The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-04-20

ever, too anxious that nothing shall be lost, he
leaves an insufficient support, and is obliged To
use wooden props or stays to keep the earth from
caying in upon him. This ore isgenerally found
lying al the head Of a ravine; the surface OF the
ground mmediatly over il has concave appear
ance, and, when the miner selects a place for
sinking shaft, he decends short distance from
the summit, where the clay is OF greater depth,
and where The secondary rock is OF a softer ma
ture, ana not SO regular in its formation. The
strata OF clay, in which the chunk mineral is
found as Il runs into the hill, frequently forms
horizontal opening between the sand rock, in
which the mineral assumes the form OF a regular
sheet and hes at the top of the strata of clay, and
partially adheres TO the upper rock, which may
be considered somewhat singular when It is
known that the ore is about six times the speci-
tic gravity OF the clay and would naturally be
looked for underneath this strata OF clay. The
sheet thus formed between the rocks is not gene
rally OF more than one inch in thickness, and
Of limited extent, unless il meets with aper-
pendicular creyce or opening in the rock, ~
which case il often decends in this crevice until
il reaches another horizontal fssure orcrevice, in
which it forms horizontal sheet OF ore.
Third Ciass.-This sheet or strata is gene
rally found from forty to sixty feet in depth. II
is hard and solid, varying from two inches TO
three feet in thickness, and from forty to sixty
feet in length, varying also much in width. Mi
ners are often led to the discovery Of this species
Of ore in the pursuit of the chunk mineral the
general course, however, pursued, is to sink
long shaft on the summit of the bluff TO the sand
rock, in order to find a perpendicular crevice or
seam When found, they are enabled to pene-
trate the rock with much more facility by the
aid of the assure. When they have sunk to the
depth of forty feet, the opening generally be-
comes horizontal, and Of width varying from
two inches to four feet. In this opening there is
generally found solid sheet of ore adherng to
the upper rock, and beneath il is found soft
clay, which, when removed, the miner, with
great facility, breaks down the mineral from
above, when he places il into a tub, and it is
drawn up to the surface ofthe ground by wind
lass Sometimes the horizontal assure is only
of sufficient width to contain the mineral, and
the sheet adheres TO both the lower and upper
rock, in which case it requires much more labor
TO remove it, as the rock has first TO be removed
from beneath, which requires a skiliu baster;
but from this horizontal opening there is fire.
quently another perpendicular one which leads
down TO strata of limerick, above which last
is always found another horizontal opening which
contains sheet of lead ore, which is generally
thicker than at any other depth. At this depth
the miners are put TO much inconvenience on &C
count of water, and, in order to avoid the diff
Guilty as much as possible, they sink basin, in
which to drain the water, and draw