 
 quantity and value of these ores: 
 
 " The quality of the ore is first-rate — none better in the world. 
 
 " The soft ores will smelt easily and make malleable iron, tough and 
 " strong. 
 
 " The hard ores will command extended use for puddler's linings, 
 " and be in demand for mixing with poorer ores of other regions, and 
 " for the manufacture of steel. 
 
 " The quantity of ore is limitless. 
 
 " The geology is all right, the mineralogy is all right, labor abun- 
 dant and cheap ; " the range is crossed by two lines of railroad, and por- 
 tions of it lie within 5 miles of a third. 
 
 " Another probable advantage is the proximity of the Dan River 
 " coal ; although no satisfactory exposures have been made, yet there 
 " are good reasons for believing that it is both abundant and of good 
 " quality." 
 
 The views of Dr. Lesley are here presented at length, since being 
 from another State his opinions may be supposed to have been ex- 
 pressed without bias, but they are especially quoted because of his 
 eminence in everything connected with the geology, mineralogy and 
 metallurgy of iron. 
 
 Any one who has the least knowledge of the present drift of the 
 iron industry, and of the great importance of high grade ores, will 
 understand the high value of such deposits as those just described in 
 Guilford, Harnett, Chatham and Orange, etc. For the manufacture of 
 common qualities of iron, England has unequalled advantages in her 
 wonderful beds of fossil ores, her clay iron stones, and black band, 
 which are mined in unlimited quantities from the same pit as the coal 
 which is used to smelt them. But for ores of the better class adapted 
 to the Bessemer and other processes of steel making, and for the better 
 kinds of iron, she is confessedly dependent in a large measure on 
 other countries. 
 
154 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The Guilford range of ores has not been traced to its termination in 
 either direction. There are indications that there are beds of the same 
 kind of ore as far northeast as Caswell county, some very fine speci- 
 mens of magnetite having been brought to the museum from that 
 county. 
 
 Hematite in Rockingham County. — There are also iron ore localities in 
 Rockingham, which do not belong to the above range ; for example, 
 near the Virginia line, in a northeast direction from Madison, and 
 again, two miles below the mouth of Smith's river, (Morehead's Fac- 
 tory), there is a bed of red hematite iron ore, about ten inches thick at 
 the outcrop ; it is dense, hard, uncrystalline and almost jaspery, and is 
 apparently a good ore. 
 
 IRON ORES OF MECKLENBURG AND CABARRUS. 
 
 No iron mines of any extent have been worked in these counties, but 
 ore has been found in a number of localities. Hand specimens of great 
 purity are frequently brought to the Museum. Fragments of a very 
 heavy black metallic ore are found in considerable quantity on the 
 farm of Mr. George Phifer, three miles from Concord ; the search for it 
 was not sufficiently extended to allow of any satisfactory conclusion ; 
 the ore found, however, was of the best quality. Iron ore is found at 
 Van Pelts, three miles from Davidson College, also hematite at a point 
 five miles S. W. of the college. Some explorations were also made in 
 the southern part of Mecklenburg, at the same time, in the Sugar Creek 
 neighborhood; many blocks of a remarkably pure granular magnetic 
 ore were found scattered over several acres of surface of an old field, 
 and along the public road ; several trenches were cut, which exposed, 
 two or three veins from one to four feet thick.* Some twelve miles 
 northwest of Charlotte, in the Hopewell neighborhood, a notable quan- 
 tity of surface fragments of large size are still to be found in an old 
 field and in the wood adjacent. This is a specular ore in a gangue of 
 quartzite, not unlike the Chapel Hill ore. No exposures of the vein 
 were ever attempted. Beautiful pieces of micaceous hematite are found 
 
 *Note. — S. W. Reid, Esq. , informs me that iron ore has been found and prospected for 
 to some extent on the land of Dr. Strong, Steel Creek Township, Mecklenburg county, 
 and that on the lands of Mr. James Coffey, near by, a similar deposit was unearthed, 
 and a considerable amount of ore raised. — G. B. H. 
 
IRON ORES. 155 
 
 in almost every part of the county, but as yet there is no proof of any 
 workable deposits. 
 
 Magnetite is also found on the ridge near the Frazer gold mine, five 
 miles from Charlotte, west. 
 
 The ores of the southern end of this county and of Cabarrus, are 
 found in the syenite, so prevalent in this region. 
 
 Iron Ores of Gaston, Lincoln and Catawba Counties.* 
 
 In these counties is one of the most extensive ore ranges in the 
 State. It is also the best known, and best developed, and has been the 
 principal source of our domestic supplies of iron for a hundred years. 
 Some of the furnaces of the region were put in blast during the Rev- 
 olutionary war. The ores are both magnetic and hematitic, and are 
 found in the belt of talcose and quartzitic schist (supposed Huronian), 
 called sometimes the " King's Mountain slates." This body of schists 
 gradually narrows towards the northeast, and comes to a sharp point 
 in Iredell county, 3 or 4 miles northeast of the Catawba River. To the 
 south it extends far into South Carolina. 
 
 The range naturally divides itself into two sections — the northern in 
 Lincoln and Catawba counties, and the southern in Gaston county, and 
 the adjoining county 6i Spartanburg in South Carolina. 
 
 There is an intervening stretch of territory of 12 or 15 miles in the 
 southern part of Lincoln and the northern part of Gaston, which is 
 for the most part destitute of iron, unless it may have escaped observa- 
 tion by being covered up. 
 
 A similar body of schists is found to the northeast, beginning in 
 Yadkin county two miles southeast of the Yadkin River. It gradually 
 widens and finds a large development in Surry and Stokes counties. 
 If any important bodies of this series occur in Iredell, Davie and the 
 southern part of Yadkin counties, they have not been detected ; though 
 it is probable that there are small patches, which have escaped the 
 denuding influences. 
 
 Of the occurrence of iron mines in this denuded area of 45 or 50 
 miles in length, very little can be said with certainty. It must be 
 
 * The following pages describing the ores of Gaston, Lincoln and Catawba counties 
 have been rewritten and much new matter added by the present writer. 
 
 The locations of the ore beds described as occurring in these counties are shown on 
 the accompanying map, plate X. Only approximate accuracy is claimed for the 
 map, but this much is claimed for it, as no detail survey of the region has been 
 made.— G. B. H. 
 3 
 
156 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 admitted that the upper part of Iredell, and the whole of Davie have 
 never been carefully explored either by geologists or practical miners, 
 and it cannot be confidently asserted that iron ores in workable quan- 
 tities are lacking. This area will be alluded to again in the discus- 
 sion of the ores of Yadkin county. 
 
 The direction of this range of ore-beds is coincident with the strike 
 of the schists, and is about north-northeast from the west side of King's 
 Mountain, on the South Carolina border, to the Catawba River in 
 Catawba county. The ore beds occur with well-marked characters and 
 associations, as do also the geological horizons, which are connected 
 with them. So striking and persistent, indeed, were these peculiarities 
 that they early forced themselves into notice as practical guides in the 
 search for ore, fire-proof material and fluxes. The summary of Pro- 
 fessor Emmons may, from its exactness and comprehensiveness, be 
 properly introduced here.* This belt " immediately adjoins or belongs 
 " to the belt of sediments which have been described as passing near 
 " Lincolnton. At Li'ncolnton the rock is mostly a coarse light gray 
 " micaceous granite. Beds of slate, limestone and quartzite, succeed it 
 " on the east ; but between this and the gneiss, a little further east, are 
 " the veins of magnetic ore. The position of the narrow belt of talcose 
 " slate, in which the ore occurs, is below or behind the heavy masses of 
 " granular quartz. These masses of quartz, as they are continuous 
 " from the South Carolina line to the Catawba, are land-marks for the 
 " position of the ore. 
 
 " There is no ore above (to the west of) the quartzite, and I do not 
 " know that there is any in the gneiss represented as below (to the east 
 " of) the veins of iron in the section referred to.f 
 
 " The careful consideration, therefore, of such relations is of great 
 " importance ; they furnish a clue to the actual position of the veins. 
 
 " The rocks and ore taken in masses stand in this order, beginning 
 ",'our reckoning on the west : 
 
 1 
 
 § 
 
 CD 
 
 a 
 
 Fire stone 
 (itacolumitii 
 sandstone. 
 
 a3 
 
 
 
 -r" 
 
 .2 
 
 tJ3° 
 
 CO 
 
 § . 
 
 .3 a> 
 
 §3 
 
 m 
 
 o5 
 
 ! 
 
 m 
 
 3 
 
 <y 
 
 m 
 
 fr 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 •A 
 
 oj 
 
 CO 
 
 •4 
 
 lO 
 
 "JD 
 
 *>' 
 
 CO 
 
 OS 
 
 * Emmons' Geological Report of Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 113. 
 
 f There is some doubt of the correctness of this statement as to the non-occurrence 
 of iron ore veins above the quartz (the dip of the bodies is towards the west), and it 
 is now known that some are found below (east of) the gneiss, e. g., a vein of magnetic 
 ore near the residence of Maj. W. A. Graham. G. B. H. 
 
GEOLOGY OF N. C. 
 
 PLATE X. 
 
 Forneys OreSed. 
 
 Qddernatfii/. 
 Q-Mount-ain Greek. 
 
 OfieepJfoUow. 
 
 7/i*'Jnrfersons or ZiUleJlfoan&iin. 
 (Z&eard. 
 
 0j/i>rre3on . 
 
 L//VCOLN 
 
 ZincoZnitona. 
 
 v<y" ' r, §Sto/ieevall 'fltr/tace. 
 
 S// <JSto?eeu>aK. 
 
 W / ^ £ret " zrd \re^^iu -Furnace. 
 _ J?errj-Air&Kx.b QBigOns&anK. 
 
 WJ. OraAam's. 
 
 W- 
 
 #«■ oM.o 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 At 
 
 Legend, 
 dlron OreSedv. 
 m Gold 'JVines. 
 = £ime Stone. 
 *x£ar&te, 
 • 7&rtte. 
 
 <Sloaris 
 1 J&ii 
 
 $■} 
 
 ^ re \Xl%X?f M - "% ,, Scale of Miles. 
 
 G A STO/V 
 
 \CO U /V 
 
 15 I 
 
 s 
 
 
 .& 
 
 r V- 
 
 \gfn- ] 
 
 0o%&&T 
 
 £ailas. 
 
 n 0" 
 
 d 
 
 'Q/Woav/!aiff. 0/-e£eiZ. 
 .-.ling* O&roilSon. 
 i Mountain. ^Scrawders. 
 
 5-«j™ ~sAw: ^ufaUdo/itzGottlAfihe. 
 "* frgW/Ti/ias Mountain. 
 
 tTGastoma. 
 
 \t 
 
 VS. 
 
 vdO- 
 
 IRON DEPOSITS OF GASTON, LINCOLN AND CATAWBA COUNTIES. 
 
IRON ORES. 157 
 
 " The quartz being a rock easily distinguished, becomes a guide to 
 " the position of the ore. The limestone is usually west of the beds of 
 " ore. The ore is usually near the crest of a ridge. 
 
 " The direction of bearing, as determined by the harder masses of 
 " rock, is N. 20° E."* 
 
 The ores are mostly of a schistose structure, and commonly rather fria- 
 ble ; in fact they may be described as magnetic and specular schists, 
 being talcose, chloritic, quartzitic or actinolitic schists impregnated 
 with granular magnetite and hematite (itabyrite). The beds are nearly 
 vertical, and dip sometimes to the east and sometimes to the west, but 
 the westerly dips are by far the most frequent. The general range of 
 the beds is accompanied and indicated by a line of quartz ore, slaty 
 ridges or knobs, the quartzite lying usually to the west of the ore beds, 
 but occasionally to the east, and sometimes on both sides or even 
 within the ore masses. 
 
 For a considerable part of the belt in Lincoln county, there are two 
 parallel beds, the more westerly being the larger and more productive ; 
 the combined thicknesses being from 4 (rarely so low as 2) to 12 feet ; 
 the interval between them of 12 to 20 feet being occupied by talcose 
 and chloritic schist, with a little ore in layers.f The occurrence of 
 talcose schist ("slate") is commonly regarded as an unfailing sign of 
 the proximity of ore. 
 
 The beds generally occur in lenticular masses or flattish discs, which 
 
 * It may be doubted if this indicates the bearing exactly for long distances, for the 
 coast survey maps make the bearing of prominent points in these horizons fully N. 
 25° E. from each other.— G. B. H. 
 
 f Note. — It has seemed difficult to resist the conviction that this iron was depos- 
 ited simultaneously with the formation of the original sedimentary beds, and with 
 this view apparently both Prof. Kerr (above) and Prof. Lesley (p. 145) agree ; but 
 there are many facts to be noted of these mineral occurrences, which point with 
 more or less force to some other origin connected with the metamorphism, which this 
 series has apparently undergone. The more important of the facts, which have come 
 under my observation, are as follows : the quartz, and especially the quartzites, are 
 eminently slaty in structure, the latter sometimes so finely laminated as to split up 
 into pieces not thicker than stout paper, and showing often incipient flexibility 
 (itacolumitic) ; moreover the laminae are coated with a very thin veneer of talcose, 
 or more probably, hydro-micaceous matter (in some cases apparently damourite, in 
 others with an exquisitely silky lustre, suggestive of sericite). Abundant examples 
 were seen of the quartzite shading imperceptibly into compact quartz on the one 
 hand, and on the other into talcose or chloritic schist, or even into iron ore. 
 
 The talc, and still more frequently the chloritic matter, passes by insensible gra- 
 dations into iron ore, as well as from one to another. G. B, H. 
 
158 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 thicken at "the middle and thin out towards the edges, having the same 
 general dip as the bed, but they do not succeed one another in one 
 plane, their edges overlapping so as to throw the upper edge of the 
 lower disc behind the lower edge of the upper. 
 
 The following is an ideal section of the Lincoln county ore-beds : 
 
 LINCOLN COUNTY OKE BEDS. 
 
 An ideal vertical cross-section of the two parallel beds of ore, showing the occur- 
 rence of the ore in lenticular masses. (By Geo. B. Hanna.) 
 
 A, Sandstone or quartzite. B. Talcose schist ("slate"). C, "Front" ore bed of 
 actinolitic, chloritic and somewhat talcose schist, containing Ore Bodies. D, Talcose 
 and chloritic schist contain small quantities of ore, mostly in grains. E, " Back " 
 ore bed, for most part similar to C. F, Talcose schist. G, Gneiss. 
 
 The above-mentioned layers shade into one another; thus the sandstone or quart- 
 zite, A, passes into the silicious talcose schist, B, which in turn graduates into the 
 " front vein," C— a mass of actinolitic, chloritic (somewhat talcose) slate, with iron 
 ore in grains, or in lenticles. The change from the slates into the ore lenticles is 
 frequently obscure, and the lenticles themselves are often schistose in structure. 
 The change into the talcose slate (D) is equally obscure. In this body the ore is in 
 grains, associated commonly with the chloritic matter, or in small lenticles. 
 
 The statements about C apply for the most part to the " back vein " E. 
 
 The changes into and from F are as in B, but the mass seems to be less silicious. 
 
 The separation of the ore bodies is sometimes very slight, and often they are con- 
 nected by an almost imperceptible thread of ore, which needs the quick eye of the 
 skillful miner to follow. 
 
 These lenticles are sometimes many feet thick, and frequently of great length and 
 depth. 
 
IKON ORES. 159 
 
 Big Ore Sank. — The most considerable of the Lincoln beds, and the 
 one which has been the longest and most extensively worked, is known 
 as the Big Ore Bank. This is situated some 7 miles north of the Caro- 
 lina Central Railroad. There are several beds evident, but the scat- 
 tered and partly filled openings do not allow of a satisfactory notion 
 of their exact relations. The quantity of ore in the 2 parallel beds 
 seems to be very great, rising at points to 18 feet, but as a rule it ranges 
 from 4 to 12 feet in thickness. 
 
 The surface of the hill is still covered with a coarse iron ore 
 gravel. Several crops of this gravel, including all the larger fragments 
 of ore, have been removed ; but others have appeared on the surface 
 through the process of weathering and denudation. 
 
 Several furnaces and forges have been supplied with ore from this 
 point for a long period. 
 
 Following the strike of the berls, about N. 20° E., a succession of ore 
 beds (at least 14) are encountered at intervals from Big Ore Bank to 
 the southeastern base of Anderson's Mountain. The more important 
 are, commencing the enumeration on the south: Big Ore Bank, Bre- 
 vard, Stonewall, Robinson, Morrison, Beard, Tillman, Deep Hollow, 
 and Abernathy (in Catawba county), the latter being not far distant 
 from the Shuford Gold vein, and quite near the Catawba River. Be- 
 yond the Catawba the beds are believed to become gradually thin and 
 quartzitic* 
 
 As additional deposits in Lincoln county : A vein of limonite crosses 
 the public road about 7 miles northwest of Lincolnton; another is 
 found of the same character about 5 miles southeast, and 1 mile east of 
 Shuford's lime quarry. About 5 miles south of Cottage Home there is 
 a good deposit of iron ore — a brittle magnetite passing into limonite. 
 
 The quality of the iron manufactured from these ores has always 
 been good. 
 
 This lenticular occurrence is very common in North Carolina — in fact almost gen- 
 eral in every kind of mining, though not always so abruptly marked as this illustra- 
 tion would indicate. Prof. Emmons (Geology of Midland Counties of North Caro- 
 lina, 1856, p. 157), also alludes to this characteristic, and the same has been illustra- 
 ted by writers on the Ducktown and neighboring deposits, particularly, and recently 
 by A. L. Wendt, E. M., (School of Mines Quarterly, January, 1886).— G. B. H. 
 
 * To the southwest of the Big Ore Bank, iron ore is found on this belt near the C. 
 C. R. R., about 2 miles west of Iron Station, having been cut in several pits of ex- 
 ploration, but the quality and quantity are not known. — G. B. H. 
 
160 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Limestone for fluxing is found convenient in the range of beds, 
 which accompanies these slates 1 to 2 miles to the west. 
 
 The fuel used has always been charcoal, which can be procured at a 
 low price, as the country is very well wooded. 
 
 Magnetite near Shelby. — In the neighborhood of Shelby, Cleveland 
 county, a considerable deposit of dark magnetite appears. The ore is 
 in the syenitic series, and seems to be abundant. 
 
 The lower part of the great iron range is found in the southern por- 
 tion of Gaston county. 
 
 The ore beds, which have been worked, are all found south of the 
 South Fork of the Catawba, and of its principal tributary, Long Creek. 
 
 The rocks here are the same body of schist ("slates"), talcose, argil- 
 laceous, quartzitic, which carry the ore of Lincoln. The ore beds ap- 
 pear to constitute a double parallel range, the divisions much more 
 separated than in Lincoln, in the same range already described as 
 granular, schistose; but there is a larger admixture of hematite.* 
 
 Costner Ore Bank. — This is the most northeast in the series. It is 
 just south of Long Creek, and about one-fourth mile west of the At- 
 lanta and Charlotte Air-Line Railroad. Its strike is N. 10° to 15° E., 
 and its dip nearly vertical, but on the whole is believed to be slightly 
 easterly. It has been worked to a depth of 106 feet. The vein is 12 
 feet wide near the shaft, and averages about 10 feet. The ore is a dense 
 
 * This general statement needs some explanation. Commencing with the north, 
 the prominent beds are : The Costner, 1 mile southwest the Ellison, 1\ miles still 
 further southwest the Ferguson, the Fulenwider 1\ miles beyond the Furguson, and 
 the Yellow Ridge still further to the southwest, being just under the west side of 
 King's Mountain and about t£ miles southeast of the railroad station of that name. 
 One mile nearly north of west from the Ferguson is the Mountain Ore Bank, and 
 still further 1-J miles in the same direction is the Ormond. The first five named are 
 apparently in the same horizon as the Lincoln beds, and have similar ore, with some 
 exceptions ; the Yellow Ridge and the Ellison are certainly so, being on the east of 
 the quartzite. The ores of the Mountain Bank are quite different, and those of the 
 Ormond still more dissimilar. 
 
 The magnetic ores are more generally found in the eastern range, while the more 
 western bodies are limonitic. — G. B, H. 
 
IRON ORES. 161 
 
 metallic magnetite, free from injurious impurities. The following is 
 Prof. F. A. Genth's analysis : 
 
 MAGNETITE PROM THE COSTNEE ORE BANK. (53) 
 
 Silica... _ _ 4.34 
 
 Alumina .44 
 
 Lime . .35 
 
 Magnesia _ 2.23 
 
 Oxide manganese ... 28 
 
 Magnetic oxide of iron 92. 18 
 
 Water _. _ 0.18 
 
 100.00 
 
 Metallic iron 66.75 
 
 Phosphorus and sulphur none. 
 
 Ellison Ore Bank. — The next deposit, one mile southwest, is the Elli- 
 son, with a strike N. to about 20° E., and a nearly vertical dip. 
 
 This bank carries a great deal of actinolitic slate. It has been worked 
 to a depth of 90 feet. The ores are granular magnetites, more or less 
 intermixed with hematite of great purity and richness ; the analysis 
 of Genth is : 
 
 ORE PROM ELLISON ORE BANK. (53) 
 
 Silica and actinolite .... _ 23.80 
 
 Alumina _ 96 
 
 Magnesia .. .„ ,. ... 1.30 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 4.30 
 
 Magnetic oxide of iron 69.64 
 
 100. 
 
 Metallic iron 52.61 
 
 Sulphur and phosphorus none. 
 
 Ferguson Ore Bank. — The third in this series is the Ferguson, 1J 
 miles still further on. This vein in its' course, dip and width, is like 
 the Ellison, but its ores are somewhat different; they have become 
 more peroxidized, and are somewhat intermixed with iron pyrite ; the 
 contents of the ore will average 60 per cent, of iron, but the presence 
 of the iron pyrite greatly diminishes its value for high grades of iron. 
 
 The Fulenivider Bed. — This bed is H miles S. W. It supplied much 
 of the ore for the forge on Crowder's Greek near by. The ore is the 
 
162 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 characteristic " gray ore," granular iron ore in a talcose or quartzose 
 gangue. It is unfortunate that no records have been preserved, or are 
 accessible, of the underground works of this mine, and of the size and 
 character of the ore body, though the amount of work seems to indicate 
 a body of some magnitude. It is in an eminently good mineral local- 
 ity, and in its northeast extension, the surface oAhe ground is covered 
 with the weathered out ore of some as yet undiscovered vein. 
 
 Yellow Ridge Ore Bank. — This ore bank lies two miles southwest of 
 the Fulenwider. The ore is pre-eminently a gray ore, and is nota- 
 bly magnetic, but more peroxidized than is that class of gray ores 
 generally. 
 
 This bed was extensively worked to- a depth of 120 feet; the dip is 
 westerly, but diverging only a little from the vertical. The last ore 
 mined contained a considerable amount of iron pyrite, but as this 
 occurred in layers, and not uniformly disseminated, it was readily 
 sorted out. The vein has a width variously reported from twelve feet 
 upwards. 
 
 The following analysis by Mr. Hanna will show the character of the 
 working ores : 
 
 OEB FROM YELLOW RIDGE BANK. (54) 
 
 Water (110°C.).__ ._ 0.300 
 
 Further loss on ignition .__ 3.830 
 
 Silica ___ 8.390 
 
 Carbonic acid (anhydride) . . . _. trace 
 
 Sulphuric acid (anhydride). . . trace 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) trace. 
 
 Bisulphuret of iron 0.062 
 
 Protoxide of iron . . . __ 24.790 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 60.620 
 
 Alumina .054 
 
 Oxide of manganese. 800 
 
 Lime ...... _ 1.378 
 
 Magnesia trace 
 
 Titanic acid _ _ trace 
 
 100.224 
 
 Metallic iron 61.743 
 
 Phosphorus trace. 
 
 Sulphur... _. .033 
 
 The late C. W. Garrett, who had worked the ore extensively in the 
 forge at Crowder's Creek, regarded it as a fair working ore. 
 
IRON ORES. 
 
 163 
 
 The other two important beds mentioned on page 160, are on the 
 " High Shoals " tract.* 
 
 The first of them is the Mountain Ore Bank, one mile north of west 
 from the Ferguson ; the second, the Orrnond Ore Bank, is 1£ miles 
 further in the same direction. 
 
 Mountain Ore Bank— This is situated in close proximity to Whet- 
 stone Mountain, and is one-half mile east of the Atlanta and Charlotte 
 Air-Line Railroad. Its course is X. 20° to 30° E.; its dip nearly ver- 
 tical, but slightly to the westward 1° to 5° 
 
 The following section, reproduced from F. Winter, E. M., shows very 
 well the relationship of the parts of the vein : 
 
 MOUNTAIN ORE BANK VEIN. 
 
 Vertical cross section, (by F. Winter), a. Talcose schist (" slate "). b. 
 Limonite. c, Manganesic limonite. d, small seams of pure quartz. 
 
 It is a regular vein of limonite, iibrous, mammillary and cellular, 
 a part of it earthy witli a disposition to break out in angular frag- 
 ments, evidently manganiferous and derived from chalybite. The 
 
 * This magnificent tract of 14,325 acres presenting an unparalleled combination of 
 iron, gold, and pyrite veins, a large water power, and fine farming lands, all in 
 proximity to three railroads, no longer exfets in its entirety, as some of the farming 
 and much of the mineral lands have been sold. — G. B. EI. 
 
164 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 vein is 4 to 8 feet wide, coursing N. 20° to 35° E., and does not 
 vary more than 1° to 5° westward from the vertical. 
 
 The subjoined analysis, by Genth, shows the character of the ore : 
 
 FIBROUS L1MONITE (55) AND MANGANESE LIMONITE (56), MOUNTAIN ORE BANK. 
 
 (55) (56) 
 
 Silica ._ 4.47 1.43 
 
 Al um ina. _ trace. trace. 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 82.14 86.66 
 
 Sesquioxide of maganese, _ 53 5. 12 
 
 Lime.. _. .25 
 
 Magnesia .27 
 
 Water .: 12.86 6.28 
 
 100.00 100.00 
 
 Metallic iron 37.50 60.66 
 
 Sulphur and phosphorus ._ none. none. 
 
 Ormond Ore Bank. — The most interesting bed of the entire series is 
 undoubtedly the Ormond, and it has been the most extensively worked. 
 
 This vein has been opened for a distance of more than 500 feet, by 
 pits and shafts. The No. 1 shaft has been sunk to a depth of 146 feet. 
 
 The walls of this vein are not always parallel, nor is the dip of each 
 wall uniform; the average dip is believed to be west slightly; the 
 course is N. 25° E. 
 
 The thickness of the vein is estimated at from 8 to 16 feet, and the 
 best known part of the vein will rise to the highest of these figures.* 
 
 The mineral matter is made up of two classes of ore — a solid ore, 
 and a loose, pulverulent, black material, locally called " Powder Ore," 
 from its fineness and color. Even the solid ore is much jointed, and 
 the interstices are filled with the powder ore; much of that which ap- 
 pears solid crumbles on exposure. This disintegration is generally 
 attributed to the presence of manganese. The ore is partially hydrated 
 and limonitic, or rather turgitic, and the powder ore sometimes occu- 
 pies nearly one-half the vein. 
 
 *I have seen one body 25 to 30 feet thick, and neither wall reached. — G. B. H. 
 
IRON ORES. 
 
 165 
 
 Genth's analysis of the ore is given below : 
 
 OEE FROM OEMOND ORB BANK. (57) 
 
 Silica and aotinolite 0.84 
 
 Alumina _ _ 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron _ 88.56 
 
 Sesquioxideofmangane.se... 5.17 
 
 Lime ... __ 37 
 
 Magnesia _ 30 
 
 Water_ ... 4.76 
 
 100.00 
 
 Metallic iron. ... ._ __. 61.99 
 
 Sulphur and phosphorus ... none. 
 
 The analyses by Otto Wuth, of Pittsburg, are given below. The 
 "powder ores" (58) and (59), are averages of four samples. Analysis 
 No. 60 is of the " black ore : 
 
 " POWDER ORE" (58) (59) AND BLACK ORE (60) FROM ORMOND ORE BANK. 
 
 (58) 
 
 Silica 0.43 to 4.27 
 
 Alumina .78 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron ... 93.82 
 
 Lime . .45 
 
 Magnesia ..18 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) 028 
 
 Metallic iron . 65.67 
 
 Phosphorus 013 
 
 Sulphur not more than trace. 
 
 The following section is redrawn from F. Winter, E. M. : 
 
 (59) 
 
 (60) 
 
 o 4.27 
 
 0.78 
 
 2.57 
 
 1.41 
 
 ' 97.19 
 
 97.19 
 
 .56 
 
 .49 
 
 .24 
 
 .11 
 
 .076 
 
 .053 
 
 ' 68.03 
 
 67.97 
 
 .036 
 
 .023 
 
 * ORMOND ORE BANK. 
 
 A vertical cross section. (By F. Winter), a, Talcose schist ('-slate"). 6, Li- 
 monite. c, Powder ore. 
 
166 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Croivder's Mountain Ore Beds. — There is a succession of pa rallel beds 
 of iron ore, on the summit, and west, and northwest flanks of Crowder's 
 Mountain, which have a general strike of northeast and southwest ; 
 they dip with the formation, which is here prevailingly westwards, 
 though not far from the vertical. This series is about 2 miles further 
 east than that comprising the Ellison and the Yellow Ridge.* 
 
 Several analyses have been made by Mr. Hanna, which show ores of 
 great purity, and frequently of great richness. These analyses are as 
 follows : 
 
 ORES FROM CROWDER S MOUNTAIN BEDS. 
 
 (61) (62), (63) 
 
 Silica (and trace of titanic acid) 11.03 23.14 9.27 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron ..72. 58.36 75.17 
 
 Protoxide of iron 2.03 5.40 2.68 
 
 Sulphide of iron 09 .12 .20 
 
 Sulphuric acid (anhydride). _ ... .02 .12 .01 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) 05 trace. .02 
 
 Metallic iron ..52.02 45.13 54.80 
 
 Sulphur .. _ 056 .112 .111 
 
 Phosphorus .021 trace. .009 
 
 (64) 
 
 (65) 
 
 (66) 
 
 2.58 
 
 28.20 
 
 44.26 
 
 84.53 
 
 46.39 
 
 40.19 
 
 1.30 
 
 1.07 
 
 1.13 
 
 .02 
 
 .25 
 
 .14 
 
 .01 
 
 .17 
 
 .10 
 
 .07 
 
 none. 
 
 .15 
 
 59.29 
 
 33.48 
 
 29.08 
 
 .015 
 
 .20 
 
 .112 
 
 .030 
 
 none. 
 
 .067 
 
 No. 63 was very red, laminated and gritty, and might better be 
 classed as a ferruginous sandstone or quartzite. 
 
 There are other beds of iron ore on the east side of Crowder's Moun- 
 tain, one of which, about a mile distant, a friend reports tracing by its 
 outcrops for two miles; but no openings have been made there. 
 
 *The formation of Crowder's Mountain is eminently quartzose, and comprises 
 strata of quartzite, gneiss and schists. Among the latter, and especially marked, is 
 the abundance of much weathered cyanitic schist, which might easily pass for a con- 
 glomerate. The iron ore is frequently seen in boulders, one of which was judged to 
 weigh 200 tons. Most of the ore seemed to be in layers of quartzite or schist, and 
 often there is a transition from quartzite to ore, and vice versa ; the extreme terms 
 being a quartzose iron ore on the one hand, and a ferruginous sandstone or quartzite 
 on the other. Some of the ore beds were charged with pyroxene, while others 
 showed the mammillary, botryoidal or cellular structure, originally due to its depo- 
 sition as bog ore. 
 
 The slope and summit of the mountain are so well clothed with vegetation and so 
 broken that the number of the beds, their width, distance apart, etc., could not be 
 ascertained, much less their extent. No developments worthy of the name have ever 
 been undertaken, which is much to be regretted, as the whole series is very prom- 
 ising.— G. B. H. 
 
IRON ORES. 167 
 
 A vein of manganese ore exists near the west foot of Crowder's 
 Mountain, which contains as follows: 
 
 MANGANESE ORE, FOOT OF CROWDEE'S MOUNTAIN. (67) 
 
 Silica __ 40.40 
 
 Oxide iron __ 12.15 
 
 Alumina 9.03 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) . 03 
 
 Sulphuric acid (anhydride) .. 02 
 
 Sulphide iron _ .... .22 
 
 Manganic oxide 29.78 
 
 Metallic manganese.. .... 21.45 
 
 Metalliciron 8.60 
 
 Sulphur -. ..... .112 
 
 Phosphorus..... .013 
 
 There are five furnaces on this Lincoln and Gaston belt, and several 
 Catalan forges. Most of the furnaces have been in blast for three gener- 
 ations — one for more than 100 years. They are of 3 to 7 tons capacity, 
 and all use charcoal, and for the most part employ the hot blast, or 
 more properly speaking, a warm blast. The iron produced has always 
 enjoyed the highest reputation. 
 
 The belt of limestone adjacent furnishes a good flux, and the itaco- 
 lumitic sandstone a very superior " firestone." Both timber for charcoal, 
 and water-power are abundant.* 
 
 Powell Ore Bank. — This is located in Catawba county, 6 miles north- 
 east of the Abernathy bank, and its ores resemble those of the latter. 
 It is situated on the south side of Ball Creek, and on a hill 200 feet 
 above the creek. The ore is magnetic, irregularly arranged, in a dark 
 hornblendic gneiss, with decomposed, irregular, angular masses of 
 feldspathic gneiss. The veins (or beds) of ore are numerous and quite 
 irregular, with overlaps and jumps; the ore giving out at one place 
 and suddenly reappearing at another. The main vein (or bed) opened 
 to a depth of 30 feet by a shaft, is at that depth 3 to 4 feet thick, with 
 a strike of N. 10° E. and a dip W. 60 to 80° and even 90°. A portion 
 of this vein is covered up by a drift deposit. 
 
 * For some years the conditions of the iron industry have not been favorable enough 
 to allow there important furnaces to be operated, but the higher grades of ore have to 
 some extent been shipped to Pittsburg and Birmingham to be used for mixing. — 
 G. B. H. 
 
168 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 On a parallel hill J mile N. W. of the above is a similar ore bed. 
 
 LUtlejohn Ore Bank. — This occurs 1 mile south southwest of the above, 
 and is a part of the same series of beds. It is reported as affording 
 evidence of the existence of large quantities of ore ; and it is said to 
 have been worked to a small extent. The ore is limonite and hema- 
 tite, in a bed 4 to 5 feet thick. Strike N. 10° W. ; dip 60° E. 
 
 This same ore also appears £ mile north of the Littlejohn Ore Bank, 
 in an old cut. 
 
 Another bed of limonite occurs in Catawba county, a few miles north- 
 west of Anderson's Mountain. The bed has a thickness of 5 or 6 feet. 
 It furnishes ore for a small Catalan forge near by. 
 
 Forney Ore Bank. — In Catawba county, several miles northwest of the 
 Powell ore bank and 7 miles southwest of Newton, there- is a series of 
 ore deposits known as the Forney Ore Bank, whose mineralogical and 
 geological relations are entirely different from those of the ore beds of 
 Lincoln. They occur in the syenitic belt (Lower Lauren tian), which will 
 be noted on the accompanying geological map, as lying in a narrow zone 
 of 3 to 5 miles in width, (and parallel to the belt of Huronian schists), 
 from the great bend of the Catawba River, nearly to SouthC arolina. 
 The ore is a remarkably pure and heavy magnetite, and occurs in irreg- 
 ular masses scattered disorderly through the massive syenitic rock. The 
 iron made from it was tough and strong. 
 
 Barringer Ore Bank. — This is located in Catawba county, 6 or 7 miles 
 northeast of the Forney Ore Bank, and some 2 miles southeast from 
 Newton. 
 
 Its ores and relations are like the last, but some of the ore is more 
 granular, and is occasionally disseminated in grains in a light-colored 
 granitic gangue. 
 
 The vein is nearly vertical, but the openings do not allow of an op- 
 portunity for measurements. 
 
 Limonite near Lincolnton. — In Lincoln county there is also another 
 deposit which does not belong to any of the series above described. It 
 lies about 2 miles east of Lincolnton on the plank road, and is tracea- 
 ble for several hundred yards by surface fragments. The ore is limon- 
 
IRON ORES. 169 
 
 itic. No exposures have ever been made, but the quantity of ore must 
 be considerable. 
 
 Iron Ores of Yadkin, Surry and Stokes. 
 
 The ores of this region occupy a relation to the Pilot and Sauratown 
 Mountains similar to that of the Gaston and Lincoln ores to the King's 
 Mountain range. They are found along the base and among the spurs 
 and foot hills of the range. Like them, too, these deposits divide 
 themselves into two groups geographically, one in Stokes and the other 
 in Surry and Yadkin. They are all magnetic and granular, but differ 
 in the two groups in their mode of occurrence. 
 
 In the group of ore beds of Surry and Yadkin counties, the ore is 
 disseminated in grains, for the most part through mica schist and 
 gneiss, and the earth}^ and rocky matter often bears a large proportion 
 to the ore, and requires to be separated by stamping and washing 
 before it is sufficiently concentrated for the forge. The rock is gener- 
 ally decomposed to a great depth, and the grains of ore are easily 
 separated by very rude and cheap means. The beds have been long 
 known, and have been used for suppling iron to this entire section.* 
 
 They were described by Dr. Mitchell, in 1842, as follows :f 
 
 "There is a series of beds extending in a northeasterly and south- 
 westerly direction from the Virginia line to the Yadkin River. There 
 are also some beds on the south side of the river." 
 
 Magnetic Ores on Tom's Creek. — In Surry county an example of this 
 magnetiferous gneiss, and of the mode of occurrence, and the method 
 of concentrating and reducing the ore is to be seen on Tom's Creek, a 
 few miles northeast of the Pilot Mountain. ff 
 
 The decomposed gneiss of the ore-bed has little appearance of an 
 iron ore, and is, in fact, distinguishable mainly by its superior weight, 
 the grains of magnetite merely replacing, in varying proportions, the 
 mica and hornblende of the rock. Consequently the beds are no^ 
 
 * I have been courteously supplied with much important memoranda of the iron 
 ore beds of this section by John L. Worth, Esq., of Mount Airy. His profession as 
 surveyor has enabled him to gather a large amount of information on this subject. 
 He says that Worth's Forge, on Tom's Creek, was put in operation in 1787, and has 
 been worked nearly continuously since. — G-. B. H. 
 
 f Elements of Geology, &c, 1842, p. 139. 
 
 ft At Worth's Forge, and Dobson's Forge, as reported by J. L. Worth.— G. B. H. 
 
170 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 defined at all, and the rock has been worked in any direction where it 
 was found to pay. 
 
 Another ore bed and two forges (Hyatt's), are found on the west side 
 of the Ararat River, near the mouth of Bull Run Creek. This ore bed 
 is nearly west of the Pilot, in a light-colored schistose gneissoid sand- 
 ■ stone. 
 
 A third ore bed, known as the Williams Ore Bed, which has been 
 worked for many years, lies 4 miles northwest of Rockford. The rock 
 is a hornblendic gneiss, and the mode of occurrence of the ore is very 
 much as on Tom's Creek, but it is more disposed to gather into bunches 
 and pockets and solid masses.* 
 
 Stanly Ore Bed. — Another locality in Surry county is on the farm of 
 Edward Stanly, 10 miles from Elkin, on the Dobson road, and about 
 \\ miles north of Little Creek. The iron ore is found in the woods, 
 scattered over several acres. From the pits sunk it would appear that 
 the deposit must have a length of not less than 150 yards, but this 
 could not be positively ascertained. There was no section near by to 
 indicate the lithological relations of the ore, but some protruding rock 
 and large surface specimens indicated the formation as largely of mica 
 schist (the mica small and uniformly disseminated), with a little horn- 
 blende. The schists run apparently nearly N. 60° E., and dip south- 
 easterly 75° to 80°. 
 
 The ore seems, so far as surface specimens were an indication, to be 
 lenticular masses of limonite, sometimes changed into red hematite. 
 The beds are credited with a width of 4 to 14 feet. The following are 
 analyses of these ores made by Mr. Planna : 
 
 IRON ORES, STANLY ORE BANK, SURRY COUNTY. (68) (69) 
 
 Silica 10.96 10.04 
 
 Metallic iron 52. 62 54. 52 
 
 Sulphur I ._. .35 .41 
 
 Phosphorus trace, trace. 
 
 The iron made from the ores of Surry has a good reputation in that 
 region. 
 
 Hobson Ore Beds. — In Yadkin county there is a series of ore beds 
 
 * Mr. John L. Worth calls attention to two other similar localities in the series not 
 far southeast of Dobson. — G. B. H. 
 
IRON ORES. 171 
 
 running from the Yadkin River in a southwest direction to Deep Creek. 
 There are a number of mines here, the most noted of which are the 
 Hobson mines. The ores are very much like those on Tom's Creek, 
 but the beds are better defined, and the ore more concentrated in definite 
 strata. The analyses below by Dr. Genth will show their character: 
 
 MAGNETIC ORBS, YADKIN COUNTY. 
 
 (70) (71) (72) (73) (74) (75) (76) (77) 
 
 Magnetic oxide of iron.... ..93.61 55.87 56.13 71.68 74.48 86.39 70.61 79.75 
 
 Oxide manganese .11 .86 trace, trace. .04 trace. .48 .81 
 
 Oxide copper .10 .09 .05 .10 .04 .09 .15 .13 
 
 Alumina. 20 .45 1.88 2.46 .98 .75 .66 1.20 
 
 Lime .45 3.14 .36 .57 .60 .70 1.34 .82 
 
 Magnesia 86 1.94 .19 .10 .25 .77 .90 .98 
 
 Silica, actinolite, epidote, etc., 4.62 37.24 40.60 24.62 23.16 10.83 24.28 14.46 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) . .05 .05 trace, trace, trace. .09 .12 .10 
 
 Sulphur __ 02 trace, trace, trace 
 
 Water _ .34 0.79 0.57 .45 .38 1.46 1.75 
 
 Metallic iron 67.79 40.46 40.65 51.83 53.93 62.55 51.13 57.75 
 
 The Hobson ores (several beds) are represented by Nos. 72, 73 and 
 76 of the above series ; they have been used in the forges of the neigh- 
 borhood for many years. The ore beds are in the northern part of the 
 county, but others are found southward of them, and are represented 
 by the -other analyses. They are: the Sand Bank (70), Black Bank 
 (71), Hutchins (74), Upper Bank (75), and Shields (77). 
 
 East Bend Magnetic Ore. — At East Bend, Yadkin county, is an out- 
 crop of magnetic ore, which is coarse granular, and more free of rocky 
 matter than most of the other deposits, but it has not been operated. 
 
 This range of ore beds extends southward across the South Fork of 
 Yadkin River into Davie county, where the ore still preserves the same 
 characteristics as in the above-mentioned counties, but of the extent of 
 the beds and of their distribution, I have no definite information. 
 
 The northern or Stokes county group of the range lies on the east 
 (north) side of the Dan River, and within 2 and 3 miles of Danbury. 
 They are collected for the most part in a group of parallel beds, in a 
 dark to black and greenish-black micaceous and hornblendic gneiss. 
 The beds being very well defined, and the ore concentrated in certain 
 definite strata, as in the case of the Rogers Ore Bank. 
 
172 
 
 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Rogers Ore Bah];. — This deposit of ore is located in Stokes county, 
 21 miles north of Danbury. Here the ore is pure in quality, coarse 
 granular in texture, and is aggregated into masses of considerable ex- 
 tent. The bed is 8 feet thick, in mica, chlorite and hornblende schist ; 
 and has a dip of 20° E. It has been worked on a considerable scale ; 
 and an excellent iron was smelted in the furnace at Danbury during 
 the late war. Another bed reported to be 10 feet thick wns opened 
 about half a mile east of the last ; and two beds (one of them 4 feet 
 thick, the other not opened) have been discovered at different times 
 within 300 and 600 yards of it, on the west. The ores from these are 
 all magnetic, with sometimes a small admixture of hematite. The fol- 
 lowing analyses are by Dr. Genth : 
 
 MAGNETIC ORES, EEOM ROGERS ORE BANK. 
 
 (78) (79) (80 
 
 Oxides of iron 92.47 85.09 79.71 
 
 Oxide of manganese trace. trace. trace. 
 
 Alumina trace .70 2.27 
 
 Magnesia... _. .20 .16 .17 
 
 Lime 13 .29 .31 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride)-, none. none. none. 
 
 Actinolite 7.20 13.76 15.66 
 
 Water.... 1.88 
 
 Metallic iron 65.34 61.74 57.13 
 
 (81) 
 
 67.66 
 
 trace. 
 
 .17 
 
 .23 
 
 .19 
 
 none. 
 
 31.75 
 
 49.03 
 
 The purity of these ores is conspicuous. Phosphorus is wholly want- 
 ing. Some samples contain a small percentage of pyrites. Manganese 
 appears as only a trace in the analyses, but it must exist in larger pro- 
 portions in some parts of the bed, as speigeleisen is occasionally an ac- 
 cidental product. 
 
 The above specimens of ore are all from the Rogers Ore Bank. 
 There is also a small outcrop of limonite in the vicinity of the Rogers 
 bed, of which Dr. Genth's anyalysis gives : 
 
 LIMONITE, NEAR ROGERS ORE BANK. (82) 
 
 Peroxide of iron . _ 31.36 per cent. 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) 44 
 
 The following is an analysis of a good magnetic ore from the Dan- 
 bury Furnace property, adjoining the town of Danbury on the north, 
 
IRON OEES. 173 
 
 made for the owner, Gol. J. M. Heck, at the State Agricultural Experi- 
 ment Station Laboratory : 
 
 MAGNETIC ORE FROM DANBURY FURNACE PROPERTY. (82 a) 
 
 Silica and insoluble matter, mostly actinolite 11.690 
 
 Magnetic oxide of iron _. 87.990 
 
 Manganese trace. 
 
 Phosphorus .003 
 
 Sulphur 005 
 
 Residue (composed of about 0.17 per cent, of magnesia 
 
 and 0.16 per cent, of lime) .330 
 
 Metallic iron 63.71 
 
 The Riser Ore Bank occurs on the Danbury vein ; and another de- 
 posit of magnetic ore is reported as occurring at Lee Nelson's, 3 to 4 
 miles northwest of the Rogers Ore Bank. 
 
 Magnetic Ore near Sauratown Mountain. — There are other outcrops of 
 magnetic ore in this county, a notable one being on the south side of 
 the Sauratown Mountains, among the head waters of the Town Fork 
 of Dan River. 
 
 It is evident that here is an important iron range, which must be- 
 come a centre of manufacture for the higher grades of charcoal iron, 
 whenever transportation shall have been provided, either by railroad 
 or by the opening of the navigation of the Dan, which is very feasible. 
 The proximity of the Dan River coal beds is another advantage, which 
 may prove of the highest importance. 
 
 Ore Deposits -near Salem. — There are in the Museum several fine speci- 
 mens of magnetic ore and micaceous hematite from Forsyth county, 
 in the neighborhood of Salem, south and, west of the town, which 
 make it probable that there are valuable ore deposits in that section ; 
 but no definite information of the extent of the deposits is at hand. 
 
 Iron Ores of Burke, Caldwell, &c. 
 
 There are many valuable beds of limonite in a range extending in 
 a northeast direction from the northeastern foot-hills of the South 
 Mountains into the Brushy Mountains — from Jacob's Fork of Catawba 
 River, near the eastern border of Burke, across the Catawba, and by 
 way of Gunpowder Creek, to the waters of Middle Little River, near 
 
174 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 the eastern border of Caldwell ; and beyond, near Rocky Creek, in 
 Alexander, and even on the northern slopes of the Brushy Mountains, 
 in Wilkes, the same ores occur, being undistinguishable in appearance 
 and of identical lithological relations. These ores are associated with 
 the peculiar kyanitic hydro-mica schists, and purplish paragonite 
 schists, which characterize this region. 
 
 There is a bed near the town of Hickory, reported to be 5 or 6 feet 
 thick, and 3 miles west, at Propsts', are a number of pits from which 
 ore was obtained during the war ; 6 miles distant, on the lands of Mr. 
 Townsend, a bed was opened some forty years ago, and a considerable 
 amount of the ore smelted in the Shuford furnace near by. This ore 
 was mixed with ore from the Barringer mine near Newton (already 
 referred to), and the iron so made was reported to have been of good 
 quality. 
 
 Limonite occurs on Chestnut Hill, near Icard's Station ; magnetite 
 is also found 6 miles from Morganton, towards Rutherfordton. On 
 Ore Knob, 6 or 7 miles south of Morganton, there are several outcrops 
 of chloritic red hematite ; one mile further and near the end of the 
 ridge, another hematite bed outcrops. 
 
 Iron was also made on Gunpowder Creek, Caldwell county, 40 or 50 
 years ago, from a similar series of limonite beds. The beds on Middle 
 Little River, 12 miles southeast of Lenoir, were worked nearly 60 
 years ago. The outcrops are traceable on the slopes of Mclntyre's 
 Mountain, and Bald Mountain, near Mr. White's, on Miry Branch, for 
 a distance of 2 to 3 miles ; the outcrop on the former being about 3 or 
 4 feet, and on the latter 8 or 10 feet. There is every surface evidence 
 of abundance of ore. Timber for fuel is abundant, and .water-power 
 also ; and the proximity of the magnetites and hematites described 
 below effects a very favorable combination of circumstances. 
 
 Fine specimens of magnetic ore are in the Museum, from near Mor- 
 ganton, and also from the vicinity of Hickory. On Steele's Creek, in 
 the northwestern part of Burke county, there is an outcrop of magnite 
 and hematite ore of the best quality. It is found on a spur of Brown 
 Mountain, on Mr. Estes' land, (1875). 
 
 Limonite also occurs in Brindletown, among the spurs of the South 
 Mountains. 
 
 A bed of superior magnetic ore is found on Warrior Creek not far 
 from Patterson, Caldwell county, and within a mile of the bend of the 
 Yadkin River. It is traceable hundreds of yards by large surface frag- 
 
IRON ORES. 175 
 
 ments of a fine grained heavy metallic ore, remarkably free from 
 rocky admixtures. A similar ore is also reported to be found in large 
 quantity a few miles west on Mulberry Creek. A slaty hematite of 
 great purity is found a few miles above on the spurs of the Blue Ridge, 
 flanking the Yadkin River, in a cove known as Richlands. The faces 
 of the slaty ore, as well as of the walling slates, are sprinkled quite 
 thickly with small shining octahedral crystals of magnetite, many of 
 which have been converted into hematite, constituting a fine example 
 of martite schists. 
 
 The bed at this point outcrops only a few inches in thickness, among 
 the thin-bedded and shaly argillaceous and micaceous schists of Lin- 
 ville, which show themselves in force along the flanks of the Blue 
 Ridge in this section. Mr. Hanna's analysis of the ore is as follows: 
 
 HEMATITE FROM RICHLANDS COVE, CALDWELL COUNTY. (83) 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron _ 96.14 
 
 Sulphide of iron _ 08 
 
 Sulphuric acid (anhydride) 01 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) none. 
 
 Oxide manganese . trace. 
 
 Silica _ 2.25 
 
 Alumina 87 
 
 Water 85 
 
 Metallic iron ■_ 67.32 
 
 Titaniferous Iron Ore. — In the neighborhood of Richland's Cove, on 
 the farm of Mr. J. Curtis (1875), on the banks of the Yadkin, 7 or 8 
 miles above Patterson, is a heavy ledge of titaniferous iron ore in a 
 massive, granular, talco-chloritic gneiss of a light greenish-gray color. 
 
 The ledge is exposed in a cliff rising sheer out of the river, and again 
 in the steep face of a hill 150 yards distant. The exposure is not less 
 than 12 to 15 feet thick, and the surface is covered with heaps of angu- 
 lar fragments of all sizes, up to 100 pounds or more. The bed also in 
 places contains a small proportion of chromium, according to Mr. 
 Hanna. 
 
 Bull Ruffin Ore Bed. — Some 10 or 12 miles northeast of the above, 
 on the flanks of the Blue Ridge, near Cook's Gap, in the edge of 
 Watauga county, occurs another outcrop of the specular (martite) schist 
 of Richlands. The bed at this locality, which is called Bull Ruffin, is 
 reported to be 3 or 4 feet thick at the outcrop ; and the neighboring 
 
176 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 and enclosing rocks, granular quartzone schists and other characteristic 
 schists and slates of , the Linville belt, as well as the ore schist itself, 
 are often impregnated with fine to coarse crystals of magnetite and 
 martite. The ore' strongly resembles the Richland ore. An analysis 
 of this ore by Mr. Hanna is appended : 
 
 SPECULAR (MARTITE) SCHIST, BULL RUFFIN ORE BED. (84) 
 
 Silica 2.617 
 
 Titanic oxide trace. 
 
 Sulphide of iron 048 
 
 Protoxide of iron . _ 2.448 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron ...... 92.916 
 
 Oxide manganese .450 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) very minute trace. 
 
 Metallic iron.... 67.671 
 
 Sulphur .025 
 
 Phosphorus trace. 
 
 There is also an outcrop of limonite near the same point, but no 
 information of its extent has been collected. 
 
 The quality of this ore is so high as to justify an exploration of this 
 promising outcrop, and indeed of the whole range, which does not 
 stop at this point, but follows the line of the Blue Ridge for a distance 
 of' 75 miles, showing itself in the magnetiferous and martitic schists of 
 Fisher's Peak on the Surry- Alleghany border, near the Virginia line. 
 
 Limonites of the Linville Mountains. — In McDowell county there are 
 several beds of limonite. These are mostly aggregated along the top 
 of Linville Mountain, southern part, and western slope near the foot, 
 and in the spurs of the southern end. One of these ore-beds was 
 worked by Mr. Conolly some 35 or 40 years ago. Another, Fleming's 
 ore-bed, 2 or 3 miles south of Linville, on the slope of Graveyard 
 Mountain, was opened also ; and its thickness appeared to be 2 to 3 
 feet. 
 
 A limonite deposit outcrops in the county road, 1 mile N. 20° W. of 
 the Pinnacle, Linville Mountains, for a distance of 100 yards, with a 
 strike of N. 50° E. No developments had been made in 1877, when 
 this region was visited. 
 
 The same ore deposit is said to appear south of Paddy's Creek. 
 
 Iron ores (limonite with gothite) also appear in the gap on top of the 
 Linville Mountains near the south end, A mile from road to North Cove. 
 
IRON (IKES. 177 
 
 Other bodies of ore are reported over the ridge in a west course,.about 
 1 mile distant from the. last ; and others are found in a southeast course 
 in the forks of Paddy's Creek. 
 
 Beds of ore are reported to exist on a knob j- mile S. E. of Shortoff- 
 Mountain, north of the road and i mile above the " flexible sandstone" 
 quarry, and extending on to Carson's Ore Bank of North Fork. 
 
 There is an ore bank in Peter's Cove, 1 mile to the east of the road, 
 and 1-h miles irom Yancey's iron mine. The rock is a shaly sand- 
 stone and itacolumite, with a strike of N. 1(1° \Y. and a dip 18° E. 
 
 These Linville limonites mixed with the magnetites and hematites 
 of the region would become available for the manufacture of good 
 metal. Ores of the last two species occur in the Linville River region. 
 
 The limestone beds of the same belt, in the North Cove and along 
 the flanks of Linville, afford a good flux, and the forests of these moun- 
 tains will furnish indefinite quantities of fuel. 
 
 Ihe Yancey Mine. — This is situated 1J miles N. 80° E. of Wood's 
 Knob. The ore is magnetite, in quartzitic gneiss, with a dip west 
 about 80°, the magnetite being distributed in lines and thin seams. 
 
 Magnetite also occurs in the Linville River region, and at Sampson's 
 Mountain, in Yancey county. 
 
 Limonite at Ore Mountain. — Ore Mountain, 1 mile west of Swannanoa 
 Gap, and just over the Buncombe line, is named from the occurrence 
 on its flanks of a bed of limonite, which doubtless be'ongs to the iron 
 ore range of Linville. The bed is not well exposed, but is visibly not 
 less than 3 or 4 feet thick. 
 
 Ikon Ores of Mitchell and Ashe. 
 
 Cranberry Ore Bank. — In Mitchell county is found one of the most 
 remarkable iron-ore deposits in North America. 
 
 It lies on the western slope of the Iron Mountain, (a part of the great 
 Smoky range), in the northeast corner of the county, o miles from the 
 Tennessee line, and about a mile from the rapid torrent of Elk River, 
 the principal affluent of the Watauga. It lias long been known as the 
 Cranberry Ore Bank, from Cranberry Creek, which flows at the foot of 
 the steep spurs, on which it outcrops. The prevalent and characteris- 
 tic rock of the mountains in this locality is hornblende schist and syen- 
 ite, and it is on the northern margin of a mountainous ledge of such 
 
118 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 rocks, that the ore bed occurs; gray gneisses and gneissoid schists com- 
 ing in beyond in immediate succession and association, in part. 
 
 The ore is a pure magnetite, massive and generally coarse granular, 
 and exhibits strong polarity. It is associated with pyrogene and epi- 
 dote, in certain parts of the bed, as shown in plate X accompanying. 
 
 At the time the ore bed was examined, the steep slopes of the moun- 
 tain, which the bed occupies, were covered with large blocks of ore, 
 and bare vertical walls of massive ore, 10 and 15 feet thick, were ex- 
 posed. The trenches and open diggings, which were scattered without 
 order over many acres, everywhere reached the solid ore within a few 
 feet of the surface. The length of this outcrop is about 1,500 feet, 
 and the breadth 200 to 800, — 600 in the section given in the diagram 
 (plate XY 
 
 -, A large quantity of ore has been quarried and smelted for several 
 generations, but until recently, no true mining had been done ; for the 
 loose, disintegrated masses of ore and iron gravel have been preferred 
 by the ore-diggers, as being more easily obtained, and more readily 
 treated. 
 
 The quality of the ore will best be seen by reference to the following 
 analyses : 
 
 MAGNETITE, CRANBERRY ORE BANK. (85) (86) (87) (88) (89) 
 
 Magnetic oxide of iron ... ... 94.37 91.45 85.59 80.77 91.89 
 
 Oxide manganese .' .26 .06 .24 1.42 .32 
 
 Alumina 42 .77 .11 .52 1.03 
 
 Lime _. .43 1.01 .72 .... 1.06 
 
 Magnesia 36 .53 .33 .23 
 
 Water .44 1.53 8.21. 1.15 
 
 Silica pyroxene 4.16 5.74 11.48 9.08 4.02 
 
 Sulphur .... .... 0.25 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) ... .... trace. 
 
 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 99.95 
 
 Metallic iron 68.34 66.22 61.98 58.49 66.53 
 
 The first four of these analyses (85 — 88) are by Genth, who says 
 " the first three samples contain neither titanic acid, no phosphorus 
 and sulphur, the fourth contains a trace of phosphoric acid." The last 
 (89) was made by Prof. Chandler, Columbia College School of Mines, 
 New York City, who remarks: "This is the best iron ore I have ever 
 analyzed ; it is very rich in iron and very free from sulphur and phos- 
 phorus." The smiths and farmers of the region will pay fifty per cent. 
 
GEOLOGY OF N. C 
 
 PLATE XI. 
 
IRON ORES. 179 
 
 more for it than for any other iron in the market. The softness and 
 toughness of this iron is very remarkable, and its tensile strength, as 
 tested by the United States Ordnance Department, ranks with that of 
 the best irons known. The bed much exceeds in quantity the great 
 deposits of Missouri and Michigan, and at least equals anything in the 
 Champlain region. It is now controlled, and is being mined, by a 
 Pennsylvania company, and is connected by a branch railroad with 
 the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad. 
 
 The topographical sketch of this ore-bed (see plate X/ was taken 
 rapidly and roughly, with a mountain level and pocket barometer, 
 and gives the main features and measurements with approximate ex- 
 actness. The epidote is not entirely confined to a single stratum, or 
 part of the bed, being mixed to some extent with the pyroxenic gangue, 
 which most abounds towards the west side of the vein. 
 
 The developments at this mine at the close of 1886, are briefly given 
 below from notes of the general superintendent, C. H. Nimson : 
 
 The deposit is penetrated by one tunnel for over 500 feet, and by an- 
 other tunnel at right angles to the first (at a level 50 feet higher) for 
 700 feet ; 50 feet still higher are open works. The floor of this work- 
 ing is ore, and receives the ore from a breast or stope 50 feet high, and 
 500 feet long. Above this, and immediately over if, are two more stopes 
 or breasts, each 50 feet high, and 200 feet long. These three open cuts 
 are all in ore ; and above this third bench is 130 feet of ore to-be stoped 
 or turraced out. All these workings, in connection with the diamond 
 drill work, places a deposit of ore in sight 1,700 feet long, 400 feet wide, 
 and over 300 feet deep, down to a level 50 feet above the level of the 
 valley. Below this point no tests have been made, but the floor of the 
 lowest tunnel has the richest and most solid ore that the mine has yet 
 furnished. The present capacity of output is 100,000 tons per annum. 
 The ore is used in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama, and 
 the demand exceeds the supply. 
 
 Other magnetic ore beds of less extent occur in this neighborhood. 
 One is said to occur along the face of the* same (Iron) mountain, 
 between one and two miles eastward ; and several others at the dis- 
 tance of six to ten miles in a southeast direction. 
 
 Northwestward, also, beyond the State line and within a few miles of 
 it is a number of ore beds, mostly magnetic, with one limonitic. In- 
 deed, it is evident that there is an extensive range of iron ores in this 
 
180 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 region, which are of the highest quality, and must one day attract a 
 large capital for their development. 
 
 Deposits of ore are also found in other parts of the county. One of 
 these is a bed of magnetite, on the lower slope of Little Yellow Moun- 
 tain, at Flat Rock ; the ore of which is quite like that at Cranberry. 
 
 Specimens of menaccanite also are often found at this place. 
 
 On Rock Creek, beyond Bakersville, at the foot of the great Roan 
 Mountain, are also several beds of magnetic ore, of which hand speci- 
 mens resemble the Cranberry ore, and the geological associations are 
 the same. Of the size of the beds no definite information has been 
 collected, except in regard to one near the mouth of Big Rock Creek, 
 where a little trenching has been done, and a few small veins or beds 
 of one or two feet thickness were cut. The rock is gneiss, syenite and 
 doleryte, much decomposed superficially. 
 
 Extensive ore deposits are found about the head waters of Big Rock 
 Creek, northwest of Roan Mountain, on top of ridge in the vicinity of 
 Little Rock Mountain. The ore is a solid compact magnetite, capped 
 with a slaty mass, which is a magnetiferous and quartzitic conglome- 
 rate. In the rock between the ore beds much epidote is found. 
 
 Three miles from Bakersville, on lands of Avery Parker, on Pump- 
 kin Patch Mountain, near the gap, specimens of fine heavy magnetite 
 have been found in the woods \ mile from the house; it is found on 
 the suface in blocks. 
 
 Limonite Ores. — In Mitchell county there are several beds of limonite 
 deposits that are worthy of mention. 
 
 One mile southeast from Bakersville, in the woods near the road, an 
 extensive ledge of limonite outcrops, with a strike of N. 75° E. The 
 ore in sight is of rather poor quality. The country rock, as it appears 
 in the road and creek, is a gray micaceous gneiss with a strike N. <>0° 
 E., and a dip E. 30° to 40°. 
 
 Another large outcrop has been reported as occurring f- mile east of 
 the above, on lands belonging to Reuben McKinney. 
 
 Another bed of limonite occurs four miles northwest of Flat Rock, 
 recognizable by the abundance of surface fragments, but no explora- 
 tions have been made. 
 
 Magnetic Ores of Ashe Count]/. — In Ashe county, in the northwest 
 corner of the State, there are some important ore deposits, on the waters 
 of the North Fork of New River. They lie chiefly north and north- 
 
IRON ORES. 181 
 
 east of Jefferson, on Horse Creek and Helton Creek. On Horse Creek 
 are two beds of ore, both coarse magnetite, highly polaric, in gneiss and 
 syenite, the gangue being largely pyroxene and epidote. One is on a 
 high mountain ridge, some 500 feet above the creek, on its west side, 
 and two miles from Hamptons ; the other on the east side at Graybills, 
 on a hill 200 feet or more in height. The numerous surface fragments 
 indicate beds of considerable extent. 
 
 On Helton, 6 or 8 miles east of the last, are still larger deposits, of 
 very pure magnetic ore, which has long been used in the forges of the 
 neighborhood. The ore is a coarse-grained and very pure magnetite, 
 one of the beds of which is reported to be 18 feet in thickness, and an- 
 other 9 feet. This is manifestly an iron region, and worthy of a thor- 
 ough investigation. 
 
 Iron ore is found at W. B. Balton's, on North Fork of New River, 10 
 miles north of Jefferson. The deposit is large, and occupies an ele- 
 vated site. 
 
 There are many other localities in this region, from which hand 
 specimens have been brought to the Museum, as, for example, Cove 
 Creek, in Watauga, which has furnished both magnetite and limonite, 
 and the neighborhood of Flat Top Mountain, where a titaniferous o're 
 is found. 
 
 Iron Ores of the French Broad. 
 
 There are several localities on the M'estern slopes of the Black Moun- 
 tain, on the head waters of Ivy Creek, in the eastern edge of Madison 
 county, where magnetite is found on the surface. 
 
 A bed of titaniferous iron occurs here near the public road, and about 
 midway between Asheville and Burnsville. The prevalent rock of the 
 region is gneiss, with much hornblende schist and syenite. 
 
 There are many fragments of this ore of considerable size along the 
 steep slope of a mountain spur. It is very hard, lustre resinous, color 
 black, fracture sub-conchoidal. 
 
 The analysis of the ore by Mr. Hanna is below : 
 
 TITANIFEKOUS ORE, MADISON COUNTY. (90) 
 
 Titanic acid 37.88 
 
 Protoxide of iron 37.06 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron -- 11.03 
 
 Sesquioxide of manganese. -. 89 
 
 Alumina -- - 9-51 
 
182 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Lime 2.57 
 
 Magnesia.. ,.. .93 
 
 Sulphur 09 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride) - _ trace. 
 
 Water. .15 
 
 Silica _ .-.. .83 
 
 100.94 
 
 Smith Mine. — The H. B. Smith Mine is near Ivy Creek, 2J miles from 
 the junction between that creek and the French Broad River, and also' 
 6 miles from Alexanders'. 
 
 The ore deposit occurs in a hill about 150 feet high, approximately 
 J mile south of and sloping towards Ivy Creek. It outcrops in the 
 woods on the top of this hill, on its northern slope, and on another hill 
 across the ravine. The ore is a dark magnetite, and presents a fine 
 appearance. 
 
 The country rock is a hornblendic gneiss' and schist. The gangue is 
 pyroxene and some epidote, as at Cranberry, and Horse Creek, in Ashe 
 county. At the upper cut, 5 feet deep on the hill, the ore bed in de- 
 composed hornblende and pyroxene rock, is 12 feet wide. At the 
 second opejiing below, on the north slope of the hill, the deposit is 
 about 20 feet thick, the bed widening out as the slope is descended. 
 
 A cross section of the ore bed about half way down the hill shows a 
 thickness of twenty feet, with a westerly dip of about 60°. The ore is 
 found more especially near the sides and in the center of the bed. The 
 outcrop is along a nearly north and south line. 
 
 Magnetite in huge solid masses is found on Upper Spring Creek. 
 
 On Bear Creek, below Marshall, near the French Broad, there are 
 surface fragments of magnetite in hornblende schist. 
 
 On the eastern fork of Big Laurel there is a large outcrop of a schistose 
 granular magnetite at Mrs. Norton's, and near Jewel Hill occurs a bed 
 or vein of specular hematite in a reddish felspathic gneiss where this 
 ore is said to be abundant. 
 
 Specimens of iron ores have been sent to the museum from the fol- 
 lowing localities : 
 
 Redman Mine, on Bear Creek, below Marshall, on west side of French 
 Broad River, about 1 mile distant. The ore is a magnetite of good 
 quality. 
 
 Freeman Mine, near same locality — a magnetic ore of good quality. 
 
 Sikes Mine, near the Freeman. From this latter two kinds of ore 
 
IRON ORES. 183 
 
 were forwarded : (1) a bright specular ore seamed with quartz ; (2) a 
 dull granular magnetic specular ore. 
 
 There are also in the museum specimens of magnetic ore brought 
 from the eastern part of Buncombe county. 
 
 Magnetic ore is reported as occurring on Turkey Creek. 
 
 About five miles west of Asheville a bed of limonite of several feet 
 thickness has been opened. 
 
 There is a range of limonite ore beds associated with the limestones 
 of this county, which follow them from Cane Creek across and up the 
 French Broad into Transylvania. 
 
 Three miles from Alexanders across the French Broad River, and 
 12 miles from Asheville, a bed of limonite is reported by E. M. Carter. 
 
 Limonite is further reported by Mr. Carter as occurring in a very 
 wide bed 3 miles from the French Broad River, and 1 or 2 miles from 
 the State line. ' 
 
 In the northeastern part of Haywood county, on Wilkins' Creek, is 
 a bold and massive outcrop of granular magnetite. 
 
 There are also magnetites and hematites in various localities of Jack- 
 son and Macon, where extensive deposits are reported.* 
 
 Magnetite iron ore is found at Fish Hawk Mountain, in Macon 
 county, and limonite at Quallatown, in Japkson county. 
 
 *NOTK. — To Professor C. D. Smith is due the memoranda respecting the following" 
 localities, which, with some condensation, are as follows: " Magnetic ironexists in 
 " many counties west of the Blue Ridge; lithologically considered, it is not confined to 
 " one class of rock. I have gathered some facts which lead me to believe that val- 
 "uable deposits of it exist at several points." 
 
 " The first range to be noted in order is the Spring Creek section." 
 
 " Three localities are noted on Fine's Creek, also at the head of Spring Creek, and 
 "at Mr. Hardy Nolan's." 
 
 " The second zone passes through Madison a few miles south of Marshall, crossing 
 " the French Broad a short distance above the mouth of the Ivy. About 3 miles up 
 " the Ivy, magnetite occurs on the lands of Joseph Siler, where a vein of 3 to 3 feet 
 "is found. 
 
 " The third zone in which magnetic iron occurs is in the copper and corundum 
 "belt. In this zone the magnetite is found in syenite gneiss, and sometimes with 
 "chlorite." 
 
 Among the localities are: "Elijah Creek in Macon county, about 8 miles south- 
 "east of Franklin, on the lands of Messrs. Ward and Moses. Four miles southeast 
 " of Franklin specular iron exists on the lands of Gen. T. M. Angel; large masses 
 " are scattered over the surface. One mile from this place, at Wm. Washburn's, 
 " magnetic iron is found. Near the base of the Nanteyahee Mountain, at the head 
 "of Cartoogajay Creek, there is another locality of magnetic iron, on lands of W. 
 
1*4 geology of north carolina. 
 
 Iron Ores oe Cherokee County*. 
 
 There is no other county in the State which contains so much iron 
 ore as Cherokee. It is all however of one species, limonite. The mar- 
 hie beds of Valley River and Notteley River are everywhere accom- 
 panied by beds of this ore. There seem to be generally 2, 3 and 4 
 parallel beds of it, on or two of which are frequently schistose and 
 micaceous, — a limonitic schist, and the others cellular concretionary 
 &c, and (the most western, generally) ochreous. The breadth of this 
 iron and marble range is 2 to more than 3 miles. 
 
 The trough which has been scooped out by the rivers, in a north- 
 easterly and southwesterly direction, owes its existence to the destruct- 
 ible beds of limestone and their associated soft mica-schists and hydro- 
 mica schists and shales, which occupy this tract. The direct valley 
 range is about 24 miles in length ; and there is bifurcation of it, at a 
 point 6 or 8 miles above Murphy, one branch pursuing a more south- 
 erly course, by way of Peachtree Creek and Brasstown Creek, making 
 the whole iron range of the county above 30 miles. 
 
 The most common and characteristic terms of the series, in cross sec- 
 tion, are, counting from the northwest, schistose gneiss and mica schist, 
 limonite, steatyte, marble, limonite, schistose quartzyte, schistose limo- 
 nite, mica-schist and schistose gneiss. 
 
 At several points there are two or three reduplications of the marble, 
 and there are commonly intercalations of mica schists and hydro- 
 mica schists between the different terms of the series. The section at 
 Valleytown shows two parallel beds of limonite on the slope of the 
 mountains to the south, these beds being sometimes not more than 
 100 to 200 yards apart. The marble lies in the valley, and the 
 schistose talc beds to the north side of the valley, and a bed of 
 ochre north of that, outcropping in Paint Creek, 6 to 10 feet wide. 
 There are here two or three parallel beds of mai'ble. Lower down, at 
 the Parker Mine (gold), and across by the Taylor place, are, first, the 2 
 beds of limonite, some 200 yards apart, then the valley, with its mar- 
 
 " C. Kinsey. The quantity of ore distributed on the surface indicates a vein of fair 
 " dimensions." 
 
 "There are many points along the whole Blue Ridge range, on the west slope, 
 "where I have observed fragments of magnetic ore. There is a probability that 
 "numerous veins of this valuable ore will be discovered at other points." — G. B. H. 
 
 * Reprinted with but slight alteration from Prof. Kerr's Geology of North Carolina, 
 1875, p. 268, et seq.—G. B. H. 
 
IKON ORES. 
 
 185 
 
 ble and steatyte, with an outcrop of limonite to the north. This is 
 nearly half-way between Valleytown and Murphy. 
 
 At Colbert's, the quartzite ridge appears with iron beds on both 
 flanks. This is 6 to 7 miles above Murphy, where some rude mining 
 has been done for iron ore quite recently, and much more and more 
 systematic mining in ancient times, by no one knows whom or for 
 what purpose. There are still visible shafts more than a hundred feet 
 deep, which are said to have been approached by drifts, of which 
 some signs of the entrance still remain. The marble here comes next 
 the iron, to the northwest, and then the steatyte. The latter appears of 
 unusually fine quality in a. large bed near by, at Mrs. Leatherwood's. 
 
 At Mrs. Hayes', the quartzite appears with its northern bed of limon- 
 ite, followed by the marble, talc and another bed of limonite. At 
 several points between this and Murphy the same terms of the series 
 are discoverable. About one mile north of Murphy the quartzite forms 
 a high ridge, having the two beds of limonite, one on either flank, 
 that on the northwest very fine and 25 feet thick. From this point 
 much ore has been obtained for the supply of the neighborhood forges, 
 chiefly the one on Hanging Dog Creek. The iron was reputed of very 
 good quality. Beyond this bed of ore in the same section, is the mar- 
 ble and talc of " No. 6." 
 
 At one-half mile below Murphy there seem to be four limonite beds 
 with a small outcrop of the quartzite, the marble occupying the middle 
 term of the section. One of these beds may be seen in the streets of 
 Murphy; but half a mile below, are two fine outcrops, indicating the 
 presence of immense quantities of ore. Taking the course of the 
 Noteley to the southwestward, the two limonite beds, with intervening 
 quartzite, appear near the Ducktown road about 5 miles from Murphy, 
 aivd there is a large outcrop also at the bridge six miles from Murphy. 
 There is a large quarry of steatyte within the same distance. 
 
 Ascending the Hiwassee from Murphy, on the south bank, at the 
 distance of about 2 miles, and after passing a heavy bed of slaty gneis- 
 soid quartzite, is a large bed of limonite ; and beyond this, other quartz- 
 ose gneisses, much-veined; then a second bed of the ore, after which 
 come hydro-mica schists, and at 3 miles (Martin's), white marble. Half 
 a mile beyond is a fine bed of limonite 10 to 12 feet thick, which has 
 been worked to some extent, and a few hundred yards further is a bed 
 of blue marble, which is reported to occur also on Brasstown Creek. 
 The steatyte does not show itself in this section, being concealed by 
 
186 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 superficial deposits, but in another section a little north (less than 2 
 miles), it comes in as a brown spongy decomposed massive talcose rock 
 just west of Garrison's, the marble and iron ore appearing on both 
 sides of it at Garrison's, and west of the ledge ; this last being an ochre- 
 ous bed, associated with quartzite. Eastward of Garrison's, on this 
 section, at Williams', the marble appears, and at Southard's, both mar- 
 ble and limonite; and the marble and iron are reported as outcropping 
 again at Coleman's, on Little Brasstown Creek, the marble here having 
 a greater thickness than at any other point, many hundreds of feet. 
 The last outcrop in this direction of the marble and limonite is near 
 Peachtree Creek, between 7 and 8 miles from Murphy. So that here 
 the beds must have suffered much and rapid folding or faulting. 
 
 These beds of ore are traceable northwards to within two miles of 
 the Valley River beds near Mrs. Hayes'. 
 
 The quantity of ore in this county is therefore immense, and very 
 widely distributed, and the forests of the mountain slopes furnish un- 
 limited supplies of fuel, while the marble is at hand everywhere for 
 fluxing.. The quality of the ore may be inferred from the following 
 analysis by Dr. T. M. Chatard for Genth of a large mass obtained 
 from the open cut a mile north of Murphy : 
 
 LIMONITE, NEAR MURPHY, CHEROKEE COUNTY. (91) 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 85.69 
 
 Silica __ _ 1.50 
 
 Water _ 12.81 
 
 Metallic iron 59.98 
 
 The above description of the Cherokee ore beds is made from the 
 abbreviated notes of a hurried exploration made several years ago. 
 These fine ore ranges are eminently worthy of detailed study and 
 mapping. 
 
 Spathic Ore. 
 
 The following notes concerning the occurrence of spathic ore (sider- 
 ite) in the State may be added as a sort of appendix.* 
 
 This spathic ore is found .in many of the mines of Cabarrus, Rowan, 
 Davidson and Mecklenburg, sometimes in considerable quantities, but 
 
 *See also this volume, p. 80, for additional notes on this subject. 
 
IRON ORES. 187 
 
 unfortunately it is commonly found associated with copper pyrite, and 
 from the presence of sulphur in relatively large proportion, is unfit for 
 iron making. A sample of this siderite from the Conrad Hill Mine in 
 Davidson county, according to Dr. Genth, has the following composi- 
 tion : 
 
 SIDERITE, CONRAD HILL, DAVIDSON COUNTY. (92) 
 
 Oxideofiron - 47.70 
 
 Oxide of manganese 2.06 
 
 Magnesia - 10.77 
 
 Lime 63 
 
 Carbonic acid, water etc 38.84 
 
 Metallic iron '. 37.10 
 
 In conclusion it may be stated that this section on the iron ores of 
 North Carolina is necessarily brief and imperfect, although information 
 has been sought from every source. 
 
 Much yet remains to be done to complete the descriptions; there are 
 many blanks to fill, and whole counties to be examined, of which lit- 
 tle is known except the bare fact that they contain iron ores. The 
 investigations have of necessity been limited, in the main, to the study 
 of such ore beds as have happened to be open or accessible, which, as 
 a matter of course, are but a small proportion of the whole, in a region 
 where the industrial activity of the people is almost exclusively given 
 to agriculture. 
 
188 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Section 2. SILVER, LEAD AND ZINC. 
 
 These three metals do not abound in North Carolina. As a rule 
 they are associated. 
 
 Native silver was found in some quantity at Silver Hill, in Davidson 
 county, and has also been observed at the McMakin and Trautman 
 mines at Gold Hill, and at Copper Knob Mine, Ashe county. Sul- 
 phuret of silver is also reported to have been seen at the latter mine. 
 Chlorides and bromides, with the associated minerals, are found only in 
 extremely small quantities, and are of no importance commercially. 
 
 Silver is universally present with gold, and alloyed to such an extent 
 as to form a noticeable item of profit to the producers of gold bullion, 
 which contains the less valuable metal in proportions ranging from 
 25 to 500 one-thousandths in fineness. 
 
 Zinc ores dissociated from galena are very rare, while lead ores free 
 from large amounts of zinc are also infrequent. In a word, the lead 
 ores of North Carolina are unusually zinciferous ; they are commonly 
 argentiferous, and to a slight extent auriferous. - 
 
 The resources of the State in these metals may be briefly described. 
 
 A remarkable belt (or belts) of galena and its associates extends along 
 the western edge of the central " Huronian" area, from near the South 
 Carolina line in Union county, to the southeast part of Davidson county, 
 near the Randolph line — a distance of some 60 miles. The width of 
 the belt will not much exceed 5 miles. 
 
 This narrow belt may divided into two narrower belts, each with its 
 peculiarities. The more western, which joins the granite on its eastern 
 edge, has galena with less blende, and perhaps more silver. Not in- 
 frequently, there is more gold by weight than silver; aud this is espe- 
 cially true of the galenas of Union and Cabarrus counties. 
 
 The more easterly belt, which is not further east than about three 
 miles,* has, so far as present discoveries show, larger masses of ore, but 
 the ore is more refractory. 
 
 This classification is approximately correct, but the section needs 
 further study before the details can be exactly stated. 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 210, says : 
 " The Gold Hill part of this belt is on the west of the conglomerate, and the David- 
 son extremity is upon the eastern side of it." 
 
SILVER, LEAD AND ZINC ORES. 189 
 
 The Steele and the Henderson mines, in Montgomery county, near 
 the Uwharrie River, are nearly fifteen miles further east, and do not 
 fall into either class. 
 
 The description will commence with the more westerly belt adjacent 
 to the granite. 
 
 Galena is found at the Davis, Phiffer and Lewis mines in Union 
 county, some six miles south of Matthews, on the Carolina Central 
 Railroad. It has not hitherto been shown to be of commercial value, 
 but it exists in such quantities in the bedded veins as to give a large 
 admixture of silver with the gold, for which these localities are oper- 
 ated ; and not infrequently reduces the fineness of the gold to 500 or 
 even 400. 
 
 It is also found in some of the numerous gold deposits of the Hemby 
 Mine, just to the north of the Lewis, and with a similar lowering of 
 the grade of bullion. 
 
 Smart Mine. — At this mine, in Union county, four miles nearly south- 
 east of Matthews, and about one mile south of the C. C. R. R., galena 
 occurs in relatively large quantities, but the resources of the mine are 
 not known, for by reason of the want of a home market for galena, its 
 presence in a gold mine, for which this mine was formerly worked, was 
 regarded as undesirable, and led to the abandonment of work. 
 
 The ore body has been proved to the depth of 110 feet, and three 
 levels at 35, 60 and 95 feet respectively, have been run, each of which 
 'is about 60 feet in length.* The vein is at times 3 to 4 feet thick ; but 
 the width of the ore seam is considerably less. The ore is galena with 
 pyrite in a matrix of quartz. Assays of working lots are as follows : 
 
 ORBS FROM SMART MINE, UNION COUNTY. (l)f (2) 
 
 Gold, per ton — 6-10 oz. 2J oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 3 1-20" 4 6-10" 
 
 (The coining rate of gold is $20,671 per ounce, and of silver $1,293 per ounce.) 
 
 It is claimed that the average value of the ore is for gold and silver 
 about $30 per ton, nearly equally divided between the two. 
 
 Lemmonds Mine. — In Union county, two miles northeast of the Smart, 
 is the Lemmonds (or Marion) Mine, which Prof. F. A. Genth describes 
 
 * J. C. Bates, Esq., of Monroe, has kindly furnished the account of the under- 
 ground work, etc. — G. B. H. 
 
 f In this and subsequent assays, the forms 6-10 oz. etc., represent fractions of an 
 ounce. 
 
190 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 as follows :* The vein is " irregular in size, sometimes widening out 
 from a few inches to six feet. It consists of quartz richly charged with 
 brown zinc blende and galenite, with small quantities of arsenopyrite, 
 chalcopyrite," etc. 
 
 A pure specimen of galenite, which did not show any free gold, (assay 
 No. 3) and one of brown zinc blende (No. 4) were assayed by Genth, 
 and yielded gold and silver per ton, as follows : 
 
 ASSAYS OF GALENITE (3) AND BLENDE (4), LEMMONDS MINE. 
 (3) (4) 
 
 Gold, per ton 30 oz. L„ j of which nearly one-half 
 
 Silver, per ton .... 864 " j" °" u *" { was gold. 
 
 According to Prof. Genth : " This vein appears to have a considera- 
 ble longitudinal extension, and passes into the Stewart Mine property."! 
 
 Stewart Mine. — At this mine, in Union county, have been found occa- 
 sional bodies of ore containing galenite, similar to the ores of the 
 Lemmonds ; but the mine has attained its reputation through its auri- 
 ferous ores. Assays of ores containing galenite are as follows : 
 
 ORES PROM THE STEWART MINE, UNION COUNTY. 
 
 (5) (6) T') (8) (9) 
 
 Gold, per ton 2 15-100 oz. 16-10 oz. 2 oz. 2 oz. 15-100 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton ...4 45-100 " 4 42-100" 5 10-100 " 3 10-100 " 10 90-100 " 
 
 The lead was not determined, but enough was present to form a de- 
 sirable constituent in smelting. This class of ore is easily hand- 
 dressed to a richer material. 
 
 Ihe Moore Mine. — This mine is located in Union county, one and 
 one-half mile's northeast of the Stewart ; and its ores resemble those of 
 the Smart. 
 
 ORES FROM THE MOORE MINE, UNION COUNTY. (10) (11) (12) 
 
 Gold, pei- ton 6 oz. 4-10 oz. 1 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton . . .90 38-100" 118-100" 18-10" 
 
 Lead 33 per cent. small. small. 
 
 * Kerr's Geology of North Carolina, 1875, p. 290. 
 
 f Note.— It may be incidentally mentioned that there is also here a large gold vein, 
 which has been very productive. There are several nearly parallel veins on this 
 tract, of which this " Lead Shaft" vein is one. — G. B. H. 
 
SILVER, LEAD AND ZINC ORES. 191 
 
 No record is known of the underground work, or extent or character 
 of ore. 
 
 Galenite is also found at the Long (or Crowell) Mine in the same 
 neighborhood, but the lead-bearing vein has never been worked. 
 
 This ore belt extends along the eastern border of Cabarrus county. 
 
 Rocky River Mine. — The Rocky River mine occurs near the river of 
 that name, in Cabarrus county, ten miles nearly southeast from Con- 
 cord. It has five veins, some of which carry galena in noticeable 
 quantity, and it is also equally noticeable that, when the galenite is 
 more abundant, there is a corresponding enrichment in the gold con- 
 tents.* 
 
 Allen Furr Mine. — The Allen Furr (or " Silver Valley") Mine, eleven 
 miles southeast of Concord, and in the same neighborhood as the Rocky 
 River Mine, also carries a small proportion of galenite in a gangue of 
 massive pyrite. The galenite is for the most part disseminated in small 
 proportion, but occasionally is found free enough to constitute a true 
 lead ore. But it is doubtful if any considerable amount proves to be 
 as rich as is indicated by the following analysis: 
 
 ORES FROM THE ALLEN FURR MINE. CABARRUS COUNTY. (14) 
 
 Lead ..-., 34.18 per cent. 
 
 Zinc small. 
 
 Gold, per ton 1 2-10 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton _ 10 8-10 " 
 
 This mine will be noticed again in the section treating of gold mines. 
 At Gold Hill the belt again becomes prominent in the McMakin and 
 Trautman mines. f 
 
 * A recent analysis of an average sample shows the following result as to the min- 
 eral constituents treated of in this section : 
 
 ORE FROM THE ROOKY RIVER MINE, CABARRUS COUNTY. (13) 
 
 Lead.-. - 2.64 per cent. 
 
 Copper _ ..- -. .15 " 
 
 Zinc -..- 94 
 
 Arsenic trace. 
 
 As such mine matter is readily concentrated it will be seen that a product may be 
 obtained (particularly as such ore contains a fair amount of gold and silver), which 
 will be a valuable adjunct in, the metallurgy of the precious metals, where the 
 treatment by lead smelting is employed. 
 
 f For the general topographical characters of this district, see description and map 
 of the Gold Hill district.— G. B. H. 
 
192 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 McMakin Mine. — The McMakin (or Silver) vein is situated in the 
 southwest part of this district, and in Cabarrus county. No work has 
 been done on it for twenty-five years. It was entered by three shafts, 
 the deepest of which was 181 feet ; and two levels were driven, one at 
 66 feet, the other at the bottom. 
 
 The vein occurs in a talco-argillaceous schist,* the hanging wall he-> 
 ing prevailingly talcose, and the foot wall prevailingly argillaceous. It 
 is found parallel to the general line of stratification, viz. : N. 45° to 60° 
 east, and with an easterly dip 70° to 75°. 
 
 There are two veins, designated as the Main vein and the Little vein. 
 The outcrop consisted largely of brown hematite, psilomelane, pyrolusite, 
 and dolomite — the first and second predominating. Manganese ores dis- • 
 appear at a depth of twenty feet; then plumbago, pyromorphite and 
 cerussite come in ; and these in turn go out at 60 feet, being replaced 
 by galenite, blende, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and highly argentiferous tet- 
 rahedrite. The prevailing gangue is carbonate of lime and barite with 
 quartz. Down to 70 feet yellow blende, assaying 14 to 39A s ir oz., occurs 
 in larger amounts than galenite ; then the latter predominates, and is 
 accompanied by an ever-increasing amount of tetrahedrite, and assay- 
 ing 12 to 58o^ oz. silver. 
 
 The following statement by Mr. 0. J. Heinrich, E. M.,f will show the 
 characteristics fully : " At the depth of 76 feet between the south and 
 " the whim shafts the vein is four to ten feet wide, the vein nssureijbe- 
 " ing chiefly occupied by carbonate of lime and barite. 
 
 " This gangue carries grains and small masses of tetrahedrite to a 
 " width of two feet at the southeast ; the central part of the vein con- 
 " tains several seams of tetrahedrite and yellow blende, and the north- 
 " west has yellow blende with galenite and many grains of tetrahedrite. 
 " Tetrahedrite is found at its best close to the hanging wall in the south- 
 " east. Average samples occording to Dr. Genth gave : 
 
 SILVER ORE, MCMAKIN MINE, CABARRUS COUNTY. (15) (16) 
 
 Silver, per ton 245 9-10 oz. 500 oz. 
 
 " Simple cobbing increases the contents as in No. 16. 
 " There is a small parallel vein west of the main vein, which has 
 " been extensively stoped, from the whim shaft to the surface ; its course 
 
 * This schist (" slate ") has a decided chloritic tendency, and may often be called 
 chlorite schist. — G. B. H. 
 
 f In a MSS. report to the owners of the property. 
 
SILVER, LEAD AND ZINC ORES. 193 
 
 " is N. 50° to 60° ; and dip southeast 35°. There are probably other 
 " parallel veins both to the northwest and southeast, for the whole belt 
 " is metaliferous." 
 
 Work was terminated at this mine, in 1861, and the vein has not 
 since been touched. 
 
 Trautman Mine.— The Trautman Vein, in Cabarrus county, one mile 
 southeast of Gold Hill, was oi'iginally opened as a gold mine. The ore 
 near the surface consisted of very rich, auriferous, porous quartz. At 
 the depth of 100 feet, where the sulphurets are unaltered, the ores were 
 poorer, and contained a string of ash-gray blende, and pyrite from 2 
 to 6 inches wide, which had much increased at greater depths. 
 
 Silver Hill Mine. — Two large deposits of zinc bearing galenite exist in 
 Davidson county, — Silver Hill, ten miles southeast from Lexington ; and 
 Silver Valley, five miles northeast from Silver Hill, and near the bor- 
 der of Randolph county. The two deposits at considerable depth carry 
 similar ores, but the shallower deposits were quite dissimilar. 
 
 The country is an argillaceous schist ("slate "), very indurated, with 
 a marked chloritic tendency. Hard silicious schists are also frequently 
 seen*. 
 
 From the imperfect records of the mine now accessible it is believed 
 to have been discovered in 1838. For a considerable time the gossan 
 was worked as a gold mine ; its outcrop was not prominent. The tract 
 embraces a little more than 1,000 acres, and there are over 6,000 feet of 
 vein formation. 
 
 This mine has been more extensively worked (the Gold Hill excepted) 
 than an}' other in North Carolina; and from this "fact, and from the 
 extensive prospecting, which has been done, it allows and demands a 
 carefnl description. 
 
 As usual, in all mines in this section, the ores rapidly changed at the 
 water line, and became, with some alterations and exceptions, slightly 
 argentiferous blende and galenite, and have on the whole proved very 
 refractory. Plates Nos. XII and XIII show all the important under- 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 185. says: 
 "The age of the vein fissures of this mine is of the same period as the auriferous 
 veins of this formation. There is a parallelism and a general resemblance in the 
 characteristics of all these repositories.'' 
 
194 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 ground features. Down to the 200 foot level the drawings are from 
 actual surveys by R. C. Taylor and Jas. V. Symonds ; below that point 
 they are made from notes and statements by the old superintendents 
 and underground bosses, especially Mr. James Prim, and are to be re- 
 garded as only approximately correct. No records of a survey of this 
 lower part of the mine exists. 
 
 Much the greater part of the ore has been taken out by the Engine 
 shaft (at first known as the Whim shaft). Down to 200 feet this shaft 
 was vertical ; from the 190 foot level of this vertical shaft an inclined 
 shaft was sunk to a nominal depth of 660 feet ; this incline was in the 
 back or east vein, and in the main followed the dip of the vein. Both 
 veins were worked from these shafts, as shown in plate No. XII, in the 
 vertical section through the engine shaft. 
 
 The mine has been more or less prospected for about 700 feet of its 
 entire length, but the vein formation extends a much greater distance. 
 
 The prevailing- appearance of the upper part of these lodes, and their 
 accompaniments, is a yellowish white, decomposed, talcose material, 
 varying from rock to rotten schist and soft clay, and with the mineral 
 matter dispersed through it, and not readily distinguishable. The 
 treatment of the ores for gold did not continue long, for the real char- 
 acter of the mine speedily disclosed itself. 
 
 The East vein above the 60 foot level was the richer in silver, and 
 the West vein in lead, hence the former was called the "Silver 
 vein," and the latter the " Lead vein." The space between was soft 
 ground with disseminated mineral matter. 
 
 Two small veins are found from 100 to 175 feet in depth ; the Lit- 
 tle East vein, a few feet east of the main East vein, and nearly paral- 
 lel to it; and the- Little West vein, some 50 feet west of the main 
 vein, and inclining toward it. Small outlying lenticles were encoun- 
 tered occasionally in driving into the " country," and the main, vein 
 was occasionally divided by "horses" of slate. 
 
 The veins come together at the 60-foot level just to the southwest of 
 the engine shaft (plate XII., fig 2), where the west vein was the richer 
 in silver. At the 60-foot level, and down to the 100-foot level of the 
 West vein, there also occurred a good body of manganese ore, and as- 
 sociated with it most of the cabinet specimens for which this mine was 
 noted ; e. g., carbonates, sulphates, and phosphates of lead, and carbon- 
 ates and silicates of copper, together with foliated and other kinds of 
 native silver ; the East vein was less rich in cabinet specimens. 
 
GEOLOGY OP N. C. 
 
 PLATE XII. 
 
 
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GEOLOGY OP N. C. 
 
 PLATE XIII. 
 
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SILVER, LEAD AND ZINC ORES. 195 
 
 The West vein also expands considerably between 60 and 100 feet; 
 but in the expanded parts it was regularly denned, and often had 
 "vugs" with rich mine matter. In this zone the ore was changed 
 from oxides to sulphides, with blende predominating over the galenite. 
 Below the 160-foot level the East vein again becomes richer in silver. 
 
 At this depth the space from wall to wall of the two veins (i. e., foot 
 wall of East vein to hanging wall of West vein) is 32 feet, and the vein 
 becomes quite vertical, i. e., 64° from horizontal, and sometimes expands 
 into nests, and is frequently filled with black, cellular, steel-grained, 
 zinciferous ore, with occasional masses of rich argentiferous galenite, and 
 native silver. Assays of this ore show: 
 
 SILVER ORE, SILVER HILL MINE, EAST VEIN, DAVIDSON COUNTY. 
 
 (17) (18) 
 
 Silver, per ton 20 oz. 80 oz 
 
 Lead 49 per cent. 52 per cent. 
 
 Galenite associated with minerals of secondary formation, is some- 
 times found ranging extraordinarily high in silver. 
 
 For 160 to 200 feet the vein becomes still more steep, but at the lat- 
 ter depth rapidly changes to approximately 45°. Near the 200 foot 
 level the west vein is ten to sixteen feet thick, and is filled with argen- 
 tiferous galenite — the last ten feet having produced more silver than 
 any similar distance from the 160 to the 200 foot level. 
 
 The East vein is divided by a " horse," at the 160-foot level, as shown 
 on plate XII. Both the Little East aud the Little West veins carry 
 ores quite like those of the main veins at the same depth. 
 
 Below the 200 foot level the blende gradually increases, and finally 
 predominates over the galenite. 
 
 The composition of a large pile of ore, which had accumulated with 
 reference to smelting, was as follows : 
 
 ORE FROM SILVER HILL, DAVIDSON COUNTY. (19) 
 
 Lead _ 17.5 per cent. 
 
 Zinc _ 45. 
 
 Sulphur - 25. 
 
 Iron oxide, alnmina and silica _ _ 10. 
 
 All efforts to smelt this class of ore were disastrous and wasteful. 
 At 170 feet the richest ore was found in a lenticle in the general 
 mass, two feet thick. At the depth of about 200 feet a huge shoulder 
 
196 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 or swell was encountered, making the floor nearly flat for awhile. Be- 
 low 200 feet the vein and its walls assumed their permanent and nor- 
 mal characteristics. 
 
 The inclined shaft was sunk in the East vein, and cross-cuts driven 
 from it to the "West vein, and through them the West vein was worked, 
 levels being driven each 50 feet on the incline. Down to 310 feet the 
 levels extended both northeast and southwest; below 310 feet, 50 to 75 
 feet to the north only, since the shoot of ore appeared to be pitching 
 to the northeast. The stopes extended 25 to 50 feet from the shaft 
 along the levels, both veins being worked alike. At the depth of 
 about 400 feet, the exact point not being now ascertainable, the two 
 veins united again, and continued together for a distance of 50 feet 
 downward. 
 
 The ore shoots appear to be diminishing in length at the deepest 
 point thus far attained, and are about 25 feet long in the course of the 
 vein, but the thickness is not materially changed, and they have a 
 width of twelve feet. Those who have been long familiar with the 
 mine, say that it is a repetition of what has often occurred, and are 
 sanguine that it will enlarge again. 
 
 It is believed that a large body of carbonates still exists near the 
 surface, and down to 100 or 200 feet. This body was penetrated by the 
 late J. Howard Jones, in 1878, and a large amount of ore brought to 
 the surface. Its character is indicated by assays Nos. 20 and 21 below. 
 The general position of Mr. Jones' inclined shaft is shown on plate 
 XII., by dotted lines; an extensive cave subsequently occurred, and its 
 exact position cannot now be determined. 
 
 It may be mentioned that bodies of iron pyrite, with a very little 
 chalcopyrite, are sometimes encountered, and it is believed that a con- 
 siderable quantity exists. Assays Nos. 22 and 23 show its composition. 
 Nos. 24, 25 and 2G are assays of compact galenite. 
 
 No. 27, by Prof. F. A. Genth, is the average contents during his con- 
 nection with the mine, being an average of some 200 assays. 
 
 ORES FROM SILVER HILL. 
 
 CARBONATES. PYRITE (WITH CHALCOPYRITE). 
 
 (20) (21) (22) (23) 
 
 Gold, per ton. 4-10 oz. 1-10 oz. 15-100 oz. 5-10 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 15 75-100 " 3 6-10 " 1 3-4 " 23-10'- 
 
 Lead -3.8 per ct. 31.94 per ct. 0.67 per ct. 
 
 Zinc 27.38 " 2.08 " 
 
SILVER, LEAD AND ZINC ORES. 197 
 
 COMPACT GALENITE. 
 
 (24) (35) (26) 
 
 Gold, per ton 2-10 oz. 3-10 oz. 2-10 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 2 1-2 " 8 3-10" 8 7-10 " 
 
 Lead 22.94perct. 56.72 per ct. 12.57 per ct. 
 
 Zinc 7.14 " _. 34.29 " 
 
 GENERAL AVERAGE OF 200 ASSAYS, SILVER HILL ORES. 
 
 (27) 
 
 Galenite .. 31.9- percent. 
 
 Bisulphide of iron. _ 17.1 « 
 
 Sulphide of zinc 59.2 " 
 
 Silver and gold _ _ 025 " 
 
 Copper pyrite _ ._ _ 1.8 " 
 
 100.025 
 
 Passing to the north along the East vein are the Symbnds' shafts 
 (plate XII). Sulphide ores were encountered here near the surface, 
 and were of the same general character. Symonds' east shaft was 
 sunk 110 feet, and the west shaft 210 feet. Very little stoping was 
 done in these two veins. A level was driven from near the bottom of 
 Symonds' west shaft, running angling back to the engine shaft in the 
 East vein. 
 
 The mine during the thirty years of its active' work was practised 
 on by all kinds of "process" mongers, and the grounds and buildings 
 are a museum of old and nondescript machinery and metallurgical 
 appliances. 
 
 A mechanical separation of the galenite and blende by buddies and 
 similar concentrating machinery was probably the nearest to success 
 of any of the methods adopted here ; but assays of the tailings and 
 slimes show a great waste of valuable constituents. 
 
 The improved concentrators now so generally used, would probably 
 go much further towards solving this difficult metallurgical problem 
 and of making all the constituents commercially available. 
 
 The ore was for some time used without separation of the galena 
 and blende in making white paint, and served, it is believed, an ad- 
 mirable purpose. 
 
 Silver Valley Mine. — This mine lies five miles northeast of Silver Hill. 
 It was discovered and opened in 1880. 
 
 The prevailing formation is a silicious argillaceous schist. The con- 
 
198 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 tents of the vein is a milk-white and barren-looking quartz, which 
 disclosed little mineral matter until a depth of sixty feet was reached, 
 though the upper part had a little brown ore. 
 
 The presence of galenite was suspected thirty years ago, and much 
 prospecting work was done to find the deposit; but the work was done 
 mostly in the schists some distance off to the west of the present shaft, 
 where the galenite disseminated in the schists seemed most promising. 
 The vein now under discussion was subsequently discovered by a 
 shrewd guess. Its strike is approximately north and south, and its 
 dip nearly 45° west. 
 
 The vein occurs in the silicious, argillaceous schists, which schist 
 forms the banging wall, and quartzite (quartz strongly resembling 
 gun flint) forms the foot wall. 
 
 The quartz outcrop of the vein is nearly twenty feet wide, and is not 
 the least promising for a mineral formation. The vein is five to twelve 
 feet wide, and presents a laminated structure, with alternate bands of 
 ore, slate and quartz; these ore seams are from three to eighteen inches 
 thick. It is believed that the ore is less scattered and more solid as 
 depth is gained. 
 
 The mine is entered by two shafts, one vertical and one underlay in 
 the vein of 170 feet (equivalent to about 120 feet vertical), and levels 
 have been run 100 feet in either direction from the foot of the inclined 
 shaft, which are mostly in ore. These are shown on plate XIV. 
 
 The ore is very like that of Silver Hill in its lower levels, and blende 
 has come to form a large, and in some cases, the predominant constit- 
 uent of the ore. The subjoined assays will show the composition of 
 the massive galenites (or blendes) : 
 
 ORE FROM SILVER VALLEY MINE, DAVIDSON COUNTY. 
 
 GALENITES [BLENDES] (28-30). POOR CONCENTRATES. 
 
 (28) (29) (30) (31) 
 
 Gold, per ton trace. 2-10 oz. trace. 2-10 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 13.30 oz. 136 1-2 " 29 1-2 oz. 17 8-10 " 
 
 Lead 15.54perct. 55.25 per ct. 38.8 per ct. 11.18 per ct. 
 
 Zinc 31.43 " 11.24 " 32. " 27.70 " 
 
 GOOD CONCENTRATES. SECOND CONCENTRATES PROM " POOR" ORE. 
 (32) (33) 
 
 Gold, per ton 2-10 oz. 5-100 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 34 6-10 " 10 12-100 " 
 
 Lead 47.62 percent. 9.63 percent. 
 
 Zinc 12.68 " 27.84 
 
GEOLOGY OV N. C. 
 
 PLATE XTV. 
 
SILVER, LEAD AND ZINC ORES. 199 
 
 SECOND CONCENTRATES FROM SOLID ORE. 
 (34) 
 
 Gold, per ton 8-100 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 119-100 " 
 
 Lead 8.13 per cent. 
 
 Zinc 33.54 
 
 Assay No. 28 more nearly represents the common run of the slightly 
 cobbed ore, and No. 30 the massive ore ; No. 29 is exceptional. 
 
 The possibility of concentrating the mine staff into a smelting pro- 
 duct fairly free from zinc is shown in No. 32, but the losses, as concen- 
 tration has hitherto been practiced, are enormous. 
 
 The gold is far from being uniformly diffused, for the presence of a 
 little iron pyrite makes a considerable" difference in the gold contents 
 of the concentrates. 
 
 This mine has the appearance of a good future before it. 
 
 Welborn Mine. — The Welborn (Smith) Mine is in Davidson county, 
 two miles west of Silver Hill, carries like complex ores, and ore assays 
 show a similar tenor. 
 
 Developments thus far very imperfectly indicate its resources. 
 
 Some other points in this section and belt show slight appearances of 
 deposits of galenite, but if of value the fact has not been demonstrated. 
 
 Steel Mine. — This mine lies in Montgomery county, some ten or twelve 
 miles east of this belt. Its grouping and lithology will be given in the 
 section on gold ores. 
 
 It is on the east side of Uwharrie River, and about two miles south- 
 east of Eldorado village. 
 
 The metamorphic (Huronian) schists are quite like those of the Rus- 
 sell Mine — chloritic, quartzitic, argillaceous, talcose; but the quartzitic 
 characteristic is also prominent here. The ore beds have apparently 
 undergone still further alterations, which have enriched them. The 
 vein is a bedded one, i. e., one of the series of strata charged with ore, 
 and differentiated from the "country" chiefly by its extreme altera- 
 tions, and more concentrated mineral matter. The formation itself is 
 auriferous to a great extent. The ore deposit varies from nine to 
 twelve feet in thickness, and occasionally rises to twenty feet. Its strike 
 is nearly north 25° east, and dip northwest about 70°, becoming more 
 perpendicular as depth is gained. 
 
200 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The most valuable part of this deposit consists in what is locally 
 called "string veins" — narrow seams of .ore, which run through the 
 mass with some general conformity to the beds. There are usually 
 several of these strings approximately parallel, and form a line to 
 nearly twelve inches in thickness. The combined thickness of these 
 seams is rarely less than 15 inches, and is sometimes more than three 
 feet. There is a considerable proportion of the gold so far dissociated 
 from the mineral matter as to be easily amalgamable, but a very large 
 part is so closely connected with the sulphurets as to be refractory to 
 any mere mill process, and will need a smelting treatment; the asso- 
 ciated mineral matter is galenite, blende, chalcopyrite, and pyrite. 
 The rich ores of this part of the vein have ever since the mine was 
 worked been called " No. 1 " ores, and are so alluded to in all reports. 
 
 The rest of the deposit has a very small but varying proportion of 
 sulphurets, pyrites, chalcopyrite, and galenite, and are generally rich 
 enough to justify the treatment of the entire mass. This ore is known 
 as "No. 2." No. 1 ore, as may easily be seen, is frequently of great value ; 
 some assays not unfairly represent working averages of the ore at shal- 
 lower depth; they are by Prof. F. A. Genth, to whom, with E. Hausser, 
 E. M., and Dr. Charles T. Jackson, we owe nearly all that can be trusted 
 respecting the upper levels of the mine.* 
 
 " NO. 1" ORES, STEEL MINE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
 
 (35) (36) (37) (38) 
 
 Gold, per ton - . _ 20 75-100 oz. 27 32-100 oz. 128 12-100 oz. 467 62-100 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton undetermined 7 76-100 " 39 50-100 " 117 20-100 " 
 
 " NO. 2'' ORES, STEEL MINE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
 
 (39) (40) (41) [average of 7 feet.] (41a) 
 
 Gold, per ton 1 28-100 oz. 2 67-100 oz. 1 9-10 oz. 7 83-100 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton .. . 196-100 " 161-100 " not determined. 3 56-100 " 
 
 Assay No. 41a represents the vein at the depth of 65 feet, throughout 
 its entire width. 
 
 An examination of these figures will justify the early reputation of 
 the mine for richness. 
 
 As a matter of course the most ardent friends of the mine do not 
 claim any such values for the ores at the present depth (220 feet); nev- 
 
 * John T. Cramer, Esq., of Thomasville, has added many valuable notes respect- 
 ing the later work, — G. B. H. 
 
SILVER, LEAD AND ZINC ORES. 201 
 
 ertheless, very rich pockets are even now found, which emulate these 
 amounts, and the average values of the working ores are satisfactory. 
 
 There can hardly be a doubt that, the supply of material is amply 
 large, for very extended operations. 
 
 The vein has been traced for more than a mile ; and it is believed 
 that there are parallel bodies of ore, but the hitherto abundant supply 
 has left no inducement for a thorough cross-cutting, which alone can 
 prove this.* 
 
 The mine is operated by the Genesee Gold Mining Copany, with 40 
 stamps. The method hitherto pursued is amalgamation of free gold, 
 and concentration of the sulphuretted tailings for metallurgical treat- 
 ment. 
 
 Henderson Mine. — This mine, near Eldorado village, Montgomery 
 county, is merely a string of prospecting pits ; and of the deposit noth- 
 ing certain can be said, on account of the slight developments, though 
 the mine matter had something of promise at the very start. 
 
 Galenite (and blende in still smaller quantity) is sometimes found in 
 the ore of the King's Mountain Gold Mine in Gaston county, where it 
 is generally rich in gold. 
 
 The Baryte Mines along the east flank of the King's Mountain range 
 from Crowder's Mountain to Yorkville, S. ('., occasionally carry a small 
 amount of blendy galenite, (the blende sometimes predominating over 
 the galenite) which contain small quantities of gold and silver. The 
 following assay shows that they are not generally of any great metal- 
 lurgical value: 
 
 BLENDY GALENTINE, BARYTE MINE, GASTON COUNTY. (43) 
 
 Gold, per ton ... - - - - - - 6-100 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton _ 24-100 " 
 
 The range of limestone alluded to above as accompanying the iron 
 beds of Gaston, Lincoln and Catawba counties, has at times a little gal- 
 enite, etc., but the amount is not commercially important : 
 
 LIMESTONE, GASTON COUNTY. (43) (44) 
 
 • Gold, per ton 1-4 oz. trace. 
 
 Silver, per ton 143-100 " 12 3-10 oz. 
 
 Lead - - 31-35 per cent. 
 
 * It is entirely in accordance with the analogies of such formations that there 
 should be such parallel bodies, as may be seen at the Russell Mine.— G. B. H. 
 
202 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 No. 43 is from Keener's Lime quarry, and No. 44 from the same 
 neighborhood. 
 
 Flint Knob Mine. — At Flint Knob, in Wilkes county, argentiferous 
 lead ore is also found. The locality is in the western part of the 
 county, six miles east of the Deep Gap of the Blue Ridge, and 
 therefore not far from both Watauga and Ashe counties. The prop- 
 erty is situated on a mountain .spur that shoots off from the Blue 
 Ridge at intervals, and extends with gradually diminishing sharpness 
 of outline and altitude to the Yadkin River. This particular spur 
 is called the Laurel Spur, and further down, Flint Knob, from the 
 abundance of quartz which covers it. The earliest settlers were aware 
 that lead was to be found here, but extended explorations were under- 
 taken only some 50 years ago, by Dr. McKenzie, and later by Gen. S. 
 F. Patterson.* 
 
 The galenite is scattered more or less sparingly in a quartz gangue . 
 -Assays by^Adelberg and Raymond showed samples to contain : 
 
 OEE (45) AND CONCENTRATES (46), FLINT KNOB MINE. 
 
 (45) (46) 
 
 Lead 19.5 per cent. Gold $81.57 
 
 Silver 7.33 
 
 Total $88.90 
 
 Five tons of ore made one ton of concentrates. 
 
 Specimens of the ore may be seen in the State Cabinet at Raleigh. 
 
 The best specimens that have been obtained of late years were found 
 in a prong of Noah's Branch, on the northeast side of the knob, in a 
 quartz vein that lies in mica schist. The vein is said to be from 20 to 
 3Q inches thick, but sufficient work had not been done to justify an 
 assertion on this point. 
 
 There are also a few localities in McDowell county, near the east 
 foot of the mountains, where galenite is found. f The better known of 
 these localities are the Q,ueen Mine, Cedar Cove, and the Dobson Mine. 
 
 * These facts are due to the kindness of C. J. Cowles, Esq. 
 
 f The late Mr. E. H. Bissell, a man of large information and experience in mining 
 matters, said: "There is a stretch of lead mines (with gold and silver) in McDowell 
 county, commencing near the Rutherford line at Mumford's Cove, and running 
 toward the northeast. The Baker Mine is in this stretch; the veins are very promis- 
 ing, wide and persistent, but have never been exposed." 
 
 Alfred K. Weaver, Esq., of Marion, has also added a few facts. 
 
SILVER, LEAD AND ZINC ORES. 203 
 
 Baker Mme.-^-This mine is located in Caldwell county, 12 miles 
 nearly north of Morgan ton, and is on the east side of Johns River.* 
 
 The geology of the locality may be indicated in few words. The 
 formation is the common crystalline schists and gneisses of the section, 
 which are generally described as talco-micaceous ; they are also fre- 
 quently auiferous. The gneiss is occasionally hornblendic, with a 
 great preponderance of feldspar. 
 
 A belt of serpentine traverses the tract from northeast to southwest, 
 and with a width of 75 or more feet. It is traversed in all directions 
 by cracks or seams, which divide it into large irregulr blocks, and to 
 some extent also by veins of chrysolite or amianthus, which usually 
 convert it into a uniform network. 
 
 The schists strike northeast and southwest, and dip eastward ; the 
 serpentine also strikes northeast and southwest. 
 
 The veins are in the schist, and run nearly at right angles to the ser- 
 pentine (i. e., nearly northwest and southeast). It is not certainly 
 known whether they continue into and across the serpentine. 
 
 There are four veins, with indications of others. The more northerly 
 vein is the Brasswell, which has a large, boldly projecting outcrop, but 
 has never been much examined. It bears N. 35° W., and apparently 
 dips N. E. about 60° ; its width is 2 to 5 feet ; the vein-stone is quartz. 
 
 The Goley Ann vein bears N. 39° W., and dips N. E. 70°; its width 
 is narrow at the surface ; vein-stone quartz, with ferrugineous matter. 
 
 The Shaft vein is next to the southwest. Its strike is N. 45° W., and 
 dip N. E. 66° to 75° ; it has been opened at points 200 yards apart. 
 The vein is 20 to 24 inches wide. The vein-stone is quartz, with scat- 
 tered galenite and associated minerals. 
 
 This vein is opened both by a pit and by an adit. 
 
 The Cabin vein is still further south, and was worked at points 100 
 yards apart ; it bears N. 35° W., dips N. E. 60° ; width 20 inches. The 
 vein-stone is quartz, with ferruginous matter and galenite in consider- 
 able quantities. 
 
 The quantity of galenite is thought to be greater in the Shaft vein. 
 
 Together there is about three-fourths of a mile of veins. 
 
 * Many of these facts, and copies of Reports are from C. J. Cowles, Esq., who 
 visited the mine in October, 1857, in company with Prof. Emmons, then State Geolo- 
 gist. The mine was then in full operation. Prof. Emmons freely imparted the 
 result of his observation to Mr. Cowles, and these, together with his own observa- 
 tions, are now the chief sources of our knowledge respecting this locality— G. B. H. 
 
 6 
 
204 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The galenite is highly auriferous as well as argentiferous. Assays 
 by J. G. Ellery give : 
 
 GALENITES, BAKER MINE, CALDWELL COUNTY. 
 
 SHAFT VEIN— 2 ASSAYS. CABIN VEIN. 
 
 (47) (48) 
 
 Gold,perton 4.224 oz. 1.645 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton...- .16.433 " 67.975 " 
 
 Lead 84. per cent. 83.5 per cent. 
 
 The quartz of all the veins, aside from the galenite, carries gold. 
 The surface, and particularly the gulches and streams, were originally 
 rich in placer gold. 
 
 The Peach-Bottom Mine. — The Peach-Bottom (or Maxwell) vein, in Al- 
 leghany county, was originally worked as a lead mine, but at a very 
 shallow depth the ore changed to copper, and for a long time it was 
 operated for such. Its ores, when last worked, commonly showed a 
 .small percentage of galenite, but as a commercial constituent it could 
 not be regarded as important. Further notice of this mine is given 
 at another place. 
 
 Dr. F. A. Genth* is authority for saying that lead occurs at Marshall, 
 Madison county ; Clayton, Johnston county ; Elkin Creek, Surry county ; 
 at several of the copper mines of the State; at Murphy, Cherokee 
 county, and on Beech Mountain, Watauga county. 
 
 It will be evident, from the representations made in this section, that 
 the resources of the State in these metals is not large. 
 
 Silver ores, separate from lead, are wanting. The argentiferous ga- 
 lenites are rarely rich in silver, and most often these galenites (particu- 
 larly from the mines and from the section, on which the greatest 
 reliance must for a long time be placed), have so large a proportion of 
 zinc as to be more properly classified as zinc ores. They are likely to 
 find a somewhat restricted sphere in the smelting processes. 
 
 How far other localities (from which the galenite is relatively free 
 from zinc), will make this deficiency good, is largely a matter of conjec- 
 ture, but the supply will not apparently be large, and will be very 
 uncertain, and its uses in the working of the precious metals quite 
 limited. The proximity of the lead belts of Virginia and of East Ten- 
 nessee may partly obviate these deficiencies, but not entirely, as these 
 galenites are commonly non-argentiferous, or practically so. 
 
 *See Kerr's Geology of North Carolina, 1875, p. 291; and chapter 1 of this volume, 
 p. 18. 
 
COPPER ORES. 205 
 
 Section 3. COPPER. 
 
 Dr. Emmons brought the description of many of the copper mines 
 of North Carolina down nearly to the time of the war, since which 
 time little has been done, except at the Davidson (Emmons) Mine at 
 Conrad Hill, in Davidson county, and at Ore Knob, in Ashe county. 
 Very few of these old mines have since been reopened, and there is need 
 of little discussion of the localities be described.* 
 
 The copper mines known to him were, for the most part, in the cen- 
 tral syenitic belt (classed provisionally as Lower Laurentian), or in 
 the Huronian schists (" slates ") immediately to the east. Of the 
 copper veins in the western part of the State there was then no exact 
 knowledge. 
 
 Ores of the Syentic Belt (Lower Laurentian). 
 
 Most of the districts in this central belt have mines in which copper 
 is the predominant useful metal, or in which it occurs in sufficient 
 quantity to be an important adjunct. 
 
 There are in Guilford county a few mines, which have been very 
 productive in this metal. Prominent among these are the Gardner, 6 
 miles, and the North State, 8 miles southwest of Greensboro ; the Lind- 
 say, the south extension, and the Jack's Hill, the north extension, of 
 the North State; the Twin Mine, 6 miles southwest; and the North 
 Carolina (Fentress), 5 miles southeast of Greensboro; and the Gardner 
 Hill, 3 miles east of Jamestown. 
 
 Only the general characters of these places will be alluded to, as 
 some discussion of their relations will appear in the section on gold. 
 The facts here stated are taken from Emmons, with some condensation 
 and re-arrangement. 
 
 Hodges Miiie.f — Hodges (Hodgins) Hill Mine, is in Guilford county, 
 near the Fisher Hill. 
 
 The gold is distributed unequally through a heavy vein, and in 
 quartz and chalcopyrite •; the vein is from 6 inches to 12 feet wide, 
 and is very flat. The minerals taken out are very large and fine 
 
 * Geological Report of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, pp. 196-208. 
 [Tf Emmons' Eeport on the Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 
 1856, p. 173. 
 
206 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 quartz crystals, peroxide of manganese, Hmonite, siderite, hornstone, 
 malachite and earthy red oxide of copper. 
 
 North Carolina Mine* — This mine, sometimes called the Fentress, 
 has been traced at least three miles by its quartz outcrop. The two 
 extreme shafts are £ of a mile apart ; the northwestern is called the 
 Worth shaft. The strike of the vein is N. 25°' E. ; its dip is variable, 
 ranging from 38° to 60° ; but neither the course nor the dip is constant. 
 It is on the eastern edge of the Laurentian belt. At the Worth shaft, 
 at 40 feet in depth, the vein is 3 to 4 feet wide. 
 
 In the lowest level, at 310 feet, the fissure is 7 to 8 feet, and in places 13 
 feet wide, but there is no improvement in the vein where it is expanded ; 
 it carries about the same amount of copper as a 7 or 8 foot vein. It is 
 notorious in this mine that the lode of copper shifts its position; lying 
 for 30 or 40 feet on the foot, and then, sometimes with and sometimes 
 without a curve, it is found on the hanging wall. 
 
 In addition to the shoots, the ore is found disseminated sparsely in the 
 vein-stone. 
 
 The shoot of ore in the 310 foot level was 80 to 90 feet long, and ap- 
 proximating 34 inches in thickness. The fissure is well developed, 
 and is sufficiently wide. 
 
 Gardner Hill Mine.\ — This mine is in Guilford county, 3 miles nearly 
 east of Jamestown. There are supposed to be three veins on the prop- 
 erty. The main vein has been worked to a depth of 110 feet. The vein 
 fissure varies from a few inches to three feet ; the vein-stone is quartz ; 
 the lode is bounded b} r slates or " killas " ; the granite on the foot wall 
 is tough, but on the hanging wall is soft. The ore contains quite a 
 large quantity of rich sulphuret of copper and iron, but it is not largely 
 mixed with iron pyrite at any point of the vein. 
 
 Twin Mine.% — This mine is in Guilford county, six miles southeast of 
 Greensboro. It derives its name from the fact that two parallel veins 
 are exposed in one tunnel. The veins have a strike N. 40° E., with a 
 southeasterly dip. The vein is about 18 inches wide, consisting of 
 quartz thickly interspersed with chalcopyrite.. The several strings of 
 ore consolidate to a vein at a depth of 60 feet. 
 
 The Raleigh vein is a continuation of the Twin. 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 197. 
 f The same, p. 174. 
 \ The same, p. 203. 
 
COPPER ORES. 207 
 
 North State Mine. — This mine was described by Emmons* as the Mc- 
 Culloch, and is still sometimes called by that name. It is located in 
 Guilford county, two miles south slightly east from Jamestown. 
 
 The vein fissure pursues a northeast course, but is curved in the mid- 
 dle. It dips at an angle of 45°. 
 
 The vein is composed of a column of brown ore resting on the foot 
 wall, and extending downward 130 feet, when the unaltered ore appears. 
 
 The vein at the surface is about two feet wide ; at 90 feet below, it is 
 10 feet wide ; at 130 feet, it swells out into a rather lenticular form, 
 with a thickness of 24J feet. Here the ore is concretionary ; on the 
 foot wall is the brown ore only six inches thick, then copper pyrites, 
 then a belt of brown ore, the middle of which is rich ; upon the hang- 
 ing wall is the principal mass of porous quartz, which is generally 
 poor. The average yield of the brown ore is $1.50 per bushel, and oc- 
 casionally $5.00. At the southwest the vein runs into the Lindsay 
 property. To the north is a ravine, and beyond it, ^ of a mile, is the 
 Jack's Hill Mine. Here a shaft 77 feet deep exposed a vein of very 
 great width, and a vast quantity of valuable ore. 
 
 The copper ore of the North State is the purest sulphuret ; the gold 
 is carried in combination with sulphurets. 
 
 The latest work was mostly done at the depth of 392 feet (about 325 
 feet vertical). The vein at this depth varies from 4 to 8 feet in width. 
 In the lower levels the ores are mostly sulphurets, sometimes massive, 
 but more generally scattered in a quartzose gangue, and require a cob- 
 bing or other concentrating. The ores carry a small per cent, of cop- 
 per, and are commonly of a good grade in gold. 
 
 The mine has latterly been worked for gold, but the copper has been 
 neglected. This mine material in its concentrated form ought to re- 
 ceive a smelting treatment. 
 
 It is the only locality in this group which has been largely worked, 
 and is equipped. The equipment consists of twenty stamps, and all 
 necessary machinery for effective work. 
 
 All of the above mines are in the syenite, near its eastern contact 
 with the schists, and therefore favorable to a large contents of mineral 
 matter. Large bodies of ore were extracted, but the result of the deeper 
 workings was not, so far as copper was concerned, as favorable as that 
 of the upper levels. 
 
 * Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina. 1856, p. 170. 
 
208 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 It is much to be regretted that records and maps have not been pre- 
 served, so that the exact facts might be known as a basis for future 
 work. One other circumstance enhances this regret. It has now become 
 evident that the just and profitable development of the auriferous 
 resources of the State will compel ultimately large metallurgical opera- 
 tions, in which copper ores will play an important part, and a steady 
 and large supply will be essential. This district undoubtedly will then 
 be an important one, if the early output correctly indicates the deeper 
 mineral stores. 
 
 In Cabarrus county both Emmons* and Genthf regarded the Ludo- 
 wick, Boger and Hill mines as carrying a considerable amount of 
 yellow sulphuret of copper, and as likely to be productive. 
 
 The Phcenix Mine, now worked for its gold, carries a small percentage 
 of chalcopyrite, but not a sufficient quantity to justify any special effort 
 to save it. 
 
 Other veins may be mentioned in the neighborhood, which also 
 promise a store of copper ore below, viz.: Orchard, Vanderburg, &c. 
 
 The Pioneer Mills Mine, in the southern part of Cabarrus county, is 
 also a promising point. According to Dr. Emmons' observations,! " it 
 
 is a belt carrying numerous veins of gold and copper the great 
 
 quantity of ore, and the ease with which it is obtained, confer a great 
 advantage upon it." No work has been done here since this descrip- 
 tion was written, and nothing more can be said of it. The debris about 
 the mine indicates the abundance of the cupriferous material. 
 
 The Morrison Mine, 1 mile distant, may also be mentioned as another 
 locality which promises well for copper. The Crosby (or Poplan) 
 Mine, and the Rogers Mine are in this neighborhood ; and apparently, 
 both of them have large bodies of ore. 
 
 In Mecklenburg county, the mines which have been chiefly noted 
 for copper are: 
 
 The Ray (Baltimore and N. O), Ferris (Faires), McGinn, Kerns 
 (or Hopewell), G. C. Cathey, McLeary, Cathey, and some others little 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 202. 
 
 f Kerr's Geology of North Carolina, 1875, p. 279. 
 
 ^Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 178. 
 
COPPER ORES. 209 
 
 known. The McGinn, the Cathey and the Kerns have at different 
 times been worked for the copper contents to the exclusion of gold. 
 
 Cathey Mine, five miles southwest of Charlotte, when worked, gave 
 a very large body of chalcopyrite, which was shipped from the State 
 for reduction. A depth of 75 feet was attained, when the bottom was 
 -thought to be unfavorable, and the work was suspended.* 
 
 The McGinn Copper Vein, 5 miles west of Charlotte, is one of a series 
 of veins on a large mining tract. The main vein is auriferous, but 
 one of the cross veins or feeders is known as the Copper Vein, and was 
 operated extensively for that ore to a depth of 110 feet — as far down 
 as could readily be done 40 years ago, with the appliances then at 
 command. 
 
 The ore was the yellow sulphuret, and was shipped from the State. 
 
 The Kerns Mine, sometimes known as the Hopewell Mine, is in Meck- 
 lenburg county, 11 miles northwest of Charlotte. It is one of the 
 properties that promised well, and yielded liberally. The last work 
 was done at the depth of 140 feet, when the death of both the super- 
 intendent and the manager brought the work to a standstill. Con- 
 flicting statements have been made respecting the amount and value 
 of the ore at this depth. f 
 
 * It is one of the empirical maxims of miners in the section, that when the blue 
 rock or blue granite comes in, the end of the mine has come. How far this is true7 
 I am unable to say, but in some cases within my personal observations it was en- 
 tirely untrue: as for example, at the Capps and the St. Catherine, where good and large 
 bodies of ore were found below it. It is true that for a time the deposit was affected ) 
 narrowed and bent out of its normal course. It is quite possible that the unfavor- 
 able statements of " being squeezed out in the bottom," may be explained on similar 
 grounds. 
 
 This blue rock or granite defies classification, as it varies materially at different 
 points in the same mine. The subjoined analyses will show the contents: 
 
 ANALYSES OF "BLUE GRANITE," CAPPS MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (49) (50) (51) (52) (53) 
 
 Silica -- 66.03 55.90 74.80 57.20 70.30 
 
 Alumina _...19. 15.27 6.66 9.36 5.93 
 
 Protoxide iron 5.10 15.30 6.27 9.94 6.13 
 
 Water and loss on ignition, _. 2.90 8.20 4.05 8.95 7.45 
 
 All of these specimens were taken from the Capps mine, and from points where 
 they had deflected the vein out of its course.— G. B. H. 
 
 \ The manager stated to me that at 80 feet depth there were two veins aggregating 
 five feet, and that at 140 feet there was a 2-foot vein of good yellow copper ore. 
 
 G. B. H. 
 
210 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 There is on the Dunn Mine tract, 90 miles north of west from Char- 
 lotte, a vein — the East vein — reported to be good for copper. It was 
 worked at the outset for gold. As the latter became very difficult to 
 amalgamate, work was discontinued. This mine is mora particularly 
 described under the head of gold. 
 
 Among other mines, which carry enough copper in the upper part 
 to give grounds for belief that copper ores may be found in some 
 abundance at greater depths, are the Ray (Baltimore and North Caro- 
 lina), Ferris, G. C. Cathey and Mr. Leary's. Assays of ore from these 
 Mecklenburg county mines aie as follows: 
 
 KEEN'S MINE (54-56). CATHEY MINE (57, 58). 
 
 (54) (55)- (56) (57 (58) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton .. 6-10 2-10 8-10 16 505-1000 75-100 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. trace. 85-100 11 27-100 2 69-100 
 
 Copper, per cent 17.08 18.83 12.23 .30? .13? 
 
 MCGINN MINE (59, 60, 61). a. C. CATHEY MINE (62. 63). 
 
 (59) (60) (61) (62) (63) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton .... 1-4 525-1000 600-1000 4-10 35-100 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton.... 1 35-100 128-100 93-100 95-100 3.00 
 
 Copper, percent... 7.50 4.55 8.05 14.84 25.4 
 
 Nos. 54, 55 and 56 are from the Kerns (Hopewell) vein; Nos. 57 and 58 are from 
 the Cathey vein; Nos. 59, 60 and 61 are from the McGinn vein; Nos. 62 and 63 are 
 from the G. C. Cathey vein. 
 
 It is very difficult to do justice to this central belt in respect to the 
 occurrence of copper. A few considerations will show why so little is 
 known of these underground stores in this section. The occurrence of 
 copper ores, unless they were of such exceptional richness as to bear 
 costly land transportation, had no market ; low grade copper ores, which 
 (in sections favored with cheap transportation, or near commercial cen- 
 ters,) could be easily beneficiated by concentration, were here valueless; 
 and as it was found by experience that the presence of copper- greatly 
 hindered the amalgamation of the gold ores, for which these mines 
 were in every case originally operated, the presence of any considera- 
 ble amount of copper was the signal for abandoning the mine.* A map 
 of the underground work was very rare, and now our knowledge of 
 these places is almost gone, as details are but vaguely retained in the 
 memories of the older miners. 
 
 *It is also true that copper pyrite, as a rule, does not carry as much gold as the 
 kindred iron pyrite. — G. B. H. 
 
COPPER ORBS. 211 
 
 It is not probable that the ores of copper are likely to be of impor- 
 tance for the exclusive production of that metal in the present condi- 
 tion of the copper market; but in a smelting treatment of the gold 
 ores of this section, one of two methods will apparently be a necessity: 
 smelting by lead ores (lead smelting method), or by copper ores (copper 
 matte method). 
 
 Considered in this light the command of a large supply of aurifer- 
 ous copper ores is almost vital to the prosperity of the gold mines of 
 central North Carolina; indeed, some very promising enterprises have 
 come to naught, from fear that the resources in this respect might be 
 wanting. 
 
 Occasional bunches of copper pyrites are found in all the gold mines 
 in the section, and might be readily picked out for special uses. 
 
 Copper Ores of the Central Huronian Belt. 
 
 There are several mines in the Huronian belt, to the east of the 
 syenite belt (Lower Laurentian). 
 
 The Conrad Hill Mine, of Davidson county, 7 miles a little south of 
 east from Lexington, is one of the copper bearing gold mines of this 
 region. The ores are both auriferous and cupriferous. For the greater 
 part of the dip of the mine the properties have been worked for gold; 
 and the mine is described in detail in the section on gold. 
 
 The Gold Hill Mines. — At Gold Hill, Rowan county, both the Barn- 
 hardt and the Randolph mines, which are described under the head of 
 gold, have had copper pyrite from the moment the unaltered ores were 
 encountered. 
 
 No serious effort, however, was ever made to utilize it, since it was 
 not commonly rich enough in copper to make it an ore suitable com- 
 mercially for smelting, and was moreover more valuable for the gold 
 contents. 
 
 It is impossible at this writing to say what resources may still be in 
 the upper levels so far as contents are concerned. The lowest level, 
 at 740 feet, carries considerable bodies of auriferous pyrites containing, 
 according to Mr. Hemby, a late assayer to the company, about two per 
 cent, of metallic copper. As the pyrite is mixed with a considerable 
 amount of slaty and quartzose gangue, it is evidently capable of con- 
 centration, by which a product may be attained of some value in smelt- 
 ing, especially when it is taken into consideration that there is an en- 
 richment in gold at the same time. 
 
212 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The following assays will show the mineral character of these py- ' 
 rites : 
 
 AURIFEROUS COPPER PYRITES, GOLD HILL MINE. 
 
 (64) . (65) (66) 
 
 Silica 52.30 per cent. .. ... 
 
 Copper 85 " 2.59 per cent. 5.96 per cent. 
 
 Sulphur ..16.80 
 
 Iron* .23.00 " - 
 
 Gold, per ton 1 1-4 ounces. 20-100 ounces. 275-1000 ounces. 
 
 Silver, per ton. 38-100 " 55-100 " 175-100 
 
 It will be seen that there is room for a concentration of two or two 
 and one-half tons of raw ore into one ton of concentrates. f 
 
 If the general belief of the underground resources be correct, it is 
 evident that extended work would produce a steady supply of material 
 for smelting. 
 
 Among a large number of other veins in this district, which carry 
 copper at the outcrop, are the Townsend vein, (see topographical map of 
 Gold Hill), worked at one point to 135 feet in depth, with a reported 
 increasing amount of copper at the lowest levels ; the veins known 
 locally as " Vein No. V," and " Gold and Copper veins No. VII," and 
 " Standard or Open Cut." This last has shown the greater resources for 
 copper, as far as prospected, though only penetrated to a depth of 80 
 feet — where the vein is 30 feet thick. 
 
 Other memoranda respecting these mines will be briefly set forth in 
 the section on gold, where the district is treated of as a whole. 
 
 Of the Spencer Copper- Mine, in Randolph county, mentioned by Em- 
 mons (Geology of Midland Counties, p. 206), no additional information 
 is at hand. The depth reached was 70 feet. 
 
 The Sloan Mine is in the forks of Deep and Rocky Rivers, one mile 
 from each. The vein is two feet thick, and has been worked to a depth 
 of 40 feet. The ore is chalcopyrite. 
 
 The Clegg Mine, in Chatham county, has been followed down to 200 
 feet. The vein is quartz with copper pyrites in talco-argillaceous and 
 talco-quartzitic schists. Much of the vein-stone is a talco-siliceous 
 
 * About one-third of the iron was present as oxide in the chlorite schist. 
 
 t It is proper to add that the above samples were drawn in the endeavor to settle 
 a lithological point, rather than to obtain a strict average for gold contents, and 
 hence probably rather underestimate the value of such ores for gold. — G. B. H. 
 
COPPER OEES. 213 
 
 and argillaceous breccia, of a gray and bluish mottled appearance. 
 The vein is traceable for hundreds of yards by large outcrops of white 
 quartz. Its width is from 3 to 6 feet. Calcspar, in hexagonal prisms, 
 and also in curved plates enclosing masses of bituminous coal, occurs 
 in the vein ; fine specimens of azurite are also found. 
 
 There is an interruption in the vein by a fault or cross course, by 
 which the vein is thrown to the east about 25 feet ; otherwise the vein 
 is reported to be unusually regular in its course, continuity and width. 
 Its average thickness is from 4 to 5 feet, and it descends nearly verti- 
 cally. 
 
 The Emmons (or Davidson) Mine, in Davidson county, 9 miles east 
 of Lexington, was reopened and worked several, years after the war by a 
 Baltimore company. The Hunt & Douglas (old) process was used here 
 successfully for a long period. The available supply of ore was ex- 
 hausted, according to the statement of James E. Clayton, then super- 
 intendent of the mine, and the mine was closed. 
 
 Within two or three years it has been again opened by still another 
 Baltimore company, which claims to have discovered some new bodies 
 of ore. 
 
 This mine is entered by two shafts 680 feet apart, and both in the 
 lode, which dips westward about 50° from the horizontal. The deepest 
 shaft is 416 feet deep on the incline. Levels occur at 200, 280, 350 and 
 410 feet. The course of the vein is about N. 20° E. 
 
 The vein is 3 to 8 feet wide ; ore chalcopyrite, only slightly aurifer- 
 ous. It has been worked exclusively for its copper contents. There is 
 very little iron pyrites present, and (as the mineral matter is almost ex- 
 clusively yellow copper ore), it is susceptible of being dressed up to a 
 good and desirable grade. 
 
 The schists are in appearance almost identical with those of Gold 
 Hill, and the mine is near, if not directly on, the same line. 
 
 The Oid Mine is 1£ miles northeast of the Emmons, and is thought 
 to be on the same lead. The direction, the appearance of the schists, and 
 the general character of the ore, combine to favor this supposition. 
 
 It carried from the start rich copper ores : chalcopyrite, with black 
 oxide and other surface alterations. 
 
 The tract of land is not large, but it is of such a shape as to allow 
 1,600 feet of vein. 
 
 The surface ore carried from 5 to 15 ounces of silver, with a little 
 gold (for which it was at first worked, but without much success). 
 
214 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 An underlay shaft was sunk 100 feet, when, from some unascertained 
 cause, work was stopped. 
 
 At the Foust Mine, in Alamance county, at the south foot of Bass 
 Mountain, both copper and galena are found in a bluish-green chlorite 
 vein. It has beeh worked to a depth of 78 feet. 
 
 Ihe Chick Mine, in Chatham county, is one mile north of Deep River. 
 The body of ore has been sunk upon to a slight depth, but without 
 much judgment, and has been so slightly explored as to be practically 
 unknown. 
 
 The external indications of copper are especially marked, and the 
 entire body is seamed and stained with the blue and green cupric car- 
 bonates, which give the surface material a richness much beyond the 
 reality. So far as examined this results from the alteration of the black 
 sulphuret of copper (chalcocite). Assays of ore from this mine are as 
 follows : 
 
 ORES FROM THE CHICK MINE, CHATHAM COUNTY. 
 
 (67) (68) (69 (70) (71) 
 
 Gold, per ton .. _ 45-100 oz. 9-10 oz. 3 oz. 4-10 oz. 75-1000 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 7 92-100 " 6 6-100 " 16 52-100" 68-100 " 1.00 " 
 
 Copper, per cent 17.4 50.3 37.62 0.12 
 
 It is a matter of grave doubt if any of these assays correctly repre- 
 sent the average contents of the deposit. 
 
 The Phillips tract, 2J miles northeast of the Chick, is quite similar. 
 It has been superficially examined by shallow pits, which everywhere 
 show cupriferous material, but at no place very much ; specks of chal- 
 cocite are disseminated through the rock. The ore always contains gold 
 and silver, but not in workable quantities. 
 
 Copper Ores of Granville and Person Counties. 
 
 Another interesting belt of copper mines is found in Granville and 
 Person counties. The location of the mines is shown in plate XV. 
 
 This region was barely alluded to by Dr. Emmons*, and not .men- 
 tioned in the Report for 1875.f It was thought by Emmons that it 
 
 * Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, pp. 344, et seq. 
 f Kerr's Geology of North Carolina, 1875. 
 
GEOLOGY OF N. C. 
 
 PLATE XV. 
 
 a Jiig jQmericcm 
 
 ,d Reduction Go's. 
 
 ny '\ aMineJ/toysterMme.) 
 
 a TtzcfcJfwe. 
 
 Fcrso7i $ 
 County. c f ' 
 
 'ffRocft 
 
 Gra7ivlZle> 
 County. 
 
 COPPER DEPOSITS OF GRANVILLE AND PERSON COUNTIES. 
 From a map by C. W. Edgeoumbe. Scale : 1 inch = l| miles. 
 
COPPER ORES. 215 
 
 might prove to be 5 miles in length, but later explorations would in- 
 dicate a length of not less than 8 miles, reckoning from the northern- 
 most point where copper has been found (about 1J miles north of Blue 
 Wing, and adjacent to the Virginia line), to Yancey's mines, in Per- 
 son county, on the south. 
 
 The section is extremely interesting, and cannot be dismissed with- 
 out an extended description of the localities, and the characteristics of 
 the veins, where exploitation is now going on, and also of the ores, to- 
 gether with whatever may be promising and interesting. 
 
 It must be premised that exploitation is not yet advanced enough 
 to allow of more than approximate statements. 
 
 Evidence of the occurrence of mineral matter is first observed, as 
 stated, about 1J miles north of Blue Wing, in Granville county, and 
 just south of the Virginia line. The belt is almost entirely confined 
 to a ridge, which, with some bends, runs in a course S. 15° W., some 
 thirty miles, nearly to Durham. This ridge, although of no great height, 
 is a somewhat prominent feature in the landscape, and slopes very grad- 
 ually both to the eastward and westward, and is everywhere strewn 
 with abundant fragments from broken down quartz veins or seams, 
 showing that the agency which formed the veins was very active. 
 Surface indications of ore are of frequent occurrence. 
 
 The schists are very hard and siliceous, and change almost imper- 
 ceptibly into quartz, and vice versa* 
 
 The schists adjacent to the vein sometimes shade gradually into ore, 
 as does also, on the other hand, the ore into schist. 
 
 The strike of these schists is from N. 10° to 20° E., and the dip 70° 
 to 80° eastward. 
 
 The different veins cannot be brought into one alignment, but occupy 
 a belt which at several points is about one mile wide. The topograph- 
 ical sketch, by C. W. Edgecombe, accompanying this description (plate 
 XV), will show the relations. 
 
 The proposed railroad from Clarksville (Virginia) to Durham (N. 
 C), which is now being graded, is on this ridge, and no one of these 
 mines is more than three-fourths of a mile distant from its route. 
 
 *Dr. Emmons, in the paragraphs alluded to, describes the immediate formation as 
 "argillaceous slates;" I regard them as decidedly chloritic, though " argillaceous 
 slates " do occur. Typical chlorite is found near, and sometimes even in the vein 
 stone; the schists are much altered, and the classification is by no means easy; prob- 
 ably only a microscopical study of sections would decide the matter. — G. B. H. 
 
216 GEOLOGY OP NOETH CAROLINA. 
 
 About Blue Wing are the following points : One mile north, a locality 
 where native copper has been found; and half a mile still further north 
 a pit supposed to be on the same vein. Half a mile east of Blue Wing 
 is the Big American Reduction Company's mine, which has been 
 worked relatively to some depth. Three hundred yards southeast of 
 this mine is the Luck Mine, 15 feet deep, and quite promising, with a 
 vein of good width, though at this depth not highly charged with min- 
 eral matter. Two hundred yards still further southeast is the Silver 
 Nugget Mine, 10 feet deep, the ores of which, it is thought, carry a 
 considerably larger proportion of silver than most of the ores of this belt. 
 A trench and pit on W. S. Holloway's farm also show a fair prospect. 
 All of these, the Big America Mine excepted, are mere prospect holes, 
 and must be dismissed without further notice, inasmuch as the work 
 here is insufficient to allow of a prediction of future developments. 
 
 Big America Mine. — This mine, sometimes known as the Royster, is 
 entered by two shafts, one 40 and the other 80 feet deep. They are but 
 a few feet apart, and connected by a slope in the vein. 
 
 The following summary and notes of actual observations will bring 
 out the necessary points, so far as the present work is concerned : The 
 vein has a strike N. 15° E., and a dip eastward of 80° to 90°. Silicious 
 schists run into quartz and vice versa; chloritic schists give place to 
 bornite, and the reverse; in places the quartz is filled with bornite; 
 malachite stains are abundant on all surfaces near the vein ; occasionally 
 very deep green chlorite appears in the midst of milk white quartz, 
 and in seams in the vein. The vein is mostly quartz, and commonly 
 leaves very clean walls. 
 
 In the North shaft the vein is two to four feet wide ; in South shaft 
 five feet. Several seams of bornite occur, sometimes separated by a 
 horse of schist, more frequently by quartz seams or stringers. The 
 quartz is much laminated, and gives blocks 2 to 9 inches thick. The 
 average thickness of the ore seam is not far from nine inches ; much 
 of it as compact and pure as ore can be. 
 
 A large quantity of ore has been shipped from the mine, obtained 
 exclusively in sinking the shaft and running the short drifts.* 
 
 The ore, with the exception of some malachite and azurite, and sim- 
 ple oxides of copper, is bornite. Iron pyrite and chalcopyrite are pres- 
 
 * A level extends both to the north and south from the 80- foot shaft, but was not 
 accessible at the time of my visit. I was assured that the vein was 4 to 5 feet wide, 
 -with large seams of ore aggregating 18 inches in width. — G. B. H. 
 
COPPER ORES. 217 
 
 ent in the merest specks. The ore is generally estimated to carry not 
 far from 20 to 25 per cent, of metallic copper, a point which may easily 
 be largely exceeded by a very slight cobbing. None of the assays ac- 
 cessible show more than about 5 ozs. of silver, with a trace of gold 
 per ton. 
 
 There is a second vein 3 to 4 feet thick reported to lie 35 feet behind 
 the vein above described. It is said to be of the same character and 
 contents as in the first vein. 
 
 The Holloway Mine is a little more than 2J- miles a little west of south 
 from the Big America. Here are two veins, with indications of a third. 
 They are on parallel lines, about 200 feet apart. The vein furthest 
 west has been sunk upon only a few feet, and appears as a four-foot 
 vein, with abundant stains of malachite and azurite, and " kidneys " of 
 gray copper ore.* 
 
 The middle vein has been sunk upon 18 feet, and discloses an ore 
 body two to four feet wide. The mineral contents consist of gray 
 copper ore, with the accompanying oxides, so general in all these 
 mines. This vein carries a larger proportion of ore and a smaller pro- 
 portion of quartz than any other vein observed in the district (i. e., the 
 vein is more largely made up of ore) ; all things considered, the start 
 at this mine is unusually promising. 
 
 The surroundings of the mine, and the strike and dip, are substan- 
 tially the same as those of the Big America, and its contents will not 
 be materially different in the percentage of valuable constituents. 
 
 The Mastodon Mine (formerly the Pocahontas) is near the Granville- 
 Person county line, as shown on plate XV. The only work done here 
 is in one pit, to a depth of ten feet. The dip and course are as above ; 
 vein 3 to 4 feet, consisting of quartz, plentifully stained with carbonates. 
 
 The pit is near the edge of the property and some differences about 
 the boundary line led to a discontinuance of work, pending a settle- 
 ment. Considerable porphyritic material is seen here. 
 
 The Poole Mine is in Person county, about one-fourth mile nearly 
 west of the Mastodon. The vein is very prominent and easily traced 
 on the surface by the large outcrop of quartz. One shaft, 45 feet deep, 
 and two shallow pits, constitute the developments. 
 
 This vein was 9 or 10 feet wide at the shaft, and showed the custo- 
 
 * Gray copper, not in the sense of tetrahedrite, but because of its physical appear- 
 ance, and approximation to chalcocite. The average copper contents will approxi- 
 mate (for the ore seams) 25 per cent. 
 
218 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 mary signs of copper at the top, but at a very slight depth it "pinched 
 out;"* and subsequent work failed to show further evidence of its 
 presence in workable extent. 
 
 The Buckeye Mine, some few hundred yards west of the Poole, is sim- 
 ilar in occurrence, and shows a disappearance of ore, and a pinching 
 out of the quartz, quite similar to that at the latter mine. 
 
 Gillis Mine. — This mine, the earliest discovered deposit in this belt, 
 is one mile south of the Buckeye, as seen on plate XV. 
 
 The mine was closed not long after Dr. Emmons' Report was pre- 
 pared^ and as it has never since been worked, very little additional 
 matter can now be given. 
 
 There are four or five veins on the mining tract of a little more than 
 360 acres, of which one is auriferous, and the others copper bearing. 
 The vein which was worked, and which was described by Dr Emmons, 
 coursed N. 10° E., and dipped eastward about 70°, but was not entirely 
 uniform either in its strike or dip. 
 
 The South shaft was sunk 130 feet, and a level of 95 feet length, was 
 driven from near its bottom, entirely in ore. The seam averaged nearly 
 11 inches ; the mineral matter was vitreous copper, or chalcocite, and 
 its derivations. The North shaft, one-third of a mile north of the 
 South shaft, was sunk to a depth of 90 feet, the lower part being an 
 underlay shaft in the vein. The vein is 3 to 6 feet wide, and pretty 
 well mixed with ore, as in the South shaft, but not to so great an ex- 
 tent. 
 
 The refuse on the dump bears evidence to a large body of material 
 of high grade, but of the condition of the levels, stopes and breasts, as 
 relates to the ore supply, there is now no trustworthy evidence attainable ; 
 it is hardly probable, however, that the resources of the property are 
 exhausted. 
 
 For the benefit of readers to whom Dr. Emmons' Report is not acces- 
 sible, the following brief summary may be given. J He says : " The 
 
 * It is frequently the case in the lenticular vein formations in this State, that the 
 lenticles taper down to a very narrow thread of vein matter, (and sometimes the 
 veins disappear altogether); but this thread many times leads to another and similar 
 large body. Through a very little inattention on the part of a careless or ignorant 
 miner, this clew may be lost. Many cases of this " pinching out" have been subse- 
 quently proved to be incorrect on this precise ground, and the vein has been found 
 again. — G. B. H. 
 
 f Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 344. 
 
 % The same, pp. 344, 345. 
 
COPPER ORES. 219 
 
 rock immediately investing the mine is the altered slate belonging to 
 the Taconic system." He at first thought it to be talcose, but later 
 regards it as argillaceous. " The veinstone is porous quartz, stained and 
 impregnated with green carbonate of copper. In the North shaft, calc- 
 spar has accompanied the quartz, though it is mostly in bunches. The 
 vein carries in addition to the vitreous copper, silicate of copper, green 
 carbonate, red and black oxides of copper, the latter rare ; and the red 
 oxide first appeared in the eighty-foot level, where the vitreous ore is 
 in a continuous belt running across the shaft." Describing the lode, 
 he states that " at the depth of eighty feet it is eighteen inches in the 
 south shaft, and about five feet in the north." 
 
 Dr. C. T. Jackson, who made a study of this vein and surroundings, 
 when it was worked, makes a few observations, which are worth repeat- 
 ing here:* "The strata are occasionally disrupted by dikes; about half 
 a mile from the Gillis, and dipping westward to it, is a dike bearing 
 N. 20° E." (the vein bears N. 10° to 15° east, and dips E.), " containing 
 abundant sprigs and grains of disseminated native copper. Epidote 
 occurs both in the trap rock and in the quartz, and in the slate strata 
 near the dike, which seems to indicate that the trappean rock is of the 
 same geological age as the quartz veins. The copper vein varies from 
 8 to 12 inchesf in thickness, and the mineral part is from 10| to 11 
 inches, with a dip 70° to 75° eastward. The ore in the north shaft, 90 
 foot level, is pretty well mixed with the gangue; the vein is estimated 
 to be about 2 miles long." 
 
 The Copper World Mine. — This mine is in Person county, one and a 
 half miles, a little west of south from the Gillis, as shown on plate XV 
 
 The North shaft is reported to have a depth of 100 feet; but there is 
 little evidence of vein matter here. The South shaft, one-fourth of a 
 mile south of the above, was not accessible, when visited, as it had 
 been allowed to fill up with water. The blocks of quartz indicate a 
 vein of some size. The ore is the "gray ore" of the district (approxi- 
 mating to chalcocite), with red oxide and carbonate of copper. The 
 blocks of ore are often 6 to 9 inches thick, and indicate a good seam of 
 rich ore. 
 
 The Yancey Mine. — This mine is in Person county, one and one-half 
 miles nearly south of the above. Here what is regarded as two veins 
 
 * Private Report, 1857. 
 
 f Probably should have been 8 to 12 feet.— G. B. H. 
 
 7 
 
220 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 have been cut, one of which is believed to be a feeder or cross-course 
 to the other. 
 
 The " main vein" is traceable by its outcrop | mile, coursing N 15° 
 to 20° E., and dipping eastward 75° to 80°. The vein is occasionally 
 14 feet wide; rarely less than 6; and the ore seam is wide and persis- 
 tent. The ore — the "gray ore" of the region — is very abundant. 
 
 The " cross vein," or " feeder," appears one-half mile south of the 
 " main vein." Here a considerable amount of work has been done. 
 
 This vein also is wide and persistent, and has been worked by "open 
 cut " for a long distance, with an abundant ore supply. 
 
 The ground was covered with snow at the time the region was vis- 
 ited, and the relations of the veins could not be made out satisfacto- 
 rily. The mineral in both veins is the common " gray ore," above 
 described, with its usual modifications. Assays give: 
 
 " GRAY ORE," YANCEY MINE, PERSON COUNTY. 
 
 (72) (73) (74) 
 
 Gold, per ton 1-10 oz. 1-10 oz. 1-10 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 6 7-10" 5 4-10" 1-2 " 
 
 Copper, per cent 48.17 26.16 31.14 
 
 The amount of work thus far done is not sufficient to justify more 
 than a few general remarks and conclusions on this long neglected dis- 
 trict. 
 
 Apparently the veins are " bedded veins," from the fact that their 
 courses and dips conform to that of the country schists, and like most 
 bedded veins in this section they are lenticular, and not always con- 
 tinuous either in length or in breadth, as the reader will have discov- 
 ered from the description of two or three localities. Nevertheless, the 
 numerous outcrops, and exposures in underground works, are on the 
 whole favorable. As to continuity in depth it is yet too early to speak, 
 for the underground works are too shallow to show what may be ex- 
 pected at depths considerably below the surface. 
 
 As to the continuity of the deposits, as distinguished from the veins, 
 which is, of course, the important point, there is a still more perplex- 
 ing question ; for here, as elsewhere in the " slate formation," the 
 shoots or lenticles of ore come in and go out (though the vein may 
 preserve its regularity) ; but there are no indications that this takes 
 place with greater frequency or abruptness in this region than in other 
 
COPPER ORES. • 221 
 
 regions where the phenomenon creates no uneasiness or concern for 
 the future. 
 
 The Yancey and the Gillis mines, and the Big America, in a lesser 
 degree (for it has been only partly opened), show that there is a persis- 
 tency through such linear extent, as will allow a good basis for calcu- 
 lation. 
 
 The promise of profit to capital in this district is large enough to 
 justifj' careful development of these underground stores. 
 
 The ores, as a whole, have not been thoroughly examined with ref- 
 erence to their purity, but so far as examined, they are believed to be 
 free from arsenic and antimony, which, if true, will make them very 
 desirable for mixing ores in copper smelting. It may be added further 
 that they will have a greater value still for the copper matte treat- 
 ment of the auriferous ores of the section, whenever metallurgical op- 
 erations are conducted on a steady scale ; a use for which their pre- 
 cious metal constituents will give some. slight advantage over the treat- 
 ment for copper simply. 
 
 Copper Ores op the Western Counties. 
 
 In the gneissoid belt, immediately to the west of the syenetic belt, 
 only two mines are known which promise well for copper. 
 
 JBurrell Wells Copper Vein. — In Gaston county, about two miles south 
 of Tuckasege Ford, on the Catawba River, there have been located six 
 parallel veins, of which the vein known as "No. 2" carries auriferous 
 copper pyrite, but it has not been developed sufficiently to justify any 
 conclusions of the amount of ore to be expected. 
 
 Graham Copper Vein. — In Lincoln county, on the farm of Maj. W. 
 A. Graham, and about four miles northeast from Iron, a copper vein 
 has been prospected by pits along nearly 100 feet of the outcrop. The 
 vein is 30 to 42 inches thick, and appears very promising for the 
 amount of work clone. The ores contain some copper, and occasionally 
 the material becomes a true copper ore. Assays range in gold from 
 $18 to (occasionally) $35, and even to $89.74. 
 
 There are several copper mines in the western part of the State t 
 which were not mentioned by Emmons, although opened before the 
 war. The chief of these are in the ranges, one in Jackson and Hay- 
 wood counties, the other in Ashe and Alleghany. Those of the former 
 were visited shortly after the war, when little was to be seen. 
 
222 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The copper belt of Jackson and Haywood occupies the middle por- 
 tion of Jackson county, from the head-waters of Tuckasege River north- 
 ward to Scott's Creek and Savannah Creek, a. region which is charac- 
 terized, geologically, by the prevalence of hornblende schists, gneisses 
 and syenites. The principal points where mining operations have been 
 carried on are the Waryhut*, Cullowhee, and Savannah mines, al- 
 though work has been done and symptoms of the presence of copper 
 discovered at many other places, as Shell Ridge, Scott's Creek, Sugar- 
 loaf, Panther Knob, Wolf Creek, etc. 
 
 The Waryhut, the first-named of the above mines, had been opened 
 by a shaft said to have been 100 feet deep. The mine is on Waryhut 
 Creek, about six miles southeast of Webster. The vein was described 
 as from five to eight feet thick. The ore is copper pyrites, with the 
 usual carbonates and silicates near the surface. The rock is a tough, 
 grayish, syenitic gneiss. 
 
 The Oullowhee Mine is on the Cullowhee Mountain, southeast of the 
 former, and at an elevation of several hundred feet above it. The rock 
 is a gray gneiss, with hornblende in immediate association with the 
 vein. The thickness of the latter is estimated to be about eight feet. 
 The ore is copper pyrite, but too much weathered to allow an estimate 
 of its richness. The vein was not well exposed when visited, and so 
 no minute examination could be made. A like remark may be made 
 in regard to the 
 
 Savannah Mine, which is nine miles southwest of Webster, on Savan- 
 nah Creek. The rock here is a massive, coarse, garnetiferous syenite, 
 and the vein about nine feet thick. The ore is copper pyrite, but no 
 fresh surfaces were exposed when the mine was visited, and therefore 
 no good specimens could be procured for analysis. 
 
 My impression of the Cullowhee and Savannah Mines was that they 
 are very promising, and well worthy the attention of capitalists. Of 
 the Waryhut I could form no opinion, because it was not accessible. 
 
 There is a copper mine in the northern part of Haywood county, 
 near Wilkins Creek, where two shafts have been sunk and a drift of 76 
 feet cut, but the vein was not accessible when visited. There was, how- 
 ever, a very formidable outcrop of gossan, indicating a large vein. For 
 further information of this mine, as well as of others belonging to this 
 
 * Sometimes written and pronounced, " Waytye-hutta;" also, " Waychutta." 
 
 Or. B. H. 
 
COPPER ORES. 223 
 
 range, reference may be made to the following notes, bj r Mr. C. D. 
 Smith* : 
 
 " There is a favorable outcropping of copper near the head of Big Ivey Creek, not far 
 from the Madison and Buncombe county line, which presented a favorable appear- 
 ance. There is another point only a few miles from Asheville, where there is an out- 
 crop deserving of exploration for copper. The belt passes into Haywood county, at 
 the head of North Hominy, where there is an outcrop in every way flattering for 
 copper. The gossan is of excellent quality, the vein at the surface large, and the 
 walling favorable for a copper mine. 
 
 ' ' The zone passes thence down North Hominy to Hall's mill, with several attractive 
 outcrops between George Hall's and the mill. Eight or ten miles northwestward 
 there are favorable outcrops again in the Massey Cove, and on Little Mountain, in 
 the direction of Waynesville. 
 
 " After passing Waynesville the copper belt widens out, the zone we have been 
 following, passing into Jackson county at the head of Scott's Creek. 
 
 " There are several points between this and the Wary hut Mine. Some of these 
 localities have been tested by Messrs. Oram & Davis, who are the owners of 16,000 
 acres of land embracing these outcrops. I have been informed that the veins are of 
 good size, and the ore (chalcopyrite) of excellent quality. 
 
 " The range or zone from the head of Scott's Creek passes along the range of the 
 Double-top Mountain, showing the outcrops already alluded to. 
 
 " In 1860, the Waryhut Mine showed handsome specimens of malachite, chalco- 
 pyrite, and occasionally some native copper. Shell Ridge, Buck Knob and Horn- 
 buckle may all be included in this belt. 
 
 " The old Savannah Mine is northwest of the Shell Ridge. Here the first discovery 
 of copper in Jackson was made. At this mine is a vein of good yellow copper. 
 This property is on a transverse section of rocks; the gneiss and syenite strike off to 
 the northwest. The new Savannah Mine is about half a mile from the old Savannah 
 Mine. At the depth of 25 or 30 feet is a mixture of gossan, black copper, yellow 
 copper, etc. The vein is apparently 8 to 12 feet thick. The outcrop continues 
 one-fourth mile northwest, and also southeastward. This zone passes northwestward 
 crossing the county line in Bet's Gap, and shows copper on the corner rocks at the 
 head of Cowee Creek in Macon county. 
 
 " The Buck Knob zone outcrops as a broad belt in Macon county, at the Corbin 
 Knob, where some copper has recently been obtained. On Tessentee and Middle 
 creeks, in the southern part of Macon, there is a large outcrop of gossan. A large 
 vein appears on Middle Creek, near Cabe's mill, and the outcrop can be traced for 
 one and one-half miles. 
 
 " A vein several feet thick appears in syenite rock, on the Patton property, near 
 the Cartoogajay Creek, Macon county, 4 miles southwest of Franklin. Another 
 copper property (the Waldrope property), occurs southwest from the above, at the 
 base of the Nantegalee mountain. The copper belt crosses the Nantegalee mountain 
 and passes into the southeast corner of Clay county. The zone shows on the west 
 of the mountains, in Towns county, Georgia, where there are valuable copper prop- 
 
 * Condensed from the Essay on the Geology of "Western North Carolina, by Rev. 
 C. D. Smith : Appendix D, p. 112, in Kerr's Geology of North Carolina, 1875. 
 
224 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 erties. A noteworthy fact which I have learned, is that the ores on this entire zone 
 in North Carolina, are remarkably free from arsenical impurities. 
 
 "Another copper bearing zone occurs on the head waters of South Richland Creek. 
 Some work had been done on the top of the Caney Fork Bald, a mountain dividing 
 the waters of Pigeon and Tuckasegee rivers, where a large quartz vein was cut, 
 showing handsome copper ore. Along the spurs of the mountain, on the Pigeon or 
 Richland side, I saw two fine gossan outcrops. Southwestward from this point, on 
 the waters of Caney Fork, there are lai'ge exposures of gossan in Gunstocker Cove. 
 The zone passes down Caney Fork, and crossing the Tuckasegee River, runs into 
 Cullowhee Mountain, iii which the Cullowhee Mine is situated. My recollection is 
 that the vein is about six feet in thickness. It contains a rich yellow copper ore. 
 
 " From the Wolf Creek Mine, southwest of the above, this range passes southwest- 
 ward into Macon county, on the waters of Ellajay and Buck creeks. 
 
 " There is another locality in Haywood county, in an entirely different formation. 
 It is on Wilkins' Creek, 25 miles from Waynesville, down the Pigeon River. It is 
 lithologically identical with Ducktown, and in the same geological horizon. A shaft 
 was sunk, and a tunnel driven, which penetrated the vein for 12 or 15 feet, without 
 reaching the opposite wall. The vein is almost solid arsenical pyrite, precisely such 
 as the veins at Ducktown carry. I was assured that the outcrops of gossan extend 
 for four miles northeastward, and generally continued as prominent as at the locality 
 under consideration." 
 
 Elk Knob Copper Ores. — Of the copper range in Ashe and Alleghany 
 counties, one of the most notable localities is Elk Knob and its spurs, 
 within a radius of three or four miles. The prevalent and character- 
 istic rock of this mountain and region is a garnetiferous hornblende 
 schist with gray gneiss. 
 
 The Elk Knob Mine is on the northwest slope of the mountain, at 
 an elevation of some 4,000 feet above the sea. The vein, which crop- 
 ped out in a deep ravine, was insufficiently exposed, but it is evidently 
 not less than six or seven feet thick. The rock is a dark gray gneiss. 
 
 The ore at the surface was mostly iron pyrite, with a moderate ad- 
 mixture of copper pyrite.* 
 
 The Miller Mine, at the southern base of the mountain, had been 
 opened at the time this region was examined, and a shaft sunk to a 
 depth of 60 feet ; but nothing can be stated as to the character or size 
 of the vein. 
 
 At other points on the slope of the mountain are promising outcrops 
 of gossan, but there is no information at hand concerning the charac- 
 ter and extent of the deposits. 
 
 * At the time of my visit, in 1874, much of the copper pyrite was in layers to 
 itself and tolerably pure. The above statement refers to the short adit, which was 
 all that could have been seen by the author. — G. B. H. 
 
COPPER ORES. 225 
 
 Copper Knob Mine. — This mine, formerly known as the Gap Creek, 
 is in the southeast part of Ashe county, about three miles west of the 
 summit of the Blue Ridge, and 1J miles east of New River. It is 
 accessible by well-graded wagon roads. It may with propriety be 
 described as one of a series of veins in a mineral district. 
 
 One mile^west-northwest is a series of veins, of which only two, on 
 Rich Knob, have been investigated- — they but slightly. One of these 
 veins is ten inches wide. It carries ores like those of Copper Knob, 
 and is regarded as promising as the Copper Knob vein at the same 
 depth. Thirty yards northwest of this large quartz rocks, well- 
 charged with schorl, lie on the surface, which carry gold in red oxides 
 of copper and iron. 
 
 Another vein of schorl, with an admixture of oxides, which was cut 
 on this Copper Knob tract, yielded $3.75 per ton of gold. 
 
 The Copper Knob tract contains 190 acres. There are three veins 
 on this tract — one heavy quartz vein unexplored, a second vein which 
 has proved to be barren, as far as examined, and a third vein well 
 mineralized. This latter vein is in a large body of hornblende schist, 
 though the prevalent rock of the section is a gray gneiss, with a strike 
 N. 60° E., and a dip S. E. 40°. It is a true fissure vein, with a strike 
 N. 35° W. and r a dip N. E. 45°, but neither dip nor strike is uniform. 
 
 The vein in the upper part was accompanied by a selvage of perox- 
 ide of iron, extraordinarily rich in gold, the vein itself being quartz. 
 The mineral seam occupied the centre of this quartz, and varied from 
 4 to 6 inches in thickness. In the 60-foot level the vein varies in width 
 from 14 inches to 3 feet. On the northwest course, along this level, 
 the vein contains the copper ores for 53 feet, when the quartz becomes 
 slightly changed, and carries native gold, with brown oxide of iron, 
 for about 36 feet. Here the bearing is changed to N. 43° W. The vein 
 appears to be more mineralized on the northwest than on the southeast 
 side of the workings, which run into the Knob. 
 
 The ore is unique : vitreous copper ore, malachite, chrysocolla, a very 
 little chalcopyrite, brown ore, etc. Iron pyrite is almost wanting. The 
 ore seam increased somewhat in Width as greater depth was gained. 
 
 The shaft was sunk to a depth of 60 feet with satisfactory results, 
 and subsequently deepened to (as reported) 140 feet. At this stage the 
 mine became the prey of a company of speculators, and was tossed 
 about as a foot ball, on the floors of stock exchanges, and it suited the 
 management to conceal the real character of the lower levels. But the 
 
226 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 concurrent testimony of many persons cognizant of the last work is 
 that the resources of the mine continue good.* 
 
 The nature of the ore is shown in the following assays : 
 
 OEES FROM COPPER KNOB, ASHE COUNTY. 
 
 (74 a) (74 b) (74 c) (74 d) 
 
 Gold, per ton 1 683-1000 oz. 417-1000 oz. 2 775-1000 oz. 3 75-100 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton .19 72-100 " 175-100 " 11235-1000" 35 33-100" 
 
 Copper, per cent ... 23.825 37.44 
 
 Ore Knob Copper Mine. — The most remarkable vein in the State is 
 at Ore Knob in the southeast corner of Ashe county. It is near the 
 top of the Blue Ridge, and about 2 miles from New River. The mine 
 was opened before the war, but not explored to any depth or with any 
 system, and its real character was not developed until a much later 
 period. The vein was finally opened by a series of shafts and tun- 
 nels, which uncovered a body of ore rarely equalled. 
 
 The accompanying plate (XVI) will show something of the topog- 
 raphy of the region about the mine and a cross section of the vein. 
 The topographical sketch was made from observations taken with a 
 Locke's level and pocket barometer and compass. 
 
 The rock of the region is a gray (and usually) thin bedded gneiss, 
 with mica schists. These have a prevalent strike a little east of north- 
 east, and dip east at a tolerably high angle ; though both strike and 
 dip are subject to considerable variation. The walls of the copper vein 
 are micaceous gneiss and mica schist, with a strike N. 57° E., and dip 
 southeast at an angle of 40° to 45°. The copper vein is coinci- 
 dent in strike with the rocks, but is vertical, cutting across the strata 
 
 * Many of these observations were furnished by Hon. C. J. Cowles, of Wilkesboro. 
 The following concerning the Copper Knob deposit may also be added from Dr. 
 Emmons' notes: "It appears to occupy a vein fissure, formed prior to the time when 
 it became filled with mineral, and therefore it seems highly probable to become a 
 permanent vein. The rock is a hornblende slate, which appears to have been altered; 
 it is only i mile wide, and seems to be intruded in the talco-micaceous schiste, and, if 
 so, it furnishes a favorable indication of a valuable mine on this ground alone — April 
 26, 1858."— G. B. H. 
 
GEOLOGY OF N. C. 
 
 PLATE XVI 
 
COPPER ORES. 227 
 
 in dip ; so that it is a true fissure vein, and not bedded, like those at 
 Ducktown.* 
 
 It is traceable by an outcrop of gossan for more than a mile, and has 
 been proved by trial shafts and trenches for nearly 2,000 feet.t The 
 breadth of the lode varies from about 6 to 15 feet (in some cases 20|), 
 averaging about 10, probably. Eleven shafts have been sunk vertically 
 in the vein ; the deepest is 400 feet, and several others are dowri 200 to 
 300 feet. 
 
 As the walls are so nearly vertical it was not necessary to leave many 
 pillars ; and not much timbering was needed in working the mine. 
 There is, properly speaking, no gangue stone, the whole breadth of the 
 fissure being filled with ore. 
 
 The gossan, which is decomposed oxidized ore, extends to an average 
 depth of over 50 feet in the different shafts, the lower half containing 
 a valuable percentage of copper in the form of malachite and oxides. 
 Below this level of oxidation, the ore is the unaltered sulphuret.§ 
 Some parts of the vein contain magnetite, quartz and garnets. The 
 rock is hard, but there is no difficulty in winning the ore. 
 
 The richness of the lower part of the gossan and upper part of the 
 pyrites will be seen by quotations from a report on the mine by Dr. T. 
 Sterry Hunt, who examined the mine in 1873 : 
 
 " Two samples of the gossan taken at distances of two or three feet above the sul- 
 phurets. yielded respectively 14 and 22 per cent, of copper." 
 
 Of the unaltered portion he says : 
 
 " Some parts of the vein are fJJled with copper pyrites, mixed with more or less 
 
 *Prof. Thomas Egleston, of the School of Mines, New York City, has kindly 
 allowed the use of his valuable notes of observation on this mine; especially from 
 his paper read before the Staunton meeting of the American Institute of Mining 
 Engineers, May, 1881, and published in the Transactions for that year, They will 
 be found to add materially to a knowledge of this mine. 
 
 t Egleston, in his paper before the Am. Inst, of Mining Engineers, May, 1881, says 
 that one wall of the vein is always sharply defined; the other is in the rock; and the 
 ore dies out in it. Its penetration is very nearly constant, but there is no seam to 
 give a sharp line of separation. 
 
 X In 1874, I saw a width of vein (for a short distance) of 21 feet.— G. B. H. 
 
 § Egleston, paper before quoted, says the ore consists of pyrrhotite mixed with 
 chalcopyrite and quartz in variable proportions. Hardly any other minerals except 
 a small amount of carbonate of lime, some little black mica, and occasionally garnet, 
 can be seen in the rocks. 
 
228 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 magnetite, and yielding in different specimens 17 to 22 percent, of copper, while a 
 larger portion consists chiefly of an impure variegated ore, giving in different assays 
 
 35, 39 and 45 per cent, of copper An average sample of fresh and undried ore 
 
 from a large pile gave 25 per cent. , and another from a large pile, chiefly of iron T 
 black ore, gave 36 per cent, of copper." 
 
 The average of the ores undergoing reduction, in August, 1874, was 
 estimated by Mr. Clayton to range between 12 and 20 per cent. 
 
 The gold in the ore is reputed to be present in traces only. 
 
 A few notes from the paper of Prof. Egleston alluded to (page 227) 
 will show the condition of the later working of the mine : 
 
 '■The mine was originally opened on a very rich streak of chalcosite running at 
 times as high as 30 per cent, in copper. The works, which were constructed to treat 
 
 it, were designed for the Hunt and Douglass' process, which was worked on a large 
 
 scale till the amount of carbonate of lime, which came into the ores, rendered it im- 
 possible to be used any longer the present smelting works were then built. The 
 
 ores afterwards became poor, and no traces of chalcosite are now seen in the mine. 
 
 "After a series of experiments extending over many months, it has been found 
 that at present prices an ore containing 3 per cent, of copper just pays the expenses 
 of mining and smelting. 
 
 "Analyses Nos. 1 (75) and 2 (76) show the mineralogical composition of the ore 
 taken from each of the two (2) shafts of the mine. No. 3 (77) is a sample taken from 
 the heaps of poor ore lying on the surface: 
 
 ANALYSES OF ORE, ORE KNOB COPPER MINE, ASHE COUNTY. 
 
 (75) (76) (77) 
 
 Chalcopyrite . _ 11.33 13.30 4.76 
 
 Pyrrhotite 37.46 35.74 48.78 
 
 Sesquioxide of iron 8.14 16.34 18.36 
 
 Alumina _ 1.84 1.49 
 
 Manganese.. O.n^ .50 .76 
 
 Lime.... _ 5.3i' 7.84 7.21 
 
 Magnesia 35 .94 .30 
 
 Carbonic acid ... 4.76 7.19 6.00 
 
 Zinc _ 67 .66 .65 
 
 Cobalt .09 .09 .095 
 
 Nickel... '.. 71 .92 1.08 
 
 Silicious residue 29.10 13.57 12.80 
 
 99.93 98.58 100.79 
 
 Metallic copper 3.92 4.60 1.65 
 
 Alkalies not determined. 
 
 "The analysis shows the ores to be of exceptional purity; no trace of arsenic or 
 antimony could be found in any of the samples. 
 
 " About fifty per cent, of the ore mined is sent to the smelting work. 
 
 " The ore might be enriched much further by careful hand-picking. No dressing 
 in the ordinary sense of the word is applicable to it, since the pyrrhotite and chalco- 
 
COPPER ORES. 229 
 
 pyrite are of very nearly the same specific gravity. No effort is made at dressing, 
 except with the " fines," and the only attempt then made is to get rid, in a rough 
 way, of a part of the quartz in the ore.* 
 
 ' ' The plant is capable of producing a much larger amount of copper than it now 
 does. The ore is so exceedingly pure, and the fuel (charcoal) so entirely free from 
 everything deleterious, that with careful refining a very high grade of copper might 
 be made. 
 
 "Pig copper is arrived at in four and ingot in five operations. The process con- 
 sists of : 
 
 1. Roasting the picked ores and the dressed fines in piles. 
 
 2. Fusion in a shaft furnace for mattes, generally called single mattes. 
 
 3. Roasting the mattes (Nos. 2 and 4) in piles. 
 
 4. Fusion in a shaft furnace for black or pig copper, and concentrated or double 
 mattes. 
 
 5. Treatment of the salamanders. 
 
 6. Fining and refining." 
 
 The details of the work call for no special mention. 
 
 The cost of labor, fuel and most supplies, was very low. 
 
 An interesting series of tables was also prepared by Prof. Egleston, 
 from which the following are taken ; they refer to a period of several 
 months during the later work of the establishment : 
 
 " SUMMARY, COST OF SMELTING PEE TON.f 
 
 Roasting the ore, labor and fuel ... _ $ 0.18 14-100 
 
 Smelting roasted ore, labor and fuel _ . _ 3.32 
 
 Roasting single and double mattes, labor and fuel 1. 
 
 Smelting roasted mattes, fuel and labor 3.24 
 
 Refining pig copper: as each ton of the ore yielded 105 lbs. fine 
 
 copper, the cost per ton of ore would be . _ 16 1-4 
 
 Superintendence and other expenses, as itemized, per ton 31 
 
 Repairs and materials, tools, etc .-... 331-2 
 
 "The cost of copper per pound from January, 1879, to April, 1880, was (including 
 all charges for freight, etc.) 12 1-2 cents; but from this should be deducted the profits 
 of the company's store, which reduced the net cost to 10 39-100 cents per pound. The 
 total copper shipped during this period was 1640 375-1000 tons of 2000 pounds. 
 
 * Still later, in the last days of working the mine (1882), the contents of the ore in 
 copper had, fallen somewhat lower, and a more careful sorting was practiced, which 
 brought up the copper in the part smelted to about 5 per cent. — G. B. H. 
 
 fThe Superintendent, Jas. E. Clayton, informed me in October, 1882, that the cost 
 of raising the ore during the preceding three years was between 65 and 66 cents per 
 ton. He also added that the cost of producing the copper per pound had slightly in- 
 creased after 1880.— G. B. H. 
 
230 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 " In order to see how the copper compares with other coppers, ingots from Lake 
 Superior and Baltimore were analyzed and tested. The analyses are given below : 
 
 COMPARATIVE ANALYSES OF INGOT COPPEE. 
 
 (78) (79) (80) 
 
 ORE KNOB. LAKE SUPERIOR. BALTIMORE. 
 
 Metallic copper 99.80 99.83 99.65 
 
 Oxygen 39 .15 none. 
 
 Sulphur. none. none. none. 
 
 Silver 05 .026 .066 
 
 Lead.. 01 .016 .044 
 
 Arsenic ....... . . ... none. none. none. 
 
 Antimony -none. none. .035 
 
 100.25 100.022 99.883 
 
 Ounces of silver in ton of 2,000 
 pounds of copper 14.6 7.3 19.75 
 
 " It will thus be seen that the amount of oxide of copper in the ingot analyzed 
 was 0.93 per cent., an amount which, although very small, is sufficient to make con- 
 siderable difference in its value in the arts. The reputation of Lake Superior Copper 
 is chiefly owing to the very small quantities of oxide of copper which it contains. 
 
 " The tensile of strength of Ore Knob Copper was found to be 30,660 pounds, and 
 that of Lake Copper, 30,790 pounds to the square inch. The difference is altogether 
 insignificant. The Ore Knob Copper, though varying in quality, is equal to the best 
 grades." 
 
 As the establishment has been closed some four or five years, it is 
 not necessary to pursue the subject further, though there is sufficient 
 material to interest the public. It is believed that the facts given will 
 present a sufficiently clear picture of a great North Carolina industry 
 to the general reader, and at the same time all the important data bear- 
 ing on the geology, which would be of value to the specialist. 
 
 It is proper to add that. the Messrs. Clayton pursued the work with 
 remarkable energy, and the highest scientific and financial ability ; 
 and the influence they exerted on the prosperity of the community 
 about Ore Knob will long be manifest. 
 
 Peach Bottom (or Maxwell) Mine. — This mine is situated in the west- 
 ern part of Alleghany county, on Elk Creek, near New River. The 
 vein is in a soft decomposable gneiss ; with the hanging wall of a dark 
 compact hornblende. It has a strike N. 54° E., and a southerly dip of 
 about 80° . 
 
 The ore consists almost entirely of chalcopyrite, accompanied by a 
 trace of galenite ; iron pyrite is almost wanting. It is disseminated in 
 the gangue, but is susceptible of easy dressing — the method formerly 
 adopted in preparing it for market. 
 
COPPER ORES. 231 
 
 Two shafts have been sunk, several hundred yards apart ; the East 
 shaft 140 feet, and the West shaft 80 feet in depth ; and in both the min- 
 eral deposit was struck. The vein widened in descent from 4 feet 4 
 inches in the 80-foot level, to 6 feet in the 140-foot level. 
 
 It is reported that the argentiferous lead vein, alluded to on p. 204, 
 accompanies this copper vein, lying behind it on the north wall, and 
 with a thickness of 6 to 9 inches. 
 
 There are indications of the existence of copper ore deposits at sev- 
 eral other localities of this region : 
 
 In the northern extension of the Ore Knob deposit; and in Wilkes 
 county. 
 
 In Surry county, on Moseley's farm, 5 miles from Elkin, a yellow 
 copper ore is found in a heavj r quartz vein, which is said to be 3 feet 
 wide. The country schists adjacent are sprinkled with pyrite. 
 
 Near Trap Hill, in Wilkes county, fifteen miles from Elkin, is 
 another locality. On the east side of Bryan's Knob is a bold quartz 
 outcrop traceable for nearly 4 miles. It is sprinkled everywhere with 
 pyrrhotite and pyrite, with a small percentage of chalcopyrite — fre- 
 quently auriferous. Occasionally large masses of these are found. 
 Thus far, insufficient work has been done to determine the resources 
 of this vein. This vein is accompanied by another vein a few rods 
 westward. 
 
 The endeavor has been made in the preceding pages to make as full 
 an exhibit as possible of the present resources of the State in this im- 
 portant metal ; and at the same time also to indicate, as far as our 
 knowledge goes, the possibilities of the future. The last aim is neces- 
 sarily imperfectly attained; but this at least has been measurably ac- 
 complished : to point out where such deposits may be found, and to give 
 all attainable data for an intelligent investigation by such persons as 
 may desire to look into the subject from a business standpoint. 
 
 The amount of copper produced in North Carolina at the present 
 time is small. The more favorable conditions of the copper industry in 
 the Lake Superior region, and in other mining districts in the West, 
 have forced the market price of copper to so low a point, that successful 
 competition on the part of the North Carolina mines is a matter of 
 doubt. 
 
 It will be evident that the present price of copper offers little en- 
 couragement for an exploitation of such deposits for copper alone — the 
 abandonment of Ore Knob sufficiently shows this; nevertheless if this 
 establishment had been in possession of railroad facilities, (in tead of 
 
232 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 being compelled to haul the ore 45 miles over mountain roads), the 
 result might have been otherwise. 
 
 The present disposition to extend the railroad system,intothe moun- 
 tainous section of the State, will not unlikely materially change the 
 entire aspect of the case, and relieve industrial enterprises from the 
 disabilities they now labor under. 
 
 There is, however, another side to this subject, viz. : the importance 
 of such stores as a necessary, or at least, important means of develop- 
 ing the metallurgical treatment of our auriferous ores satisfactorily, in 
 which the disadvantages are not so evident ; rather there are some cer- 
 tain advantages to be expected, which will add a little to the receipts 
 of the miner, viz. : a return for the gold contents of such ores. This 
 may not be large, as our copper ores are not highly auriferous or argen- 
 tiferous, but it may be sufficient to turn the balance favorably. 
 
 The matter of bringing these deposits to the surface, and thence to 
 the markets, is primarily one of business, viz. : a safe investment with 
 a low capitalization, prudent management, good railroad facilities, and 
 a market with sufficiently varied interests to induce a lively competi- 
 tion. 
 
 The fact that these conditions are only imperfectly met now, is a de- 
 fect inseparable from the crude beginnings of an industrial system, and 
 is not attributable to a lack of nature's subterranean gifts. 
 
GOLD OEES. 233 
 
 Section 4. GOLD. 
 
 The influences which have retarded mining operations in other di- 
 rections account also for the fact that but few of the gold mines of the 
 State are now in operation. Some of the more noted mines, however, 
 have claimed the attention of capitalists, and work is now prosecuted 
 at those places with more or less vigor. 
 
 The total amount of the precious metals produced by the mines of 
 North Carolina up to Dec. 31, 1886, so far as U. S. official records 
 afford evidence, is as follows : 
 
 Gold ...$11,089,502 36 
 
 Silver 84,019 75 
 
 Total $11,173,532 11 
 
 It is certain, however, that this is but a part of the production, for 
 much of it is known to have been exported directly by companies hav- 
 ing headquarters abroad. Moreover, up to the time of the discovery 
 of gold in California, there was a large demand for native gold by jew- 
 elers, and the Carolina gold was in request on account of its beauty. 
 It is not an unreasonable conjecture that the amount which has in va- 
 rious ways escaped official notice is as large as that on record ; and that 
 the total amount produced in the State can hardly have been less than 
 $22,000,000.00. 
 
 At the psesent writing the following mines are at work : Portis, in 
 Nash county ; the Cagle, Burns and Bell, Moore county ; the Steel, Cog- 
 gins and Russell, in Montgomery county ; the Crowell, in Stanly 
 county ; the Uwharrie and Hoover Hill, in Randolph county ; Gold 
 Hill and Icenhour, in Rowan county; the Phoenix, Rocky River and 
 Reed, in Cabarrus county; the Henderson, Rudisill, St. Catherine, 
 Point, Davidson, Cathey, Hill, Dunn and Ray, in Mecklenburg county ; 
 the Howie, Hem by and Stearns, in Union county ; the Catawba, in 
 Gaston county ; the Vein Mountain and Marion Bullion (Granville), in 
 McDowell county; the Hancock, Mills, Carolina Queen, in Burke 
 county ; the Boilston, in Henderson county ; the Double Branch, in 
 Polk county — in all 35. 
 
 At what time gold mining was first undertaken in this section can- 
 
234 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 not now be ascertained, but several traditions, which carry a large 
 probability of truth, would seem to indicate that a strong suspicion of 
 the auriferous character of the section was entertained before the Rev- 
 olutionary War. One of the localities in this State, which it is believed 
 was worked before that struggle began, was the Oliver Mine in Gaston 
 county. The Brewer Mine in Chesterfield county (South Carolina) is 
 another ; and the " Aborigines' Shaft," at this latter place, is still pointed 
 out, where work was done earlier than any known records. 
 
 The first authentic find was on the Reed plantation, in Cabarrus 
 county, where a nugget was found in 1799. Its value was not sus- 
 pected at first, but when it was ascertained to be gold, a systematic 
 search was undertaken, and a large number of nuggets were unearthed.* 
 
 Success at this mine stimulated search elsewhere, and by 1825 gold 
 mining on a vigorous scale was carried on along the entire Appalachian 
 slope, from Virginia to Alabama. The placers or like deposits were first 
 worked, then the gossan outcrops of the veins, where slight skill and 
 few and cheap appliances were adequate to the work. The exhaustion 
 of these easily worked stores was effected just at the time of the dis- 
 covery of gold in California, and there was a large exodus of miners 
 to that territory. The mining work had not recovered from the retard- 
 ing influences of this exodus when the civil war came and put an end 
 to all work. At the close of the war but one gold mine in North Car- 
 olina was in operation. 
 
 The difficulties attending deep mining, and the still greater difficulty 
 of extracting the gold from the sulphuret ores, have been only partly 
 overcome at the present time — a matter which will be presented more 
 fully at the end of the section. 
 
 With the exception of minute quantities of telluride of gold at the 
 King's Mountain Mine, and possibly at a few others, gold is believed 
 to exist in the metallic state, and is generally, if not always, alloyed 
 with silver. 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties, of North Carolina, 1856, p. 166. 
 
 Fineness of Native Gold in North Carolina. — The fineness of native gold varies 
 throughout the State, and to a large extent with the different formations in which 
 it occurs. 
 
 The easternmost belt shows a, variable fineness at the different points. Thus, 
 toward the northern part of the State, well up to the Virginia line, assays show the 
 gold to be about 925 m. fine, with from 60 to 75 m. silver, and a very little iron, and 
 occasionally a trace of copper; at the Portis Mine in Warren county, for example, 
 very rarely does the fineness reach to 950 m. Further south, in Moore county, the 
 
GOLD ORES. 235 
 
 " It occurs in the foliations of the slate,* and to a less extent in the 
 joints, or with and through associated ores, such as quartz, galenite, 
 blende, etc., in so fine a state as to be invisible to the naked eye. 
 
 range in fineness is from 700 to 750 (rarely 850) gold, and 225 to 300 silver, with simi- 
 lar base constituents. In the first mentioned locality, the gold is almost strictly 
 " placer"; in the latter it is partly derived from a mill treatment of the schists. 
 
 Throughout this entire area, arsenic, antimony, etc., are rare in the native gold, 
 and it is not quite certain that these metals may not have been introduced by care- 
 less manipulation. 
 
 In the central syenitic and granitic region, gold ranges from 800 to 950 (very rarely 
 975). Thus, for example, at the North State, Phoenix, Reed; Capps and Rudisil 
 mines, 900 to 925 would characterize the average, with a trifle more iron, and some- 
 times with as much as 5 to 10 of copper — for the gold comes from veins, which 
 carry large bodies of pyrites. 
 
 In the Huronian region, just to the east of this syenite belt, the gold is derived 
 from schists, which often carry pyrites or galenites, and these, especially the galen- 
 ites, have apparently had a large influence in lowering the grade, which rarely rises 
 to 900; examples of this' may be seen at the Howie, where the fineness of the gold 
 varies from 725 to 775; at Gold Hill, from 850 to 900; at thePhifer, from 750 to 800; and 
 most frequently the fineness will not rise above 825. Where galenite is abundant, 
 the proportion of gold is reduced to 450, and on rare occasions to a still lower point, 
 as, for example, at the Davis Mine, we find gold as low as 450, and sometimes 
 less; at the Stewart, gold 550, silver 447. The native gold itself does not often con- 
 tain more than a trace of lead. 
 
 In the extreme western part of the State, the gold is almost wholly placer gold, 
 and occurs more or less in nuggets. The fineness is rarely as low as 800, and most 
 generally runs above 900 — occasionally rising to 980 — with the least possible amount 
 of base metal. 
 
 In the Burke county mines, which are chiefly placer, the gold is tolerably uniform, 
 from 825 to 850, as may be observed at the J. C. Mills mines, the Hancock Mine, and 
 the Brindletown localities generally. 
 
 In the adjacent county, McDowell, where the gold is mostly placer, the grade les- 
 sens to 780 or 800; as at the Vein Mountain Mine. In Rutherford county, still further 
 south in this belt, the grade rises to nearly 900. 
 
 In Polk county, still further south in this same belt, the fineness again rises, being 
 rarely less than 900, and often more than 950; as may be observed at the Double 
 Branch, and the Splaun mines. 
 
 When it is said that iron is found in native gold, the statement must not pass 
 without some qualification, for in some cases it is known to be due to a slight pro- 
 portion of oxide of iron, mechanically contained in the minute cells, in the nuggets 
 or grains. And the same has also been occasionally observed of oxide of copper, 
 See further the Engineering and Mining Journal, Sept. 18, 1886, — G. B. H. 
 
 * F. A. Genth, in the Geology of North Carolina, by W. C. Kerr, 1875, p. 283. His 
 remarks there are here reproduced, with some condensation. — G. B. H. 
 
236 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 " It has been observed in four different geological positions : 
 
 1st, It is met with in the mass of the gneissoid, granitic and horn- 
 blendic rock. 
 
 2d, In quartz veins, often associated with iron pyrite, chalcopyrite, 
 galenite, and other minerals. 
 
 3d, In ore beds cotemporary with the strata of the rock, in which 
 they are found, as in chlorite and talcose schists, argillites, quartzites, 
 etc. 
 
 4th, Loosely in the soil and decomposed rock, especially in gravel 
 deposits, resulting from the destruction of the above first three forma- 
 tions."* 
 
 " Many of these quartz veins are in reality beds, as they coincide in 
 strike and dip with the stratification, whilst an equally great number 
 run in every conceivable direction, and- dip just as irregularly. The 
 greater part of these quartz veins contain no gold, or so little that they 
 could not be profitably worked. This is especially true of the larger 
 veins of milky and vitreous quartz. 
 
 '' In many cases the small veins — principally those which contain 
 granular and saccharoidal quartz — are rich in gold. Some of the large 
 veins, especially those containing much cellular quartz, have frequently 
 been found to be the most productive. These cellular spaces in the 
 quartz result from the decomposition of pyrites, which once occupied 
 
 * This summary is substantially the same as that given by Emmons in his Report, 
 (Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 138,) and is comprehen- 
 sive enough for the purposes of this report, but should both be enlarged and sub- 
 divided to be scientifically accurate. 
 
 Examples of the first class are in the central syenitic area, and to a less extent in 
 the gneissoid area immediately to the west of it. 
 
 The quartz veins of the second class in their most characteristic forms are found 
 for the greater part in this central syenitic area, and in the gneissoid formation near 
 by, to the west, and in the Huronian belt to the east; but in this latter area, quartz 
 veins are by no means confined to any formation, and it should be mentioned that if 
 the irregular quartz seams, so common to every formation in the entire region, are 
 to be included under quartz veins, they will be found at every mine. 
 
 The ore beds of the third class most abound in the entire Huronian formation, and 
 to a less extent in the gneissoid region. (See Appendix B, at the end of this section.) 
 
 The placers and gravel deposits of the fourth class were originally found over the 
 entire auriferous parts of the Appalachian slope, but have been exhausted at some 
 of these points. In the Portis Mine district they are still abundant, though relatively 
 poor; in Randolph and Montgomery counties they are extensive, but not easily acces- 
 sible; they are very abundant in the Burke, McDowell and Rutherford region; and 
 abound to a large and indefinite extent in the western and mountainous parts of the 
 State. (See Appendix A, at the end of this section.) — G. B. H. 
 
GOLD ORES. 237 
 
 the now empty spaces, leaving them occasionally quite free from oxide 
 of iron, but more generally rusty, and, in some cases, more or less filled 
 with limonite. 
 
 " At a greater depth, where the pyrite is not decomposed, the gold is 
 so much mixed with heavy sulphurets that it cannot be extracted with 
 profit by the method now followed. In other cases the gold entirely 
 disappears. 
 
 " Most of the gold veins in North Carolina were abandoned where 
 the iron and copper pyrites had increased so largely as to make the 
 milling of the ore difficult."* 
 
 " The gold in these mines is not very evenly distributed through the 
 mass, and the veins often contain portions relatively poor, alternating 
 with portions rich in ores — which latter are called shoots or chimneys. 
 Such shoots are really veins inside of a vein, and frequently quite reg- 
 ular in their dip.f 
 
 " The gold deposits, which are contemporary with the slates, are 
 sometimes of greater importance than the true gold veins. Their 
 width varies from a few inches to 70 feet.J 
 
 "The gold in them is often found without any mineral admixture, 
 and the auriferous schists or " slates," show no line of demarcation, 
 
 * The present condition of the mines is substantially as follows: The gossans of 
 the mines (or ' ' brown ores ") were generally worked out as far as possible and as long 
 as they continued profitable. At the permanent water line (40 to 60 feet), these 
 brown ores began to give place to the unaltered sulphurets, though at the depth of 
 300 feet the sulphurets are not entirely free from those influences, which alter and 
 peroxidize them. In almost all the mines the brown ores have been exhausted, 
 excepting a few pillars or overlooked bodies. And in a very few mines, which 
 peculiar circumstances held back and reserved from mining work, the low grade 
 gossans still exist either in part or as a whole. 
 
 In short, the ores of the future are the deep lying sulphuret ores, which require 
 well-planned and expensive machinery for successful extraction, and the most eco- 
 nomical, and careful, and (to some extent) complex methods of treatment. These 
 points will be elaborated in the conclusion to this section. — G. B. H. 
 
 f See plates of the Gold Hill, St. Catherine, McGinn and Rudisil mines. 
 
 \ It may be said that sometimes they are hundreds of feet wide, for example, the 
 ore belt at the Howie (or Cureton) Mine, or at the Burns Mine, in Moore county; but 
 only a comparatively small part of such a body can be profitably treated; thus the 
 distinction between the " vein,'' so-called, and the " country," is a practical, not a 
 geological one. There is frequently no marked lithological or mineralogical differ- 
 ence between the productive and the unproductive part, but it is also the case some- 
 times, that secondary agencies have been at work altering the narrower (though still 
 very wide) belt, and enriching' it, as appears to be the case at the Jones Mine, Ran- 
 dolph county. (See Appendix B.)— G. B. H. 
 
238 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 and cannot be distinguished from the barren layers; but generally, and 
 subsequently to its deposition, it has been acted on by chemical agen- 
 cies, dissolved and precipitated again, and has accumulated in strings, 
 which sometimes form lenticular and more highly auriferous masses 
 in the beds, and is associated with crystals of quartz, pyrite, chalco- 
 pyrite, galenite, blende, etc. 
 
 " The deposits which result from the disintegration of the rock, and 
 subsequent denudation, are of great importance; there the gold, which 
 was contained in the rock and in the small auriferous veins, which 
 have been broken up into fragments, has been concentrated by nature, 
 and deposited in the gravel beds; the quartz is frequently not even 
 water worn, and many pieces still show the shape and thickness of the 
 veins whence they came. 
 
 " The most extensive gravel deposits are in the South Mountains, 
 and in Polk county; in Franklin and Nash counties; and in Mont- 
 gomery county. The beds vary in thickness from a few inches to 
 thirty or more feet, and are covered with soil, which is also auriferous, 
 though much poorer than the beds below. These deposits have been 
 worked for more than 60 years, and in some cases reworked with profit; 
 and there are still virgin areas, which might easily be treated profita- 
 bly by the hydraulic process. Vein mining per se in these regions has 
 been but partially successful ; for the rich veins are both narrow and 
 too often shallow, and the large veins are of low grade.* 
 
 " The productive gravel of many localities is due to the breaking 
 down of numerous small veins of sugary and granular quartz." 
 
 About one-half of the area of North Carolina is auriferous, but the 
 productive part contains a little more than 12,000 square .miles. 
 
 Warren county on the northeast, Moore county on the southeast, and 
 the Tennessee line on the west, mark approximately the eastern and 
 western boundaries of this gold field. It passes into Virginia on the 
 north, and into South Carolina and Georgia to the south, and comprises 
 the most productive part of the Appalachian gold belt. 
 
 The best known mines are on the central syenitic belt (for so it may 
 be described- in a general way), which stretches across the State from . 
 the northeast to the southwest, with a width of ten to twenty-five miles. 
 
 * The application of the "Georgia method " of mining, i. e., by hydraulic process, 
 followed by a mill treatment, where the work is quickly and cheaply and almost 
 automatically done, has put a new face on this kind of mining. Something more 
 will be said on this point, when the South Mountain section is described in detail, 
 further on in this chapter. — Gr. B. H. 
 
GOLD ORES. 239 
 
 The towns of Greensboro and Charlotte are nearly on its axis. The 
 area is tentatively classed as Lower Laurentian. 
 
 To the east is a large body of schists and slates, generally argillace- 
 ous, chloritic or talcose, and commonly with a veiy marked tendency 
 to become siliceous ; the width of this body is 15 to 50 miles ; it also 
 abounds in mines, but it has been less explored than the central belt. 
 This formation is provisionally classed as Huronian (the Taconic of 
 Emmons). A much more limited but interesting and important belt of 
 these rocks lies to the southwest in Gaston. Lincoln and Catawba coun- 
 ties. 
 
 Still further east in Warren, Franklin and Nash counties is a narrow 
 strip of gneiss (Upper Laurentian), in which the Portis mine district is 
 situated. 
 
 To the west is a much wider formation, made up for the most part 
 of gneissic schists, and extending, with a few interpolations of other 
 formations, nearly or quite to the Tennessee border. 
 
 This area (Upper Laurentian) contains numerous mines. 
 
 The auriferous formations of the State will be discussed largely geo- 
 graphically.* 
 
 Gold Ores of Warren, Franklin and Nash Counties. 
 
 The extreme northeast deposits occur in Warren, Franklin and Nash 
 counties, and cover, so far as explored, an area of about 100 square 
 miles — fifteen miles along its northeast and southwest axis, and five to 
 seven miles in width. The Thomas Mine, one and one-half miles 
 northeast of Ransom's Bridge, is "the extreme north point worked, so 
 far as known. The area extends to the southwest beyond Peach Tree 
 Creek, and nearly to Tar River. It is probable that the auriferous district 
 is considerably more extended than these limits would indicate, but the 
 productive area is practically confined in these boundaries. 
 
 The formation consists of gneisses and mica schists, for the most part, 
 and is rich in ferruginous minerals, where peroxidation and altera- 
 tion have extended far below the surface, and have given a deep 
 red color to the tenacious clayey soil of the region. The entire area 
 bears evidence of great surface disturbance, and rearrangement of the 
 superficial material — probably of several rearrangements. The bed- 
 rock which is reached from 15 to 25 feet below the surface, is itself 
 
 *J3ee Appendices A and B. 
 
240 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 much peroxidized and altered. A conspicuous phenomenon is, the 
 great abundance of quartz seams from a line to one and one-half inches 
 thick. These commonly run with the bedding, but sometimes cross 
 both the strike and dip. They are generally called veins, and are 
 mostly of sugary or granular quartz, often seamed and filled with 
 oxide of iron, and always soft and easily crushed. These small seams 
 are frequently very rich. 
 
 The gold appears originally to have been largely in these narrow 
 seams of quartz, which, in the process of weathering, have been broken 
 down, and the fragments of which are widely distributed over and in 
 the soil, becoming gradually more abundant, deeper below the surface 
 on the bed-rock, in favored sinks or channels. From the analogies of 
 the occurrence of gold elsewhere in the Carolinas and Georgia, it is 
 probable that the entire "counAry" matter of gneiss, etc., may also 
 have gold sparingly distributed within it, and from which it has also 
 been concentrated. 
 
 Occasional masses of the " country " show a curious alteration, during 
 which, apparently, the basic matter has been removed, and only the 
 quartz left in a very soft and crumbly condition — an example of 
 " silicification," which is very marked in some parts of the Appalachian 
 gold field, and which has seemingly resulted in charging the entire 
 mass with gold. Some assays of this material indicate it to be suita- 
 ble for exploitation. 
 
 The richer parts of this district have been worked fifty or sixty 
 years, but those which are most accessible to water, have been so far 
 exhausted as to be no longer profitable under the simple methods of 
 treatment so long practiced— and the use of these methods will grad- 
 ually cease. Hydraulic operations on an extensive scale have also 
 been attempted, and in the future probably will be prosecuted on a 
 still more extended scale. 
 
 A large amount of quartz has been accumulated by such work, most 
 of which is auriferous, and capable of being milled at a small profit. 
 
 Assays of such material give: 
 
 AURIFEROUS QUARTZ, PORTIS MINE REGION. (81) (82) (83) 
 
 Gold.perton 1-10 oz. 15-100 oz. 1-8 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton trace. trace. trace. 
 
 An exact study of this section has never been made, and a compre- 
 hensive statement of its resources is not possible now. All the mines 
 
GOLD ORES. 241 
 
 of this district have the same salient characteristics, and demand the 
 same mode of treatment; some of them are situated on elevated lands, 
 .which are not well supplied with water. 
 
 The hydraulic methods, now largely applied in South Carolina, -and 
 still more extensively in Georgia, point out the general line of the 
 solution of the mining problem here. A lift of water of 100 or even 
 200 feet, and with an added pressure equivalent to 50 or 100 feet of 
 head at the point where the water is used, is now a small matter 
 to the mining engineer. This column of water applied to a body 
 of surface material rapidly "dissolves" the softer part of it, and 
 washes it away, depositing its precious contents in the sluices, through 
 which the current will bear the quartz, partly pulverizing it, and de- 
 livering it at some suitable point for milling. The outlay for the plant 
 is not excessive, and, as the work is largely automatic, the expense of 
 maintenance is small. 
 
 Very little work is being done in the mines of this region at the 
 present time. 
 
 The more noted of the mines of the region, which have been worked, 
 are the following: 
 
 The Portis Mine is in the northeast corner of Franklin county, quite 
 near to both Nash and Warren. It is situated on a hill 108 feet above 
 Shocco Creek, from which water for hydraulic work is obtained. This 
 is the best known mi tie of the region, and has been worked longer and 
 more extensively than any other, — the general characteristics of the 
 group to which it belongs having been drawn mainly from it. 
 
 The Arrington Mine is in Nash county, one mile southeast of the 
 Portis, and is believed to be in the same belt with the latter. The 
 mine tract comprises nearly 2,000 acres of land extending two or three 
 miles down Fishing Creek. After the Portis, this mine is the best 
 known of the region. 
 
 The Thomas, -Kearney, Taylor, Mann and Davis (in Halifax county), 
 are other but less widely known mines of this region. 
 
 The Nick Arrington Mine is twelve miles east of the Portis. 
 
 The southeast extension of this Upper Laurentian area is overlaid 
 by tertiary or more recent sands and clays, in which no gold deposits 
 have as yet been discovered. 
 
242 geology of north carolina. 
 
 Gold Ores of the Central Huronian Belt. 
 
 In the Huronian rocks, in Moore county, gold ores occur in two belts,, 
 one 10 miles northwest of Carthage, and \ mile west of the Red Sand- 
 stone; the second is 8 miles further west, in the northwest part of the 
 country, and is probably connected with the most eastern of the Mont- 
 gomery county belts. 
 
 Bell Mine. — The Bell is the only mine in the former belt now worked. 
 Here the country is an indurated siliceous schist, which may be easily 
 mistaken for a talcose schist, but a closer examination shows that the 
 talcose material is confined largely to the faces of the schist. This 
 country is slightly mineralized, and several narrow belts occur, con- 
 taining finely disseminated iron pyrite, which is generally more or less 
 auriferous, as shown by assay No. 84 below. Assay No. 85 is of the 
 peroxidized part of the same bed : 
 
 AURIFEROUS PYRITE, BELL MINE, MOORE COUNTY. 
 
 (84) (85) 
 
 Gold, per ton 1-20 ounces. 2-10 ounces. 
 
 Silver, per ton 38-100 " 8-10 " 
 
 The vein worked will probably be found to be one of these belts more 
 highly charged with gold — a bedded vein. Its mass is a talco-chloritic 
 schist, very siliceous and much altered. In many placesthe talco-chlo- 
 ritic matter has become almost entirely siliceous in seams, and in such 
 cases is generally enriched. These seams, reddish to greenish in color, 
 are commonly quite persistent in the direction of the strike of the 
 " vein," but vary in width from | of an inch to 4 inches. The ore body 
 averages fully 4 feet in width. The ore is richer than its appearance 
 indicates, as shown by the following assays of auriferous schists of the 
 " vein," made from samples none of which showed more than traces of 
 visible gold : 
 
 GOLD ORES, BELL MINE, MOORE COUNTY. 
 
 (86) (87) (88 (89) (90) (91) (92) (93) 
 
 Gold, oz. per ton 3 38-1000 G3 1-4 5 3-4 4-10 3-10 1 6-10 51 10 6-10 
 
 Silver," li 156-100 16 12-100 2 55-100 7-10 trace. 8 24-100 3 64-100 
 
GOLD ORES. 243 
 
 The entire vein matter will average above $12.00 per ton.* There 
 is very little sulphuret present. The gold is more than usually silvery, 
 and is at the same time unusually " leafy." This last peculiarity has 
 occasioned great trouble in practical work, and constitutes the great 
 difficulty in working the ores of this mine. 
 
 The Bell Mine has been worked to the depth of 110 feet, and for a 
 length of 800 feet. 
 
 The G-rampusville Mine is in Moore county, 3 miles southwest of the 
 Bell. 
 
 The second belt alluded to above as occurring in the northwest part 
 of Moore county is extremely interesting, mineralogically as well as 
 economically. The district, embracing 9 or 10 mines, is comprised in 
 a space 2 miles wide from northwest to southeast, and 6 miles long 
 from northeast to southwest. These limits indicate the productive part, 
 but the actual auriferous area is considerably more extended. The 
 formation is in a general way described as talco-chloritic, but it is every- 
 where very siliceous, and often the material deserves the name of sili- 
 ceous schists. The phenomenon elsewhere alluded to is also observed 
 here.f The talcose or chloritic material is frequently confined to the 
 faces of the schists or to the joints, and rarely does the rock contain so 
 large a proportion of these minerals as its external appearance indi- 
 cates. It is worth while to add that a part of what passes for talc is 
 pyrophyllitic and even hydro-micaceous. The formation is traversed 
 by lenticles of quartz, sometimes conforming in an approximate way 
 to the observed bedding, but quite as often across it. The diagrams 
 
 *In the course of a professional examination, I had occasion to make a rigid sam- 
 pling of the entire body explored in the 75 foot level. The assays from the two 
 drifts gave: 
 
 GOLD ORES, BELL MINE, 75 FOOT LEVEL. (94) (95) 
 
 Gold.perton 675-1000 oz. 55-100 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 48-100 " 50-100" 
 
 G. B. H. 
 
 t See page 242. 
 
244 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 following, drawn from two cross sections seen in the Burns Mine, will 
 show this fully : 
 
 Vertical cross sections of the siliceous talco-chloritic schist in the Burns Mine, 
 Moore county, showing the quartz lenticles (b). The oblique light shading indi- 
 cates the bedding of the schists, dipping west at an angle of 45°; the heavy 
 black lines (c) of the left hand figure show the "joints." Drawn from actual 
 sections, by Geo. B. Hanna. Scale 1 in. to 6 ft. 
 
 The surface of the country is strewn with quartz, which seems to 
 have come from the long weathering of the strata containing these len- 
 ticles. 
 
 The " veins," so-called, are simply " bedded veins,'' and are the richer 
 parts of the auriferous strata.* 
 
 Brown Mine. — This mine is in Moore county, on the northwest edge 
 of the district, on the road from Moffitt's to Richardson's mill. It has 
 been worked for a distance of 300 yards, and to a depth of 40 or 50 
 feet. The dip is very flat; the ore body is three feet thick, but the 
 " pay seam " was a comparatively narrow seam of rich quartz, which, 
 it is stated, finally narrowed down to such limits that it could not be 
 profitably worked. 
 
 The Bat Roost and Shields Mines, in the same neighborhood as the 
 above, have also been largely worked. 
 
 * It is well to meet here a prejudice which is widely entertained; — that to speak of 
 a vein as bedded is equivalent to an admission that it is neither rich nor permanent. 
 A very large part of the mineral wealth of North Carolina (perhaps the larger part) ' 
 is contained in these bedded veins, and they are fully as persistent in extent, and as 
 rich and permanent in their contents as the so-called fissure veins. — G. B. H. 
 
GOLD ORES. 245 
 
 Cagle Mine. — This is located in Moore county, two or three miles 
 southeast of the above, and near the east edge of the belt. It has a 
 large mining tract of several hundred acres, mostly on the east side of 
 Cabin Creek. The mine is worked through two underlay shafts in the 
 vein, to a nominal depth of 160 feet. The ore body is a quartzose sili- 
 ceous talcose schist, with a small amount (three to four per cent.) of iron 
 pyrite and a trace of chalcopyrite. The ore body occasionally rises to be 
 nine feet thick. 
 
 The work, unlike most of the mines of the belt, is nearly all under 
 ground.* The machinery comprises 20 stamps. 
 
 Clegg Mine. — This mine is in Moore county, one-fourth mile west of 
 the Cagle, on the opposite side of Cabin Creek. It has the same char- 
 acter of ore, but the ore-body is larger, i. e., the entire " vein " is ore, 
 though of relatively lower grade. Above the level of the streams it is 
 much altered and peroxidized, and soft — too soft for safe mining. 
 
 It is worked mostly by open cuts, and can be readily picked and 
 shovelled out. 
 
 Burns Mine. — The Burns (or Burns and Aired ) Mine, in Moore coun- 
 ty, one-half mile south of the Cagle, is perhaps the best example of the 
 class of ore deposits now under consideration. The mining tract proper 
 is not large, but leased properties connected with it give an area of 
 more than 300 acres. 
 
 It is difficult to say what is ore, and what is not, for the rock is every- 
 where auriferous, though not everywhere capable of being operated 
 economically. The formation is a siliceous talcose schist, somewhat 
 chloritic. Moody Hill, near the east boundary, and Brown Hill, to- 
 ward the western, are the best known localities. The former has been 
 most largely worked. In both places the mining has been largely by 
 open cuts. 
 
 The selection of places for exploitation has been almost exclusively 
 
 *I have made repeated assays of samples, which were thought to be just averages 
 of large bodies of working ores, and were made for persons who had no interest in 
 misrepresentation. Some of these assays are given below: nevertheless, (although 
 the ore is very generally believed to be abundant), the returns have been extremely 
 disappointing; and it ought in fairness to be said, that this mine has been (more than 
 most mines) the resort of adventurers and process-men. 
 
 GOLD ORES, CAGLE MINE, MOORE COUNTY. 
 
 (96) (97) (98) (99) (100) (101) (102) (103) 
 
 Gold, oz. per ton.... 1-4 19-10 1 S88-1000 375-1000 3-10 35-100 2 3-10 2-10 
 
 Silver, " " ....14-100 54-100 51-100 trace. trace. 5-100 85-100 1-10 
 
 G. B. H. 
 
246 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 determined by the results of mill runs of the ore, or by panning ; and 
 while this method of work has been wasteful in some respects, it was 
 probably the best method available. The cuts are scattered about pro- 
 miscuously, without much evident connection or relation, and are usu- 
 ally very irregular in outline. The cut most largely worked has, for 
 its so-called foot-wall, a very siliceous schist, alternating with chloritic 
 schists ; while the hanging-wall is more chloritic and less quartzose ; 
 the bedding dips northwest 40° to 50°. 
 
 Here an ore body twelve feet thick has been exploited, assaying as 
 follows : 
 
 GOLD ORE, BURNS MINE, MOORE COUNTY. (104) (105) 
 
 Gold, per ton - 25-100 oz. 15-100 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton.. ... trace. trace. 
 
 It is quite certain, however, that the material will not average so 
 much in the long run, though working averages of $3.00 per ton may 
 probably be depended on ; and, at intervals, schists of high grade have 
 been found, and may be encountered at any time. 
 
 This mine was operated for more than forty years, and while the old 
 fashioned conservative methods were employed, viz. : by Chilian, and 
 ■drag mills, the results were satisfactory ; but more ambitious machin- 
 ery and processes have failed entirely, to the injury of the good name 
 of the mine and district. Under the old (and successful) methods the 
 work was on a small scale, the machinery inexpensive, the capital small, 
 and the attention to business unremitting. 
 
 The circumstances under which this mine has been profitably man- 
 aged in the p.ist will indicate not unfairly the conditions of successful 
 work for all the mines of this belt (the Cagle possibly excepted), in the 
 present state of the arts of mining and milling. 
 
 This belt extends one or two miles further south, and is apparently 
 connected with the more easterly belt of Montgomery county, though 
 the connection has not been thoroughly established. 
 
 In Montgomery county, also, the Huronian formation prevails, but 
 the siliceous talcose schists, with a few exceptions, give place, toward 
 the middle of the county, (reckoning from the east to the west, and on 
 a line approximating to the northeast and southwest), to clay slates, 
 thin-bedded and greenish gray in color*. 
 
 *C. C. Wade, Esq., of Troy, says: " We find but little gold south of a line north 
 45° east through the county with the center at Troy." — Q-. B. H. 
 
GOLD ORES. 247 
 
 The vein mines of this county have been very prominent in the 
 mining history of the State. The gravel mines, of which there are a 
 large number, have, through a variety of untoward circumstances, 
 been less known. 
 
 There are three belts of auriferous territory in this county,* extend- 
 ing across the county from northeast to southwest. 
 
 The most easterly range embraces the Moore Mine on the northeast : 
 the Reynolds, some six miles northeast of Troy ; the Carter, a little 
 nearer Troy, and the Sam Christian and Swift Creek, to the southwest. 
 
 The Carter and the Reynolds are on the same lead. The former has 
 been worked to a depth of 100 feet ; the latter to a depth of 80 feet. 
 Quite recently another body of ore has been found on the Reynolds, 
 some ^00 yards northeast of the old works, and has been prospected to 
 a depth of 40 feet. There is no record of the yield of these mines. 
 Both of them contain telluret of gold, according to Emmonsf. 
 
 Sam Christian Mine. — This mine has gained something more than a 
 local reputation, and has been very productive of remarkably large and 
 fine nuggets. 
 
 The gold in this mine is found in old " channels," in gravel of a thick- 
 ness of one to three feet, and deeply covered with soil. The gold is 
 rarely found in dust, but generally in nuggets of from five to more 
 than a thousand pennyweights. 
 
 The tract contains 1286 acres, and has been worked in two places: 
 "Dry Hollow," and the old "Sam Christian cut." Other channels are 
 also known. 
 
 The method of work pursued in this mine consists in a removal of 
 the soil resting on the gravel, followed by a very careful washing of 
 the gravel in sluices and rockers. A slight " burden " of soil is removed 
 bv simple digging; in other cases it is washed away by hydraulic jets. 
 
 The "harvest periods" are uncertain and intermittent, since a long 
 time is needed to remove the superficial matter in order to reach the 
 gravel, and a few days or even hours will sometimes suffice for obtain- 
 ing a large reward for weeks or even months of almost unproductive 
 labor. 
 
 *Some writers on the geology of this county reckon four, but between the third 
 and the fourth, (the two western belts,), it is not easy to make any practical distinc- 
 tinction.— G. B. H. 
 
 f Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, pp. 168-169. 
 Much of this information is given by C. C. Wade, Esq., of Troy, and R. M. Eames, 
 editor North Carolina Herald, Salisbury. 
 
248 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The obvious method of treatment is the hydraulic, but as the mine 
 is elevated 190 feet above the adjacent water courses, and there is, 
 moreover, a very scanty supply of water in the gulches which cut the 
 hills, the greatest economy allows of only a moderate amount of work 
 in the most favored seasons. A survey to the Yadkin River, at Swift 
 Island Ford, three miles distant, shows that a large supply of water 
 from this source is possible. 
 
 The second belt is four to six miles northwest, and comprises a line of 
 "gravel " mines on the northwest of the Uwharrie Mountains, and be- 
 tween them and the Uwharrie River. The northernmost limit of these 
 gravel mines is known to extend to Barnes Creek, and may even reach 
 to within 5 or 6 miles of Ashboro. 
 
 The localities best known and most worked are the Bright, Ophir (or 
 Davis), Spanish Oak Gap, Dry Hollow, Island Creek, Deep Flat, Pear 
 Tree Hill, Tom's Creek, Harbin's Bunnell Mountain, Dutchman's 
 Creek, and the Worth, the latter being near the junction of the Uwhar- 
 rie and the Yadkin. Bedded veins are known to exist at some of 
 these localities, but their value is unknown. 
 
 All of these were largely and profitably worked as long as the natur- 
 ally concentrated material lasted, and the proximity of water favored 
 work. At present the supply of available water is entirely inadequate 
 for the working of these properties, and the tailing ground is not 
 always favorable. The presence of a tenacious clay with the gravel 
 has also caused difficulties in the treatment. 
 
 The third belt is still further to the west, but not remote from the 
 second. 
 
 Many of the mines of this belt have been long worked, and have at 
 times been very prosperous. Among these are the Steel, the Saunders 
 (an extension of the Steel), the Henderson, Appalachian (Coggins), 
 Morris Mountain, Russell (or Peebles), and the Beaver Dam. The first 
 two, which are about two miles southeast of Eldorado village, and on 
 the east side of the Uwharrie River, are now one property, owned and 
 worked by the Genesee Gold Mining Company. The Henderson is 
 also near Eldorado, and is hardly more than a series of prospecting 
 pits. The Coggins is just to the east of it. The Morris Mountain, or 
 Davis, is northwest of the village, and between it and the Russell, which 
 is two miles northwest. 
 
 Russell Mine. — This mine will serve as a type of several mines in 
 this region, and having been worked more extensively than any other, 
 
GOLD ORES. 249 
 
 has allowed better opportunity for study. A brief description of the 
 characteristics of this mine will indicate the salient features of most 
 of the others. 
 
 It is located in the northwest angle of Montgomery county, near the 
 Randolph line, and not very far from the southeast corner of Davidson 
 county. 
 
 The schists of the region are not strikingly different from those of 
 many other places in this part of the county, and in the adjacent parts 
 of Randolph. They bear north 26° east, and dip west about 70° Evi- 
 dently there have been great alterations; the resulting schists varying 
 in color from a gray, with silvery lustre, to black. The term talco- 
 chloritic is generally used to describe them, but they are really an 
 extremely hard siliceous schist with talcose or chloritic, or even pro- 
 phyllitic partings; but these latter minerals do not commonly enter to 
 any considerable depth into the body of the rock. 
 
 The schists are usually as thinly and evenly laminated as a roofing 
 slate ; but they break easily and irregularly into small angular frag- 
 ments not unlike gun-flints in size and form. 
 
 Pyrite (with the merest traces of chalcopyrite) to the extent of from 
 2 to 4 per cent., is almost universally present in the schists ; sometimes 
 occurring as a brilliant veneer on the transverse joints, and more often 
 on the bedding faces. Occasionally true chloritic schists make their 
 appearance. Much more frequently seams of quartz occur, the quartz 
 having a decided bluish cast, though at times it is nearly white, and 
 again in places has a reddish tint. It is commonly believed that an 
 increasing intensity of the blue tint is accompanied by an increase in 
 the quantity of gold present. 
 
 There is no appearance of a fissure vein- at this mine. The entire 
 formation is gold-bearing, but only certain "strata contain it in quan- 
 tities large enough to warrant their being worked. 
 
 To one unfamiliar with the formation, it is difficult to distinguish 
 any difference between the richer strata and the poorer, except possibly 
 in the fact that the former show somewhat more of alteration; and 
 even the miner, long familiar with the region, is often at fault, and 
 ascertains his true course only by constant "panning." 
 
 Occasionally the working body jumps abruptly, in one case not less 
 than ten feet, and sometimes further on resumes its old course. The 
 change in grade is even more perplexing, for the external signs of rich 
 and poor ore are of the vaguest kind. 
 
GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The gold-bearing material, like that of all the similar mines of this 
 region, is of very low grade, as may be seen from the assays given 
 below. But i.t may be added that these rich seams appear and disap- 
 pear abruptly and without warning. 
 
 GOLD OEES, RUSSELL MINE, MONTGOMERY C'OUNTY. 
 
 (106) (107) (108) (109) (110) (111) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 21 1-4 1-2 35-100 7-10 15-100 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton .3 32-100 85-100 82-100 47-100 12-10 17-100 
 
 (112) (113) (114) (115) (116) (117) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton_._ 1-10 1-10 11-10 2-10 15-100 20 1-2 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 2-10 5-100 1-10 8-100 trace. 9 34-100 
 
 (118) (119) (120) (121) (122) (123) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 111-2 45-100 4 1-10 45-100 19-10 8 4-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 4 88-100 65-100 16-10 30-100 6-10 2 4-10 
 
 The accompanying figure will show the relative position of the sev- 
 eral " leads " of the Russell mining tract, and the localities where work 
 has been done : 
 
 LEADS OF THE RUSSELL MINING TRACT, 
 
 A horizontal plan showing the relative position of the "leads" (colored black) and 
 the areas worked to date (blank spaces in the black.) By Geo. B. Hanna. 
 
 Scale, approximately, 1 inch to 750 feet, with the width of the leads exaggerated two- 
 fold. The leads do not end abruptly in the schist, as indicated on the figure. 
 
GOLD ORES. 
 
 251 
 
 A glance at this sketch of the leads shows that the auriferous terri- 
 tory across the formation from 'northwest to southeast is fully 2,000 feet, 
 i. e., the belt is 2,000 feet wide. 
 
 This mine is now operated by a London company, but not yet on 
 the grand scale commensurate with its large resources. 
 
 The sections given below, on a larger scale, will show the methods 
 of work adopted, and the relations of the working bodies : 
 
 RUSSELL MINE, RIGGINS AND SOLIAGUE LEADS. 
 
 Fig. I, a vertical cross section on the line A B of the plan of the ' ' Leads of the Rus- 
 sell Mining Tract," above. Fig. II, a horizontal cross section or ground plan 
 through the line C D of Fig. I. (By Geo. B. Hanna). The portions of the leads 
 colored black are as yet un worked, the space being occupied by auriferous sili- 
 ceous schists, similar to those between and on either side of the leads, except in 
 the latter not being auriferous. The portions of the leads left blank have been 
 worked already. Scale, 1 inch to 60 feet. 
 
 Morris Mountain Mine. — This mine, sometimes known as the Davis'or 
 Dutton Mine, is located in the northwest part of Montgomery county, 
 1 mile nearly west of the Coggins (see below). 
 
 Here the occurrence of the gold appears to be quite similar to that 
 at the Russell — in " bedded veins." 
 
252 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 As yet it has been barely touched, and its capabilities are unknown. 
 Assays of its ores by Hanna show the following contents : 
 
 GOLD ORES, MORRIS MOUNTAIN MINE. (124) (135) 
 
 Gold, per ton 4 ounces. 175-1000 ounces. 
 
 Silver, per ton trace. 53-1000 " ., 
 
 The gold occasionally concentrates in the natural joints, and the faces 
 of these joints are sometimes enormously rich. 
 
 Appalachian Mine — The Appalachian (or Coggins), located in the 
 northwest part of Montgomery county, one and one-half miles north- 
 west of the Steel, is, so far as has been worked, suggestive of the same 
 characteristics described as belonging to the Russell Mine. 
 
 The schists have a strike N. 40° E., and dip steeply to the northwest ; 
 they are quite similar to those of the Russell, though possibly less sili- 
 ceous or more chloritic. 
 
 At the surface there appeared to be two Ore bodies separated by a 
 narrow and comparatively barren ted of schists of like character. As- 
 says give : 
 
 GOLD ORES, APPALACHIAN MINE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 
 
 (126) (127) (128) 
 
 Gold, per ton 5 1-2 oz. 225-1000 oz. 1-10 oz. 
 
 Silver, per ton 1 " 125-1000 " 1-10 " 
 
 This mine, as far as developed, shows large bodies of low-grade ore 
 similar to those of the Russell, yet ores that are easily within the limits 
 of profitable work. The second of the assays given above will proba- 
 bty be below the tenor of the contents of the mine, — in its upper part, at 
 least. 
 
 The Steel Mine, and its extension, the Saunders, are on the east side 
 of the Uwharrie River, and two miles southeast of Eldorado village. 
 
 This mine has been described with as much fullness as space will 
 allow in the chapter on Silver (page 199). 
 
 Beaver Dam Mine. — This mine, at Flaggtown. post-office, 2 miles 
 northeast of the junction of Beaver Dam Creek and the Yadkin River,- 
 contains a mining tract of 800 acres, one-half of which is claimed to 
 be underlaid with gravel. This gravel is from 2 to 4 feet thick and 
 overlaid by an alluvial deposit 5 to 15 feet thick. Numerous seams of 
 quartz everywhere course through the schists, and are probably the 
 largest source of the gold, but it is likely that a considerable amount 
 also came from the breaking down of the schists themselves. 
 
GOLD ORES. 253 
 
 '1 here is a fair supply of water afforded by the Beaver Dam Creek 
 for hydraulic operations, — the only method feasible here. 
 
 Operations on a large scale have always been hindered by the me- 
 chanical difficulty caused by the tenacious clay, which is everywhere 
 mixed with the gravel, and has a'tendency to " ball " and carry off the 
 gold.* 
 
 Other deposits worthy of mention are the Griffin Mine, one and a 
 half miles N. E. of the Russell, and the Nail, near Stokes' Ferry. 
 
 In Randolph county the Uwharrie and Hoover Hill mines are the 
 only ones now at work. However, these two mines do not exhaust the 
 list, for like Montgomery county, there are many localities, which in 
 their time have been productive. 
 
 No trustworthy statement can yet be made respecting the relation of 
 the subordinate belts, but from their, alignments, they appear to be the 
 northeastward extensions of the two western belts of Montgomery 
 county. The formation is the familiar schist ("slate "), but in places, 
 — e. g., vicinity of Hoover Hill, — these are so altered as to have the ap- 
 pearance of an eruptive rock. 
 
 Ihe Uwharrie Mine is a short distance to the northeast of the Russell 
 just over the line in Randolph county. 
 
 The formation is for the most part the same as at the Russell, and 
 calls for no detailed description'. The entire mass of gold bearing 
 schists is believed to average $10 per ton, and to carry 1J per cent, of 
 iron pyrite. 
 
 Unlike the Russell Mine, the work here is under ground. The shaft 
 has been sunk to a depth of 170 feet. The 70-foot level has been driven 
 N. E. 84 feet, and S. W. 60 feet; the 120-foot level N. E. 50, and S. W. 
 35 feet; and the 170-foot level has just been started. 
 
 The mode of treatment adopted is substantially the customary 
 method of the region — battery and plate amalgamation of free gold, 
 and concentration of the sulphurets from the tailings. These concen- 
 trates are intended for metallurgical treatment. 
 
 The Winningham and Slack mines are in Randolph county, two 
 and a half miles south of Ashboro. 
 
 The Davis Mountain Mine is four miles southwest of Ashboro. The 
 Sawyer Mine is five miles northwest of Ashboro. At this locality the 
 
 * The fall from the gravel bed to the river along Beaver Dam Creek is one inch 
 per rod for a distance of one and a half to two miles. The rock in the hill is a de- 
 composed quartzitic schist, as at the Jones Mine. 
 
254 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 ore body is massive and consists of parallel beds of siliceous talcose 
 schists in an advanced stage of disintegration, and sometimes forming 
 a body of fine, loosely coherent sand. These schists are auriferous, 
 and the workable bodies are sufficiently near each other to be worked at 
 the same time. 
 
 The Winslow is five miles southwest of Ashboro. 
 
 The Jones, or Keystone, the Lafflin (Laughlin) or Herring, and the 
 Delft are in proximity to each other, and are of like character. 
 
 The Jones Mine. — This mine, the first' named in the above list, has 
 been most largely worked, and has for that reason received a closer 
 study; a description of it will indicate the character of the others.* 
 
 This mining tract has 293J acres, and is situated in Randolph county; 
 12 miles a little east of south from Thomasville, and near the David- 
 son county line. The schists of the country are soft and rather sili- 
 ceous, with a chloritic tendency. The weathering to a depth of fifty 
 feet or even more, has brought about a peroxidation of the ferruginous 
 constituents, so that the formation is now a mass of reddish earth, 
 which can be readily picked to pieces. Ordinarily, the more deeply col- 
 ored the earth, the richer it is. Gold is universally present in the soil 
 of the region, but the mining is confincl to certain well known belts, 
 which are more richly charged with it. Occasional horses (or "bars") 
 of the strata are found charged with finely disseminated iron pyrite, 
 and being as yet slightly altered, are still solid and firm; these (unless 
 very rich) are usually avoided from the comparative difficulty both of 
 mining and milling. The presence of the gold is apparently most 
 largely due original^ to the presence of iron pyrite, f which, through 
 peroxidation, sets the gold free; but it cannot be overlooked that in 
 the belts richest in gold, fine quartz is also more abundantly distributed 
 and in such a manner as to suggest some close association of the two. 
 
 The schists course ft. 40° to 60° E., and dip 80° to 85° from the hor- 
 izon. They are jointed in every direction. 
 
 Two of these belts have gained especial prominence, one being 50 
 feet wide, the other 110 feet. 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, pp. 131-3. 
 
 f It is generally conceded by most students of this "slate belt " that the charging 
 of gold was contemporaneous with the deposition of the sediments, but secondary 
 concentration of the gold must have been general, and a necessary result of the 
 extensive metamorphisms which the sediments have undergone. — G-. B. H. 
 
GOLD ORES. 255 
 
 But there are numerous openings on every part of this tract, from 
 every one of which auriferous material may be obtained. 
 
 The strata, which -are comparatively barren, are easily recognized, 
 and readily avoided. It is doubtful if there be a fissure vein here, but 
 there are occasional masses of quartz, which apparently indicate bed- 
 ded veins. 
 
 In a word, the mine is simply a series of ore-quarries, and is worked 
 " open-cut," as quarries generally are worked. The tract is everywhere 
 cut by gulches, which allow easy access and cheap entry into the bodies 
 of ore, and at the same time facilitate easy transposition, by gravity 
 tramways, to the mill. 
 
 The character, the occurrence, and the distribution of the ore, are 
 such, that new bodies, equal in value to any that have been hitherto 
 worked, may at any time be exposed. 
 
 The disintegrated condition of the rock (soil) allows of mining at a 
 marvellously cheap rate, frequently not exceeding 15 cents per ton of 
 ore delivered in.the mill-house. Undermining in largely practised. 
 
 The material is low grade, but it changes perpetually in its contents, 
 and bodies of relatively high grade material (assay 134) may be met 
 with at any time, but the extent of these rich strata is limited. The 
 assays give : 
 
 GOLD ORES, JONES MINE, RANDOLPH COUNTY. 
 
 (129) (130) (131) (132) (133) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton... _ 15-100 3-10 1-8 15-100 1-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 8-100 trace. trace. 2-100 trace. 
 
 (134) (135) (136) (137) (138) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 14-10 225-1000 1-10 225-1000 233-1000 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. trace. trace. 10-100 10-100 
 
 (139) (140) (141) (142) (143) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 2-10 15-100 14-100 2-10 175-1000 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. trace. trace, trace. trace. 
 
 Strict averages of large bodies of accumulated material, or reserves 
 easily accessible, gave fairly uniform results (see assays 129, 132, 137, 
 141, 142 and 143 of such bodies), so that it may be said with fairness, 
 that the average value of working bodies will not fall under $3.00 per 
 ton. 
 
 No. 134 was taken by accident from a place which did not in the 
 slightest degree indicate any superior value. 
 
 Mining has been carried on here for two generations, and as long as 
 
256 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 the rich shoots and the concentrated material lasted, it was profitable, 
 but when the resources worked down to the low grade ore, the old 
 methods were no longer "applicable, and the work became very fitful. 
 The treatment latterly employed is that by stamp battery, and is appa- 
 rently the best available with the present supply of water, which con- 
 sists of one small stream and the accumulations in dams during the 
 rainy season. 
 
 The indispensable condition of success with low grade mine stuff of 
 this character is the handling of large quantities, which can only be 
 effected by means of a large and constant supply of water. 
 
 It should also be noted that the surface might readily be subjected 
 to hydraulic treatment, if a supply of water with a strong head were 
 practicable. 
 
 The nearest source of supply is the Uwharrie River, a bold stream, 
 some two miles away, but at a lower level. But probably an engineer 
 would find no great obstacle in bringing its waters to the mine. 
 
 The Parish Mine at this mining tract, is a vein, whether fissure or 
 bedded is unknown.* 
 
 The ore body is hornblende (frequently actinolitic), and chloritic, 
 both gold bearing, especially the hornblende. 
 
 A few fragments cut from the walls of the shafts gave (two samples) 
 respectively, $14.90 and $88.50 per ton. The deepest shaft on the 
 body was the Robbins' shaft, 68 feet deep. 
 
 Hoover Hill Mine. — This mine is located in Randolph county, 17 
 miles a little east of south from High Point. It has for some years 
 been worked by a London company, and latterly with success. 
 
 The country, which is hard and compact, is traversed by belts, which 
 abound in quartz seams, ranging from a line to a foot in thickness. 
 The seams are not regular in their belts, but the belts themselves ex- 
 hibit a marked persistence. The weathered outcrops of these seams 
 were extraordinarily rich, and gave the mine its early fame. The gold 
 in depth is invariably associated with the quartz seams, though they 
 sometimes occur without enriching the ore body. Iron pyrite is pres- 
 ent to the extent of three per cent., and it is generally found on the 
 sides of the quartz seams, between them and the accompanying gangue. 
 
 * At the time of the Editor's visit it was filled with water, and its relations were 
 unknown. 
 
GOLD ORES. 257 
 
 The quartz seams or strings are very abundant in these belts, and do 
 not disappear with the pocket of ore.* 
 
 There are several of these ore belts : the principal one is the old 
 " Briols Shoot." entered by both the Briols and the Gallimore shafts, 
 and has been most largely worked. The former shaft is considerably 
 more than 300 feet deep. The ore body at this depth was large, and 
 worth $8.00 to $10.00 per ton. 
 
 At no great distance from the Briols shoot are six other belts lying 
 quite closely together, and worked from the Hawkins shaft, which is 
 now about 150 feet deep. These ore bodies fluctuate considerably both 
 in size and grade, and are frequently interrupted by cross courses of 
 greenstone. 
 
 The strike of the vein approximates a N. E. and S. W. direction, and 
 its dip is to the eastward, 60° (to 30°) from the horizon. The ore body 
 in the Briols shoot has a dip of its own, northward in the vein. 
 
 The Wilson Kindley Mine is situated one-half mile southwest from 
 the Hoover Hill ; and the formation is like that of the latter mine. 
 
 It will easily be perceived from this brief discussion of the occur- 
 rences of gold in the counties of Randolph and Montgomery, that the 
 extent of their auriferous wealth is beyond our present power to esti- 
 mate. Probably no other equal area in the State has anything to com- 
 pare with it. Very little of this area is now available for profitable 
 work, but the introduction of cheap and powerful explosives, and of 
 cheaper and more efficient machinery, has considerably widened the 
 area of profitable work, and will continue to do so indefinitely. The 
 weak and critical point of the industry lies in the inability of the mill- 
 ing machinery to save the gold. This is not surprising, for with such 
 low grade ores, yielding gold to the amount of not more than $3.00 to 
 $5.00 per ton, whatever is gained may be easily lost in the increased 
 cost of the work ; nevertheless there is constant progress. 
 
 The solution of the problem of putting these vast and unique stores 
 of gold into the channels of commerce lies, if a conjecture may be 
 hazarded, not so much in the introduction of any new process, which 
 will supersede amalgamation, but in the perfecting and cheapening of 
 the art of mining, and in the increased efficiency of the modes of amal- 
 gamation. There are also many petty economies, which may be prac- 
 
 * Neither do the auriferous contents entirely give out. The gold is not absolutely 
 wanting, bat is in too small a quantity to allow of profitable work. — Gr. B. H. 
 
258 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 ticed. It is also probable that a well devised system of automatic con- 
 centration applied to the " tailings " will materially enlarge the field of 
 profitable mining. 
 
 At the present time there are no means of profitably disposing of 
 the low grade concentrates which can be made from these ores contain- 
 ing, as they do, rarely more than $20.00 per ton. 
 
 The most western of the Montgomery belts is believed to pass into 
 Stanly county, where gold is widely distributed, and not less than twen- 
 ty localities (mines) have earlier or later been worked. At the present 
 time only the Parker, the Crowell, and the Barringer are in operation, 
 together with a few petty hydraulic enterprises. Among the more 
 noted mines are the Haithcock and the Hearne, a little more than two 
 miles northwest of Albemarle. 
 
 The Hearne mine* in Stanly county, two miles northwest of Albe- 
 marle, is traceable for a mile or more on the surface, and on the north- 
 east it passes into the Haithcock. The strike of these veins is N. E. 
 and 8. W. 
 
 The Haithcock at its northeast end runs into and merges with the 
 Lauder, which has a course N. about 70° E. The former veins are 2 
 to 4 feet wide, the latter 6 feet. Both are evidently largely filled with 
 quartz Their old reputation is good. 
 
 Parker Mine]. — The Parker Mine, in Stanly county, at Bilesville, 10 
 miles southeast of Gold Hill, has a small but very rich tract of some 
 3 or 4 acres. It has yielded a large number of nuggets, all of which — 
 estimated to have an aggregate value of $200,000.00 — have been taken 
 from the surface or from very shallow pits. The nature of the surface 
 is strongly suggestive of the Portis and the Shuford mines, and like 
 those localities, needs hydraulic treatment. 
 
 Some recent deep work has shown that the opinions as to the per- 
 manent richness and depth of this mine need modifications; the quartz 
 veins arc considerably more permanent in depth than was formerly 
 supposed. 
 
 The veins or seams extend for more than 3000 feet. There are 3 
 main veins, having a strike N. 30° to 40° E., and a dip 50° to 60° West. 
 Other seams do not conform either in dip or strike, but run in various 
 directions. These veins or seams range from 6 to 1 8 inches in thick- 
 ness, and sometimes even more, and are everywhere accompanied in 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 167. 
 
 f Description written in December, 1887, as the report is being printed.— J. A. H. 
 
GOLD ORES. 259 
 
 depth by lenticles of quartz from a line to 4 inches in width. The 
 schists accompanying the veins are auriferous for 2 or 3 feet on both 
 sides of the vein. Masses of chlorite schist are occasionally found with 
 free gold imbedded. 
 
 Assays of the average of large bodies of quartz (143 a) and aurifer- 
 ous schist (143 b) are as follows : 
 
 GOLD ORES, PARKER MINE, STANLY COUNTY. 
 
 QUARTZ BODIES (143 a) AURIFEROUS SCHIST (143 b) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton. _. 65-100 35-100 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 25-100 15-100 
 
 Nuggets in abundance continue to be found, while quartz with gold 
 attached is often met with ; the material is always free milling. 
 
 Through weathering, the gold has been widely scattered through the 
 surface soil to a depth of 10 or '20 feet. Large areas of gravel, and 
 several gulches are rich enough to repay in large hydraulic operations ; 
 and the fragments of ore which they contain, sometimes to the extent 
 of one-fifth of the whole bulk, constitute a valuable ore, admirably 
 suited to mill work. 
 
 The immediate formation of the Parker Mine is chloritic (sometimes 
 hornblendic) schist, with a variety of obscure porphyry. The weath- 
 ering agencies have reached to a depth of a hundred feet or more. 
 
 Flint Spring Mine, one-fourth mile northeast, is of like character. 
 This mine and the Parker now form one property, on which work has 
 been begun anew by London parties, who have installed a large and 
 admirable plant. 
 
 Crowell Mine. — This mine is in Stanly county but a short distance 
 from the Parker. It has a bedded vein, with an ore body 4 to 7 feet 
 thick, which will frequently pay to work as a whole. The "ore seam" 
 is much narrower, and often becomes only a line in thickness. 
 
 The ore bed does not differ in a marked degree from the adjacent 
 " country," for both are auriferous Both are *talcose with a chloritic 
 tendency, and in altering become quite siliceous; they contain finely 
 disseminated pyrite, peroxidized in the upper works. The strike is N. 
 10° W., and dip W. 42° to 45° 
 
 The- mine has been worked to a depth of about 125 feet. The range 
 of value of the working ores is indicated by the following assays: 
 
 GOLD ORES, CROWELL MINE, STANLY COUNTY. 
 
 (144) (145) (146) (147) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 1 155-1000 - 495-1000 8 15-100 7-20 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. 13-100 55-100 7-10 
 
260 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Barringer Mine. — This mine is in Stanly county, 4 miles southeast of 
 Gold Hill. Enormously rich ore is occasionally found, but the mine 
 has been so long and so largely in litigation, that no considerable ex- 
 ploratory work has yet been done. The ore is frequently very decep- 
 tive and assays much richer than its appearance warrants, viz: 
 
 GOLD ORES, BARRINGER MINE, STANLY COUNTY. 
 
 (148) (149) (150) (151) (152) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 26 1-8 16 3-4 1-4 1-10 1-4 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 3 1-2 13-4 1-4 1-5 1-5 
 
 None of these samples differed much in external appearance. 
 
 The western strip of mining territory in Stanly county is adjacent 
 to Gold Hill, and forms part of the belt stretching from Davidson to 
 Union counties, to yhich allusion has already been made. In this 
 belt the mines of Union county, with two or three exceptions, are con- 
 nected by a series of intervening ore deposits with the Gold Hill, Sil- 
 ver Hill, Conrad Hill, and other mines of Davidson county. This rich 
 metalliferous region, 75 miles in length, contains many of the noted 
 and productive mines of the State. It is in the extreme west of the 
 Huronian area, and in immediate proximity to the granitic and syenitic 
 area (Lower Laurentian), which crosses the central region of the State. 
 Its richness in copper, lead, etc., has been elsewhere discussed (pages 
 188 and 211). 
 
 Its gold mines will now be considered. This belt commences at Con- 
 rad Hill, near the Three Hat Mountain, about the middle of the east- 
 ern boundary of Davidson county, and runs through it in a direction 
 nearly S. 40° W. to the southeast corner of Rowan (and the adjacent 
 corner of Stanly), through the eastern part of Cabarrus, and the west- 
 ern part of Union county, nearly to the South Carolina line. 
 
 The mines of Union county are mostly in the above-mentioned belt, 
 and are near the western edge of the county, adjacent to Mecklenburg. 
 They are in schists, but not far remote from the syenite and granite. 
 The whole extent of this belt in Union county is, with scarcely a break, 
 crowded with mines. 
 
 The ores are readily classified into auriferous and argentiferous 
 galenite, auriferous pyrite, and auriferous schists ; but sulphurets are 
 never absent from the latter. Copper ores are of incidental occurrence, 
 but are not known to be present in quantity. 
 
GOLD ORES. 261 
 
 The only mines now worked in this county are the Howie, Putnam 
 (Stearns), Phiffer and Hemby. 
 
 The Howie, Wyatt, Washington and Penman make up the " Grand 
 Union Gold Mine," with a tract of 1941 acres. 
 
 Howie Mine. — The characteristics of the group will be best under- 
 stood by a description of the Howie Mine, Union county, one and a 
 quarter miles northwest of the Washington (see below). 
 
 It has been worked more extensively, and has received more study 
 than the others of the group. 
 
 The ore body is 400 feet wide and fully one mile long, running X. 
 60° E., and has been worked a large part of this distance. It is diffi- 
 cult, however, to say where "vein" matter is not found, as the rocks of 
 the entire region are gold bearing, as well as the so-called veins. The 
 formation consists of schists, which are argillaceous with a marked 
 siliceous tendency,, dark colored, and extremely hard. They are 
 penetrated by numerous seams of quartz, which generally have the 
 effect of enriching the ore body. 
 
 The schists are usually altered and peroxidized down to the level of 
 standing water, and the ore to this depth is soft and easily treated ; 
 below the water line it becomes extremely hard. Pyrite, to the extent 
 of about one per cent., is widely disseminated, and occurs somewhat 
 more abundatntly on the faces and the joints of the schists. As the 
 rock is extremely hard, most of the shafts, although filled with water, 
 are still intact. The deepest of the shafts is the Curetou, 300 feet deep. 
 The workable ore exists in shoots or chimneys, with a dip of their own 
 in the vein. The mine stuff rarely shows, by its external appearance, 
 what material is, and what is not rich enough for remunerative work, 
 and this is determined by constant tests. The numerous but small 
 seams of quartz seldom show more than a trace of gold, but the richest 
 portion of the ore is where the quartz is most abundant. Other parts 
 of the tract show large bodies of soft, clay-like, auriferous material, 
 which has been successfully treated. 
 
 A brief consideration of these remarkable deposits show that a defi- 
 ciency in ore supply is impossible. They are ample enough to supply 
 several independent plants. The ore, as might be supposed, runs 
 through a' wide range of values. The average of 12 assays of the 
 "soft ore," by Prof. Spears, of New York, gave for the gold and silver 
 contents a value of $14.03 pe.r ton ; and the rubbish piles were shown 
 by him to carry $3.26 per ton. The examination of various bodies in 
 the tailings show that a surprising amount of gold was lost in the mill 
 
262 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 work. In truth, a portion of this material is as rich as the standard 
 ore at some of the " slate" mines. 
 
 The following assays of these tailings are by Hanna: 
 
 ASSAYS OF "TAILINGS," HOWIE MINE, UNION COUNTY. 
 
 (153) (154) (155) (156) (157) (158) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton . . ...145-1000 4-10, 1 383-1000 925-1000 4 15-100 284-1000 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. 1 3-lo" 867-1000 1175-1000 12-10 trace. 
 
 Samples for assays Nos. 153 and 154 came from the waste piles, and 
 showed in no wise different from the great mass of the piles. No. 158 
 is the assay of a tailings sample from old "tailings yard." 
 
 The Washington Mine is 8 miles distant, a little south of west from 
 Monroe, and is the most southerly of the important mines of this 
 county. About 20 shafts have been opened ; and the ore bodies are 
 reported to have been found quite rich. The ore is a hard, dark- 
 colored, auriferous schist, with a small per centage of iron pyrite, and 
 has a good reputation. 
 
 The " Big Survey " lands come in between the Howie and the Davis 
 mines, 2 J miles northeast of the former. The corporation owning this 
 intervening tract has been unwilling to part with mining rights in 
 selling its lands, and has, thereby, discouraged mining operations. 
 The mineral value of the tract is unknown. 
 
 Davis, Phiffer, Lewis and Hemby Mines. — At the Davis commences a 
 remarkable series of mines, four of which lie in regular succession 
 from southwest to northeast, viz., the Davis, Phiffer, Lewis and Hemby. 
 For the distance of nearly two miles there is an almost unbroken 
 series of pits and shallow shafts. 
 
 Plate No. XVII shows the larger part of this series. On the plate, ex- 
 cept when specified to the contrary, the distances across the series are 
 exaggerated to allow of proper representation. The figures accompa- 
 nying each pit or shaft indicate the depth of the same. The whole 
 body of schists for the entire length of the series of mines, and for a 
 great width, are auriferous, but the workable strata are of course much 
 more limited, and the productive parts jump from one bed to another 
 parallel bed quite frequently. Auriferous deposits, running across the 
 strata, although not unknown, are not frequent. 
 
 The vast number of pits shown is the result of petty leases (which . 
 will also account in great part for the shallowness of the pits), and 
 incidentally bears witness to the value of the deposits, which have 
 
GEOLOGY OP N. C. 
 
 PLATE XVII. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ail 
 
 ft. 
 
 §1 
 
 
 k 
 
GOLD ORES. 263 
 
 been very rich, especially on the Phiffer tract, where, on Mint Hill, an 
 open cut 100 feet in diameter and 50 feet deep, was worked out. Petty 
 work is constantly going on along the whole line, but none of the mines 
 are systematically operated. 
 
 The Lewis has two, and possibly more, veins; the Hemby has sev- 
 eral, three having been reported already. At the Hemby mine the 
 latest work reached a depth of 125 feet, but the extent of the work was 
 not sufficient to admit of a statement as to the value of the under- 
 ground resources. Assays of the ore from this mine give: 
 
 GOLD OEES, HEMBY MINE, UNION COUNTY. 
 
 (159) (160) (161) (162) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton.... 3-8 15-8 7-20 1-4 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 1-2 85-100 193-100 8-10 
 
 The schists of this stretch of mines, and of the mines still further 
 northeast, are known as " clay slates," but in reality they partake of 
 the mixed characters of clay, quartzitic, chloritic and talcose schists, 
 as has been elsewhere alluded to. Sulphurets are sparingly dissemi- 
 nated. Allusion has been made already (page 189) to the fact that 
 galenite in small -proportion is frequently found in these ore deposits, 
 and to its influence in degrading the fineness of gold bullion. 
 
 The Moore Hill Mine is situated one mile southeast of the Davis. 
 
 The Folger Hill is one-half mile, west of the Davis. This mine has 
 been worked to a depth of 90 feet. 
 
 The Harkness is one-half mile east of the Lewis. It was mined to a 
 depth of 120 feet, at which depth was found a fine quartz vein, show- 
 ing free gold abundantly. 
 
 Northeast of the Hemby there is a region abounding in mines, 
 where, first and last, considerable work has been done; but no authentic 
 records concerning them can now be found, and there are no data 
 accessible for a detailed statement. In many cases hardly anything 
 more than their names now survive. Prominent among these are the 
 following : the Long, Henry Phiffer, Crowell (Bright Light), Fag Hill, 
 Dulin, Moore, Crump, Smart, Stewart, Lemmonds, etc. 
 
 The Moore, Smart and Lemmonds were described in the chapter on 
 Silver and Lead (pages 189 and 190.) 
 
 The Crump Mine is in Union county, 4 miles south from Stout's 
 Station, on the Carolina Central railroad. It is noted for its remarka- 
 
264 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 ble pockets, and splendid and peculiar nuggets, in which nearly all the 
 gold occurs. 
 
 The Stewart Mine is towards the northern part of Union county, and 
 15 miles nearly southeast from Charlotte. It has been prospected at 
 points for more than 200 yards, but the greater part of the mining 
 work has been done in one-half this space. The greatest depth reached 
 was 170 feet. 
 
 A very rich shoot of ore was found, but it was subsequently lost, and 
 a great deal of costly but useless work has been expended in searching 
 for it. For the characteristics of its lead ores the reader is referred to 
 page 190. 
 
 The belt continues into Cabarrus county, and northward towards 
 Gold Hill. The only mines of which it is necessary to speak in detail 
 are the Reed and the Rocky River, the Allen Furr (or " Silver Valley ") 
 Mine having been noticed already (page 191). 
 
 . The Reed Mine. — This mine is in Cabarrus county, 10 miles southeast 
 of Concord. It was the first mine to give celebrity to the gold-fields of , 
 the Appalachian range, though- probably not the first to yield gold. 
 
 The first nugget at this mine was found in 1799 ; the largest nugget, 
 weighing 28 pounds avoirdupois, was discovered in 1803. Regular 
 mining work was commenced a few years after this latter date, and 
 during the subsequent period of 40 years, the mine yielded large quan- 
 tities of gold. 
 
 The proportion of large nuggets has not been paralleled on this side 
 of the Continent, though the Sam Christian has had a similar history, 
 as has also the Parker Mine. The Reed, unlike these mines, has large 
 under-ground resources. 
 
 The tract comprises 780 acres of land, which lie in the schists (talco- 
 chloritic and rather siliceous) .though near the granite. Gold is here 
 widely diffused, and the deposits along the branches, of which there are 
 several on the tract, yield promising results. 
 
 Notwithstanding the "gravel" has been so long worked, there are 
 some " hollows" or "sinks" of several acres in extent, which are almost 
 virgin, but as they have very imperfect drainage, they have never 
 received the attention they deserve. 
 
 The immediate supply of water is not large, but Rocky River and 
 Buffalo Creek might be tapped for the requisite supply for large 
 hydraulic operations. There are three or more veins on the property, 
 only one of which, however, is now worked, that at a depth of 90 feet. 
 
GOLD - ORES. 265 
 
 This vein is narrow, rising occasionally to a width of 3 feet. It is 
 filled with quartz, extraordinarily rich in gold, and carries a small 
 proportion of pyrite. There is an abundance of material for long-con- 
 tinnfed work, and a prosperity equal to that of the palmy days of its 
 early history. Dr. Emmons alludes to a vein of galena on the prop- 
 erty.* 
 
 Rocky River Mine. — Thft mine is in Union county, 10 miles nearly 
 southeast from Concord, and not far distant from the Reed. It includes 
 the Jake Shin and Tom Shin mines, consolidated. There are on this tract 
 7 veins, of which 3 only have been worked to any extent. These vary 
 in width from 2 to 5 feet. The contents of the veins are quartz with 
 iron pyrite, a trace of copper pyrite, and often sufficient galenite to 
 affect the precious metal constituent appreciably. The ores are com- 
 monly of fair grade, and occasionally run well, but they will prove 
 refractory in all efforts to amalgamate them. 
 
 Assays of these ores give: 
 
 GOLD ORES, ROCKY RIVER MINE, CABARRUS COUNTY. 
 
 (163) (164) (165) (166) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton. 825-1000 25-100 3 1-8 2 3-4 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. 8-10 2 83-100 5 55-100 
 
 Five shafts have been sunk, ranging from 38 to 55 feet in depth. 
 
 Gold Hill Mines. — The Gold Hill is the most noted mining district 
 in North Carolina, and has been the most productive. It is situated 
 14 miles southeast from Salisbury, in the southeast part of Rowan 
 county,' and the northeastern part of Cabarrus, and overlaps slightly 
 into Stanly county. It is nearly 1 J miles long from northeast to south- 
 west, and f of a mile broad from northwest to southeast. 
 
 The striking characteristics of this district are the great permanency 
 of the veins both in depth and extent, their freedom from disturbance, 
 and the variety and richness of the ores. 
 
 The outcrop of the veins was not bold, and in some cases (the Randolph,- 
 for example), they were so ohscured and covered, that they were only 
 discovered by accident, and at a comparatively late date in the history 
 of mining in the State — 1842. 
 
 This series of mines is situated on the narrow plateau of a low- 
 lying northeast and southwest ridge.. This ridge is broken by a small 
 gulch near the Standard mines, and by a still deeper gulch on the 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, pp. 166, 167. 
 
266 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAKOLINA. 
 
 McMakin tract, which makes the surface here 'quite hilly. The ridge 
 generally slopes gently both to the southeast and to the northwest. 
 
 The mines are grouped quite closely together, and very little min- 
 eral matter is found to the west of Buffalo Creek, which skirts the ridge 
 to the west. 
 
 This district is one mile east of the granite, and is in close contact 
 with a diorite group to the east. The prevaifing rock of the region is 
 a chloritic argillaceous schist, the chloritic constituent being, if any- 
 thing, more marked at the northeastern end, and the argillaceous at 
 the southwestern. These schists have a strike N. 30° (and occasionally 
 60°) E., and a dip generally 75° to 80° W., but varying to the vertical 
 and sometimes slightly east of the vertical. 
 
 The shoots or ore bodies have generally a northerly dip of their own 
 in the veins, i. e., the workable bodies of ore occur alternating with rela- 
 tively barren schists, and these bodies tend to the north more and more 
 as the depth increases. 
 
 There are at least 10 well-defined veins in the district (see plate XVIII). 
 
 Prominent among these are the Randolph, Barnhardt, Hunnicut 
 (Honeycut), Open Cut copper vein on the Standard property, the Traut- 
 man gold vein, and the McMakin silver vein. 
 
 But closely associated with these are outljing bodies, which may also 
 be independent veins; — for example, the Old Field body,which is between 
 the Barnhardt and Hunnicut veins, and is made up of several nearly 
 parallel bodies of ore which are very narrow, varying in width from 
 one to several inches, intercalated with the schists and very tortuous. 
 
 The Hunnicut vein has been proved for a length of 400 yards, and the 
 Barnhardt for an equally great distance. Most of these veins conform 
 to the strata both in strike and dip. 
 
 The Randolph Vein is nearly to the extreme northwest of the group. 
 It has been worked for a linear distance of 1,500 feet, and to a depth 
 of 740 feet [see plate XIX]. It is this vein which has contributed most to 
 the celebrity of the district, and is in reality the Gold Hill Mine. The 
 ore chimneys or shoots of this vein are especially marked. They are 
 three in number, and extend to the lowest depth to which the mine 
 has been worked. 
 
 The Randoph shaft passes through the Texas shoot, just cuts the 
 north edge of the Big Sulphur shoot, and is but a few feet distant from 
 the Randolph shoot. The levels from the bottom of this shaft have not 
 yet been sufficiently extended to permit a full and accurate statement 
 
GEO LOU Y OF" SVC." 
 
 PLATE XVIII. 
 
 
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GEOLOGY OP N. C. 
 
 PLATE XIX. 
 
 oA\V 
 
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GEOLOGY OF N. C. 
 
 PLATE XX. 
 
GOLD ORES. 
 
 267 
 
 of the amount of ore at such depths, though there cannot be much doubt 
 but that the store is very considerable ; and to this may be added a 
 large amount of ore still left in the upper levels. 
 
 The ores are now highty sulphuretted, being mostly iron pyrite, but 
 with enough chalco-pyrite to give a copper contents of 2 per cent. A 
 discussion of the relation of these ores to the copper supply of the 
 region is given in the section on Copper (page 211), and no further state- 
 ment is needed here. 
 
 As respects the value of these ores it is still more difficult to speak 
 with exactness, for the examinations have been made for the most part 
 with reference to the plans of promoters of mines. Some statements 
 that have been made public are unquestionably too high to be expected 
 from steady work. It is probable that the contents will be of low 
 grade, as compared with the ores nearer the surface. In the absence 
 of definite information, no assays will be given, since it is not certain 
 that the samples from which the assays were made are representative. 
 Some indications of the range of values is given on page 212. It may 
 be added that the sulphurets are contained in schist and quartz, and 
 are susceptible of concentration. 
 
 The Barnhardt Vein. 400 feet east of the Randolph, has been exploited 
 to a comparative shallow depth. Above 100 feet the linear extent of 
 the work is as great as in the Randolph ; below 100 feet the levels have 
 been extended only about 400 feet along the vein ; the ores are like 
 those of the Randolph, but less cupriferous. In both of these veins 
 the sulphurets are in schist with quartz, and need a preliminary con- 
 centration. 
 
 The Old Field Vein to the southwest of the main workings of the 
 Barnhardt, and quite near to them, consist of a series of strings ("veins") 
 of ore intercalated with the schists. These seams are frequently of 
 great richness, but the gold "jumps '' from one seam to another so often 
 as to give some embarrassment in mining. The greatest depth here 
 is a little more than 130 feet. 
 
 The Standard Vein and Property is still further southwest. The vein 
 consists of several narrow belts of talco-chloritic schists charged with 
 mineral matter, altered to gossan in the upper zone, but sulphuretted 
 in the deeper parts. This body is very wide near the surface, but at 
 greater depths it becomes smaller. The deepest work was 84 feet. 
 
 The Trautman Gold Vein contains the least known of the more prom- 
 inent ore bodies. In this vein down to 20 feet the ores were auriferous, 
 
 10 
 
268 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 porous quartz with brown ore; 20 to 60 feet down, a mixture of hema- 
 tite with highly ferruginous quartz, with a little crystallized pyromor- 
 phite, cerussite and other lead minerals ; lower down auriferous pyrite 
 and quartz. Near the surface the ores were very rich in gold. This 
 vein is almost at the extreme southeast of the group. 
 
 The McMackin Vein is the extreme southwest vein of the system, 
 and, like the Trautman is mostly in Cabarrus county. It has been 
 exploited by pits for several hundred yards, but the deep workings 
 have extended over a linear distance of about 200 feet. For a further 
 description of the mine, see section on Silver, page 192. The ores of 
 this vein are galenites. 
 
 The Hunnicut (Honey cut) Vein is just to the southwest of the Old 
 Field Vein, and between the Barnhardt and Randolph. It was dis- 
 covered in 1842, nearly at the commencement of the mining excitement 
 in this section, and was worked with great profit for a time, and to a 
 depth of 185 feet. 
 
 This district, has been almost entirely idle during the past 15 years, 
 but it is probable that a well-concerted business and mining enterprise 
 would bring back something of its old renown, and make it a very im- 
 portant factor in the mining development of the State. Its ores and 
 concentrates would be a very considerable resource for smelting pur- 
 poses, though not of high grade. 
 
 Conrad Hill Mine* — This mine is in Davidson county, about 7 miles 
 nearly east from Lexington. The veins at their outcrop, and for a mod- 
 erate depth to the east of the north and south dividing line, formerly 
 belonged to the " Morehead Estate," while to the west of this line they 
 belonged to other parties. And the old description and designation of 
 ■"Conrad Hill" of thirty years ago apply to the former (the eastern), 
 while latterly the name applies to the western tract. 
 
 The mine is now controlled by the Conrad Hill Gold and Copper 
 ■Company of Baltimore. The hill is of very moderate elevation — less 
 than 100 feet above the adjacent vallej^s — and with very gradual slopes. 
 
 The geology may be described in a few words. The Conrad Hill is 
 one of a series of noted mines which lie along the northwest margin 
 ■of the great central slate belt (Huronian or Taconic) of the Atlantic 
 
 * The description here given of this mine is reprinted with slight alteration from 
 a special report made by Prof. Kerr in May, 1881, which report was published in the 
 Baltimore Sun of June 4, 1881, — J. A. H. 
 
GOLD ORES. 
 
 269 
 
 slope, near its line of contact with the central granitic axis • of the 
 region, the Laurentian or Mont Alban series. 
 
 The most common and characteristic rocks of this region, especially 
 along the northwest side, are chloritic, fine-grained quartzitic, and 
 what are called talcose slates (schists). 
 
 The Three Hat Mountain, some 3 miles south, is described by Em- 
 mons* as composed of quartzite and slaty chert, and he mentions a 
 northeast lying trap dike, 100 yards wide, as traversing the intervening 
 valley. The rocks of Conrad Hill are describedf as " talcose slates;" 
 but they are really fine-grained argillaceous quartzite schists, with 
 pyrophyllitic partings, — and this is, indeed, the predominant gold- 
 bearing rock of this whole "slate belt " These schists are thin-bedded 
 and much jointed, and often shaly in structure. They dip to the north- 
 west at a high angle, 80° to 90°, and have a strike at this point N. 10° 
 to 20° E. 
 
 There are two systems of veins traversing the hill (see accompany- 
 ing figure) ; one consists of veins parallel to each other and to the 
 
 PLAN OF VEINS AT CONRAD HILL GOLD MINE, DAVIDSON COUNTY. 
 
 Scale: about 1 inch to 300 feet. (Largely after Emmons.) 
 
 strike of the rock, while in dip they frequently, perhaps it may be said 
 generally, cut across the strata, with a slighter, i. e., a more westerly 
 dip. 
 
 * Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 143. 
 f The same, p. 152. 
 
270 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The second system of veins differs from these only in being entirely 
 independent of each other and of the rocks, in strike and dip. 
 
 The former Prof. Emmons has designated* as right running veins, 
 and the latter as cross veins. The gangue of both is quartz and carbon- 
 ate of iron. They yield both copper and gold, the former occurring as 
 a sulphuret (chalcopyrite), except in the upper levels, where it has 
 suffered a partial oxidation ; the latter occurring as free gold, both in 
 the quartz and in the altered carbonate (brown oxides) of iron of the 
 upper — and in the sulphurets of the lower levels. 
 
 Emmons describes four right running veins, which he calls ''first," 
 "second" and "third," or "front," "middle" and " back" veins, the fourth 
 being considered a branch of the third. The first of these crosses near 
 the top of the hill, striking north about 10° east, and dipping west at 
 a high angle. The outcrop of the second or middle vein he places at 
 the distance of fifty feet east of the first, and supposes it to be parallel 
 in dip, as well as in strike, to the first. In this, however, he is evi- 
 dently mistaken, since the two veins appear to meet within a hundred 
 feet of the surface. 
 
 There is evidence in the old workings that still another vein, with 
 a very steep dip, exists between the second and third. This back vein 
 we suppose to cross the line of the South shaft at a depth of less than 
 130 feet. In its thickness, and in the amount and kind of matter 
 which composes it, he considers this the most remarkable of all the 
 veins of the hill. " It is 15 inches thick at its outcrop, and at the depth 
 of between 60 and 70 feet it is 10 to 18 feet wide. It is quartz above, 
 but at 50 feet carbonate of iron, carrying sulphurets of copper and 
 iron, this part of the vein being 4 feet thick at the 90-foot level, and 
 rich in gold."f 
 
 Emmons mentions^ also 3 cross veins, one as having no outcrop, and 
 only revealed in the engine shaft, and two others which he describes as 
 among the richest of the whole hill. The first of these latter was 
 worked to a depth of 90 feet, and seems to be the one represented as 
 crossing the South shaft, No. 1. The other, having a strike nearly east 
 and west, and a dip south, was worked to a depth of 60 feet, and 
 showed a width of 4 feet of very rich ore, on which a drift of some 60 
 feet was run. It must, therefore, be the vein which appears on this 
 cross course in South shaft No. 2. 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties pf North Carolina, 1856, p. 145. 
 f The same, p. 149— quoted with slight alterations. 
 \ The same, p. 145. 
 
GOLD ORES. 271 
 
 In addition to these there appear to be two other veins, not discov- 
 ered when Emmons wrote his description — not showing themselves, 
 apparently, on the part of the hill to which his attention was confined. 
 One of these is a very large vein — larger than any of those above de- 
 scribed. 
 
 The veinstone is quartz and iron carbonate, carrying copper pyrite 
 and gold. This vein is exposed in all three of the shafts, below the 
 point where the other veins are cut — below 100 feet. It is not clear 
 whether this vein comes to the surface, or where it is put down on the 
 sketch (page 269) as the main cross vein. The other new vein is in- 
 dicated on the diagram to the west of, and parallel to the first or front 
 vein. It has been opened by several shallow pits, and shows a four- 
 foot quartz vein, with visible gold. An unsorted sample of the exca- 
 vated mass yielded, in an assay by the company's chemist, $31 per ton 
 for gold. 
 
 There are three shafts sunk on the property, as shown in the dia- 
 gram, and as they are all in front of the right running veins, these 
 will all be penetrated by each of them at the same depth. In No. 
 1 South shaft, Emmons estimated that the last of them, the back vein, 
 would be cut at 130 feet. A large body of ore was entered at the depth 
 of 98 feet, where, according to Captain Edward B. Wilder, the front 
 and middle veins have united and form one mass. From this shaft, 
 at the depth of 105 feet, a drift has been run by the present workers of 
 the mine some 40 feet north and 90 feet south, along and in this body 
 of ore, exposing a thickness of 5 to 10 feet, all of which " contains gold 
 in paying quantities." 
 
 The veinstone is quartz, iron carbonate and spongy brown oxide of 
 iron, carrying free gold and copper sulphurets and carbonate. In the 
 lowest part of this great mass of ore, the richer portion, about 4 feet 
 wide, separated from the remainder of the vein by a well-defined line 
 of demarkation, will all assay high, and at places will yield $200 to 
 $300 per ton. * * * I took samples of these across the face, for an 
 aggregate length of 40 feet, and a thickness of 15 to 18 inches, which 
 assayed by Hanna, yielded $94.12 per ton, for gold alone. 
 
 Just south of the shaft, a cut has been made from, the drift, across 
 this body of ore, measuring some 37 feet, to the foot wall, giving a 
 thickness of upwards of 20 feet. A large part of this thickness is 
 composed of crushed slates filled with strings of quartz. A sample 
 taken across this section, which is 10 to 15 feet high, including slates, 
 
272 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 quartz and everything representing the whole body of the vein, yielded 
 $22.73 per ton (Hanna). Of course by a process of selection, throwing 
 out the poorer' masses of quartz, spar and slate, the yield per ton might 
 be doubled or increased even to a higher percentage. 
 
 Just north of the No. 1 South shaft, in the same level, is cut Em- 
 mons' second cross vein, which seerris to coalesce with the bed of ore 
 just mentioned. There is, therefore, exposed an immense mass of ore, 
 in the mere exploitation of which, by the drifts and cross-cuts, made 
 in the development of this part of the vein, a pile of material has been 
 accumulated at the surface, which is estimated to contain nearly 3,000 
 tons of ore, of which an average sample gave Mr. Clausen $28.60 per 
 ton. 
 
 In No. 2 South shaft, according to Wilder, the veins cut at 67 feet 
 represent the front and middle veins of Emmons. On this point "a 
 cross-cut has been driven 62J feet back and into the first and second 
 veins, and two levels started, one each way, on the course of the first vein. 
 Both sides of the drift are in good ore, and in the southeast side a course 
 of gold and copper ores, varying from 18 to 24 inches in thickness, has 
 been exposed, that will assay over $100 per ton. Indications are that 
 the ores here are as rich and abundant as at No. 1 South shaft." At 
 the depth of 100 feet a drift has been carried some fifty feet south in a 
 mass of ore, of which only the foot wall is exposed, on which lies an 
 ore" course of about 2 feet, the veinstone being quartz and brown oxide 
 of iron, carrying gold and copper. A sample taken along this ore 
 body gives (Hanna) $1 3.39 gold per ton. 
 
 Some forty feet north of this shaft, on the same level, a similar ore 
 course of 12 to 20 inches of prill copper (i. e. 33 per cent, copper) is 
 exposed towards the upper part of the vein, while a stope driven up 
 and along the middle of it, in brown oxide and iron carbonate, gives, 
 by assay of sample representing a thickness of 3 feet, $17.58 for gold 
 (Hanna). This is probably Emmons' second vein. There is exposed 
 in these two drifts a face of nearly 100 feet of ore, with three good ore 
 courses, within a total exposed thickness of the -vein of not less than 
 ten feet, the hanging wall being nowhere in sight. 
 
 Forty or fifty feet more of drifting will connect this level with that 
 coming south from No. 1 South shaft. Emmons' third cross vein is 
 cut in this shaft at the depth of 57 feet, but no new excavations have 
 been made at this level. "At a vertical depth of 103 feet from the 
 surface this shaft cuts into, and at 122 feet passes through, the main 
 
GOLD ORES. 273 
 
 cross vein, proving it to be 17 feet thick at this point, and composed of 
 quartz and carbonate of iron, with more or less yellow sulphuret of 
 copper. The vein is underlying at 46°, and the shaft will be con- 
 tinued down the incline of the vein, which has been more thoroughly 
 exposed in the main shaft." This shaft, therefore, opens four impor- 
 tant veins, and it is within 40 feet of the new vein, which was recently 
 discovered, and which can 'also be worked from this direction. The 
 quantity of ore accessible from this point, therefore, and within a very 
 moderate depth, is immense, and this takes no account of the back 
 vein, which, of course, must be reached at no great depth below the 
 present termination. 
 
 The Main or Engine shaft is situated 195 feet west of No. 1, and is 
 distant 240 feet from No. 2 South shaft. It has been sunk 220 feet 
 vertically.* At 163 feet the shaft passes through the main cross vein. 
 Throughout the entire distance a rich course of copper ore is exposed 
 from 3 to 8 feet in thickness, of which 1 to 4 \ feet is solid prill ore, 
 giving an average of not less than 2 feet. Samples taken from across 
 the whole distance of the face of this prill, and assayed by Haniia, give 
 $11.98 gold per ton in addition to its copper value. This ore course of 
 prill copper is also exposed, in a thickness of not less than 5 feet, in a 
 drift now in process of cutting northwards, at the 175 foot level. 
 
 From the preceding account, the estimate which Dr. Emmons placed 
 on this mine is here concurred in. The exposure of the huge bodies 
 of rich ore in the drifts and shafts are sufficient of themselves to justify 
 this, estimate. 
 
 I may add that I do not think any of the descriptions or diagrams of 
 these ore deposits, beyond the actual depths to which explorations have 
 been carried, can be considered as having any great value. For example, 
 not less than three of these veins are cut in one mass at the 100 foot 
 level in the Whim shaft No. 1, and at least two of them are changed in 
 course and dip. The statements here made, accompanied by the sketch 
 map showing the surface arrangement of the veins, are the best approx- 
 imation now attainable. 
 
 All these veins are bold and marked in their characteristics, and all 
 are free from dislocations or other disturbances. The ore is remark- 
 ably destitute of all distinctive iron minerals — carbonate of iron and 
 its peroxide excepted — and even iron pyrite is rarely met with. 
 
 The general course of metallurgical treatment may be outlined as 
 
 * Subsequently to the depth of 400 feet.— G. B. H. 
 
274 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 follows: The mine matter was partly sorted out underground, and still 
 further hand-cobbed and picked in the sheds ; the richer ore was sent 
 at once to the copper works ; the residues, after passing through a 
 Blake Crusher, were jigged, and the best material added to the richer 
 mine stuff above alluded to ; the poorest material from the jigs was 
 rejected, the medium grade sent at once to the stamp battery and amal- 
 gamated as usual; the tailings from the battery were partly concen- 
 trated by buddies and blankets, and the concentrates sent to the cop- 
 per works. 
 
 At the outset, the richer copper minerals were, after roasting, smelted 
 in a shaft furnace for matte, from which, after re-smelting, a black cop- 
 per was obtained and refined. The material, however, was not suited 
 to this treatment, as the necessary basic matter was lacking to make a 
 proper flux, and smelting was superseded by the wet method under 
 the Hunt & Douglas patent (old method), i. e., the crushed ore after 
 roasting was subjected to a bath of protochloride of iron, for the con- 
 version of the insoluble copper mineral into the soluble chloride; after 
 leaching the copper was precipitated by metallic iron and refined. The 
 residues, now mostly peroxides, were sent back to be milled and amal- 
 gamated, and, to a slight extent, concentrated again. The final pro- 
 ducts were gold bullion and refined ingot copper. 
 
 Financial derangements have brought about a cessation of mining 
 work for the present, but during the later and prosperous years the 
 work was carried on by careful and systematic methods. 
 
 Ihe Ward Mine is in Davidson county, one mile west of the Delk. 
 There are at this mine several veins — -a "slate vein " of yellowish de- 
 composed chlorite; a quartz vein 3 to 4 feet thick, and auriferous, 
 occurs near the top of the hill ; and another vein of massive quartz 
 occurs 25 feet still further up the hill. A rich gravel, 1 to 14 feet thick, 
 covers the surface of many acres about the mine. 
 
 There are a few mints grouped geographically in this section, but 
 which do not readily allow themselves to be grouped geologically with 
 those heretofore described. Among these: 
 
 The Hamilton (Bailey) Mine is in Anson county, 2 miles southeast of 
 Wadesboro. There are here 2 veins, of which the westerly has been 
 worked to a depth of 100 feet; the vein is reported to be 2 J to 4 feet 
 wide ; the ore is largely quartzite (compacted into hard quartz at the 
 depth of 100 feet), highly stained with oxide of iron. The tract com- 
 prises 114 acres, and the vein is £ mile long. 
 
 Assays per ton are $10.34, $17.40, $13.68 and $46.57. 
 
GOLD ORES. 275 
 
 The Jesse Cox Mine is in Anson county, 2 miles southeast of Wades- 
 boro. Its ore body is quartz. 
 
 Gold Ores ok the Central Syenitic Belt. 
 
 The mines of this central belt (Upper Laurentian) present so many 
 peculiarities that, as a class, they justly claim a distinct and separate 
 discussion. This belt has been already mentioned (pps. 238 and 239), 
 and it is simply necessary here to point out a few of its peculiarities. 
 
 It has a width of 15 to 25 miles, running across the State in a north- 
 east to southwest course, and has long been known as the " granite 
 belt ; " the term is so familiar that it cannot be easily displaced, but in 
 reality there is very little granite here ; mica is rare, but chlorite, horn- 
 blende, pyroxene and epidote are very abundant, and occur in the most 
 inextricable confusion. In the space of a single hand specimen all of 
 these minerals, together with magnetite, may often be found. Stratifi- 
 cation is wanting, but false bedding is frequent ; trap dikes are numer- 
 ous and of many varieties, and in weathering occasionally assume a 
 bedded structure. The term "syenitic belt," will be nearer the truth, 
 but even this term is lacking in fullness and accuracy. 
 
 The mines are not uniformly distributed over this area; at the north- 
 east in Guilford county, they occur near the southeast edge of the belt, 
 and near the Huronian schists ; this relative position they hold as far 
 south as Rowan county, where they begin to appear at a considerably 
 greater distance from this border; and finally in Mecklenburg county, 
 and near the south boundary of the State, they stretch nearly across 
 the entire granite area from east to west. It may be said with almost 
 absolute accuracy, that the mines are on the east side of the North 
 Carolina Railroad to a point little further south than Concord, where 
 the mineral belt crosses the railroad abruptly and spreads to the west- 
 ward. 
 
 The ores of these mines are almost always auriferous, and occasionally 
 cupriferous ; they rarely contain any considerable amount of lead, zinc 
 or nickel ; the silver present is usually alloyed with the gold ; arsenic 
 and antimony are not common, and the ores are refractory only as the 
 sulphurets make them so. 
 
 Some general considerations respecting the mines of this belt will 
 find a convenient introduction here : The veins are in the syenite, the 
 fissures ranging from a few inches to 60 feet and more in width. Most 
 of these fissures are filled with killas (slates), quartz and ore. These 
 
276 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 slates are aluminous, talcose or chloritic in character, finely laminated, 
 and often very fissile ; they are generally parallel to the walls of the 
 vein. The presence of these slates in a vein, sometimes in a perfectly 
 vertical position, in a formation, where there is at best but scanty evi- 
 dence of bedding, has always attracted the attention of mining engi- 
 neers and geologists, and is an interesting phenomenon. The slates are 
 generally nearer the walls, but sometimes within the quartzose material 
 itself, and generally shade gradually into quartz toward the interior of 
 the vein, and into the country on the outside. 
 
 In great depth the slaty structure does not exist, or becomes obscured; 
 for an example of this structure, see the section of the McGinn vein. 
 
 In many mines there is what is called a back and a front vein (occa- 
 sionally a middle vein also), but the evidence goes to show that they 
 are merely seams of the same vein. 
 
 The quartz frequently shows a tendency towards lamination, espe- 
 cially near the walls, and when broken out, even seemingly massive 
 quartz shatters into somewhat schistose fragments. There is generally 
 a parallelism in the occurrence of the sulphurets, but it is not as evi- 
 dent as in some other constituents of the vein. 
 
 ' The student of physical geology will readily understand that the 
 surface of the entire country has been subjected to extensive transfor- 
 mation, the most marked of which are the peroxidation of the iron 
 constituents and a disintegration of the rocks to a great depth. It is 
 no unusual thing to find such alterations at a depth of 150 feet.* The 
 absence of ordinary glacial action in this region has permitted the 
 surface to remain largely in position. (See Appendix A.) 
 
 The permanent level of the water in the mines is, perhaps, a little 
 below that of the running streams adjacent, and is found at from 20 
 to 60 feet below the surface — 40 or 50 being the more common depth. 
 The amount of water about the mines is usually large, and it is not 
 unfrequent that the larger part of the expense of mine administration 
 lies in the cost of pumping. 
 
 The upper part of the vein has undergone a corresponding change, 
 in which much of the slaty part has been oxidized, and softened 
 (" rotted "), and the iron pyrite is for the most part changed to a hem- 
 atite more or less hydrated (brown ore); the copper pyrite, etc., has 
 
 * In 1872, I examined a mud-slide which out the Eandolph vein at the Gold Hill 
 Mine at a depth of 500 feet. It was a very soft, plastic clay, thoroughly perox- 
 idized.— G. B. H. 
 
GOLD ORES. 277 
 
 become malachite (rarely azurite), chrysocolla, and occasionally either 
 black or red oxide of copper, or else the copper constituents have dis- 
 appeared. The brown ore holds not only the gold, which was origi- 
 nally in the snlphurets, but it has been further enriched as a result of 
 the alterations which have taken place, as is evidenced by the presence 
 of nuggets and grain gold, which are always found in this zone far 
 more abundantly than in the deeper ores. Ores of this class are not 
 difficult to work, and require little and inexpensive machinery. The 
 treatment is rather a mechanical process than a metallurgical one, and 
 with close attention to the process, a large part of the precious contents 
 are extracted at a small cost. 
 
 At the water line the sulphides appear with relatively little altera- 
 tion, and the value of the ores is considerably diminished since the 
 causes of enrichment have been less active than in the gossan portions 
 near the surface. 
 
 The cost of mining is at this stage largely increased, chiefly as it 
 becomes necessary to use pumping and other machinery, the purchase 
 and keeping in order of which are heavy expenses. A much greater 
 obstacle is, however, met in the difficulty of extracting the gold by the 
 simple methods of amalgamation hitherto satisfactory. 
 
 The increased expense attending the work in every part, and the 
 simultaneous decreased yield, brought about the abandonment of the 
 greater part of the mines in North Carolina, shortly after reaching this 
 stage, and they still remain in this condition. 
 
 In some cases the ore bodies actually disappear in this zone, through 
 the closing in of the syenite walls (" pinching out of the ore body").* 
 
 Very few of the mines become settled and regular above 200 feet; 
 below this depth the slates are for the most part wanting, or less evi- 
 dent, and there is a marked tendency for the sulphurets to concentrate 
 
 * This " pinching " or " squeezing out " is a very common term applied to the deep 
 work of most of the mines, and in some cases is a fact, but in other cases within my 
 observation, it is only temporary, and there is a clue in the shape of a narrow seam 
 or thread of ore to guide to other and equally large bodies. The presence of the 
 "blue rock " or " blue granite," which causes the pinching (see page 209 for analyses) 
 seem to point to some geological phenomena not yet well-understood, which unfavor- 
 ably affected the ore deposits for a time. It may be incidentally added that the 
 "granite" sometimes bends the ore seam out of its normal course and dip, though the 
 vein fissure itself may continue nearly the same. — G. B. H. 
 
278 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 and form large and valuable chimneys.* Otherwise the sulphurets 
 are scattered in a gangue of quartz, which forms for the most part the 
 filling of the vein. Peroxidation is not frequent or extensive below 
 this deptb, but native gold is often found attached to the sulphurets, 
 and a simple concentration of these ores will generally disclose a sur- 
 prising amount of gold in a free shape. 
 
 The group of mines in Guilford county is not large. A dozen names 
 make up the list of the prominent ones: 
 
 The Fisher Hill and Willis Hill Mine is 5 miles south of Greens- 
 boro. 
 
 The Hodgins Hill is one mile north of the above. 
 
 The North Carolina, or Fentress, is 2 miles northeast of the Fisher 
 Hill. 
 
 The Gardner Hill is 3 miles northeast of Jamestown. 
 
 The Twin Mine is 6 miles south of Greensboro. 
 
 The North State (McCullough) is 2 miles south of Jamestown. 
 
 The Lindsay is the south extension of the North State. 
 
 The Jack's Hill is the north extension of the North State. 
 
 The Deep River is 2 miles south of the Lindsay. 
 
 The Beason, Harland and Beard Mines are near Jamestown. 
 
 Most of these are copper bearing, and were fully described by Em- 
 mons, and as they have not been worked since his day, need no further 
 description, if, indeed, there were material for it; a brief condensation 
 was taken from Emmons, as a matter of convenience, and given in the 
 section on Copper (p. 205, et seq.), and to these pages the reader is 
 referred. 
 
 The Fisher Hill and Willis Hill Mine was not described in the section 
 on Copper and may here be noticed briefly. There are 15 veins on 
 this mining tract. One sysi em of veins runs approximately north and 
 south, and a second series nearly northeast by southwest. The mining 
 work at present is done on Fisher Hill, and on Willis Hill, 150 rods 
 nearly south, and apparently on a vein (or veins) of the first system. 
 This vein is very flat, so that at the nominal depth of the inclined 
 shaft (180 feet), the ore is still within the reach of oxidizing influences. 
 The mine material is brown ore, with relatively little sulphurets, which 
 latter are a white iron pyrite, with a very little copper pyrite. The 
 aggregate length of the veins on this property is perhaps not less than 
 
 * They sometimes contain ore fully as rich as any that the gossan furnished. 
 
 G. B. H. 
 
GOLD ORES. 279 
 
 8 or 10 miles, though not everywhere worked, or capable of being 
 worked under existing conditions. The particular vein worked is 
 traceable for nearly a mile, and has been successfully operated at sev- 
 eral points. The ore body varies from 10 inches to four feet in width 
 and carries a relatively high grade milling material — $30 per ton as 
 claimed; 4 levels, aggregating nearly 200 feet, have been run. 
 
 The work on Willis Hill consists of four shafts of much shallower 
 depths than those on Fisher Hill. Here at the moderate depth of 50 
 feet a good body of brown ore was found. The milling plant consists 
 of 10 stamps, and very effective work was done in 1886. 
 
 Thomasville, in Davidson county, is the centre of an interesting 
 mining district, several mines occuring in the granite in its vicinity. 
 Of these only the Lalor, Eureka and Black have acquired much repu- 
 tation through actual work, and none of them are now operated. 
 
 The Lalor {formerly Allen) Mine is in Davidson county, 2 miles south- 
 east from Thomasville. It is entered by 3 shafts, the deepest of which 
 reached a depth of 165 feet on the underlay. The vein is reported of 
 good width, and carries a fair proportion of iron and of copper pyrite. 
 The proportion of copper pyrite is large enough to give, when concen- 
 trated, a product very desirable for matte smelting. The lowest grade 
 brown ore is reported to assay $20 per ton, and the highest grade sul- 
 phuret $190. 
 
 The Loftin Mine, in Davidson county, is one and a half miles south- 
 east of Thomasville. Its vein stuff is quite similar to that of the Lalor 
 Mine. 
 
 The Eureka Mine is one-half mile west of the Lalor. It is pene- 
 trated to a depth of 125 feet. The width and character of the vein 
 and the nature of the ore are nearly the same as at the Lalor Mine. 
 
 The following assays represent the character of the ores, Nos. (168), 
 (172) and (173) more correctly representing their common average: 
 
 GOLD ORES, EUREKA MINE, DAVIDSON COUNTY. 
 
 (167) (168) (169) (170) (171) (172) (173) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton 16-10 35-100 3 1-2 2 2 1-4 95-100 11-10 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton 112-100 82-100 17-100 1-8 trace. 2 18-100 2 23-100 
 
 Thomasville has been the seat of a vast amount of speculative min- 
 ing, and even of some frauds; as a consequence, legitimate work has 
 been discouraged, and the promising mines of the neighborhood have 
 not received their just dues. 
 
280 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 There is an approximation to belts in the occurrence of the mines of 
 Rowan county. 
 
 One of these belts is found to the southwest of Salisbury, from 2 to 
 9 miles distant, and 1 to 3 miles to the east of the North Carolina Rail- 
 road. Among the mines of this belt are the Hartman, Yadkin, Negus, 
 Harrison, Hill, Southern Belle, Goodman, Randleman and Roseman. 
 The workings in these have been comparatively shallow, 120 feet being 
 the deepest, so far as the records go. It is probable that some of these 
 may prove valuable, but the width of the ore bodies and their values 
 are not matters of record, and nothing can be said of them here with 
 •exactness. 
 
 A second belt occurs 2J miles east to southeast from Salisbury, 
 prominent among the mines of which are the Dunn Mountain, the 
 New Discovery, the Reimer, and the Bullion. The former are found 
 on the western side of the Rowan granite range (Dunn's Mountain 
 range), and the latter on the southeast side. 
 
 The mines of Rowan county, situated in the Gold Hill District (in 
 the "slate belt") have been previously described; the dividing line 
 between the slates and the granite is about one mile west of Gold Hill. 
 
 It may be well here to call attention to the large number of veins in 
 the southeastern part of Rowan county, and the adjacent parts of Stanly 
 and Cabarrus. A good map of this section of Rowan county has been 
 prepared by the Rev. Dr. Rumple and Messrs. T. K. Bruner and J. J. 
 Newman, of Salisbury, which, together with the data prepared by Mr. 
 Bruner, shows more than a hundred mineral localities in this portion 
 of Rowan, and as many more in the neighboring parts of Stanly and 
 Cabarrus counties. Of most of these we know but little, as the surface 
 of -the country is so rugged as to make exploration difficult, but there 
 is little doubt that these hidden stores will some day play an important 
 part in the developed resources of the State. 
 
 The mineral veins of the region are of fair width, persistent in length, . 
 and, as far as tested, in depth also. They all carry sulphurets, usually 
 iron pyrite, but, as a rule, since the exhaustion of the surface deposits, 
 treatment by amalgamation has been a failure, as the sulphurets have 
 proved too refractory to yield their auriferous contents to this mode of 
 treatment; and such concentration as has been hitherto available has 
 left an insufficient margin of profit to justify the effort. Cheaper min- 
 ing, better management, more thorough concentration and less costly 
 metallurgical treatment will, without doubt, put an entirely new face 
 
GEOLOGY OF N. C. 
 
 PLATE XXI. 
 
 H 
 
 
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 be 
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GOLD OR-SS. 281 
 
 on the matter. It is only fair to add, that the mines have been held 
 at too high prices. 
 
 The mines of Rowan county which have been most largely worked, 
 are the Yadkin, the Dunn's Mountain, Reimer, Bullion, New Discovery, 
 Dutch Creek, Gold Knob, the Atlas and Bame. 
 
 The Yadkin {Tuck) Mine is one and one-half miles south of Salis- 
 bury. 
 
 The Dunn's Mountain Mine is four miles southeast of Salisbury, a 
 little to the left of Gold Hill Road, and on the west flank of Dunn's 
 Mountain. It has had a very chequered history— now worked vigor- 
 ously and now idle. Nothing whatever is done on the mine at the 
 time of writing this report. 
 
 There are 3 veins — one northeast and southwest, one northwest and 
 southeast, and one nearly north and south (Office Shaft vein). The 
 first of these veins is worked to a depth of 190 feet, averaging about 
 four feet in width. It was most largely filled with slate and quartz, 
 and carried only a moderate proportion of iron pyrite with a trace of 
 copper pyrite. 
 
 The Office Shaft vein was worked to a nominal depth of .160 feet 
 (about 140 feet vertically), 90 feet being in the vertical shaft, and 70 on 
 an incline of about 45°. The ores were peroxidized nearly to the lowest 
 depth reached, and free milling. The amount of sulphates present was 
 small. In the lower levels the ore body was broken up into several 
 seams. 
 
 The outcome of the operations was not satisfactory, and this with 
 litigation caused the final abandonment of the work. 
 
 The Reimer (Rymer) Mine* — This mine is in Rowan county, 5 miles 
 southeast of Salisbury. The course of the vein is approximately N. 
 75° W., and its dip slightly southward, but not far from the vertical; 
 the vein varies in width from 4 to 8 feet, and occasionally to 12 feet. 
 It was worked some thirty years ago for the brown ore, but the poorer 
 part of it was left standing as pillars until a few years ago. The unal- 
 tered ore was a dark colored pyrrhotite, with a very slight amount of 
 copper, and assayed very moderately. The ore shoot was 700 feet long 
 in the direction of the vein extending from shaft No. 1 to shaft No. 2, 
 and having a westerly pitch of its own in the Vein. At the extreme 
 west of the bottom level it had pitched entirely under the work ; the 
 
 * Emmons' Report on the Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 
 1856, p. 181. 
 
282 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 ore showed a considerable tendency to lamination, and left very clean 
 walls. 
 
 The Yadkin Chlorination works near Salisbury were supplied for 
 several years from this shoot ; the ore was concentrated at the mine for 
 that purpose, 5 tons raw ore being generally required to make 1 ton of 
 concentrates, approximating $40 per ton in value. The work of the 
 mine was terminated in 1883 by the burning of the buildings and des- 
 truction of the machinery. 
 
 Ihe Bullion Mine is \ mile eastward of the Reimer and is a continua- 
 tion of the same lode as the latter. The character of the lode is similar 
 to that of the Reimer. The outcrop shows that the vein is of good 
 width, but for some unknown reason it has never been much worked. 
 
 The next belt of mines is found 8 to 10 miles east from Salisbury, 
 and is not far from, and on both sides of, the Stokes Ferry road. 
 Among these may be named the Howard, the Barringer, Gold Knob 
 (and its associate the Holtshauser), Davidson & Wilson, Dutch Creek, 
 Morgan, Kistler and Atlas. The more easterly of these veins lie about 
 1 mile west of the contact between the granite and the Huronian 
 schists. 
 
 The Gold Knob Mine is 9 miles southeast from Salisbury on the 
 Stokes Ferry road. This group of properties is made up of several 
 mining tracts, and has not less than 11 veins. The more important of 
 these have a general northeast course, and an eastward dip of from 70° 
 to 75°. Three only have been recently worked : the Haynes, the Gold 
 Knob, 40 rods northeast, and the Holtshauser, some 20 rods still fur- 
 ther southeast. The Gold Knob is the larger, being in places some 20 
 feet wide. The ores are similar to those of the district, and are com- 
 monly of only moderate value ; the sulphuretted ores are susceptible 
 of easy concentration, as is shown by the assays given below. The 
 Haynes vein is also wide and easily traceable for a long distance. The 
 ores are brown ores, and sulphurets of a like tenor. The Holtshauser 
 is of good width, but not so wide as the second vein; the ores are of 
 the same character as those of the second vein. 
 
 GOLD IfNOB MINE, ROWAN COUNTY. 
 ASSAYS OF GOLD ORES (174-78) AND CONCENTRATES (179 & 180). 
 
 (174) (175) (176) (177) (178) (179) (180) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton 95-100 1 2 1-3 .... 12-10 5 1-10 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton 95-100 9-10 8-10 trace 165-100 2 85-100 
 
GEOLOGY OP N. C. 
 
 PLATE XXII. 
 
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GOLD ORES. 283 
 
 Dutch Oreek Mines. — These are on the Stokes Ferry road, 10 miles 
 southeast from Salisbury, and just to the southeast of Dutch Second 
 Creek, as shown on the accompanying plate (XXII)*. The property 
 of 16 1 acres is a net work of veins. It is estimated that there are 20, of 
 which several carry copper as well as gold. The veins chiefly devel- 
 oped are the Katie, Hill, Tip-top and the Spring. 
 
 The Hill and Tip-top have 2 shafts down to water level, and levels 
 aggregating several hundred feet in length. The oreslabove the water 
 level are the common brown ores, which are always free milling, and 
 generally good. Below this line they are highly sulphuretted and 
 refractory to mill treatment, and with a contents of §10 per ton and 
 upward. The veins vary in width from 1 to 18 feet, where the two 
 veins cross. 
 
 Several shafts on the Spring vein, down to water level, also expose 
 brown ores changing downward to pyrites with some copper. Two 
 shafts were sunk on the Katie vein with like results. 
 
 The copper vein has a shaft 50 feet deep, in which a vein was dis- 
 closed carrying fine copper ore. The vein dips eastward some 75° ; 
 the foot wall is siliceous schist (sandstone), and the hanging wall talcose 
 schist. Another gold and copper vein about 50 yards to the west, dips 
 about 45° eastward. 
 
 Most of these veins run in a general northeast and southwest direc- 
 tion, but some seem to have a more northerly course, and intersect the 
 normal running veins. 
 
 It has been stated that these veins are about 1 mile west of the con- 
 tact of the granite and the Huronian schist, which appears to be near 
 Reedy Creek. This line of contact is, however, rarely well-defined. 
 
 Atlas and Borne Mines. — These mines are supposed to be the south- 
 west continuation of the Dutch Creek Mines. This property, of 1,600 
 acres, also abounds in veins, running N. 35° to 40° E., and with a 
 nearly vertical dip. Some of the veins are wide, but the ore, as a rule, 
 is rather low in grade, and below the point where they are no longer 
 free-milling, they are difficult to treat. 
 
 The next group of mines is some 2 to 3 miles further east, and topo- 
 graphically appears to be the northeast continuation of the Gold Hill 
 
 * The accompanying map (plate XXII) was prepared for this Report by the owner 
 of the Dutch Creek Mines, Mr. J. J. Newman, in 1883, at the request of Professor 
 Kerr.— G. B. H. 
 
 11 
 
284 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 group, which is only 3 to 4 miles southwest ; but of the geological con- 
 nection we cannot be quite assured. None of the mines of this group 
 are now worked, and none are well known. The Survey has been 
 able to obtain no information as to their depth, size, or the amount and 
 character of their ores. However, the general appearance of the out- 
 crops seems to indicate veins of good width, with a fair supply of low 
 igrade ore, running into refractory sulphurets at greater depths. 
 
 There appears also to be in the southeast part of the county a line 
 of mines extending from the Barringer Mine, Stanly county, through 
 Rowan county, and crossing the Yadkin River, passing into Davidson 
 county. Galenite is occasionally found in this region, as on the farm 
 of J. W. Miller, near Stokes' ferry, which is nearly in the same hori- 
 zon as the Silver Hill Mine, 15 miles northeast. None of these have 
 as yet been developed. Their description belongs more properly to the 
 pages on the " slate belt," but is introduced here for convenience. 
 
 The mines of Cabarrus are for the most part to the east of the North 
 Carolina Rail Road ; 57 localities are enumerated by T. K. Bruner as 
 having been worked, earlier or later ; the larger part of these, however, 
 now exist only in name. Probably some of them, though obscure, are 
 valuable. 
 
 The mines of Cabarrus in the " slate belt " have been described al- 
 ready (see page 264). In the granite region there is only one mine in 
 .operation, viz., the Phoenix, though it is only recently that-the Tucker 
 i(California) and the Quaker City were also worked. 
 
 The Quaker City Mine, the last of the three just mentioned, is 5 miles 
 a little south of east from Concord. There are 3 shafts on the prop- 
 erty, 40, 60 and 80 feet deep, respectively. The vein is 2 feet wide, and 
 carries in its lower depths rather heavy iron pyrite with a little copper, 
 .and is troublesome to treat. 
 
 The Tucker Mine is 8 miles southeast of Concord, and is about one- 
 third mile west of the junction of the granite and the "slates." At 
 the time of the death of the superintendent (at which time the mine 
 ■was permanently closed), the main shaft had reached a depth of nearly 
 100 feet, and levels had been driven 81 feet south and 36 feet north. 
 The vein was 18 to 30 inches wide, its strike northeast and southwest, 
 and its dip nearly vertical. The ore was heavy sulphuret (including a 
 little copper pyrite), with heavy spar. 
 
 Phcenix Mine. — This mine has been worked more extensively and for 
 
GEOLOGY OP N. C. 
 
 PLATE XXIII. 
 
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GOLD ORES. 
 
 285 
 
 a longer period than any other mine in Cabarrus county, and in 1886 
 its works had reached a depth of 350 feet on the underlay; the vein 
 runs nearly northeast and, southwest, and dips very slightly to the west, 
 (see plate XXIII).* In the upper levels the vein had a comby struc- 
 ture; in the lower, it was stringy and scattered. The greater part of 
 the uderground work has been done in the north end of the vein, where 
 the ore proved more satisfactory ; not much stoping has been done 
 under the 250 foot level. In the lower levels the south end of the vein 
 ranged from 3 to 4 feet, with an ore seam approximating 2 feet ; in the 
 north level it was 24 to 30 inches wide, with an ore seam of 20 inches. 
 The filling of the vein is quartz, but barite is of frequent occurrence ; 
 the ore is iron pyrite with a little copper pyrite. 
 
 The ore is cobbed and sorted, the heavy sulphurets (1st class) being 
 treated to themselves ; the other portion (2d class) being stamped and 
 concentrated. The assays from this mine give the following : 
 
 gold ores, phcbnix mine, cabarrus county. 
 
 1st class ore. 2d class ores (182-85). 
 
 (181) (182) (183) (184) (185) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton 3 2-10 4-10 4-10 6-10 8-10 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton 1 trace. trace. trace. 35-100 
 
 The method followed here is chlorination, and a very complete plant 
 has gradually "been arranged for that purpose. The method appears to 
 be very successful, and a high percentage of the gold (90 to 95 per ct.) 
 is extracted, at an expense not exceeding $8 per ton of ore. The whole 
 establishment is a model of skillful and successful adaptation of famil- 
 iar methods. 
 
 Gold is probably more widely diffused in Mecklenburg county than in 
 any other county of the central part of the State.. As heretofore stated, 
 the productive area extends from the east edge of the granite and syenite 
 formation to its extreme western edge, instead of being confined to its 
 eastern half, as in the more northern part of this belt. In this area of 
 30 by 20 miles are well nigh 100 mines,f which have at some time or 
 other been worked profitably. 
 
 * This map, together with most of the data, have been furnished by the Superin- 
 tendent of the mine, A. Theis. 
 
 ■(•The term "mine" is not here used in the sense of " claims" or " allotments" of a 
 few feet, but rather in the sense of entire veins, most of them having a length of 
 several hundred feet each.— G. B. H. 
 
286 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The general consideration given on pages 275-78 will explain the 
 circumstances under which they were worked, and why so many have 
 been abandoned. About a dozen of these mines are now worked, but 
 only 2 or 3 with any vigor. 
 
 The great number of these localities forbid a full description of each. 
 Only those at work, or which are considered the more important, can 
 be described in the limited space of this report. To a great extent 
 they are capable of being grouped into smaller districts — into neigh- 
 borhoods preeminently mineral. 
 
 The vicinity of Charlotte is one of these mineral districts, and around 
 it on all sides are mines, among them the following: Davidson, Blake, 
 Point, Parks, Clark, St. Catherine, Rudisil, Smith & Palmer, McDonald, 
 F. Wilson, Howell, Trotter, Carson, Taylor, Icenhour (Icyhour), and 
 some others unknown to the general public, or unnamed. 
 
 A second group is found 5 to 10 miles west and northwest of Char- 
 lotte, embracing the Hayes, McGee, Brawley, Frazer, Hipp, Campbell, 
 Todd, Arlington, Capps, McGinn, Stephen Wilson, Trautman, Prim, 
 Abernathy, Alexander (Chapman), Dunn, Sloan, McCorkle, Cathey, 
 with several others too inconspicuous to mention. 
 
 A third group is found around the Ferris (Faires) 6 miles north of 
 Charlotte. 
 
 Still another group is found in Providence township, and about Sar- 
 dis church, some 5 to 10 miles southeast and east of Charlotte; among 
 others the Hunter Mine (2 veins), Tredinick and Ray (3 veins). 
 
 The Pioneer Mills group of mines in Cabarrus county extends into 
 the northeast part of Mecklenburg. Most of these mines have been 
 already mentioned ; others are the Johnson, Stinson, Maxwell, Black 
 and Harris. 
 
 Other mines on the extreme eastern edge of the county are in the 
 " slate belt," and do not need to be noticed here. 
 
 The description of these localities will' in certain respects follow the 
 groups above outlined, though most of the mines of the county have 
 the same general characteristics. 
 
 Davidson Hill Mines. — Davidson Hill, 1 mile west of Charlotte, has 
 
 3 mines, covering a ridge J mile long. The south end or the Davidson 
 mine proper has been worked to a depth of 80 feet; the A'ein was 3 to 
 
 4 feet wide, and the ores were reputed good. 
 
 The Point Mine, at the north end, is now operated to a depth of 160 
 feet. The various levels have opened up sufficiently large bodies*of 
 
GOLD ORES. 287 
 
 ore to keep a 10-stamp mill employed during the greater part of the 
 time. The peroxidized ores extend much deeper in this mine than is 
 usual in this region. 
 
 Rudisil Mine. — The Rudisil and the St. Catherine mines are respec- 
 tively in the south and the north part of the same vein; the former is 
 one mile, and the latter one-half mile south of Charlotte. They have 
 been worked to greater depths than any other mines of this belt. The 
 bodies of ore in both mines, nearer the surface, lie in slates,* which 
 approximate in places to a hundred feet in thickness. These slates are 
 both argillaceous and chloritic, and everywhere siliceous, and are fre- 
 quently replaced by layers of quartz with ore. They are generally 
 finely laminated, and for the most part regular in thickness. 
 
 At the depth of 200 feet or more the slaty character becomes less 
 evident, and ultimately to a great extent disappears and seems to give 
 place to the country rock. The country varies considerably, and pre- 
 sents several lithological problems that cannot be discusssed here. 
 The rock of both walls is crystalline, and generally syenite and 
 massive, but in places somewhat chloritic and schistose in struc- 
 ture. 
 
 The strike of the vein approximates N. 30° E. ; the dip is north- 
 westerly, nearly 45°. 
 
 At the outset, and to the depth of something more than 100 feet, 2 
 bodies of ore (or " veins ") were recognized — the " back vein " and the 
 " front vein," but the intervening mass of slate frequently carried sub- 
 ordinate bodies of ore ("veins"). The two ore bodies (front and back 
 " veins ") vary considerably in width — from 2 to 4, and sometimes 6 
 feet. There seemed to be a tendency for these to come together as they 
 descend, and at the depth of 200 feet the vein appeared more consoli- 
 dated. 
 
 The ore was carried in'pockets in the slates (or schists), and in great 
 abundance, so that for many years the mine was very prosperous. At 
 the surface, and to a considerable depth, the mine material was the 
 rich and easily treated brown ore of the region. 
 
 The zone below water level carried iron pyrite with a little copper 
 pyrite ; and the ore was scattered somewhat through a slaty and quartz- 
 ose gangue, being less "pockety" than that above the water line. The 
 
 * Emmons' Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina, 1856, p. 176. 
 
288 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 assays for this zone as a rule showed material of only moderate value. 
 At the 200 foot level the peroxides have mostly disappeared, and with 
 them largely the free gold,. though both are present in some proportion- 
 to the lowest level — 350 feet below the surface (See plate No. XXIV.) 
 At greater depths the sulphurets were scattered thinly through a quartz- 
 ose and somewhat slaty gangue, or in narrow seams, or concentrates in 
 large, wide and rich shoots of nearly solid sulphurets. An inspection 
 of the plate will show the position of these shoots — 3 in number. As 
 regards the northern shoot neither the point of origin nor its charac- 
 ter are matters of record ; it is not known above the 130 foot level. 
 
 The south and the middle ("Burnt Shaft") shoots began just above 
 the 130 foot level in narrow threads, and expanded both in width and 
 in length at greater depths. Neither the north nor the middle. shoots 
 have been followed below the 192 foot level to any extent, though 
 slightly explored from the 250 foot level. The north shoot increased 
 from a mere seam to 5 feet in thickness, and had a length in the direc- 
 tion of the vein, varying from 30 to 50 feet. The material of this 
 shoot was a high grade sulphuret, but not the best that the mine has 
 furnished. The middle shoot increased in the same way to be 8 feet 
 thick, extending longitudinally from 10 to 50 feet ; the grade of ore is 
 believed to have been somewhat higher than that of the north shoot. 
 
 It was, however, to the Big shoot (South shoot) that the mine has in 
 recent years owed its reputation. It commenced like the middle shoot 
 almost in a point, and gradually widened and lengthened with a slight 
 south pitch of its own in the vein, till it became in places 15 feet thick, 
 and 100 feet long; its ends were not abruptly marked off from the 
 adjacent vein or from the " country," but passed gradually into mine 
 material comparatively barren, or into "country" quite worthless. 
 
 The contents of the shoots, as a whole, were compact iron pyrite with 
 a very little copper pyrite, and some quartz, which latter was, however, 
 for the most part readily cobbed out. This ore was uniformly of high 
 grade, entire shipments sometimes ranging as high as $180 per ton. 
 (See assays Nos. 196, 197, 198). 
 
 This shoot extended down a little below the 300 foot level, but in the 
 350 foot level it has never been found. There has been much specula- 
 tion about it, and opinions have varied as to whether it had disap- 
 peared altogether, or was simply " thrown " from its normal position by 
 one of the many deflections of the vein from its direct course. 
 
 It may be added in conclusion, that the so-called barren parts of the 
 
GEOLOGY OF N. C. 
 
 PLATE XXIV. 
 
 •73 
 
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GEOLOGY OF N. C. 
 
 PLATE XXV. 
 
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GOLD ORES. 289 
 
 Vein bear pyrites scattered through the quartz or slate, or carried in 
 seams, and most of it is quite capable of being treated, in the present 
 condition of the ore market, by a preliminary cobbing, which separates 
 the massive pyrites for a smelting treatment, and at the same time 
 prepares the lowest grade material for battery amalgamation, and sub- 
 sequent concentration. This mode will be spoken of in more detail 
 under the head of the St. Catherine Mine. 
 
 The following assays show the character of the material from this 
 mine: 
 
 ASSAYS OF OEE, TAILINGS, &C, RUDISIL MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (186) (187) (188) (189) (190) (191) (192) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton 2 1-5 145-100 1 17-10 3 1-4 2 9-10 45-100 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton . ..trace. 15-100 1-10 5-10 88-100 134-100 193-100 
 
 (193) (194) fl95) (196) (197) (198) (199) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton... .17-10 12-10 2 6-10 11 8 6 1-10 6-10 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton.... 74-100 trace. 2 1-4 132-100 35-100 73-100 trace. 
 
 (200) (201) (202 (203) (204) (205) (206) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton . . . 3-10 3 6-10 4 13-4 1 5-10 1 34-100 3 1-2 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton trace. trace, trace. 1-10 trace. trace. trace. 
 
 Assays Nos. 188, 192, 199 and 200, represent pyrites scattered in its 
 gangue. 
 
 Assays Nos. 187, 189, 193, 194, 203, 204, 205, represent second class 
 ore. 
 
 Assays Nos. 186, 201, 206, represent low first class ore. 
 
 Assays Nos. 196, 197, 198, represent first class cobbed sulphurets. 
 
 Assays Nos. 190, 191, 195, represent concentrated tailings. 
 
 St. Catherine Mine. — This mine is located in the northeast extension 
 of the Rudisil lode, ,the two points operated being i mile apart. The 
 region intervening between the two mines has been more or less pros- 
 pected, but as yet nothing of much importance has been found (in the 
 comparatively superficial work done), which promised well for deeper 
 operations. Both mines have the same general features, and agree in 
 course and dip. 
 
 The St. Catherine (formerly the Charlotte) is somewhat deeper than 
 the Rudisil, having reached the depth of 460 feet (155 feet vertical, and 
 305 underlay — equivalent to a vertical depth of 370 feet). Plate No. 
 XX V shows the important points to be noted in underground works. 
 The shallower deposits resemble those of the Rudisil. More care has 
 
290 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 been taken in locating and mapping the bodies of ore in this part of 
 the mine than in the lower portions, as will be seen by reference to the 
 plate. Below the 255 foot level, the surveys have not yet been coordi- 
 nated, and no attempt has been made to give more than an outline 
 sketch of the lowest underground works. 
 
 In the lower depth the vein does not seem to be well consolidated, 
 and the geology is very perplexing. The dike (or what is so-called) in 
 the country of the hanging wall has disturbed the deposits. No large 
 chimneys of solid high grade ore have been found below 250 feet, but 
 there are below this point several very large shoots of low grade ore 
 quite suitable for milling and concentrating, notably the ore body 
 worked from the pump shaft and between the depths of 200 and 370 
 feet, below which point it has not yet been removed. This body had 
 the extraordinary width of from 4 to more than 60 feet. The occur- 
 rence may be briefly stated as a series of obscurely parallel seams of 
 slate, between which are ,bodies of ore 2 to 6 feet in thickness, more or 
 less mixed with quartz. A like occurrence on the 450 foot level is also 
 worthy of mention, and this fact has led even experienced mining 
 engineers to regard the vein as a bedded one. 
 
 At the depth of 275 feet the foot wall begins to fall back to the east- 
 ward from its normal position, and at the depth of 370 feet it is found 
 fully 68 feet further back (to the eastward) of the position it would have 
 occupied had its regular course been maintained. At the same point 
 from which the foot wall began to recede, the ore body abruptly turned 
 from its course of 45° horizontally westward, and so continued for 
 some distance, when it began to curve gradually downward. Its rela- 
 tions with the lower bodies have not yet been established. Some bodies 
 of ore on the 450 foot level lie so far in advance (westward) of the foot 
 wall as to suggest a connection. 
 
 It is much to be regretted that the surveys and details of the lower 
 work are not collated sufficiently to allow of a careful discussion, but 
 it is impossible at the present time to give more than very general 
 statements. 
 
 The cross vein (N. W. and S. E. vein) has been examined from the 
 155 foot level for a distance along the vein of 100 feet. The ores were 
 found to be not so good as those of the main vein. 
 
 Reserves sufficient for 2 years' work are at command, and the policy 
 of the manager, Mr. Gr. W. Pitcher, has been at all times to keep well 
 ahead of present needs. The method of treatment is by battery, amal- 
 
GOLD ORES. 291 
 
 gamation, etc., and concentration of the sulphurets; and the work is 
 carefully arranged with reference to that end, by a preliminary cobbing, 
 which separates out the massive pyrites (A) and lean ore (B — material 
 for the stamp battery, or other mill); the free gold (C) is caught in the 
 battery, or on plates in the customary mode of amalgamation, and the 
 tailings led directly to the concentrating apparatus (Frue Vanners); 
 and the fine pyrites (with a little unamalgamable gold) are concen- 
 trated out (D). The final products are : 
 
 A, cobbed pyrites for smelting; C, gold; and D, pyrites concentrated 
 for smelting. 
 
 The proportion of A to the whole material mined (except when near 
 a rich chimney) is very small — probably not more than 2 or 3 per cent. 
 In the common run of mining and milling practice it requires 10 to 
 15 tons of ordinary quartz to make 1 ton of concentrates, which may 
 ordinarily contain from 80 to 90 per cent of sulphurets. It is worthy 
 of remark that the concentrates, however high the per cent, of sulphu- 
 rets, rarely contain as much gold per ton as cobbed ore of the same 
 richness in sulphurets. The variation in values of the cobbed ores and 
 sulphurets is very considerable. 
 
 The following assays will show the range in character and value of 
 the ores of this mine : 
 
 GOLD ORES, ST. CATHERINE MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (207) (208) (209) (210) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 13-10 19-10 2 3-4 5 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 55-100 9-20 3-10 68-100 
 
 (211) (212) (213) (214) (215) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 1 2-10 1 7-10 16-10 1 7-10 2 525-1000 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 1-8 88-100 trace. 22-100 43-100 
 
 (216) (217) (218) (219) (220) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 3 6-10 2 6-10 4 6-10 5 1-4 8 775-1000 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton .. . 3-10 trace. 32-100 trace. trace. 
 
 (221) (222) (223) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton ..1 95-100 3 2-10 6 45-100 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 85-100 95-100 95-100 
 
 Assays Nos. 207, 208, 209 and 210, above, are of the brown ore. 
 Assay No. 211 indicates the value of the quartz with disseminated 
 pyrites. 
 Assays Nos. 212, 213 and 214 are of second first class ore. 
 Assays Nos. 215, 216 and 217 are of low first class ore. 
 
292 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Assays Nos. 218, 219 and 220 are of cobbed first class ore. 
 
 Assays Nos. 221, 222 and 223 are of concentrates. 
 
 The Clark Mine. — The Clark Mine is in Mecklenburg county, 2J 
 miles west of Charlotte. There appear to be 2 vein systems here, one 
 lying approximately northeast and southwest, and the other (and the 
 last worked) nearly east and west, both with a steep dip southward. 
 The northeast and southwest system was worked to a depth of 70 feet 
 and from the line of pits the inference is reasonable that it must have 
 been worked along the line of the vein for a distance of about 1,200 
 feet. It is alleged that this part of the mine was abandoned on account 
 of flooding by water. 
 
 Assays of the ore from this vein give the following results : 
 
 GOLD ORES, N. E. AND S. W. VEIN (224-226), AND E. AND W. VEIN (227), CLARK MINE. 
 
 (224) (225) (226) (227) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 1-4 11-2 7 1-10 80-100 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. 94-100 22-100 trace. 
 
 The second vein system alluded to was worked to a depth of 78 feet 
 in 1885, but the results were not satisfactory. In the 72 foot level; 
 three bodies of low grade brown ore (in slate or in quartz) were found 
 within a space of a little less than 25 feet, which measured respectively, 
 2 feet 4 inches, 7 feet, and 7 to 12 inches; this last ore body ("vein") was 
 the only one rich enough to work, a strictly average sample of its ore 
 giving $16.56 per ton. Too little work was done to ascertain the values 
 of the other ore bodies. The assays were not large (see assay No. 227 
 above) but from analogies elsewhere it is not unreasonable to suppose 
 that they might improve to furnish fair working material. 
 
 The Parks Mine is 1 mile northeast of Charlotte. In its working no 
 great depth has been attained ; the ore body is well reputed. 
 
 The Smith and Palmer Mine, 1 mile south of Charlotte, is in the 
 B/udisil neighborhood. It is a mooted point whether the vein be an 
 extension of the Rudisil, or a parallel body. Its strike in N. 30° E., 
 and the dip about 50° westerly. A line of pits indicates vein matter 
 for something more than 500 feet ; the deepest shaft yet sunk is about 
 75 feet deep ; the known width of the vein is 2 to 4 feet. 
 
 Assays of the ore give the following results : 
 
 GOLD ORE, SMITH AND PALMER MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (228) (229) (230) (231) (232) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 1-4 3-4 3-4 1-4 7 2-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton .trace. trace. 2-10 3-10 7-10 
 
GOLD ORES. 293 
 
 Two other veins in the neighborhood deserve mention in this con- 
 nection, the Frank Wilson and the McDonald ; the former has hardly- 
 been touched ; the latter has been worked to a moderate depth, but no 
 record of the work has been preserved ; both properties are thought 
 well of. 
 
 The Howell Mine is believed to be in the south extension of the 
 Rudisil ; it has been worked to a depth of 32 feet, and something more 
 than 50 feet of levels have been driven. The vein is 2 to 4 feet wide. 
 The brown ores assay $5.64 to $13.78 per ton, and the sulphurets $38.53 
 to $77.06. 
 
 The Taylor Mine is 3 miles southwest of Charlotte, and the Icenhour 
 (Icyhour) is still further in the same direction. Each of these has been 
 worked for a distance of about 400 feet along the vein, and to a very 
 moderate depth. Their ores are quartzose and cellular brown ores, of 
 good grade. 
 
 The Trotter Mine is 3 miles southwest of Charlotte, and its vein is cut 
 by the Air Line (Charlotte and Atlanta) railroad. It has been pros- 
 pected nearly 450 feet in length, and worked 70 feet in depth ; it has 
 given some fine bodies of rich ores. 
 
 Of the mines of the second group mentioned on page 286 only a part 
 have been the scene of any marked activity, but the whole neighbor- 
 hood has a high reputation. 
 
 The Brawley Mine, 4 miles west of Charlotte, has been a very decep- 
 tive one. Its surface has been very productive, and the quantity of 
 rich "float" quartz has been quite large, but all efforts to find a vein 
 have proved abortive ; the work thus far done there would indicate 
 that the surface is a net work of quartz seams, as at the Parker or the 
 Shuford Hill mines. 
 
 The Frazer Mine has been sunk to a depth of about 100 feet; the vein 
 is 1 to 3 feet wide and the ores good. 
 
 The Todd Mine, 1 mile southwest of the above, has 2, and possibly 3, 
 veins. The vein on which the greater part of the work has thus far 
 been done is nearly an east and west vein, with a dip southward of 
 45°. This vein has been penetrated to a depth of 80 feet, and explored 
 by levels. The north and south vein had been but slightly exam- 
 ined at the time of this writing. The ores of these veins are brown ores, 
 quartz and sulphurets. 
 
 The Arlington Mine is 6 miles west of Charlotte. It was worked to a 
 
294 GEOLOGY OP NOKTH CAROLINA. 
 
 depth of a little more than 100 feet in 1883, but the result was far from 
 satisfactory. The outcrop is very prominent and large, but very poor, 
 and the bodies of ore opened up in depth were not regarded as favora- 
 ble. The merits of the mine, such as they were, were obscured for pur- 
 poses of stock speculation, and the operations ended disastrously. 
 
 The Stephen Wilson Mine is in Mecklenburg county, 9 miles west of 
 Charlotte. It has 10 well-defined veins, on a tract of 340 acres. Of 
 these only two have been worked — the veins known as No. 2 and No. 
 3. Both of these have a strike nearly east and west, and dip south- 
 ward,— No. 2 from 26° to 45°, and No. 3 a little more steeply. No. 2 
 vein is from 2 to 3 feet wide ; it was entered by an underlay shaft to a 
 depth (on the incline) of 400 feet, and 4 levels run. The mine mate- 
 rial consisted of brown ores, iron and copper pyrite. Some very rich 
 ores have been mined. Assays of the ores give the following results : 
 
 GOLD ORBS, STEPHEN WILSON MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 (233) (234) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton 2 478-1000 4-100 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton.... 68-100 20-100 
 
 The Capps Mine. — This mine is in Mecklenburg county, 5J miles 
 northwest from Charlotte, between the Rozzel's Ferry and the Beattie's 
 Ford roads. It is one of a group of veins closely united, of which two 
 are covergent [the Jane (McGinn gold vein) and the Capps.J By the 
 accident of different ownerships, they have been for the most part sep- 
 arately and differently developed. The Capps vein has a strike N. 30° 
 to 35° W., and a dip westerly, with some variations, of about 40°. The 
 Jane vein runs N. 40° to N. 60° E., and has a very steep pitch eastward. 
 It is not certain that the actual intersection of these veins has been found. 
 The Capps vein has an ascertained length of nearly 3,000 feet, and the 
 Jane probably fully as much. 
 
 As the development of these two veins has been separate, the de- 
 scription will follow the course of the work. 
 
 The sketch on the next page shows the relative position of the veins, 
 properties, shafts, and worked areas. It shows also the position and 
 relations of the McGinn Copper vein already described (page 209). 
 
 (235) 
 
 (236) 
 
 (237) 
 
 (238) 
 
 12-10 
 
 4 6-10 
 
 7 50-100 
 
 16 675-1000 
 
 7-10 
 
 19-10 
 
 1 2-100 
 
 1 
 
GOLD ORES. 
 
 295 
 
 'Oldfknman Skatt. 
 
 CAPPS AND M'GINN MINING TEACTS, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 [Scale: 1 inch to 75 rods.] 
 
 The later work on the Capps has been restricted, and finally stopped, 
 from legal considerations, but the earlier work extended very nearly 
 along the line of the outcrop of the entire vein — 2,000 to 3,000 feet — 
 and was carried to such depths as to disclose clearly the character of 
 the outcrop ; at points where the ore proved to be exceptionally abun- 
 dant and valuable, operations were extended much deeper. There is 
 perhaps no vein in the whole section which shows such extensive pros- 
 pecting on the surface, and bears all the appearance of having been 
 highly remunerative. 
 
 It is much to be regretted that there are such scanty records of the 
 earlier work, and of the characteristics of the veins and deposits ; the 
 outcrop of the vein at many points still shows a width of 20 to 25 feet, 
 and the debris everywhere indicates a very wide vein. 
 
 The ores near the surface are the customary soft peroxidized ores 
 
296 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 (brown ores) of the section, with quartz, and are generally free-milling ; 
 the ore was not uniformly disseminated in the quartz, but generally 
 occurred in layers, sometimes near the hanging wall, sometimes near 
 the foot wall. At greater depths sulphurets of iron (and to a small 
 extent, of copper), together with quartz, are found; nevertheless, at 
 the depth of 130 feet there is still much brown ore. 
 
 The work has never yet been prosecuted to any great depth, — at the 
 Gooch shaft 70 feet, at the Bissell 130, and at the Penman 65 feet. 
 
 The filling of this vein is quartz; its width is not known, for no 
 systematic work has ever been undertaken to find the walls; it cannot 
 be less than 20 feet, and possibly is considerably more. 
 
 The separation of the veins from the walls is not always sharp and 
 definite, and occasionally, where what was supposed to be the hanging 
 wall had been reached, another and valuable parallel body of ore is 
 found still further beyond, which ultimately comes back to the main 
 vein. 
 
 There are also " cross courses," which may prove to be veins, leading 
 into the main vein nearly at right angles. One of the most conspicu- 
 ous and valuable of these is found in the 130 foot level, at the distance 
 of 225 feet southeast of the Bissell, and about one-half way between the. 
 Bissell and Manney shafts. It received temporarily the name of the 
 " East and West vein," for want of certain data as to its relations to the 
 main vein. This body departs abruptly from the main vein easterly 
 and towards the Jane vein, and has been followed in that course 120 
 feet, and almost every foot of the vein material was ore. The width of 
 this deposit could not have been much less than 18 to 24 inches, and 
 the ore was of more than average value. 
 
 A few feet further north there is a similar cross-course or body of ore, 
 but so far as explored it was not so valuable as the " East and West 
 vein." 
 
 The Capps Mine has been noted for the amount of ore it could fur- 
 nish, and for the superior grade of its ore. There are four well known 
 bodies of ore. The first of these is near the Gooch shaft, toward the 
 south end of the mine, and from the 78 foot level downward ; it yields 
 largely brown ore with some sulphurets, and seems to improve in char- 
 acter going south. 
 
 The second body is in the 78 foot level from the Manney shaft; not 
 much can be said with precision respecting the value of this ore, though 
 
GOLD ORES. 297 
 
 the upper part of the body toward the surface yielded an ore of high 
 value. 
 
 A third and very large ore body was worked out through the Bissell 
 shaft to the depth of 90 feet. The entire length of this level is 300 
 feet, of which 200 feet are to the, north, and 100 feet to the south of 
 the shaft; the whole of this distance is ore, free-milling to a great 
 extent above, but more and more sulphuretted below ; it has never yet 
 been extirely extracted above the 90 foot level, but the best part of it 
 has been stoped out. Below the 90 foot level the ore has not been stoped 
 out at all, except as it was necessarj' to remove it in running the levels. 
 The body has been explored by a few winzes run downward toward 
 the 130 foot level. Its connection with the large body developed in 
 the 130 foot level has not yet been established conclusively, but there 
 seemed to be little doubt from its position and character that there is 
 such a connection. This body in the 130 foot level is found at a point 
 125 feet south of the Bissell shaft, and extends north as far as the 
 work has been prosecuted. The shoot cannot be less than 200 feet 
 long, and judging from the 90 foot level, it may be 300 feet. The 
 assays of ore from it are as follows : 
 
 GOLD OKES, THIRD ORE BODY, CAPPS MINE, MECKXENBUG COUNTY. 
 
 (239) (240) (241) (242) (243) (244) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton 11-4 867-1000 567-1000 3-4 2 4-10 6 4-10 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton 1-10 107-1000 trace. 1-4 3-4 65-100 
 
 Assay No. 240 is a strict average of a large body of ore from this level. 
 
 A fourth body is found in the bottom of the Penman shaft, 335 feet 
 north of the Bissell. The stopings north of the inclined shaft are very 
 extensive and reach to its bottom; the ore body could not have been 
 less than 3 feet thick on an average, and rose in one place to be 8 feet ; 
 a very little good ore is still to be seen at the bottom. 
 
 The deposit in this part of the mine is comparatively shallow, and 
 is, and will remain for some time, free-milling. The facts recited will 
 justify the expectation of large and valuable bodies of ore at still greater 
 depths. 
 
 Tha't part of the Jane vein on the Capps mining tract was worked 
 in part from the Isabella shaft to a depth of 160 feet. There is no 
 record of the value of the ore body at this point; common report speaks 
 well of it, but admits the refractory character of the ore. 
 
298 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 McGinn Mine. — The sketch map given above (page 295) shows on the 
 McGinn mining tract three veins, of which one has never been explored, 
 the second is the Jane vein, and the third is the " copper vein," already 
 described (see page 209 and plate XXVI). 
 
 The Jane vein has been worked from various points, and especially 
 from the Engine shaft (150 feet) at which point all of the readily acces- 
 sible ore bodies above the 150 foot level have been extracted. 
 
 The appearance and relations of the veins and of the ore bodies are 
 shown in the sections on plate XXVI.* A glance at this plate will 
 show an ore body not much less than 35 feet wide at points, and at the 
 same time will disclose in the clearest manner some of the character- 
 istics of the vein structure, which are common to this and to other 
 mines. 
 
 The following assays show the quality of the ore : 
 
 GOLD ORES, MCGINN MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (245) (246) (247) (248) (249) (250) (251) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton 1-4 525-1000 1-10 13-8 11-8 4 8-10 5 5-10 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton 135-100 128-100 93-100 23-100 23-100 55-100 6-10 
 
 Copper, per cent 4.55 8.05 
 
 The Cathey Mine has been alluded to under the head of copper (page 
 209). 
 
 2he Alexander or Chapman Mine is 8 miles northwest of Charlotte, 
 near the Rozzel's Ferry road. It has been worked to a depth of 65 feet, 
 and levels run about 75 feet both to the north and the south. The 
 filling of the veins is quartz, everywhere charged with brown ore, and 
 in the lower works with sulphurets and kidney ore. The vein varies 
 in width from 2 to 6 feet. Assays of the ore give the following : 
 
 GOLD ORES, ALEXANDER MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (252) (253) (254) (255) (256) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton 2-10 1 17-10 115-100 11-10 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton .... trace. 57-100 85-100 1 
 
 The Dunn Mine is in. Mecklenburg county, 2 miles further northwest 
 from the Alexander mine toward Rozzel's ferry, and is on the west side 
 of Long creek. It was the first mine discovered in the county, and not 
 
 * I am under obligations to E. Motz, a former superintendent, for these drawings. 
 — G. B. H. 
 
GOLD ORKS. 299 
 
 long after the finding of the nuggets at the Reed Mine in Cabarrus 
 county. Curious stories are current in the neighborhood of the ignoble 
 uses to which these nuggets were put before their character and value 
 were determined. The " East vein" was the first to be mined, but the 
 ore soon changed to copper pyrites, which, though auriferous, proved 
 to be too refractory to be treated by the methods then in vogue, and 
 the vein was abandoned after working to a depth of 20 feet. Above 
 this point the ores were mostly peroxidized. This vein is 6 to 12 
 inches wide; its course is nearly north and south, and its dip west. 
 
 The deposit which has been most' largely worked is known as the 
 Main vein — a body of slates bearing northeast and southwest, and dip- 
 ping southeast at an angle of nearly 45°. This body of slates extends 
 across the property for a distance of I mile along its outcrop. It con- 
 tains bodies of quartz and brown ores (iucluding a very hard red 
 hematite, more nearly resembling specular iron), cellular quartzose 
 ores, and a compact pyrites, including some copper pyrite. Another 
 "vein" is found 50 feet back of this, but the sections indicate that the 
 whole is one body, with a front and a back seam of ore, and not prop- 
 erly two veins. The appearance at the 60 foot level, where three bodies 
 of ore are seen within a few feet of each other, gives strength to this 
 view, that they are subordinate seams of the same vein, and makes it 
 a not unreasonable supposition that they may combine in depth to 
 form one ore body. The contents of these top ores is shown in assays 
 Nos. 257 to 260, below. 
 
 The underground work consists of a shaft 60 feet deep, and a second 
 shaft of 90 feet, which is considerably to the east of the veins; a level 
 has been driven from the bottom of this shaft to meet the veins, but 
 has not intersected them at the time of this writing. The 60 foot shaft 
 is connected with the 90 foot shaft by a level (the 60 foot level) across 
 the formation. Three if not four parallel bodies of ore are cut across 
 by this level. These bodies are composed of quartzitic slates, varying 
 from 3 to 5 feet each in thickness, and with an aggregate thickness of 
 not less than 12 feet. No drifting had been done on these parallel bodies, 
 and their character and strength is not known ; nor had any sampling 
 or assaying been done when this mine was examined, as the ore bodies 
 had just been cut by the underground works, but they appeared to be 
 of fair grade and value. Should this character and strength of the 
 ore bodies be maintained, there can be no doubt of a large amount of 
 ore at command for the constant work of the 10-stamp battery. 
 
 12 
 
300 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The following assays (Nos. 257-60) are of ores from the upper por- 
 tions of the mine. Assay No. 261 represents the sulphurets: 
 
 GOLD ORES, DUNN MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (257) (258) (259) (260) (261) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton... .1-2 2-5 14-10 6 214-1000 1266-1000 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace, trace. 15-10 trace. trace. 
 
 Henderson Mine. — This mine is in Mecklenburg county, 7 miles 
 northeast from Charlotte. The new shaft has reached a depth of 90 
 feet, and three bodies of ore have been prospected from it. The longi- 
 tudinal extent of these bodies has not yet been ascertained ; they vary 
 in width from 1J to 4 feet. In the lower works, the sulphurets, more 
 or less altered, is the mine material, but the brown ores have not yet 
 disappeared. The assays have shown the ores to be of good grade, as 
 follows : 
 
 GOLD ORES, HENDERSON MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (262) ' (263) (264) (265) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 675-1000 2 6-10 3 1-10 31-2 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 38-100 15-100 55-100 48-100 
 
 The Ferris (Faires) Mine. — This is located in Mecklenburg county, 6 
 miles north of Chariot' e. There are two veins on this tract, and a 
 third on an adjoining tract, which has been worked in connection with 
 this tract, and held with it, practically. The two veins first mentioned 
 are believed to unite toward the south, and to form the third vein 
 alluded to. 
 
 '} he "North " vein has been worked most extensively; little is now 
 known of the " South" vein, which is 300 to 400 feet southwest of the 
 former. The strike of this vein is N. 25° W., and its dip about 45° 
 southward; the vein is 2 to 7 feet wide, and has a pay seam varying 
 in width from 18 inches to 4 feet. Neither the geology nor the lithol- 
 •Ogy differs much from that of other veins of this section. The rich 
 brown ores of the upper levels give place to sulphurets, which, at the 
 depth of the 90 foot level, are quite compact. The mine carries rather 
 
GOLD ORES. 
 
 301 
 
 more copper pyrites than is usual in such mines. The following assays 
 show the character and value of the ores: 
 
 FERRIS MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 BROWN ORES (266-70). 
 
 • (266) (267) (268) (269) (270) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton.. 65-100 195-100 5 4-10 6 1-10 14-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 2 17-100 3 65-100 trace. 199-100 trace. 
 
 SULPHURETS (271-74). 
 
 (271) (272) (273) (274) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 9-10 3 1-2 1 95-100' 24 5-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 14-10 trace. 3 65-100 5 82-100 
 
 Copper, per ct. per ton 14.23 13.66 
 
 The Henderson tract vein (Vein No 3) shows a large outcrop, but 
 the ore is not so promising as that on the adjoining Ferris tract. 
 Assays of ore give the following: 
 
 GOLD ORE, HENDERSON TRACT VEIN, MECKLENBURG COUNTY.- 
 
 GOSSAN. KIDNEY ORE. 
 
 (275) (276) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton , 1-4 2 6-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. trace. 
 
 Other mines in this group are the Alexander, northwest of the Fer- 
 ris, the Nolan and the Caldwell. 
 
 The Hunter group of mines is 5 miles southeast from Charlotte, and 
 near Sardis church. There are here two well-known veins, and out- 
 croppings of several others. There is no record of the amount of 
 work done in either, nor of the extent of the ore bodies. Recent ex- 
 plorations show a small amount of ore still accessible, which assays as 
 follows : 
 
 GOLD ORES, HUNTER MINES, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (277) (278) (279) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton .1 11-10 2 15-100 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. trace. 13-100 
 
 The Trediwick Mine is 7 miles southeast from Charlotte. It has been 
 prospected to a depth of 80 feet, and for a length of '200 to 300 feet. 
 The vein is 1 to 2 feet wide, and carries a relatively large amount of 
 copper minerals. 
 
302 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Baltimore and North Carolina Mining Company's Mine. — This property 
 is located in Mecklenburg county, 9 to 9J miles southeast from Char- 
 lotte, and within one mile of Mathews. It comprises 360 acres of land, 
 on which there are five veins, with an aggregate length of about 4 
 miles. The south vein has been worked to a depth of 60 feet, and the 
 Phifer Grove vein to a depth of 40 feet. The miue material from both 
 was free milling brown ore. 
 
 The Ray vein, the best known of them all, is entered by 6 shafts; 
 the north shaft is 200 feet deep ; the 150 foot level has been driven 95 
 feet north, and the 200 foot level, at the time of this writing, has just 
 been started. The ore seam is 6 to 8 inches thick, and is filled with 
 nearly compact sulphurets. Most of the ore, down to the 120 foot level, 
 has been stoped o'ut. The levels from the southernmost shaft uncov- 
 ered a large and fine body of auriferous chalcopyrite, a mineral which 
 seems to be very generally present throughout the sulphurets, but is 
 concentrated in the southern part of the vein. The following assays 
 show the value of the ore from this vein : 
 
 GOLD ORE, RAY VEIN, BALTIMORE AND N. C. MINING CO.'S MINE. 
 
 (277) (278) (279) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 1 11-2 10 8-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton ..__ 1-4 3-4 3 
 
 There are other mines in Mecklenburg county that do not readily 
 lend themselves to any grouping. Of such the following may be given : 
 
 The Simpson Mine, in Clear Creek township, in Mecklenburg county, 
 10 miles southeast of Charlotte, has several veins, which yield quartz- 
 ose ores with little sulphurets. 
 
 The Black Mine, 10 miles east of Charlotte, has a small but very 
 rich vein of the finest variety of brown ore, assaying as follows : 
 
 BROWN ORE, BLACK MINE, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 
 
 (280) (2811 (383; 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 2 4-10 2 7-10 114-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 50-100 95-100 8-10 
 
 The Johnson, Stinson and Rhea Mines are east and southeast of Char- 
 lotte, from 7 to 9 miles distant. Too little is known of these mines to 
 warrant any exact description here. 
 
 The Maxwell Mine is in the same neighborhood as the above; the 
 vein has been worked to a depth of 75 feet, and has a width of 1 to 
 6 feet ; the ores are iron pyrites, in large masses. 
 
GOLD ORES. 303 
 
 The Harris Mine is 10 miles nearly east from Charlotte. The stretch 
 of mining property on which this mine is situated is known to have 
 some rich gravel. Surface Hill, one of these localities, is famous 'for 
 its rich nuggets, and occasional pockets of ore of extreme richness are 
 found there. The great difficulty in treating this locality lies in the 
 absence of a large supply of water. 
 
 On the farm of the Elliotte Brothers, 5 miles south of Charlotte, 
 there are several veins, but they have never been prospected to any 
 great extent. Rich auriferous chalcopyrite is found at several points. 
 
 On the farm of A. H. Hunter, at Huntersville, 16 miles north of 
 Charlotte, is a gold vein with a promising exposure. It has been ex- 
 plored to a depth of 23 feet, and found to carry some good ore. 
 
 The mines of Gaston county are for the most part in the gneissoid 
 formation, which extends, with the exception of a few narrow belts, to 
 the extreme western boundary of the State. 
 
 The Oliver Mine, in this county, is 12 miles northwest of Charlotte, 
 and on the west side of the Catawba River. It is believed to have 
 been among the earliest worked mines in the section, and there are 
 traditions of work here which was done prior to the Revolutionary 
 war. It has been worked for a distance of 100 yards, and yields in its 
 upper levels brown ores and cellular quartz; at the depth of 75 feet, 
 the sulphurets appear -in some quantity, and notably galenite, when 
 the ores are always richer in gold. 
 
 The Farrar Mine is J mile beyond the Oliver. 
 
 The Rhyne Mine is 17 miles west of Charlotte. 
 
 The Derr Mine is in the same neighborhood as the Rhyne. 
 
 The Rhodes Mine is in Gaston county, 18 miles southwest of Char- 
 lotte; it has been worked to a depth of 100 feet, and for a length of 300. 
 The mine is peculiar, in that the gold is found not in a vein, but in a 
 -bed of ferruginous, decomposed, schistose micaceous gneiss. Galenite 
 is occasionally found in the bed. 
 
 The Duffie Mine, Gaston county, is 16 miles west from Charlotte, on 
 the Tuckasegee Road. The vein is from 2 to 10 feet wide, and has 
 been worked to a depth of 110 feet, at which depth a very large body 
 
304 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 of sulphurets was found, but it was relatively of low grade. Assays 
 of the ore give the following : 
 
 GOLD ORBS, DUFFIE MINE, GASTON COUNTY. 
 
 (283) (284) (285) (286) (287) (288) (289) 
 
 Gold, ozs. per ton 2-10 65-100 238-1000 6-10 1-4 8-10 1-2 
 
 Silver, ozs. per ton trace. 50-100 198-100 51-100 58-100 45-100 7-10 
 
 The Robinson Mine adjoins the Duffle, and the ore is of a like char- 
 acter. 
 
 The Smith Mine is 13 miles west of Charlotte, and the Sam Beatiie 
 just to the south of the Smith. 
 
 The Long Greek property has 3 veins — the Long Creek, Dixon and 
 Asbury ; the latter of which had extraordinarily rich shoots of ore, 
 but the common run of ore, like that of other mines, is of relatively 
 low grade, as shown by most of the assays below : 
 
 GOLD ORES, LONG CREEK PROPERTY, GASTON COUNTY. 
 (290) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 8-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. 
 
 Sulphur, per cent 8.49 
 
 Sulphide of iron, per cent 41.7 57.6 
 
 The Asbury vein is 6 to 8 feet wide. It carries blende galenite[(in 
 depth), mispickel, iron and copper pyrite, carbonate of bismuth, etc. 
 
 The Burrell Wells Mine is 3J miles south of the Duffie. There are 
 here 4 veins, the deepest work on which is less than 50 feet. There is 
 still considerable placer gold on this property. 
 
 McLean's (Rumfeldts) Mine, in Gaston county, is 15 to 16 miles south- 
 west from Charlotte. It has been prospected probably for a length of 
 200 yards, and for a depth of 110 feet; the vein is 1 to 6 feet wide; 
 the ores are quartz, brown ore and iron pyrite. 
 
 Catawba (or King's Mountain) Mine. — This mine is in Gaston county, 
 1J miles nearly south of King's Mountain station, on the Atlanta and 
 Charlotte Air-Line Railroad. It is in the limestone belt, which forms 
 so prominent a feature of the geology of this section (see page 156). 
 It was discovered in 1834, and worked in a small way for some 30 
 years, when the present form of machinery was introduced. The gold 
 was first discovered in a branch, and in working up the branch to the 
 source of the gold the vein was uncovered. It was about 3 feet thick, 
 
 (291) 
 
 (292) 
 
 (293) 
 
 (294) 
 
 (295 (296) 
 
 2-10 
 
 3-4 
 
 1-2 
 
 1 1-20 
 
 3 4 
 
 trace. 
 
 trace. 
 
 trace. 
 
 22-100 
 
 3-4 1 1-10 
 
 30.22 
 
 ... 
 
 ... 
 
 
 
 .... 
 
GOLD ORES. 
 
 305 
 
 and contained sugary and cellular quartz, with brown ore. Much of 
 this gossan outcrop was too poor to work with profit, and -was left till 
 quite lately for treatment. At greater depth the ore body was found 
 to be limestone charged with a small percentage of sulphurets, (as 
 much as 3 per cent.), including a very small proportion of galenite, 
 and the very rare telluret of lead, (altaite). Nearly the whole forma- 
 tion is gold bearing. The auriferous mass is divided into two parts 
 (" veins "), separated by a thin seam of talco-chloritic schist, 6 to 24 
 inches thick, which occasionally dwindles to a mere parting, too thin 
 to notice. The entire formation, including the back and front " veins," 
 is in places 60 feet thick. The strike of the vein is approximately 
 northeast and southwest, and its dip about 45° west. 
 
 xnL. 
 
 
 ^Sr^-^--- 
 
 jfy*. 
 
 -3 fiicftandfon 
 
 
 CATAWBA (KING'S MOUNTAIN) MINE, GASTON COUNTY. 
 
 Vertical cross sections of the bedded vein at different points indicated on Fig. 4: 
 
 Fig. 1, the W. Richard's shaft (D); Fig. 2, Richardson (old) Engine shaft (B); 
 
 Fig. 3, New Engine and Pump shaft (A). Drawn from notes of Northey, Fidler 
 
 and others, by Geo. B. Hanna, January, 1883. 
 Scale: 200 feet to 1 inch. 
 The elevation of the surface of the ground at the mouth of the shaft at B (Fig. 4) is 
 
 35 feet below that of the shaft at A, and the surface at D is 5 feet below that 
 
 at A. 
 
 The front " vein " is regarded as the best, and the foot wall the richest 
 part of the front " vein." Assays Nos. 297 to 299 inclusive, show the 
 
306 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 progressive decrease in value from the foot wall of the front vein to 
 the hanging wall of the same, as follows: 
 
 GOLD ORB, FRONT "VEIN," CATAWBA MINE, GASTON COUNTY. 
 
 (297) (298) (299) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 205-1000 170-1000 8-1000 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton . . . 26-100 3-100 trace. 
 
 This front " vein " has generally an average width of 11 to 15 feet. 
 The back " vein " is thought to show more sulphurets, but it is not easy 
 to tell the difference between the two " veins" when they come together. 
 The limestone is impure, being very siliceous and highly magnesian. 
 The big chimney of ore, which gave the mine its reputation, had a 
 very well-defined pitch of its own in the vein, northward. 
 
 The great width of the ore bodies, the ease with which the ore is 
 mined and milled, and the small amount of sulphurets, combine to 
 make the treatment of even the low grade profitable. The mill at the 
 mine has now 40 stamps. During its past history the mine is said to 
 have yielded three-fourths of a million dollars. 
 
 Plate No. XXK 27 shows the details of the relative position of the 
 shafts and the extent of the underground work. 
 
 The following assays show the character of the ore: 
 
 GOLD ORE, CATAWBA MINE, GASTON COUNTY. 
 
 (300) (301 1 (302) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 6-10 1-4 15-100 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton 1 22-100 48-100 25-100 
 
 The Orowder's Mountain (Caledonia) Mine is four miles to the east of 
 the Catawba Mine, and on the east side of King's Mountain. It has 
 very large bodies of ore, but they are of low grade; not much is known 
 of their extent or value. 
 
 The Patterson Mine yields ore of a like character. It is in Gaston 
 county, \ mile northeast of the above. 
 
 There are no mines worked in Lincoln county at the present time. 
 Prominent among those which have been worked in the past are the 
 Hoke and the Burton. 
 
 The Hoke Mine, 4 miles from Lincolnton, has been opened to a depth 
 of 110 feet, and drifted upon for some length. 
 
 (303) 
 
 (304) 
 
 19-10 
 
 3 7-10 
 
 1 36-100 
 
 2 6-10 
 
GEOLOGY OP N. C. 
 
 PLATE XXVII. 
 
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GOLD OKES. 
 
 307 
 
 The. Graham 'Mine has been described in the section on Copper (page 
 221). 
 
 Shuford Mine. — In Catawba county, this is the only mine where, at 
 present, there is any semblance of mining. It is 4J miles slightly 
 south of east from Catawba station, on the W. N. C. Railroad, and 6 
 miles west of Sherrill's Ford. It is believed to be at an elevation of 400 
 feet above Catawba River. 
 
 The mining tract comprises 425 acres, but the workable portion of 
 this tract embraces only 20 acres. This latter area is covered with 
 auriferous quartz, and the soil is also auriferous. The underlying 
 schists or gneisses are penetrated by seams of auriferous quartz, which 
 run in every conceivable direction through the surface, but of veins, 
 in any just sense of that term, it may be doubted if there are any, 
 although some of the seams, 12 inches or so in thickness, have consid- 
 erable persistency in length or depth, and some general parallelism 
 with the gneisses. This mine seems to have a striking resemblance to 
 the Portis Mine in Nash county, the Parker in Stanly, and the Braw- 
 ley in Mecklenburg. The entire surface is of " pay " material. The 
 strike of these schists is N. 30° E. ; the dip is easterly. 
 
 This mine must be worked by the combined method of hydraulic 
 and mill treatment. The supply of water is always the most impor- 
 tant consideration in work of this nature ; and at the Shuford the sup- 
 ply is not large. The last work was given to the exploration of the 
 seams in depth. 
 
 The A. D. Shuford Mine, £ mile southeast of the above, is also a placer 
 mine. 
 
 In the gneissoid formation in Davie county there are several local- 
 ities where gold has either been mined or found in some quantity. No 
 attention whatever has been given to the mineral resources of this 
 county either by residents or by outside visitors, and in consequence 
 it is naturally looked upon as a county destitute of mineral wealth. A 
 half-a-dozen names^make up the list of known mineral localities. 
 
 The Butler (or County Line) Mine is 8 miles southwest of Mocksville. 
 No work is being carried on there at present. The ore deposits are 
 reputed to be large, but of low grade. 
 
 Callahan Mountain was worked a generation ago, with what results 
 is unknown. 
 
 The Isaac Allen Mine is one mile northwest of Mocksville. 
 
308 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 There are deposits of gold in Clarksville township, 1\ miles north- 
 west of Mocksville ; also in Fulton township, 7 miles northeast ' of 
 Mocksville. 
 
 The Barnes Mine is in Alexander county, 8 milest west of Taylors- 
 ville. 
 
 In Caldwell county there are but few veins that are known to the 
 public. 
 
 The Baker Mine has been described already as producing ores rich 
 in galena, (page 203). 
 
 The Miller Mine is 2 miles east of John's River. It has both placer 
 deposits and a vein, the former of which proved to be very rich in 
 places. 
 
 Other mines in the neighborhood of the Baker are the Michaux, 
 Pax's Hill and Corpening. Little is known of the character of either, 
 or of their economic value! 
 
 The Gold Gravels and Accompanying Vein Deposits of the 
 Piedmont and Mountain Regions. 
 
 The gold gravels in North Carolina have a distribution as wide as 
 that of. the crystalline rocks. Their occurrence at a number of places 
 in the middle region of the State has been mentioned already in de- 
 scribing the mines of that region (pages 236, 241, 247, 254, 258 and 
 others) — the most extensive and important of these deposits being in 
 Montgomery and adjacent counties. It remains now to describe the 
 more important of these deposits occurring in the Piedmont and moun- 
 tain regions of the State. In these regions, as in localities already 
 described, gold occurs both in the gravel beds and in veins; and at 
 many places both placer uiining-and vein mining are prosecuted. 
 
 These gold-bearing gravel deposits usually occur along the lower slopes 
 of hills and mountains, in the valleys between them, along the beds 
 of streams, in their channels, on the benches, and in a variety of ways; 
 also in ancient eroded basins or channels, which neither in situation 
 nor direction bear any relations to channels of existing streams. They 
 are usualty of no great length or breadth, but in some localities, viz., 
 the South Mountains, Vein Mountain and Hunt's Mountain, they are 
 quite numerous. Their thickness varies from a few feet to 30 feet 
 
GOLD ORES. 
 
 309 
 
 and more. In the basins and at the foot of the slopes, the gold usu- 
 ally occurs with the coarser gravel, near the bottom of the deposit — 
 more largely along the bottoms of ancient and modern streams ; higher 
 up, on the sides of the hills, it is more generally distributed throughout 
 the entire superficial earthy deposit 
 
 For a discussion of the structure and origin of these deposits, see 
 appendices A, B and C, at the end of this chapter. 
 
 None of the localities to be described below have been studied with 
 the thoroughness that is desired ; but the region of the South Moun- 
 tains has been sufficiently examined to permit a somewhat detailed 
 description. 
 
 In the region last mentioned, a considerable amount of mining has 
 been done, and the deposits (placers) here are the most extensive of the 
 State. The area over which they are spread, in the counties of Burke, 
 McDowell and Rutherford, is 15 to 20 miles long, from northeast to 
 southwest, following the general direction of the mountain ranges, aud 
 from 10 to 15 miles wide. It touches the northwest corner of Cleve- 
 land county, and probably includes the Polk county deposits, some 25 
 miles southwest. Gold occurs over the intervening space in Ruther- 
 ford county, but little is known of its value for mining purposes. 
 
 Almost everywhere within the limits indicated gold is found, but 
 not always in paying quantities. This large area may be divided into 
 three narrow belts, the exact limits of which cannot be given, but 
 which are nevertheless fairly well defined. 
 
 The first, or Rutherford belt, is on the head-waters of the First 
 Broad River, in the extreme northeast part of that count} 7 , and just 
 touches the border of Cleveland count)'. It is approximately 4 miles 
 long, and from 1 to 2 miles wide, with Golden Valley as its central 
 point. 
 
 The famous Burke county belt, with Brindletown for its main point, 
 lies 2J miles northwest of the above. This belt is probably not more 
 than \\ miles wide ; it commences, as far as paying gravel indicates 
 a commencement, at Bailey's Creek, 6 miles southwest of Morganton, 
 on the road to Rutherfordton (see topographical sketch on page 312), 
 and continues parallel to the main chain of the South Mountains, and 
 on the spurs projecting out of its northwest side, for 10 or 12 miles to 
 the head-waters of Cane Creek. 
 
 The third, or McDowell belt, is 4 miles still further west. It has a 
 width of about 2 miles, with Hunt's Mountain and Nichols' Mountain 
 
310 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 for its center. It is situated on the head-waters of North Muddy ereek, 
 and of the Second Broad River, and for the most part to the east of the 
 road from Marion to Eutherfordton. 
 
 An immense quantity of gold has been obtained from the mines of 
 this region since their opening in 1829 — probably between two and 
 three million dollars; and I am informed by some of the older citizens, 
 that just before the California gold deposits began to attract attention, 
 as many as 3,000 hands might have been seen at work on one of the 
 streams of the region. 
 
 The operations of the past, when little capital and machinery were 
 employed, were necessarily confined to such deposits as lay near water, 
 or to which water could easily be brought. There is still a large amount 
 of gold in the beds which remain untouched, as well as in those which 
 have been carelessly or rudely worked over — some of them more than 
 opce. Indeed, some of the richest of these deposits have remained 
 unworked on account of the difficulty of bringing a supply of water 
 to their level, being situated considerably above the neighboring 
 streams, on the higher slopes and benches of the foot hills of the 
 mountains. 
 
 The greater part of these accessible places was long ago exhausted 
 and the work of the future will be on those deep-lying gravels, which 
 require expensive digging in the removal of the overlying soil, or else 
 a heavy and powerful stream of water to wash it away. The possibil^ 
 ities of remunerative work from the washing of gravel alone are grow- 
 ing less, and the attention of the chief operators is directed to a com- 
 bination of the hj'draulic and mill treatment. The rocks are altered 
 and softened to a great depth, and readily yield to water. 
 
 Vein mining has rarely been found profitable in this .-ection, as the 
 veins are so narrow that they will not generally allow of exploitation 
 one by one, as in ordinary mining; but a treatment of the ore "chan- 
 nel" as a whole is frequently applicable When the conformation of 
 the ground admits, and the gulches are deep enough, the whole forma- 
 tion, including many seams (or veins) of quartz, may easily be under- 
 mined to a great depth, and the whole mass washed down into sluices, 
 and thence to the mill for battery treatment and amalgamation of the 
 auriferous quartz and hard masses. The veins are rarely of any great 
 thickness, and the gold seems to have been contained in mere strings 
 and thin sheets of quartz intercalated between the beds of decomposa- 
 ble mica schist and micaceous gneiss of the Archaean formation; and 
 
GOLD ORES. 
 
 311 
 
 among the gravel beds are frequently found fragments of quartz with 
 strings, plates and crystals of native gold. These fragments evi- 
 dently represented the entire thickness of the vein from which they 
 weathered.* 
 
 Occasionally veins of moderate width, or even narrow seams, can be 
 profitably exploited in the common way by adits from the gulches, 
 entering at points so low as to do away with the necessity of expensive 
 hoisting and draining plants; and gravity tramways can often be con 
 structed to place the ore in the mill house with scarcely any handling. 
 The surface over this entire belt is very rolling, in places mountainous, 
 and affords opportunities for novel combinations, at once efficient and 
 economical, and there is a growing tendency to apply the joint hy- 
 draulic and mill mode of treatment. 
 
 The foregoing statement respecting the occurrence of the auriferous 
 bodies applies, in a general -way, to all the localities, though all have 
 minor differences. 
 
 * This point needs a little elucidation and amplification. The veins or seams are 
 not always intercalated, but very frequently cut across the strata either in length or 
 in dip, and sometimes in both. The seams of quartz, of one or two lines in thick- 
 ness, are found in so great abundance that, taken singly, they are little heeded; but 
 there are also a great number of veins from 1 to 30 inches in width, and not a few 
 which persist for long distances with an average width of 15 inches. These seams 
 are frequently associated in belts or zones; in one case I saw not less than 6 in a belt 
 of 100 feet, which varied from 1 to 6 inches in width; and in another case I saw 10 
 -such seams, besides many mere threads or smaller seams of quartz, in the space of 
 200 feet. As respects their persistence in depth it is difficult to make any statement, 
 as they have rarely been sunk upon to any considerable depth. It is quite certain 
 that these seams of quartz are not the only source of the gold, for gold is occasion- 
 ally seen in the schists themselves. 
 
 The veins of quartz of great thickness are generally poorer in gold than the nar- 
 row seams. Wherever in this region there has been surface-mining, these boulders 
 are seen piled up, and evidently largely from veins of considerable size. Some 
 assays of these large fragments, both from Brindletown and Golden Valley, show a 
 very small contents in gold, viz. -. 
 
 QUARTZ BOULDERS, AURIFEROUS GRAVELS, BRINDLETOWN AND GOLDEN VALLEY. 
 
 (305) (306) (307) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 1-10 1-8 1-20 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace. trace. trace. 
 
 The seams of quartz generally show a laminated structure; they are covered on 
 the faces of the laminae by oxide of iron (brown ore), and by sulphuret of iron and 
 copper, occasionally by galenite, etc., and by the minerals resulting from the oxida- 
 tion of these, such as malachite, black oxide copper, pyromorphite, etc. — G. B. H. 
 
312 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 In the Rutherford belt there is not a locality now at work, and few 
 mines require special mention. 
 
 The Grayson mine has both gravel and several veins of low grade 
 auriferous quartz. 
 
 The Lawson Smart is a gravel mine, 1 mile north of the Grayson. 
 
 The Gamble is a gravel mine, 2 miles southeast, immediately on the 
 banks of the First Broad River. 
 
 There are several places on or near the road from Golden Valley to 
 Brindletown ; also in the South Mountains, where gold is found, and 
 where possibly careful examination would show workable properties, 
 but the surface is so rugged as to prevent exploration. 
 
 In the Burke county belt, the following mines are the most noted, or 
 those recently worked. The position of these mines is shown on the 
 Sketch Map of this region, given below; and many facts concerning 
 the structure and origin of the gravel deposits will be given in appen- 
 dices A and C, at the end of this chapter. 
 
 5^5 0k 
 
 
 
 
 SKETCH MAP OF THE BURKE COUNTY GOLD BELT, INCLUDING THE BRINDLETOWN 
 REGION. (BY J. C. MILLS.) 
 
 Scale: nearly 6 miles to one inch. The location of 1st Broad creek and the main 
 chain of South Mountains is only approximate. 
 
 The Hancock Mine, near Glen Alpine, is worked as a gravel mine. 
 The Glen Alpine, in the same region, is also a gravel mine. 
 The Carolina Queen Mine, 1 mile southwest of Glen Alpine Springs, 
 has several veins and a considerable area of gravel. 
 
GOLD ORES. 
 
 313 
 
 The only assays at hand of the vein quartz give : 
 
 VEIN QUARTZ, CAROLINA QUEEN MINE, BURKE COUNTY. 
 
 (308) (309) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 1-5 15 6-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton _ . 1-2 2 3-4 
 
 It is needless to say that assay No. 309 is exceptional as a working 
 ore ; by careful hand-sorting the grade of ore could easily be brought 
 somewhat above the contents of No. 308. . 
 
 J. C. Mills Mine.— This mine, at Brindletown, is in the very heart of 
 the most productive part of the belt. The mining tract contains 2,500 
 acres, located on the upper waters of Cane and Silver creeks, between 
 the ,South Mountains and Pilot Mountain. (See Sketch Map on page 
 312.) 
 
 The extent of rich gravel on this property is estimated to be not less 
 than 100 acres, but explorations may show it to be much more. 
 
 The old streams and basins, in which the ancient drift and wash are 
 concentrated, are the richest in auriferous gravel. 
 
 Two ditches, aggregating something more than 11 miles in length, 
 supply the necessary water for operating the mines, but not always 
 with the pressure desirable for hydraulic work at the more elevated 
 points, e. g., the plants of the Pilot Mountain. If necessary, 1,000 
 inches of water could be brought to bear on the various beds of gravel, 
 by two systems of ditches, with head varying from 50 to 100 inches. 
 
 Some exploratory work has been done in connection with the veins. 
 On the mountain spur running northwest from Silver Creek Knob are 
 10 veins within a distance of 200 feet; among them is the Michel vein, 
 which ranges from 4 to 12 inches in thickness; also a large vein 12 to 
 18 inches in thickness. The schists have a strike N. 35° to 40° E., and 
 a dip 20° to 40° southwesterly. The more prominent of these veins 
 (possibly all, for they have not been much explored,) have a strike N. 
 60° to 70° E., and a dip northwesterly, but nearly vertical. 
 
 There is still another big vein \ mile north and a little farther west 
 of this series of 10 veins, which is cut by several gulches, and can be 
 entered by a tunnel 100 feet under the outcrop. 
 
 When attention has been fully directed to this matter of veins, and 
 a well-adjusted system of treatment has been introduced, it is quite 
 .probable that other localities will be found entirely suitable for work. 
 
314 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The gold deposits in the third, or McDowell belt, are mainly on the 
 lands of the Vein Mountain Company, or of the Marion Bullion Com- 
 pany (Granville Mine). 
 
 Deposits of the Vein Mountain Company. — The Vein Mountain Com- 
 pany's tract embraces nearly 6,800 acres. It is from 10 to 14 miles 
 south of Marion, and near the road to Rutherfordton. 
 
 Two points on this tract have been especially prolific, viz., Hunt's 
 Mountain on the north, and Vein Mountain on the south. The opera- 
 tions at the former (Hunt's Mountain) have been confined to the low 
 lying gravels of the gulches-, where a convenient supply of water could 
 be had. A large amount of water has been lacking until recently, and 
 hence extensive work could not be undertaken. The gravel worked 
 over has been of the best character. 
 
 Several veins are found on this mountain, but have not been pros- 
 pected. It will not be possible to estimate the extent of the veins of 
 this part of the property till extensive hydraulic operations' have re- 
 moved the soil, and thus uncovered them. 
 
 Vein (Nichols') Mountain is 4 miles southwest of Hunt's Mountain; 
 it has been far more extensively worked than the latter. The gulches 
 leading up to the summit of this mountain, or on its flanks (some 6 or 
 8 in number), have been worked for 40 years, and still yield their con- 
 tents; gold is well-nigh universally diffused through the soil down to 
 the undisturbed bed. This part of the property is well supplied with 
 water from the upper branches of the Second Broad River, which can 
 be applied in most of the gulches. 
 
 Until quite recently only hydraulic work has been undertaken, but 
 latterly the veins of this mountain have been prospected with some 
 care; 20 or more (large and small seams) have been uncovered, and a 
 few have been more carefully examined. Nichols' (Bissell's) vein is 
 especially prominent among these ; it is seen most conspicuously in 
 Vein gulch on the southwest side of the mountain. The schists at 
 this point have a strike northeast and southwest, and a dip eastwardly, 
 while the veins here have a westerly dip, and a strike very nearly the 
 same as that of the schists. The dip of Nichols' vein is very steep, 
 probably not more than 10° or 15° from the vertical. This vein has 
 been traced in a northeast direction for a distance of more than 2 
 miles; its width at the point under discussion varies from 10 to 30 
 inches, averaging probably 15 inches. There are few sulphurets pres- 
 ent — a little copper and iron pyrite, stains of malachite, a small pro- 
 
GOLD ORKS. 315 
 
 portion of galenite and pyromorphite, with peroxide of iron, make up 
 the mineral charging, which (peroxide of iron excepted) is very spar 
 ingly distributed. This vein is entered by adits. The richness of the 
 ore is shown by the following assays : 
 
 GOLD ORES, DEPOSITS OP THE VEIN MOUNTAIN COMPANY. 
 
 (310) (311) (312) (313) (314) (315) (316) 
 
 Gold, ounces per ton 1-8 65-100 1-5 1-2 3-10 6-10 3 4-10 
 
 Silver, ounces per ton trace, trace. trace, trace, trace. 117-100 4 2-10 
 
 Deposits of the Marion Bullion Company. — The Marion Bullion Com- 
 pany operate the mine about 2 miles northeast of Vein Mountain, 
 formerly known as the Granville Mine. The tract comprises 1,600 
 acres; only the placer deposits (gravel) have been treated, although 
 veins are known to exist on the tract. 
 
 The company has other mineral resources as well as gold, but a 
 description of them would be foreign to this chapter. 
 
 Several other localities are known in this neighborhood, but there 
 are no records in the possession of the Survey which will justify a 
 detailed statement. 
 
 The production- of the South Mountain area is estimated to have 
 been at least two or three million dollars. The readily available placer 
 ground is exhausted for the most part, and the future work will be 
 directed mostly to the lean placers and to the veins, which latter are 
 extensive enough to give permanent prosperity to this important 
 region. 
 
 The Polk county deposits, some 25 miles southwest, appear to be an 
 extension of the deposits of the South Mountain area. The gravel of 
 this county is much like that of Burke, McDowell and Rutherford, but 
 the region is lacking in the natural advantages, which, in these latter 
 counties, constitute so important a feature in working the deposits ; 
 and from this defect, chiefly, the mining has languished. In this county 
 gold occurs in both placers and veins — strikingly similar to the placers 
 and veins in the larger area just discussed. At present the localities 
 are hardly more than names, for the desultory work carried on cannot 
 be called mining. The better known localities are the Patty Abrams, 
 Wetherbee, Red Springs, Tom Arms, Splawn, Ponder, Riding, L. A. 
 Mills, Carpenter, Hamilton, Neal, Maclntire, Double Branch and Prince. 
 These all had a good reputation in the palmy days of mining, while 
 
 13 
 
316 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 the deposits contiguous to water lasted, but at present none can be 
 worked on a large scale without a larger supply of water than can be 
 obtained from the vicinity of the mines. 
 
 The eastern part of this county is comparatively fiat, and a sufficient 
 supply of water with a good head could be obtained only from the 
 North Pacolet, in the southwest part of the county, by a ditch 20 miles 
 long. 
 
 The Prince Mine is exclusively a placer mine, and it is not known 
 that true veins exist there. 
 
 The Splawn Mine has a massive vein of low grade quartz. 
 
 Most of the other mines have veins so-called, by the weathering or 
 breaking down of which the placers were charged. The remarks 
 respecting the occurrence of seams and veins in Burke county will 
 apply here; in some cases they conform to the bedding, and again cut 
 it; but, although they have considerable persistency in length, they 
 cannot be described as fissure veins. The persistence of these veins 
 in depth is not quite so well settled; they are very narrow (1 to 3 
 inches wide — rarely 6 inches), and cannot profitably be followed below 
 the line of standing water; they are, however, very rich in gold. 
 
 The mines at present worked are the Splawn, Double Branch and 
 the Red Springs, but neither of these to any considerable extent. The 
 lack of a favorable topography is the great drawback to mining in this 
 region, but the improvements in mining machinery will, to a great 
 .extent, ultimately overcome this difficulty. 
 
 In the region west of the Blue Ridge are several gold mining local- 
 ities, some of which at one time attracted considerable attention. 
 
 In Watauga county a limited area of gold-gravel is found on How- 
 card's Creek, which was worked on a small scale before the war. Gold 
 is also found in this county at Harain's, one mile north of Boone. 
 
 In Buncombe county, indications of gold have been found on Cane 
 Creek. 
 
 Gold Deposits on Boylston Greek. — Gold has been obtained for a long 
 time from Boylston Creek, in Henderson county. A closer examina- 
 tion, in 1886, revealed an enormous deposit of gold bearing quartz and 
 schists. Explorations were so favorable that a company was formed to 
 work it, and the proper machinery erected for treating the ores. This 
 has been done so recently that it is not possible now to speak of results. 
 
 So far as examined, the deposit is known to extend in a northeast to 
 
GOLD ORES. 317 
 
 southwest course for a distance of more than two miles, and with a 
 thickness varying from 4 to 20 feet. This ore is all of milling grade, 
 and carries a small percentage of sulphurets, which can be concen- 
 trated readily, and brought up to a high grade smelting material. 
 There are indications of parallel bodies of ore. 
 
 There are two other gold regions — one in Cherokee, the other in 
 Jackson county — where gold deposits occur of sufficient richness to 
 warrant their consideration. 
 
 The gold of Jackson county is obtained almost entirely from placers 
 or detrital beds. These are situated chiefly along the southern slopes 
 of the Blue Ridge, near Hogback and Chimney Top Mountains. 
 
 Gold Gravels of Fairfield Valley. — The most important locality in this 
 county is Fairfield Valley, where Georgetown Creek, one of the head 
 streams of the Toxaway, is said to have yielded between two and three 
 hundred thousand dollars. The deposits extend for several miles along 
 these elevated basins, and have been by no means exhausted. The 
 origin of the gold here is doubtless to be sought in veins in the Blue 
 Ridge, which rises on the north and east — a precipitous wall of gray 
 gneiss — to a height of 700 or 800 feet above the valley. It is along 
 the base of this wall, where Georgetown Creek has cut a deep channel, 
 ■ that the gold is principally obtained. 
 
 The deposits in Transylvania county, east of the Blue Ridge, on the 
 head waters of the French Broad, will probably be found to have simi- 
 lar origin, and are evidently a continuation of the same belt of deposits. 
 
 In Cherokee county, the gold belt is in the same body of soft slates 
 and schists, which carry the limestone and iron. It is found in both 
 veins and superficial deposits. The sands of Valley River yield profit- 
 ably through a large part of its course, and some very rich "washings" 
 have been found along its tributary streams on the north side. The 
 origin of this gold is very near the limestone. A remarkably rich vein 
 has been opened near the town of Murphy, known as No. 6, which 
 immediately underlies the marble. This is a silver lead quartz vein, 
 in which is imbedded a large percentage of free gold. There is a 
 strong probability of other similar veins having furnished the gold 
 occurring in the sands of the river and tributary streams above men- 
 tioned. 
 
 Southeast of the limestone is also a series of "diggings" along the 
 lower slopes of the mountains, from near Valleytown to Vengeance 
 
318 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Creek, a distance of 12 to 15 miles. The gold is found here in the 
 drift, which covers the lower spurs and terminal ridges of the moun- 
 tains lying south of Valley River. The drift beds have a depth of 
 from 10 to 20 feet, and an elevation above the river of 150 to 200 feet ; 
 they are remarkable for the great size of their quartz boulders and 
 their very large and abundant staurolite crystals. These last indicate, 
 with a good degree of probability, that the gold here is derived from 
 the talco-micaceous schists several miles to the southeast, where stau- 
 rolite crystals are found in place. t 
 
 The continuation of this belt across the county is rendered probable 
 by the existence of several mines in this direction, beyond the Hi- 
 wassee, as the Warren (or John C. Moore) Mine, on Brasstown Creek, 
 and others on Notteley River, on the borders of Georgia. 
 
 Prof. C. D. Smith has furnished the Survey with some valuable ob- 
 servations on the gold deposits of this western region of the State, and 
 particularly of their connection with the gold belts of Georgia. They 
 are as follows : 
 
 'There is a gold belt, which passes from Union county, Georgia, 
 crossing Brasstown Creek near the North Carolina line. This zone 
 liep on the south of the Valley River zone, the gold occurring near the 
 contact of the ' Huronian ' (probably Cambrian) schists with the Lau- 
 rentian rocks. On Gumlog Creek, just on the Georgia side of the line, 
 quartz veins, rich in gold, occur in gneiss and mica schist on the south 
 side of the creek ; while on the opposite side of the creek, I have observed 
 gold in talco-micaceous schist without any quartz gangue. On the lands 
 of the Messrs. Brown, Messrs. Layed, Benjamin Brown and John C. 
 Moore, quartz veins occur. From some of these I have seen very rich 
 gold ores. This zone passes in the direction of Fort Hembree, and, ■ 
 crossing Hiwassee River, follows up the valley of the Tusquittah ; and 
 some of the ores from near the head of this creek I found rich in gold. 
 
 " There is but little gold on any of these ranges upon the eastern 
 side of the Nantehaleh Mountains — I know of but two localites; one 
 is on the waters of Briar Town Creek, on the eastern side of the Nan- 
 tehaleh River, where it has been said that the quartz yields a fair per 
 cent, of gold ; the other locality referred to is in Macon county, about 
 12 miles in a southeast direction from Franklin, on the waters of 
 Sugartown River. This last, as a gold mine, is .isolated, having no 
 connection with any system of gold bearing rocks. 
 
GOLD ORES. 319 
 
 " In the southeast corner of Macon county, in Whitner's Valley and 
 Horse Cove, mining for gold has been carried on to a limited extent, 
 both from branch and creek deposits; it is not known that veins exist 
 there, since no systematic search has been made for them. There is 
 apparently a system of trough-like valleys or gulches lying imme- 
 diately along the southern base of the main ridge and between it and 
 Buzzard Mountain, in which these mines exist. 
 
 "In 1856, I observed at one point in these valleys a narrow zone of 
 talco-micaceous schist, which led me to conclude that such a zone 
 once existed to a larger extent, rilling up these narrow gorges or valleys, 
 and by erosive forces have been carried away, leaving the gold in 
 gravel beds. This zone probably continues northeastward through 
 Cashier's Valley, and along the southern base of Hogback Mountain,* 
 a section of the Blue Ridge. In the Toxaway, Georgetown and White 
 Water Valleys, mining has been done similar to that in the Horse 
 Cove. 
 
 "Atone point at Hogback, I have been informed by old miners, 
 there is a spring breaking out of the rocks, from which the sands daily 
 accumulating below the spring, are rich in gold.. The zone passes 
 through Blue Ridge into Transylvania county, and down Boylston 
 Creek, f . 
 
 "A proper exploration of this region of the State would probably 
 reveal mines like the Gum Log, in Union county, Georgia, which yields 
 blende and argentiferous galenite, as well as gold." 
 
 A few statements concerning the gold mining interests of the State 
 may be made by way of conclusion. It is doubtful if there be any 
 "bonanza" mines in the State, and those who venture into mining in 
 North Carolina with such an expectation are likely to be disappointed. 
 But there are localities where judicious investments at reasonable prices, 
 and well-planned enterprises with adequate capital, may hope to find 
 opportunities for steady work and a just expectation of moderate and 
 long continued dividends. 
 
 There is not a large field at present for metallurgical work, but the 
 introduction of such methods, apparently, is not likely to be long 
 delayed. The facilities such establishments would afford to the mining 
 interest are evident, and will naturally stimulate business and increase 
 
 * See page 317, for other memoranda concerning this belt, f See page 316. 
 
320 GEOLOGY OF NORTH , CAROLINA. 
 
 the number of mines operated. A fair market for mine matter, that 
 under other circumstances would be of little value, materially enhances 
 the returns to the mine operators. 
 
 It js, however, to reforms in mining administration that the greatest 
 benefits are likely to be due. A more thorough acquaintance with the 
 nature and occurrence of ore bodies will cut off a great source of waste 
 of capital. The introduction of cheaper and better explosives and 
 machinery will also tend to the same end ; this is particularly true of 
 efficient concentrating machinery. Better modes of amalgamating, 
 and better practice will powerfully contribute to this end. 
 
 There is no promise at the present time of the introduction of any 
 absolutely new processes, but advancement will be due to new combi- 
 nations of familiar -methods, and to the perfecting of the details of 
 practice, and in reducing the entire administration to a business basis ; 
 for there is the same necessity of exact and careful methods in this, as 
 in any other business — there is no place for extravagance or careless- 
 ness. 
 
 Speculation has been a serious drawback to the prosperity of the 
 mining industry of this section, and there is neither room nor basis 
 for speculative enterprises. 
 
 It is hoped that the forgoing pages will properly exhibit the condi- 
 tion of mining in the State, so that the prudent business man will 
 be able to act judiciously. 
 
APPENDIX A. 
 
 THE GOLD GRAVELS OF NORTH CAROLINA— THEIR 
 STRUCTURE AND ORIGIN.* 
 
 BY PROF. W. C. KERR, STATE GEOLOGIST, RALEIGH, N. C. 
 [Read at the New York Meeting, February, 1880.] 
 
 When Agassiz and his party of geologists commenced their explora- 
 tion of the interior of Brazil and the Amazon region, one of the first 
 and, to the last, one of the most novel and striking phenomena which 
 met them everywhere was the great depth of decomposed or partially 
 decayed rock in situ, which mantles, and for the most part conceals, 
 the underlying strata. The same facts strike all geological observers 
 from the North who happen to penetrate the middle and southern lati- 
 tudes of the Atlantic States. In North Carolina, e. g., the entire middle 
 and western regions, outside of the Quarternaryf clays, sands, and 
 gravels of the East — that is, all that portion of the State occupied by 
 the Archaean and Mesozoic rocks — show everywhere this peculiarity, so 
 new to those accustomed to glaciated surfaces. Not only do the hills 
 and slopes, the mountain chains and spurs, present everywhere to the 
 eye this superficial covering, but even the more level tracts and the 
 valleys. The railroad cuts give very good exposures of this covering, 
 and furnish, everywhere, abundant opportunities for the study of its 
 structure and history. Some of the more obtrusive facts are these : 
 The thickness of this covering varies from a few feet to 30 or 40, and 
 often 60 and 75, and even 100 feet, and bears an obvious relation to 
 
 * Reprinted from the Transactions of the Am. Inst, of Mining Engineers, Vol. 
 VIII, page 462. 
 
 Some of the statements of this Appendix are also given in Appendix C, but the 
 facts given in one of these appendices and not in the other are considered sufficient 
 to warrant the reprinting of both. See also page 308 of this Report. 
 
 f On the geological map accompanying this Report, these deposits are classed with 
 the Tertiary.— J. A. H. 
 
322 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 the character of the underlying rock, being least where this is most 
 refractory, and vice versa; the rock is generally nearest the surface in 
 the crests of the hills. The upper portion of this earthy envelope for 
 several feet beneath the soil is homogeneous and structureless; but lines 
 of structure soon make their appearance, becoming more pronounced 
 with the depth. These lines of structure are commonly coincident 
 with bands and ribbons of differently colored earths, which, on closer 
 inspection, show differences in their materials also, these differences 
 becoming more and more strongly marked as they are traced down- 
 ward, until they pass by insensible gradations into the solid rock be- 
 neath. The obvious and necessary conclusion from these observations 
 gives itself, viz., that the rocks of the region are and have long been 
 undergoing a slow chemical decomposition and disintegration from the 
 action of atmospheric forces, this decay being too rapid, however, to 
 be overtaken by the abrasive and transporting power of these same 
 agencies. 
 
 Fig. 1. 
 
 So far the general and obvious facts, plain to be read by the man 
 that runs. A little closer inspection reveals another set of facts. It is 
 easily discovered that these mantles of earth and half-decayed rocks are 
 not strictly in situ, but have been subjected to some sort and degree of 
 movement, and that the materials have undergone at least a partial 
 rearrangement in certain situations and under certain conditions. In 
 general, on the summits of the hills there has been no change, but 
 descending the slope, however gentle, a tendency to a sorting and ar- 
 rangement of materials appears, and this becomes more observable with 
 the distance. At first the fragments of quartz and other hard rocks 
 are sharply angular, and are distributed equally and irregularly through 
 the mass, or in lines corresponding to the bedding of the rocks.. De- 
 
APPENDIX A. 
 
 323 
 
 scending a few rods, the rock fragments have " settled " somewhat ; 
 they are found more thickly strewn towards the bottom, and are less 
 angular. Descending still further, all the coarser fragments a're found 
 accumulated in a layer of cobbles or pebbles, with only the interstices 
 filled with earth and gravel. 
 
 Combining sections of this covering taken from different points, 
 from the hilltop to the bottom of the slope, which commonly termi- 
 nates in a ravine or valley, or the bed of a stream, we have the appear- 
 ance shown in Figure 1. 
 
 The obvious interpretation of these facts is that there has been a 
 movement or flux of the earthy mass in the direction of the slope. 
 And this notion is confirmed by an occasional observation which is 
 represented in Figure 2. 
 
 The difficulty at once arises how to account for a flow of such mate- 
 rials with such results. The ordinary action of flowing water is, of 
 course, excluded. The mere action of gravitation will not account for 
 
 Fig. 2. 
 
 the phenomena — slipping or sliding down hill. This, doubtless, often 
 happens on very steep declivities, but such cases are quite excep- 
 tional and are easily distinguished. The movements we are consider- 
 ing have taken place at every degree of inclination, from one degree 
 and less upwards, and occasionally on a level, or even up hill. 
 
 After puzzling over these phenomena for half a dozen years, and 
 wondering that there is no explanation in the books, or even any 
 discussion of the subject or note of the facts, not even in Geikie's 
 Great Ice Age, it occurred to me that the only possible solution 
 must be sought in the action of frost. The alternate freezing and 
 thawing of such a, mass of earth must needs produce just the effects 
 we have been considering. The earth, saturated with water, in the 
 
324 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NOKTH CAROLINA. 
 
 process of consolidation under the action of cold would, of course, 
 expand just as if it were all water, and in thawing there would be a 
 slight movement of the parts and particles of the mass inter se, and of 
 course a settling of the heavier fragments; in other words, the move- 
 ment would be the same in kind (though not amount) as that of a 
 glacier. These masses may be considered earth glaciers. And I have 
 ventured to denominate this group of phenomena and these peculiar 
 supeficial accumulations, frost drift. Now the ordinary glacial phe- 
 nomena are wanting in North Carolina, with, perhaps, the exception 
 of a few morainal rides in the gorges of the higher mountains. But 
 during the glacial period, of course, the cold must have been intense 
 enough to account for the depth and extent of action which the theory 
 of frost drift supposes. 
 
 I was led to these results from the particular study of the gold de- 
 posits of the State. They have all been formed in this way. There 
 are probably five hundred square miles of gold drifts in North Caro- 
 lina. They are found through a range of four hundred miles east and 
 west, from the lower waters of the Roanoke, near Weldon, to the ex- 
 treme western border, the county of Cherokee. And they belong to 
 all the different subdivisions of the Archaean rocks of the State. The 
 two most extensive deposits are found in the middle region, on the 
 Yadkin and Catawba Rivers, among the low ranges and spurs of the 
 mountains. The schistose and slaty rocks, highly inclined and much 
 contorted and dislocated, are in many places penetrated by innumera- 
 ble small veins and seams of gold-bearing quartz. (See Fig. 3.) In 
 
 Fig. 3. 
 
 the disintegration and breaking down of these rocks, and the move- 
 ments of the debris in the manner described, it is evident that the gold 
 particles, with the heavier crystalline minerals, will be found accumu- 
 
APPENDIX A. 325 
 
 lated near the bottom of the drifts, on or near the surface of the bed- 
 rock, or " slate," as the miners call it. 
 
 The gold mining of modern times began sixty years ago in this 
 region from the accidental discovery of a twenty-eight pound nugget 
 by a boy in one of the streams of this region. Most of the simple and 
 effective appliances now in use everywhere for the separation of gold 
 from such deposits — the long torn, the sluice, the riffle-box, etc., — were 
 devised and used in this region, and were carried hence to California 
 when, twenty-five years later, the trained miners of this region emi- 
 grated in a body to that newer and richer field. Since that emigration 
 there has been but little placer mining done in North Carolina. Still 
 this sort of mining has never entirely ceased, and in some sections, and 
 by a few families, it has been followed continuously to the present The 
 richest deposits within reach of water have been worked over, but there 
 are large areas still untouched, because inaccessible to water without 
 considerable outlay for ditching, canalling, and fluming, to which 
 neither the capital nor the enterprise of the region is equal. 
 
APPENDIX B. 
 
 ON SOME PECULIARITIES IN THE OCCURRENCE OF GOLD 
 IN NORTH CAROLINA.* 
 
 BY PROF. W. C. KERR, STATE GEOLOGIST, RALEIGH, N. C. 
 ["Read at the Washington Meeting, February, 1882.] 
 
 The distribution of gold is obviously much wider than is commonly 
 supposed. Besides the usual matrices, vehicles, or associates, such as 
 quartz, pyrite, chalcopyrite, etc., I find it occurring in quite a range of 
 common rocks. For example, at the Rhodes Mine, in Gaston county, 
 a body of 9 to 12 feet of decomposed, light-gray gneiss was worked 
 together with the strings of quartz, and yielded from six to ten dollars 
 to the ton. 
 
 A mine in Moore county yields its gold mainly from a feldspathic 
 schist. 
 
 In the famous King's Mountain Mine, in Gaston county, the gold is 
 obtained not only from the seams of quartz in a blue, hydromicaceous 
 schist, but a 60 foot ledge of greyish-blue, fine-grained, schistose lime- 
 stone is quarried out bodily and sent to the stamps. It is gold-bearing 
 throughout. 
 
 In Montgomery county the singular concretionary, conglomeritic, 
 quartzite schist, which contains Emmons's palseotrochis, is gold-bearing 
 over wide tracts pf country. This fact was noticed by Dr. Emmons. 
 But a still more striking and significant fact is, that a large part of the 
 gold of Montgomery, Davidson and Randolph counties, on the waters 
 of the Yadkin and Uharie rivers, is contained in ledges of thin-bedded 
 quartz slates, often pyrophyllitic or feldspathic, and frequently scaly 
 and micaceous. 
 
 The range of noted mines, extending twenty miles northward from 
 near the mouth of the Uharie River, including the Russell, Beck, 
 Laughlin, Jones and others, come under the description just given. 
 These slates, shales, or schists, stand almost vertical, and are generally 
 decomposed to a considerable depth, 20, 40 or 50 feet, and are excavated 
 
 * Reprinted from the Transactions of the Am. Inst, of Mining Engineers, Vol. X, 
 1882, page 475. 
 
328 
 
 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 en masse, generally with pick and shovel, sometimes through a cross- 
 section of several hundred feet in length, and the whole mass is carried 
 through the stamp mill and rocker. 
 
 The accompanying diagram represents the last-named mine in cross- 
 section. It is simply an open cut in the side of a hill, 50 to 70 feet 
 
 high, formed by a ravine which has cut across the strike of the forma- 
 tion. The workable strata, between a and a, differ imperceptibly from 
 the bounding rocks, and they pass insensibly into each other, the out- 
 side strata becoming gradually more heavily bedded, hard and quartz- 
 ose. Within the worked area there are lean strata, that are harder and 
 thicker, and more quartzose or chloritic, as at b, b, b. At d a portion 
 of the strata is charged with a fine-grained pyrite, that sometimes con- 
 stitutes a large percentage of the rock for 2 or 3 feet in thickness. At 
 c, c, c, portions of the strata are crusted with ferruginous scales and 
 limonite, resulting from the decomposition of pyritous masses of slate. 
 This mine may be taken as a type of an extensive zone of mines that 
 extends even beyond the Yadkin and into South Carolina, including 
 the well-known Brewer Miue. 
 
 Within a few months past I have found that the gray, much-jointed 
 quartzites and felsites of the Huronian hills, on the eastern side of the 
 great slate belt, carry a workable percentage of gold through masses of 
 great extent. 
 
 Gold has also been .found by Mr. Hanna, of the Charlotte Mint, in a 
 trap-dike that is to be seen in that vicinity. 
 
 From the facts here given, it would seem that gold is so widely 
 diffused that we may expect to find it in any kind of rock. 
 
APPENDIX C. 
 
 ON THE ACTION OF FROST IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF 
 SUPERFICIAL EARTHY MATERIAL.* 
 
 BY PROFESSOR W. C. KERR. 
 
 To a foreign geologist, entering the Middle and South Atlantic States 
 for the' first time, a hundred miles or more from the coast, the most 
 striking and novel feature of the geology is the great depth of earth 
 which almost everywhere mantles and conceals the rocks. This is 
 readily discovered to be, for the most part, merely the result of the 
 decomposition to situ of the exposed edges of the underlying strata. 
 The vertical and highly inclined bedding lines of these strata — Arch- 
 Eean schists, gneissess and slates — are distinctly traceable by the eye 
 through this superficial earth-covering, and are seen to pass by insen- 
 sible gradations into the undecayed rock beneath. Its depth varies 
 from a few feet to twenty or thirty, and sometimes twice that and more, 
 being usually greatest on the slopes of the hills. 
 
 So much is obvious, to the most casual observation, in the railroad 
 cuts, and in the gullies by the roadside. But a more minute and sys- 
 tematic study of these superficial earths soon shows that the matter is 
 not nearly so simple and easily explicable. It very soon becomes evi- 
 dent to the careful observer that there are in fact three kinds of earthy 
 layers, each having a different structure and origin. Their usual color 
 is brick-red to brown of various shades, from the oxidation of the iron- 
 bearing minerals. 
 
 The banded structure of the original rocks, above referred to as char- 
 acteristic, being marked by difference in color and composition, accord- 
 ing to the varying lithological and chemical constitution of the under- 
 lying strata, does not reach the surface, but fails at the depth of four 
 or five to eight or ten feet or more, the materials above this being quite 
 homogeneous. 
 
 This thin top layer is well nigh universal, and always recognizable. 
 A little attention suffices to show that it owes its difference in structure 
 and appearance to the penetration and the mechanical and chemical 
 
 *Reprinted from the Am. Jour. Sci.— Third Series, Vol. XXI, No. 135, May, 1881. 
 
330 
 
 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 action of the roots of forest trees. The mechanical action of these 
 roots has broken up and obliterated the lines of bedding and com- 
 mingled the different materials, and their chemical action, living and 
 in decay, has changed their composition and color, sometimes bleach- 
 ing the whole mass in a degree which decreases with the depth, and 
 not unfrequently in a very irregular manner, so that a section presents 
 a pied surface — red, of various shades, mingled with splotches of a 
 gray, or pipe-clay color. 
 
 A second division of the superficial beds in question underlies (or 
 replaces) the preceding, but is much less extensive, being found chiefly 
 on the hill slopes and occasionally ;irching, in thinner mass, over 
 the tops of flattish ridges and swells. It is found throughout the hill 
 country and the mountain section of the State, being most conspicuous 
 in the Piedmont, and passing, eastward, insensibly into the Quaternary* 
 deposits. The thickness varies from a few inches to twenty, thirty and 
 even fifty feet, and the beds are very irregular in form. These deposits 
 are best developed and may be most successfully studied in the gold 
 gravels or placer beds of the State ; but their structural features may 
 be seen in the railroad cuts almost everywhere. 
 
 This division is, in general, readily distinguishable from the under- 
 lying mass, first, by a complete obliteration of the bedding lines and 
 by a sharp line of separation, and secondly, (from both the other divis 
 ions) by a thorough commingling and a more or less obvious (if gen- 
 erally partial) re-arrangement of its materials — an obvious tendency to 
 restratiftcation, in an approximately horizontal direction. This gener- 
 ally consists merely in an aggregation of the coarser materials of the 
 beds toward the bottom, or along certain horizontal lines. 
 
 This and other features of these beds will be best understood from a 
 few diagrams. Figure 1 represents a section seen in a railroad cut 
 
 1. 2. 
 
 near Henry Station, not far frbm the eastern base of the Blue Ridge, 
 in McDowell county. We have here a mass of earth with fragments 
 of rocks, mostly quartz, of various sizes, in a nearly homogeneous 
 accumulation, with scarcely a discernible arrangement. Figure 2 rep- 
 
 * Later recognized by the author as Tertiary. — J. A. H. 
 
APPENDIX C. 
 
 331 
 
 resents a similar deposit of much less depth, in a railroad cut at Gary, 
 
 near Raleigh; and figure 3, one near Rockingham, in Richmond 
 
 3 4 
 
 county — the last two near the margin of the Quaternary deposits. In 
 figure 4, from the same locality as figure 1, we have an accumulation 
 of coarser and more heterogeneous materials. In the three former 
 cases there was simply earth with small fragments of quartz; in the 
 latter, besides quartz fragments and bowlders a yard in diameter, frag- 
 ments, large and small, of gneiss and home- 6 
 blende slate and other underlying rocks. In 
 figure 5 the deposit is shown as capping the ^l|||l§| 
 summit of a hill, a phenomenon of not un- 
 common occurrence in the Piedmont region : the section here shown is 
 found near Old Fort, in the upper Catawba Valley. In this and in 
 figure 6, two points are illustrated, viz.: the partial arrangement of 
 the materials, the accumulation of the larger fragments and pebbles 
 
 toward the bottom of the beds, and along certain horizontal planes, 
 and the complete independence of these deposits on the form of the 
 surface on which they lie. They also illustrate another important 
 point, viz.: that the present topography of the surface is the result of 
 an extensive erosion, subsequent to the accumulation of these deposits, so that 
 the hills and valleys of the present and the subjacent topography have 
 often changed places, and these present deposits are mere remnants of 
 much larger and wider accumulations which once filled up the valleys 
 and mantled over the hills and obliterated the features of a former 
 
 14 
 
332 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 topography. This conclusion is abundantly attested by numerous 
 observations. 
 
 Figure 7 brings out another common feature — the occurrence of 
 periods in the deposits, or of several deposits one upon another. This 
 section is taken from a gold placer in Brindletown, Burke county, near 
 7 - Morganton, at the foot of a little mountain, called 
 
 the Pilot, the lower slopes of which, next the valleys 
 and streams, are covered with placers of varying 
 depth, up to fifty feet. The same thing is shown in 
 another placer mine on the same side of the moun- 
 tain, a section of which is given in figure 8. The 
 division between the successive beds at this point is 
 not as sharp as represented in this diagram, although in many cases 
 they are so. The lowest stratum (1) which lies on the decomposed 
 gneiss and mica schist (the slate of the miners), is a four to five foot 
 stratum of slightly rounded quartz fragments of an inch or two to six 
 inches in diameter, the interstices filled with gravel and earth — a 
 8. 9. 
 
 •coarse half-compacted conglomerate, which gives place, upward, to a 
 bed of gray, or ash-colored earthy clay (2), six or eight feet thick, above 
 ■which lies twenty-five to thirty feet of red gravelly earth (3), with a 
 few small scattered quartz fragments. 
 
 Figure 9 represents another similar deposit half a mile distant from 
 the last, the section being taken, as were the last two, in the gold mines 
 of Col. J. C. Mills, the last at the eastern base of the Pilot, and at a 
 somewhat lower level. The two lower division lines, in this case also, 
 are a little too sharp, the only distinct breach of continuity being 
 found between the strata c and d : a and b shading into each other, 
 somewhat abruptly, and so b into c. In this section a and c correspond 
 to 1 and 2 of figure 8, b being an interpolation, and furnishing the 
 explanation of the bed 2. This interpolated bed is a peaty, black, 
 gravelly soil, with blackened stems and bark of trees and fragments of 
 
APPENDIX C. 333 
 
 wood and grass blades, roots and stems. The bleaching of bed 2, figure 
 8, and of c, figure 9, is evidently due to the solvent action of the 
 humous acids from the old soils of the slopes from which this deposit 
 came. 
 
 Figure 10 is a section in a railroad cut near Statesville, in Iredell 
 county, which shows two muck beds a, a, in contiguous depresssions 
 
 which have been buried deeply by earthy accumulations, which show 
 only a slight tendency to stratification, in the apparent settling of the 
 quartz fragments. 
 
 Now, in none of the foregoing sections is there any indication of a 
 proper stratification by the action of water. Indeed, it is clear enough 
 that the action of water is excluded by the most obvious features of 
 these deposits. It is proper to say here, however, that there are deposits 
 here and there, which do show traces of such stratification; and occa- 
 sionally, in certain situations, deposits like those above described, in 
 some parts of them, show slight and partial indications of water action. 
 These, however, are exceptional, and constitute a class by themselves, 
 and need not detain us here. 
 
 The diagrams above given represent the general character of hun- 
 dreds of sections to be seen along any of our railroads. They offer no 
 hint or suggestion as to the origin of these deposits, the cause or mode 
 of their formation. The most frequent and conspicuous of these phe- 
 nomena are seen, as stated above, in the Piedmont. The railroads of 
 necessity follow the course of the river valleys, and the sections are 
 consequently those of the lower ends of the jutting hills and spurs 
 which slope down into the margins of the plains: that is, they are 
 tranverse sections of these ridges and slopes. It goes without saying, 
 that the arrangement of the materials of these deposits, the settling of 
 the heavier elements, can only have occurred in consequence of some 
 sort and degree of movement of the mass. It is equally evident that 
 such movement, whatever its cause, must have been in the direction of 
 the slope of the surface's on which they lie, that is, at right angles to 
 the usual plane of section. And it is only by observing the relation of 
 
334 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 the arrangement or settling, to the situation on the slope, and by study- 
 ing this arrangement at different elevations along the line of move- 
 ment that a clew to their origin could be had. The gold mines, at 
 different elevations near the base of the Pilot, furnished the opportunity 
 for such comparison. It was thus seen that the distribution of the 
 materials of these deposits at their upper portions is represented by 
 figures 1, 2 and 4; at a lower point by figures 3, 6, 7; and still lower 
 by 8, 9. That is to say, a longitudinal section, down the slope, would 
 be expressed by figure 11. Above, toward the left of the figure, the 
 angular fragments of rock are distributed through the mass, but they 
 
 n. 
 
 are seen to descend, and to accumulate with the descent, toward the 
 floor of the deposit and to become more rounded. It may be stated 
 here that the coarse particles of gold in these placers are found with 
 the pebbles, — gravel, and where these have accumulated at the bottom, 
 only this part of the deposit is usually wrought, unless water is abun- 
 dant; but at higher levels, where the gravel is scattered through the 
 mass, the coarse gold is equally diffused. 
 
 The movement down hill then is evident, and the degree of arrange- 
 ment or settling is proportioned to its amount. Of course the first 
 suggestion that occurs, on this presentation "of facts, will be that gravi- 
 tation may have given rise to the motion. But this theory would not 
 be entertained for a moment by one familiar with the actual sections. 
 These deposits occupy the lower slopes of the hills, just where they meet 
 the plains, the inclination varying from two or three to ten and rarely 
 twelve degrees. This is obviously quite insufficient to give rise to any 
 sensible movement from gravitation. Such movements of loose earth 
 and stones do occur, but only on steep slopes of '40° and upward ; and 
 such accumulations are not uncommon at the foot of steep declivities; 
 but these are distinguishable at a glance from the deposits in question. 
 
APPENDIX C. 
 
 335 
 
 12. 
 
 And further, instances are not unfrequent of the movement of these 
 deposits on a dead level, and even up hill, over local obstructions or 
 irregularities of surface. 
 
 The following diagrams illustrate these points, and show the grounds 
 on which the theory adopted for the solution of the problem of the 
 formation of these deposits rests. 
 
 Fig. 12 represents a section in a rail- 
 road cut near Morganton, which gave 
 the first hint of the true theory of the 
 origin of these beds; and fig. 13 is a 
 similar section ten miles west of the 
 former, near Muddy Creek bridge. In both these cases the vein (shown 
 at a) is distinctly seen to be the source of the jointed, rhomboidal 
 13- quartz fragments which are scat- 
 
 tered along the floor of the de- 
 posit toward the right hand end 
 of the diagram, a distance of one 
 to several rods. 
 
 Fig. 14 represents the opposite 
 side of the same railroad cut as 
 fig. 12. In this the fragments are scattered right and left from the 
 vein. 
 
 Fig. 15 is a similar section from a railroad cut in Richmond county, 
 near the Pee Dee river. In this case a large quartz vein in a chloritic 
 argillaceous slate has been broken down by the denudation which the 
 rocks have undergone, and its frag- 14 - 
 
 ments have been carried to the left 
 and have settled part way through 
 the moved mass, the upper portion of 
 which has been removed by subse- 
 quent erosion. 
 
 Fig. 16 represents the first stages of 
 movement across a small vein. This is a quartz vein seen in section 
 in a gold mine on the slopes of the South Mountains, near Brindle- 
 town. The thin-bedded, soft, decomposed mica schists are intersected 
 by numerous small veins and seams of a granular (saccharoidal) quartz, 
 varying from a usual thickness of one to three inches (occasionally 
 four to six) down to a mere line. These thin veins and seams are so 
 numerous in places, and contain so much free and loose gold in the 
 
336 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 crevices and on the walls that it is profitable to sluice down the whole 
 mass. The quartz is also rich enough for milling, yielding from ten 
 to forty dollars to the ton. Other illustrations of these veins may be 
 seen from the same mine in figs. 19 to 21. 
 
 It is clear, then, that these deposits were not accumulated by the 
 action of water, nor by gravitation; and they present none of the 
 features by which glacial deposits are usually recognized. No precisely 
 parallel phenomena seem to have been observed elsewhere, or they are 
 not recorded. And they remained an enigma to me for several years, 
 and until such sections as shown in figs. 12 to 16 were discovered and 
 studied. In these, and in those subsequently found in the gold placers, 
 the character and amount of movement were clearly revealed. 
 
 15. 16. 
 
 The explanation which these facts have suggested, and which subse- 
 quent observation in this State and in other States has fully confirmed, 
 is that the movement in question, to which the gradual settling of the 
 heavier particles and fragments through the mass is due, was produced 
 by frost, and that these deposits are of glacial age. As the earth is often 
 frozen in Canada, and even in Vermont, during severe winters, to a 
 depth of eight or ten feet, and as in Labrador and other sub-arctic 
 regions the frost of the present winters penetrates to a much greater 
 depth, so, it is evident, that during the prevalence of the great ice 
 sheet over the northern end of the continent, as far down as Pennsyl- 
 vania, and the prevalence of an arctic climate in these middle latitudes," 
 the earth was annually frozen to a depth equal to the maximum thick- 
 ness of these deposits. The alternate freezing and thawing of the 
 saturated mass of decayed rocks, constituting the pre-glacial surface, 
 would of necessity produce just the movement and settling which are 
 described above. That is, this freezing and thawing would give rise 
 to precisely the same movements of the mass, and of the particles inter 
 se, as are seen to occur in the true glacier, differing only in amount. In 
 other words, these masses were earth glaciers, and these deposits may be 
 denominated frost drift, as distinguished from proper glacial drift. 
 
APPENDIX C. 
 
 337 
 
 I do not see how these conclusions can be avoided. It seems evident 
 that such phenomena must have occurred during the prevalence of cold 
 of the intensity which an admitted artic climate must have produced. 
 And, if so, similar effects must be produced in arctic climates, and to 
 some extent in the high latitudes of climates less intense, to-day. And* 
 if so, too, similar phenomena may be expected to be found in regions 
 farther north, produced during the retreat of the ice when these regions 
 were successively subjected to the same degree of cold. Of course these 
 effects would be visible only in exceptional localities, where the surface 
 was not buried under glacial debris, and where the exposed rocks were 
 capable of comparatively rapid disintegration. And, in fact, I have 
 seen in Philadelphia and vicinity, phenomena which plainly come 
 under this class. During the Centennial Exhibition, Market street 
 was extended westward a square above Forty-fourth street, and a hill 
 of some twenty feet was brought to grade in the process. Happening 
 to pass during the excavation, I took a sketch of the exposed section, 
 which is given in fig. 17. The rock is gneiss and mica schist with 
 
 17. 
 
 hornblendic and chloritic strata, inclined at a high angle, and decom- 
 posed, for the most part, the entire depth of the cut, presenting a banded 
 section of variously colored earths. The most striking and novel pecu- 
 liarity of this section is shown in the sketch, viz.: the gradual drawing 
 out — attenuation — of these colored bands, as the parts of them in suc- 
 cession were moved down the slope. This section furnishes a new 
 illustration of the character of the relative motion of the different 
 parts of the mass. 
 
 As the thickness of the deposit at this point is not more than three 
 to four feet, and there was no reason to suppose any recent or rapid 
 denudation, the probability is strong that it is of recent (present) 
 origin, the existing climate of Philadelphia being equal to the produc- 
 
338 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 tion of such effects. Fig. 18 represents a similar section in a drift of 
 a mica mine in Yancey county, this State, near the base of the Black 
 Mountain. 
 
 Among the inferences from the above conclusion, in the way of a 
 
 corollary, is this important one, that the deep decomposition of the 
 
 18 rocks of these latitudes has been effected 
 
 entirety in post-glacial times, since the 
 
 JIIIIII^as^^ movement of these earth glaciers would 
 
 sweep away everything movable, down to 
 the solid rock ; and the frost was sufficient 
 to carry the movement to the greatest depths 
 of previous decomposition. And this conclusion is confirmed by two 
 observations: first, that the force which was sufficient to remove the 
 bowlders and rock fragments which often constitute the lower portion 
 of these deposits — frequently of several tons weight — would abrade and 
 remove everything but the solid rock; and second, that the irregular 
 form which the floor of these deposits often exhibits, as seen, for exam- 
 ple, in fig. 13, corresponds to the unequal decomposition of the different 
 strata of these very variable schistose rocks. This of course excludes 
 any theory like that sometimes broached, which undertakes to account 
 for this phenomenon, by invoking the action of a paleseval atmosphere 
 surcharged with carbonic acid. 
 
 As already stated incidentally, the gold gravels, or placers, of this 
 State, of which there are severaHiundred square miles, belong to this 
 class of frost drifts. The miners in these deposits usually wash only 
 
 the lower stratum of "gravel," or pebbles, which lies against the bed 
 rock, Or slate, together with an inch or two of the surface, of this slate, 
 on which the coarser gold particles are lodged. The gold and the 
 quartz pebbles are derived, as above indicated, from thin veins and 
 
APPENDIX C. 
 
 339 
 
 strings which penetrate the more thin-bedded mica schists. As these 
 are disintegrated and broken down and moved, in the manner just 
 described, or abraded and swept down by floods, these pebbles with the 
 coarser gold are collected either in the manner described, or in the beds 
 of the streams. Examples of these veins are shown 2 °- 
 
 in fig. 19, which represents a common aspect of them 
 in section, in the mines previously alluded to, in which 
 the veins themselves and the including mnss of decom- 
 posed rock are sluiced down and washed just like a 
 placer. In fig. 20 a vertical section of 20 feet of a sin- 
 gle vein of this description which is a thin sheet of 
 quartz, of an inch and less in thickness, yet rich enough 
 to have been followed to a depth of 20 and 30 feet for 
 many rods. Fig. 21 represents the floor of another 
 mine at the same locality, in which several such thin 
 sheet-veins are wrought in one cut, the vein-matter 
 being reduced to nothing, at certain points, leaving a mere joint or 
 fissure plane. 
 
 In fig. 22 the relation of the placers to 
 the topography, and of both to the gov- 
 erning geological conditions, are exhibited. 
 This diagram represents an ideal section 
 southeast and northwest, transversely to the strike, across two of the rich- 
 est and most noted gold valleys, separated by the Pilot, already familiar 
 to us; these are the valleys of Silver Creek and Muddy Creek, known 
 as Brindletown and Brackettown. The Pilot and the ridge of the 
 South Mountains (the left in the section), owe their existence to the 
 
 22. 
 
 21. 
 
 hard and heavier bedded gneisses of which they are composed, while 
 the valleys have been scooped out of the softer and thin-bedded mica 
 schists and hydromicaceous rocks, which are also more abundantly 
 veined. It is an old observation of the practical miners, that the gold 
 
340 
 
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 deposits occur only on the east (and south) slopes of the mountains, 
 while the opposite slopes are comparatively barren. The reason is 
 obvious from an inspection of the diagram. The thicker bedded rocks 
 have fewer veins, and the southeast slopes are the long ones, while 
 those opposite are steep and short; and much the larger part of the 
 abraded vein-bearing masses have been removed from the space above 
 these long slopes. 
 
 It has already been stated that, as shown by the most obvious features 
 of these deposits, they have been much more extensive than at present. 
 In some cases, over considerable spaces, the deposit has been entirely 
 
APPENDIX C. 341 
 
 removed by denudation, leaving only the floor covered with a layer of 
 quartz pebbles and angular fragments, and the gold in the present soil 
 within reach of the plowshare. Many of the richest gold washings of 
 this State have been of this description, and farms, gardens, yards and 
 the sites of houses have been sluiced away, and thousands of dollars 
 per acre obtained from soils that had been cultivated for generations 
 in ignorance of their mineral riches. Large tracts of this character, 
 hundreds of acres in extent, are found in the locality already so often 
 cited, the foot-slopes in the Pilot. The annexed diagram, fig. 23, of a 
 placer lying on a swell of land between those represented in figures 8 
 and 9, illustrates this point. The whole surface of this flat swell, which 
 is nearly a half mile in width, is covered with the quartz fragments of 
 the old bed gravel of an enveloping placer, which has been entirely 
 abraded, leaving its quartz and gold in the soil, with the exception of 
 the fantastic bifurcated strip seen in the figure, which evidently was 
 preserved from abrasion by the furrow which the moving mass had 
 plowed a little deeper along this line. The thickness of this strip in- 
 creases from a few inches at the top to more than ten feet below the 
 singular golden cascades represented on the two arms. Happemng to 
 be present while the last of this curious placer was worked out, I was 
 able to catch and sketch its peculiar features. This small remnant of 
 an extensive deposit preserves, as shown in the sections, at A — A for 
 example, all the characteristics of such drifts — a dense bed of coarse 
 "gravel," of angular quartz fragments, at bottom, carrying most of the 
 gold, and a thinner and more scattered layer in the middle, with visi- 
 ble gold particles, and the finer gold diffused through the whole ten 
 feet of depth, in sufficient richness to justify the excavation and wash- 
 ing of the entire mass. 
 
 The diagram (ideal as to its lower portion, and contracted longitudi- 
 nally,) also exhibits the character and origin of the gold deposits, in 
 the creek bottoms of the region, which were extremely rich when first 
 wrought, thirty -five to forty years ago, yielding ten dollars a day to the 
 hand, with the rudest apparatus and most unskillful labor. The gold 
 of these creek gravels, as shown in the figure, was derived from the 
 placers swept down from the adjacent slopes. 
 
 And it may be of sufficient interest to justify the repetition here of 
 a fact to which I have recently called attention elsewhere, that these 
 gravels are regularly worked over at intervals of eight to ten or twelve 
 years, and at some of the localities, on Silver Creek, for instance, they 
 
342 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 have been re-worked profitably half a dozen times, only the coarse 
 gold being obtained each time by the rude appliances and methods 
 ■used. The point of interest is, that the fine and diffused and scale 
 gold which escapes in these rough washings and sluicings, evidently 
 undergoes a process of aggregation : a fact which was noted by Professor 
 Lieber, State Geologist of South Carolina, in his Geological Report of 
 that State,* published before the war, but which seems to have escaped 
 due attention. This is readily accounted for by the considerations, first, 
 that gold is soluble in alkaline waters ; and second, that these drifts 
 are largely the debris of half-decomposed feldspathic gneisses and 
 schists, of which the feldspathic particles are undergoing kaolinization, 
 liberating the alkaline salts, while the silica attacks such fragments of 
 organic matter as happen to be present, subjecting whole trunks of 
 trees, of more than a foot in diameter, to complete silicification even 
 while lying within a few feet of the surface, and facing the drusy rifts 
 of the wood with perfectly terminated quartz crystals. 
 Raleigh, N. C, March 15, 1881. 
 
 * First Annual Report, 2d edition (1858), p. 73. 
 
Section V.— MANGANESE, CHROMIC IRON, COBALT^AND 
 NICKEL, ARSENIC, ANTIMONY AND BISMUTH, TIN. 
 
 Manganese. 
 
 The ores of manganese are not abundant in North Carolina so far 
 as known, but pyrolusite, psilomelane, wad, etc., are found in small 
 quantities in many places. They are generally associated with iron, 
 gold and silver ores. 
 
 There is a very promising bed or vein of psilomelane in Caldwell 
 county, 5 miles west of Lenoir. It is found in irregular and rounded 
 masses, embedded in light colored gneissic schists, some of the masses 
 being 10, 15 and 20 inches thick, and occupying a breadth of 3 or 4 
 feet of strata. * 
 
 Another locality in this county is the Perkins Mine, 10 miles west of 
 Lenoir, where a bed of oxide of manganese was opened to a depth of 
 6 feet, and shown to have a thickness of ] foot. 
 
 A large bed carrying oxide of manganese is reported by Mr. S. A. 
 Lowe, to exist 10 miles north of Dobson, in Surry county. 
 
 One-half a mile west of Blue Ridge Gap in Mitchell county is a bed 
 or seam of earthy pyrolusite or psilomelane 2 to 4 inches thick ; it 
 occurs in feldspathic and hornblende schist, extending in a nearly east 
 and west direction across the fields for about £ mile. 
 
 There is also a small seam in the town of Danbury, Stokes county. 
 
 Laminated masses of J to 2 inches in thickness occur in the Buck- 
 horn iron ore beds. (See page 129.) 
 
 There are specimens in the Museum from Nash and other counties. 
 
 A specimen of manganese ore from Jackson county gives on analysis 
 the following : 
 
 MANGANESE ORE, JACKSON COUNTY. 
 
 (a) 
 
 Silica 12.25 per cent. 
 
 Alumina and sesquioxide of iron 14.10 " 
 
 Protosesquioxide of manganese 74.45 " 
 
 It is probably braunite, variety marceline. 
 
 A similar specimen was furnished by Chatham county. 
 
344 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Manganese is found, associate 1 with the iron ores in various parts of 
 the State, as was stated above ; at Buckhorn it is found as a silicate, • 
 and probably in the form of knebelite, as mentioned in the chapter on 
 iron (p. 129) 
 
 Beds of manganese garnets are of common occurrence, and often of 
 great thickness. 
 
 There is a series of beds containing manganese associated with the 
 King's Mountain schists (slates) of Gaston, Lincoln and Catawba coun- 
 ties, which is superficially changed to black oxide. 
 
 One notable locality is near the old forge on Crowder's Creek, for- 
 merly operated by Mr. Briggs; it is under the west flank of Crowder's 
 Mountain, and quite near the Yellow Ridge Ore Bank. 
 
 MANGANESE OBE, GASTON COUNTY. 
 
 (b) 
 
 Silica. 40.395 per cent. 
 
 Oxide.of iron ._ 13.146 
 
 Alumina - _ 9.029 
 
 Phosphoric acid (anhydride)* 030 
 
 Sulphuric acid (anhydride) 034 
 
 Sulphide of iron _. .318 
 
 Protosesquioxide of manganese 39. 780 
 
 Lime and magnesia not determined. 
 
 Metallic iron 8.603 per cent. 
 
 Metallic manganese 31.450 " 
 
 Phosphorus _ 013 " 
 
 Sulphur _ 113 
 
 A vein of oxide of manganese crosses the road from Iron to Major 
 W. A. Graham's residence, in Lincoln county. The bed is apparently 
 a highly altered silicate, and is fully 6 feet wide. 
 
 A vein of manganese ore, which is believed to be the northeast 
 extension of the above, is found about J mile west of Vesuvius furnace, 
 on the road to the Big Ore Bank. 
 
 The analysis is as follows: 
 
 MANGANESE ORE, LINCOLN COUNTY. 
 
 (C) 
 
 Silica 47.93 per cent. 
 
 Protoxide of manganese 13.86 " 
 
 Binoxide of manganese 5.60 " 
 
 Alumina and sesquioxide of iron 30.44 " 
 
 This has been used in a neighboring furnace as a mixing ore and 
 with very good results. 
 
manganese, chromic iron, ac. 345 
 
 Chromic Iron. 
 
 Small quantities of chrome are found associated with some of the 
 iron ores of the State, the lead which crosses Guilford county for 
 example. But it is also found as chromic iron, in coarsely crystalline 
 masses, often of considerable size and in the form of very irregular 
 veins or pockets in the chrysolite beds of Jackson, Yancey, Mitchell 
 and Watauga counties. The most considerable deposits are two — one 
 near Webster, and the other 5 miles from Burnsville, on Jack's Creek, 
 at Hampton's. An analysis of the former by Genth gave, 
 
 CHROMIC IRON, NEAR WEBSTER. (d) 
 
 Chromic oxide 63.32 
 
 Ferrous oxide _ _ . 25.04 
 
 Magnesia 0.85 
 
 Lime - 1.32 
 
 Silica and alumina 9.47 
 
 There have been no openings at either of these points, but the out- 
 crops are such as to justify experiments at both, whenever the facilities 
 for transportation shall be sufficiently improved. (See also p. 30.) 
 
 Cobalt and Nickel. 
 
 Small quantities of these two metals have been observed in the 
 manganese gossans of several mines in Gaston county, (Genth's notes 
 to Kerr's Report, 1875, p. 292). 
 
 From a considerable number of examinations of the auriferous 
 sulphides of the State, it may be said that nickel has been found to be 
 present in most cases, but rarely more than in traces, never, so far as 
 known, in workable proportions. Cobalt has occasionally been observed 
 associated with the nickel in these sulphides, but in still smaller pro- 
 portions. Among these localities is the McGinn Mine, in Mecklenburg 
 county, which has occasionally furnished cabinet specimens of cobalt 
 minerals. 
 
 Nickel occurs in small quantities in the chrysolite rocks of the 
 mountain region of the State. An analysis of a specimen of this rock 
 by Genth gave 0.35 per cent, of nickel oxide (Kerr's Geology of North 
 Carolina, 1875, p. 129); an analysis by Hanna, of a specimen which 
 was reported to come from the vicinity of Waynesville, Haywood 
 •county, contained : oxide of nickel, 0.15 per cent., and oxide of cobalt, 
 & very minute trace. 
 
346 GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 How far these two examples represent the entire range of chrysolite 
 cannot now be stated. 
 
 The following notes concerning the nickel ore recently discovered 
 in Jackson county have been kindly presented for this Report by Prof. 
 W. B. Phillips : 
 
 " During the last two years, prospecting for nickel has been carried 
 on in several of the western counties of North Carolina, particularly 
 in Haywood and Jackson. The results have not been altogether satis- 
 factory, the samples of ore showing a low percentage. The best spec- 
 imens of nickel ore have been obtained from Ellijay Creek, Jackson 
 county. 
 
 " A hand specimen received from Mr. Morgan J. Evans, Bowman's 
 Bluff, Henderson county, said to be from the above locality, yielded as 
 follows : 
 
 NICKEL ORB, JACKSON COUNTY. 
 
 (e) 
 Insoluble silica _ 69.00 per cent. 
 
 Oxide of iron - ) 
 
 r 5 44 " 
 Oxide of aluminum __ ._ ) 
 
 Oxide of nickel* 18.94 
 
 Undetermined matter 6.62 " 
 
 *Equiv. to metallic nickel, 14.89 per cent. 
 
 " The ore appears to be garnierite. If so, it is the first occurrence 
 of this mineral which has been noted in this State, or, indeed, in the 
 Eastern United States. A complete analysis of the pure mineral, sep- 
 arated from the gangue, is now under way. 
 
 " The specimen weighed 8 ozs., and was composed of small veins of 
 garnierite in a much decomposed syenite, and was said to be a surface 
 specimen, or within a few feet of the surface. 
 
 " The true garnierite is a silicate of nickel, iron, calcium, aluminum 
 and magnesium, and is found in large quantities in New Caledonia, 
 the French penal colony. The content of nickel varies from 1 per 
 cent, to 40 per cent. 
 
 " Even should garnierite be found in sufficient quantities in North 
 Carolina to constitute a true ore, it is doubtful if it could be worked 
 at a profit, as the supply of nickel from the New Caledonia mines is 
 beyond the demands of ordinary consumption." 
 
manganese, chromic iron, &c. 347 
 
 Arsenic, Antimony and Bismuth.* 
 
 " Only a few ores of arsenic and antimony have been noticed in North 
 Carolina Amongst these is very rare native antimony, of which a 
 small piece was submitted to my examination by Dr. Hunter, of Cot- 
 tage Home, Lincoln county. It has been found in a small vein in 
 Burke county. An examination proved it to be quite pure. 
 
 Both arsenic and antimony are found in combination with other 
 metals; arsenic at a few localities in Union and Gaston counties, in 
 small quantities, as arsenopyrite or mispickel, associated with gold 
 ores; and both arsenic and antimony in the highly argentiferous tetra- 
 hedrite of the McMakin, and the tetrahedrite of the Ludowick mines 
 in Cabarrus county. 
 
 Bismuth has been observed as bismuthinite in minute particles asso- 
 ciated with the gold and copper ores of the Barnhardt vein at Gold 
 Hill, and by Dr. Asbury as bismuthite with gold ores at the Asbury 
 mine in Gaston county ; also as bismite, or teroxide of bismuth, in the 
 same mine, and in combination with copper, lead and sulphur at Col. 
 White's mine in Cabarrus county, probably as aikinite. The most 
 interesting ores are the telluride of bismuth (tetradymite) and the 
 tellurate of bismuth (montanite) — both found associated with gold 
 ores in numerous localities — in Davidson, Cabarrus, Gaston, McDowell 
 and Burke counties. The bismuthic gold mentioned by Shepard as 
 coming from Rutherford, is probably an artificial product resulting 
 from the simultaneous amalgamation of gold and tetradymite." 
 
 Tin. 
 
 Up to a few years since, no tin ore had been found in North Caro- 
 lina. In 1883 it was discovered that a valuable ore of tin (Cassiterite) 
 occurred in the region of King's Mountain. Soon thereafter explora- 
 tions of the region were instituted under the direction of Dr. Chas. W. 
 Dabney, Jr., the results of which he reports as follows! : 
 
 "I found pieces of Cassiterite from the size of an egg to the finest 
 sand, loose and sticking in qjartz, scattered over the surface in a belt 
 beginning about the centre of the village, and extending southward a 
 mile or more. 
 
 * Reproduced from Genth's notes in the Geology of North Carolina, 1875, p. 291. 
 t Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Soc, 1883-84, pp. 79—81. 
 15 
 
348 GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAEOLINA. 
 
 " When the clay of the hills or the gravel of the neighboring creeks 
 was panned, a heavy black sand was obtained which yielded more or 
 less tin. 
 
 " A number of shafts have been sunk and trenches dug along the 
 course of the hill-tops whence the tinstone appears to have come. The 
 rocks are mica schist and slate, with frequent veins and streaks of 
 quartz and quartzyte. The rocks are nearly vertical, direction of out- 
 crop northeast and southwest with all of the rocks of this country. 
 The tinstone is disseminated through the quartz and quartzyte vein 
 matter occurring in a belt of the rock 100 to 150 yards wide. The 
 chief tin-bearing territory is limited on the northwest by a large out- 
 crop of micaceous quartzyte, on the southeast side by a very large out- 
 crop of tourmaline-bearing or massive tourmaline-stained quartzyte. 
 
 " A number of these tin-bearing quartz veins have been exposed in 
 this territory. The surface is covered with fragments of them which 
 the decaying mica schist and slate have left. These veins are from 
 2 — 4 feet in width. They run mostly with the other rocks, though 
 there are frequent cross and string-veins. At places these quartz or 
 quartzyte veins are left by the mica schists and stand up through the 
 clay nearly to the surface, while at other places they are broken down 
 to the level of the mica schist. At still other places where the schists 
 and slates contained more silica, the whole formation is found now 
 near the surface. 
 
 "According to Dr. Emmons, the village of King's Mountain is near 
 the dividing-line between the Laurentian granite and the Huronian 
 slates. To the east of the village the rocks are micaceous and slaty 
 -quartzytes, talcose slates and bluish crystalline limestone. A few miles 
 west are the hornblende slates, gneiss, etc. 
 
 " Nearly all of the adjacent rocks, the mica schists and slates, the 
 tourmaline-bearing quartz, and the massive black quartz — all show 
 •amounts of tin varying from distinct traces to 1 — 2 per cent. 
 
 " The Cassiterite is mostly massive or semi-crystalline ; occasionally 
 crystals are found. Hardness, 6.5 to 7 ; Specific gravity, 6.6 to 6.9 ; 
 color, generally dark brown, but varying from this to light yellow and 
 cream-colored, or almost colorless. Composition, mostly an impure 
 Cassiterite, with 50 to 60 per cent, of tin, some dark brown silicious 
 specimens running as low as 46 per cent, of tin. The somewhat rarer 
 light colored specimens are richer in tin coming nearer the per cent, 
 of metal (78.66) in pure dioxide of tin (SnO„). 
 
MANGANESE, CHROMIC IRON, &C. 349 
 
 " The tinstone is remarkably free from those worst ingredients of tin 
 ore, sulphur and arsenic. The lower-grade specimens do not show 
 appreciably more than the above. 
 
 " The accompanying minerals are tourmaline, very abundant; titanic 
 iron in more immediate relation with the Cassiterite; lithia mica, 
 generally immediately around the larger lumps of the tinstone in the 
 quartz; and more rarely zirkon and rutile." 
 
 Analyses by Hanna for Dr. Dabney gave, for two varieties : 
 
 CASSITERITE, KING'S MOUNTAIN. 
 
 LIGHT GRAYISH (f ). DARK BROWN (g). 
 
 Stannic oxide 94.70 (=74.41 per ct. tin) 82.99 (=65.21 per ct. tin) 
 
 Tungstic oxide 0.92 1.14 
 
 Sulphur trace. 0.46 
 
 Arsenic _ ,... trace. 
 
 Iron and manganese oxides, .not determined. not determined. 
 
 Silicic acid 1.76 2.36 
 
 Subsequent explorations of the region have been made by other 
 parties, but as yet no workable deposits of cassiterite appear to have 
 been discovered. 
 
GEOLOGICAL MAP. 
 
 The primary object of the edition of the geological map which accom- 
 panies this Report (Chapter II of Vol. II) is to show the geographical 
 and geological distribution of the ore deposits of the State. The geo- 
 logical features have in the main been reproduced from the map which 
 accompanied the Report of 1875,* with some revision and alteration 
 by me, from the records of the Survey and from my own field notes. 
 
 The ore deposits have been located largely by Mr. Hanna, from his 
 own notes and from the records of the Survey. 
 
 In connection with the geological features of the map, a few points 
 deserve special mention: (1) The map used as a base for the geolog- 
 ical map of 1875 was, with reference to many localities, quite inaccu- 
 rate ; and in the transfer of the geology to a more accurate base map 
 (Kerr's Map of the State, 1882), though in this I have been aided by 
 the manuscript and published records of the Survey, only approximate 
 accuracy can be expected. 
 
 In the subdivisions of the Archsean, it is thought best, in considera- 
 tion of the primary object now in view, to follow in the main the map 
 of 1875. The subdivision of the Laurentian into Upper and Lower 
 has been discontinued, except that the syenitic belt, which extends 
 across the central region of the State under the towns of Greensboro, 
 Salisbury and Charlotte, is continued provisionally as Lower Lauren- 
 tian, because of the importance attached to this region on account of 
 its ore deposits. It would have been better, however, even in this case, 
 to have dropped the expression, " Lower Laurentian ", and to have 
 substituted for it a designation of less geological significance. 
 
 As to the areas of the crystalline schists in the region of the Blue 
 Ridge and the extreme western portion of the State, which on the map 
 of 1875 were provisionally classed as Huronian, much might be said 
 in favor of considering these as Cambrian; but their exact position is 
 still a matter of doubt, and on the present map it is thought best to 
 retain these areas as Huronian. 
 
 In the Mesozoic areas but little alteration has been made except in 
 connection with the eastern region of the Jurasso-Triassic formation, 
 the boundaries of which have been altered in places, and the area of 
 its northern half considerably enlarged. In the revision of the central 
 
 *Geology of North Carolina, 1875, by W. C. Kerr. 
 
352 GEOLOGICAL MAP. 
 
 and northern portions of this area especially, I have made use of my 
 own field notes. There is need, however, of a considerable amount of 
 additional field work before the boundaries of this formation can be 
 mapped with even approximate accuracy. 
 
 The present state of knowledge concerning the occurrence and dis- 
 tribution of the Tertiary and Quaternary formations in North Caro- 
 lina is not such as to render possible the mapping of the several areas 
 occupied by these or their subdivisions. In view of this fact, it has 
 been thought best to class the entire area occupied by these— the eastern 
 region of the State — as Cenozoic, without attempting to specify except 
 in a very general way the regions occupied by its subdivisions. The 
 location of the monograms of the Eocene (E), Neocene (N), — embracing 
 the Miocene and Pliocene — and the Quaternary (Q) are intended to 
 indicate in a general way regions which it is believed will be found to 
 come within the limits of these formations. 
 
 The monograms and colors have been selected from those in use by 
 the U. S. Geological Survey. 
 
 In connection with the ore deposits, it should be borne in mind that 
 the great majority of these have been located with only approximate 
 accuracy, very few having been located by actual surveys. Persons 
 discovering inaccuracies in the location of ore deposits will confer a 
 favor by promptly notifying me, so that corrections may be made in a 
 second edition of the map. 
 
 J. A. HOLMES. 
 
 University of North Carolina. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Page 127, line 2, for " New Hanover" read " Pender." 
 
 " 138, line 18, opposite metallic iron, instead of " 57.26" read " 57.41." 
 
 " 145, figure near top of page should be inverted. 
 
 " 167, 2nd line of foot-note, for " there " read " these." 
 
 " 178, 13th line, and p. 179, for "plate X" read "plate XI." 
 
 " 180, 23rd line, for " suface " read "surface." 
 
 " 184, 6th line, for " on " read " one." 
 
 " 191, foot-note, opposite Lead, for " 2.64 " read "2.46." 
 
 " 192, line 17, instead of " 14 to " read " silver." 
 
 " 195, line 2, insert " less " after " was " and " had." 
 
 " 196, line 4 from bottom, for" 1 3-4"and"2 3-10"read"3 3-4"and"2." 
 
 " 198, assay No. 33, for "5-100 oz." read " 20-100 oz." 
 
 " 200, line 4, for " form " read " from." 
 
 " 202, line 2 from the bottom, for "exposed" read "explored." 
 
 " 210, assays 57 and 58, for " .30?" and " .13?" read " 30." and " 13." 
 
 " 214, line 5, for " beeh" read " been." 
 
 " 214, line 12, instead of " a" insert "an apparent." 
 
 " 216, line 6, for " Luck " Mine read " Tuck " Mine. 
 
 " 223, near the bottom, for " Nantegalee" read " Nanteyalee." 
 
 " 229, in the "Summary, cost of smelting," for " .16 1-4" read " .26 1-4." 
 
 " 230, assay No. 80, for "none" just below " .044" read " 0.088." 
 
 " 230, line 18, for " 0.93 " read "'0.89." 
 
 " 235, line 9 from bottom, for " Splaun " read " Splawn." 
 
 " 243, foot-note, assays 94 and 95, for " 48-100 " read " 35-100," and for "50-100 " 
 
 read "48-100." 
 
 " 250, line 8, for " 85-100 " read "48-100." 
 
 " 255, line 17, for " in largely " read "is largely." 
 
 " 258, line 23, beginning with "has a small," strike out the latter part of this 
 
 sentence. 
 
 "- 263, line 6 from bottom, for "Fag Hill" read " Fox Hill." 
 
 " 263, line 5 from bottom, insert " Black Mine." 
 
 " 274, line 16 from bottom, for " one mile west of the Delk " read " near the 
 
 Silver Valley." 
 
 " 274, bottom line, for " 13.68" read " 31.68." 
 
 " 275, line 4, for " Upper Laurentian " read " Lower Laurentian." 
 
 " 278, lines 9 and 13 from the bottom, and p. 279, line 7 from the top, for 
 
 "Willis "read "Millis." 
 
 " 281, line 22, for " sulphates" read " sulphides." 
 
 " 285, line 4 from bottom, for " Theis " read " Thies." 
 
 " 286, line 13, for "Icenhour" read "Isenhour." 
 
 " 289, line 2 from bottom, instead of " XXIV " read " XXV." 
 
 " 292, assays 224 and 226, for " 1-4" read " 3-4," and for " 7 1-10 " read " 7 7-10." 
 
 " 292, line 9 from bottom, for " in " read " is." 
 
354 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 292, line*14 from bottom, for " they " read " the ore.'' 
 
 " 293, line 11, for " Icenhour " read " Isenhour." 
 
 " 296, line 21, for " Manney " read " Mauney." 
 
 " 298, assay 247, for " 1-10 " read "6-10." 
 
 " 301, line 4 from bottom, for " Trediwick " read " Tredinick." 
 
 ' ' 306, for ' ' XXIV " read ' ' XXVII. " 
 
 " 309, line 18, before " probably" insert " its extension." 
 
 " 311, line 11 from the bottom, before " largely " insert " came." 
 
INDEX TO CHAPTER II. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Alamance county, copper ores in 214 
 
 Alleghany county,copperoresln...204, 221, 230 
 
 silver, lead, zinc ores In 204 
 
 Anson county, gold deposits in 274 
 
 Antimony 347 
 
 Arsenic 347 
 
 Ashe county, copper ores in 221, 224 
 
 iron ores in 177, 180 
 
 Bismuth on 
 
 Buncombe county, copper ores in 223 
 
 gold ore« in 316 
 
 iron ores in 177, 183 
 
 Burke county, gold ores in 309, 312, 339 
 
 iron ores in 173 
 
 Cabarrus county, copper ores in 208 
 
 gold ores in 260, 264, 284 
 
 iron ores in 154 
 
 silver, lead and zinc 191, 193 
 
 Caldwell county, iron oresin 173 
 
 silve", lead and zinc 203 
 
 Caswell count*", iron ores in 154 
 
 Calawba county, gold ores in 239 
 
 iron ores in 155 
 
 lead ores in 201 
 
 Chatham county, copper ores in 212, 214 
 
 iron oresin 129 
 
 Cherokee county, gold oresin 317 
 
 iron ores in 184 
 
 Chromic iron 345 
 
 Clay county, copper ores in 223 
 
 gold ores in 318 
 
 Cleveland county, iron ores in 160 
 
 Cobalt 345 
 
 Copper m ines and ore deposits in N.C.,205 to 232 
 
 Big America 216, 221 
 
 Buckeye 218 
 
 Burrell Wells' vein 221 
 
 Cathey 208,209, 210 
 
 Chick 214 
 
 Cid 213 
 
 Clegg 212 
 
 Conrad Kill 211 
 
 Copper Knob 225 
 
 Copper World 219 
 
 Crosby (Poplan) 208 
 
 Cullowhee 222, 224 
 
 Dunn 210 
 
 Elk Knob 224 
 
 Emmons (Davidson) 213 
 
 Ferris (Falres) 208 
 
 Foust 214 
 
 Gardner Hill 205, 206 
 
 Gillis 218, 221 
 
 Page. 
 
 Copper mines, &c — Continued. 
 
 Gold Hill 211 
 
 Graham 221 
 
 Hodges ' 205 
 
 Holloway 217 
 
 Jack's Hill 205, 207 
 
 Ream's (Hopewell) 208,209, 210 
 
 McGinn 208, £09,210,294, 298 
 
 McLeary 208, 210 
 
 Mastodon (Pocahontas) 217 
 
 Miller 224 
 
 Morrison 208 
 
 North Carolina (Fentress)...205, 206 
 
 North State (McCulloch) 205, 207 
 
 Ore Knob 226 
 
 Peach Bottom (Maxwell) 230 
 
 Phillips ore deposit 214 
 
 Phoenix 208 
 
 Pioneer Mills 208 
 
 Poole 217 
 
 Ray (Baltimore and North Car.) 208 
 
 Rodgers 208 
 
 Savannah 222, 223 
 
 Sloan 212 
 
 Spencer 212 
 
 Tuck 216 
 
 Twin 205, 206 
 
 " Waryhut 222,223 
 
 Wolf Creek- 224 
 
 Yancey 219 
 
 Copper ores, outlook for in N.C., 208, 210, 211, 231 
 
 Danbury Furnace Property, analysis of 
 
 ore from 173 
 
 Davidson county, copper ores in 211 
 
 gold ores in 260,268,279,327 
 
 iron ores in 143 
 
 silver, lead and zinc 193, 199 
 
 Davie county, gold deposits in 307 
 
 Duplin county, iron deposit in 126 
 
 Durham county, iron ores in 141 
 
 Edgecombe 'ounty, iron ores from 127 
 
 Forsyth county, iron ores in 173 
 
 Franklin county, gold ores in 239 
 
 Frost, action of in 1he arrangement of su- 
 perficial earthy material 323,329 
 
 Gaston counly, copper ores in 221 
 
 gold ores in 201, 239,303, 327 
 
 iron ores in 155 
 
 lead, silver ores in 201 
 
 Gold, fineness of native in North Carolina 234 
 
 Gold gravels in N. C 236, 238, 248, 259, 308, 
 
 315,321,328,338,329-42 
 
356 
 
 INDEX TO CHAPTER II. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Gold mines and deposits in N. C 233 to 342 
 
 Abernathy 286 
 
 Alexander (Chapman) 286, 298 
 
 Appalachian (Coggins) 248, 252 
 
 Arlington 286,293 
 
 Arrington 241 
 
 Atlas.„ 281, 283 
 
 Baker 308 
 
 Baltimore and North Carolina. 302 
 
 Bame 281,283 
 
 Barringer 258, 260, 282 
 
 Barnes 308 
 
 Bat Roost 244 
 
 Beard 278 
 
 Beason 278 
 
 Beaver Dam 248, 252 
 
 Beck 327 
 
 Bell 233, 242 
 
 Black 286, 302 
 
 Blake 286 
 
 Boylston (Boilsjon) deposits, 
 
 233, 316, 319 
 
 Brawley 286, 293 
 
 Brown 244 
 
 Bullion 280, 281, 282 
 
 Burns (and Aired) 233, 244, 245 
 
 Burrell Wells , 301 
 
 Butler (County Line) 307 
 
 Cagle.. ..-. -..-. 233, 245 
 
 Campbell 286 
 
 Capps 209,286, 294 
 
 Carolina Queen 233, 312 
 
 Carson 2«6 
 
 Carter .- 247 
 
 Catawba (King's Mountain) 233, 
 
 304, 327 
 
 Cathey 233,286, 298 
 
 Clark 286, 292 
 
 Clegg 245 
 
 Coggins 233, 248, 252 
 
 Conrad Hill 268 
 
 Corpening 308 
 
 Crowder's Moun tain(Caledonia) 306 
 
 Crowell 233,258, 259 
 
 Crowell (Bright Light) 263 
 
 Crump 263 
 
 Davidson 233, 286 
 
 Davidson & Wilson 282 
 
 Davis (Halifax county) 241 
 
 Davis (Union county) 262 
 
 Davis Mountain 253 
 
 Deep Mountain 278 
 
 Delft 254 
 
 Derr 303 
 
 Double Branch 315, 316 
 
 Duflie 303 
 
 Dulin 263 
 
 Dunn 233, 286, 298 
 
 Dunn's Mountain 280, 281 
 
 Dutch Creek 281,282, 283 
 
 Eldorado 248 
 
 Eureka 279 
 
 Page. 
 Gold mines, &c. — Continued, 
 
 Fox (Fag) Hill 263 
 
 Fairfield Valley deposits 317 
 
 Farrar 303 
 
 Ferris (Faires) 286, 300 
 
 Fisher Hill & Millis Hill 278 
 
 Flint Spring 259 
 
 Folger Hill 263 
 
 Frazer 286, 293 
 
 Gamble , 312 
 
 Gardner Hill 205, 206, 278 
 
 Glen Alpine 312 
 
 Gold Hill. ..233, 265; plates xviii-xx 
 
 Gold Knob 281, 282 
 
 Goodman 280 
 
 Graham 307 
 
 Grampusville 243 
 
 Grand Union 261 
 
 Granville 315 
 
 Grayson 312 
 
 Griffith 253 
 
 Haitheock 258 
 
 Hamilton (Bailey) 274 
 
 Hancock 233, 312 
 
 Harkness 263 
 
 Harland 278 
 
 Harris 286, 303 
 
 Harrison 280 
 
 Hartrnan 280 
 
 Hayes 286 
 
 Hearne 258 
 
 Hemby 233,261, 262 
 
 Henderson, (Meckl'b'g co.) 233,300 
 Henderson, (Montgomery co.).. 248 
 
 Henry Pliiffer 263 
 
 Hill 280 
 
 Hipp 286 
 
 Hodges (Hodgins) Hill 205, 278 
 
 Hoke Mine 306 
 
 Holtshauser 282 
 
 Hoover Hill 233, 256 
 
 Howard 282 
 
 Howell 286, 293 
 
 Howie 233, 261 
 
 Hunter group of mines 286, 301 
 
 Isenhour (Icy hour) 233, 286, 293 
 
 Isaac Allen 307 
 
 Jack's Hill 278 
 
 Jesse Cox '275 
 
 Johnson 286, 302 
 
 Jones (Keystone) 263, 254, 327 
 
 Kearney 241 
 
 King's Mountain (Catawba) 233 
 
 304, 327 
 Laffliu (Laughlin or Herring) 
 
 254, 327 
 
 Laylor (Allen) 279 
 
 Lawson Smart 312 
 
 Lemmonds 263 
 
 Lewis 262 
 
 Lindsay 278 
 
 Loftin 279 
 
INDEX TO CHAPTER II. 
 
 357 
 
 Page. 
 Gold mines, &c— Continued. 
 
 Long 263 
 
 Long Creek 304 
 
 McCorkle 286 
 
 McDonald 286 
 
 McGee 286 
 
 McGinn 286, 298 
 
 McLean's (Rumfeldts) 304 
 
 Mann 241 
 
 Marlon Bullion Company's de 
 posits (Granville mine) 233, 314, 315 
 
 Maxwell 286, 302 
 
 Michaux 308 
 
 Miller 308 
 
 Millis Hill 278 
 
 Mills .'. 233 
 
 Mills (J. C.) 313 
 
 Moore (Montgomery county) .. 247 
 
 Moore (Union county) 263 
 
 Moore Hill 263 
 
 Morris Mountain (Davis) 248, 251 
 
 Nail deposit 253 
 
 Negus 280 
 
 New Discovery 280, 281 
 
 Nick Arrington 241 
 
 North Carolina (Fentress) 205, 
 
 206, 278 
 North Staie (McCullough) 205, 
 
 207, 278 
 
 Oliver 303 
 
 Parish 256 
 
 Parker 258 
 
 Parks 286, 292 
 
 Patterson 306 
 
 Pax's Hill 302 
 
 Penman 261 
 
 Phifler 261, 262 
 
 Phoenix 233, 281 
 
 Pioneer Mills 286 
 
 Point 233, 286 
 
 Portis 233, 241 
 
 Prim 286 
 
 Prince 315, 316 
 
 Putnam (Stearns) 261 
 
 Quaker City 284 
 
 Randleman 280 
 
 Ray 233, 286 
 
 Red Springs 315, 316 
 
 Reed 233, 234, 264 
 
 Reimer (Rymer) 280,281; plate xxl 
 
 Reynolds 247 
 
 Rhea 302 
 
 Rhodes 303, 327 
 
 Rhyne 303 
 
 Robinson 304 
 
 Rocky River.: 233, 265 
 
 Roseman 280 
 
 Rudisil 233, 286, 287 
 
 Russell (Peebles) 233, 248, 327 
 
 St. Catherine 233, 286, 289 
 
 Sam Beattie 304 
 
 Sam Christian 247 
 
 Page. 
 Gold mines, &c— Continued. 
 
 Saunders 248, 252 
 
 Sawyer „ 253 
 
 Shields 244 
 
 Shuford 307 
 
 Simpson 302 
 
 Slack 253 
 
 Sloan 286 
 
 Smart 263 
 
 Smith 304 
 
 Smith (& Palmer) 286, 292 
 
 Splawn 315, 316 
 
 Southern Belle 280 
 
 Stearns 233, 261 
 
 Steele (Steel) 233, 248, 252 
 
 Stephen Wilson 286, 294 
 
 Stewart 263, 264 
 
 Stinson 286, 302 
 
 Swift Creek..'. 247 
 
 Taylor 286,293 
 
 Thomas 239, 241 
 
 Todd 286, 293 
 
 Trautman 286 
 
 Tredinick 286, 301 
 
 Trotter 286, 293 
 
 Twin 205,206, 278 
 
 Tucker (California) 284 
 
 Uwharie(Uwharrie,Uharie)233, 253 
 Vein Mountain Company's de- 
 posits 233,308, 314 
 
 Ward 274 
 
 Warren (J. C. Moore) 318 
 
 Washington 261, 262 
 
 Wilson, F 286 
 
 Wilson Kindley 257 
 
 Winningham 253 
 
 Winslow 254 
 
 Wyatt 261 
 
 Yadkin (Tuck) 280, 281 
 
 Gold mines, in operation, 1887 233 
 
 present condition of 237, 277 
 
 Gold mining in N. C, early history of, 
 
 233, 264, 325 
 outlook for 208, 211,257, 319 
 
 Gold, modes of occurrence of in N. C, 210, 
 
 234, 276, 324, 326 
 peculiarities in the occurrence 
 
 of in N. C 327 
 
 production of in N. C 233 
 
 Granville county, copper ores in 214 
 
 iron ores in 128 
 
 Guilford county, copper ores in 205 
 
 gold ores in 275, 278 
 
 iron ores in 143 
 
 Halifax county, iron ores in 127 
 
 Haywood county, copper ores in. ..221, 222, 
 
 223, 224 
 
 iron ores in 183 
 
 Henderson county, gold deposits in 316, 319 
 
 Iron mines and ore deposits 125-187 
 
358 
 
 INDEX TO CHAPTER II. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Iron mines, &c— Continued. 
 
 Ball and black bandore 133 
 
 ■ Barringer ore bank 168 
 
 Big ore bank 159 
 
 Black band and ball ore 133 
 
 Bloraary 125 
 
 Brown's H3 
 
 Buckhorn 129 
 
 Bull Rnffin ore bed 175 
 
 Chapel Hill 139 
 
 magnetite 140 
 
 Collins Creek hematite 139 
 
 Costner ore bed 160 
 
 Cranberry ore bank 177 
 
 Crowder's Mountain ore beds... 166 
 
 Danbury ore .beds 171 
 
 Douglass 130 
 
 East Bend magnetic ore 171 
 
 Ellison ore bank 161 
 
 Evans' vein 136 
 
 Ferguson ore bank 161 
 
 Forney ore bank 168 
 
 Freeman 182 
 
 Fnlenwider ore bed 161 
 
 Gaston ore beds 127 
 
 Guilford ore beds 143 
 
 Hillsboro magnetite and hem- 
 atite ores 141 
 
 Hobson ore beds 170 
 
 Kiser ore bank 173 
 
 Lincolnton limonile deposit.... 108 
 Linville Mountains limonites.. 176 
 
 Littlejohn ore bank 168 
 
 Mclver ore bed 136 
 
 Mountain ore bank 163 
 
 Mt. Tirzah hematite 142 
 
 Ore Hill 137 
 
 Ore Mountain limonlte 177 
 
 Ormond ore bank 164 
 
 Pegram 131 
 
 Powell ore bank 167 
 
 Redman 182 
 
 Rocky River 191 
 
 Rodgers ore bank 172 
 
 fc-auralown Mt. magnetic ore 173 
 
 Sikes 183 
 
 Smilh 182 
 
 Stanly ore bed 170 
 
 Titauiferous iron ores 143-104, 
 
 175, 181 
 
 Tom's Creek magnetite 169 
 
 Tyrrell Mountain magnetite 139 
 
 Williams ore bed 170 
 
 Wood's magnetite ore bed 141 
 
 Yancey 177 
 
 Yellow Ridge ore bank 162 
 
 Iron, ores of 125 
 
 Jackson county, copper ores in 221, 222, 223 
 
 gold ores In 317, 319 
 
 iron ores in 183 
 
 PAGE. 
 Johnston county, iron ores 128 
 
 Lead, occurrence of 188, 284 
 
 Lincoln county, copper ores in „ 221 
 
 gold ores in 239, 306 
 
 iron ores in 155 
 
 lead ores in 201 
 
 Macon county, iron ores in 183 
 
 copper ores in 223, 224 
 
 gold ores in 318 
 
 Madison county, iron ores in 181, 182, 183 
 
 McDowell county, iron ores in 176 
 
 lead ores in 202 
 
 Manganese 343 
 
 Mecklenburg county, copper ores in 208 
 
 gold ores in 275, 285 
 
 iron ores in 154 
 
 Mitchell county, iron ores in 177 
 
 Montgomery county, gold ores in. ..246, 258. 327 
 
 iron ores in 142 
 
 silver ores in 199 
 
 Moore county, gold ores in 242, 327 
 
 iron ores in 143 
 
 Nash county, gold ores in . 
 
 Iron ores in 
 
 Nickel 
 
 Orange county, iron ores in.. 
 
 239 
 125 
 345 
 
 139 
 
 Person county, copper ores in 214, 217 
 
 iron ores in 142- 
 
 Pitt county, iron ores from 127 
 
 Polk county, gold deposits in 309, 315 
 
 Rand lph county, copper ores, in 212 
 
 gold ores in 253, 327 
 
 iron ores in 142 
 
 Bobeson county, iron ores from...; 127 
 
 Rockingham county, iron ores in 143, 154 
 
 Rowan county, copper ores in 211 
 
 gold ores in 265,275,280 
 
 Silver, lead and zinc, occurrence of in N. C. 188 
 
 Allen Furr 191 
 
 Baker 203 
 
 Baryte 201 
 
 Catawba (King's Mountain) 201 
 
 Flint Knob 202 
 
 Henderson 201 
 
 Lemmonds 189 
 
 McMakin 192, 268 
 
 Moore 190 
 
 Peach Bottom (Maxwell) 204 
 
 Rocky River 191 
 
 Silver Hill 193 
 
 Silver Valley |97 
 
 Smart 189 
 
 Steele (Steel) 199 
 
 Stewart jgn 
 
 Trautman 193, 267 
 
 Welborn 199 
 
 Silver, production of in N. C 233 
 
INDEX TO CHAPTER II. 
 
 359 
 
 Page. 
 Spathic Iron ore (slderite) occurrence in 
 
 N. C 186 
 
 Stanly county, gold ores In 258 
 
 Stokes county, iron ores in 169, 171 
 
 Surry county, copper ores in 231 
 
 iron ores In 169 
 
 Tin 347 
 
 Transylvania county, gold deposits in. .317, 318 
 
 Union county, gold ores in 189, 260 
 
 silver, lead and zinc ores in..l88, 189 
 
 Page. 
 
 Wake county, iron ores in 129 
 
 Warren county, gold ores in 239 
 
 Watauga county,gold ores in 316 
 
 iron (ires in 173 
 
 Wilkes county, copper ores in 231 
 
 silver and lead ores in 202 
 
 Yadkin county, iron ores in 169, 170 
 
 Yancey county, copper ores in 219 
 
 iron ores in 177 
 
 Zinc, occurrence of in North Carolina 188 
 
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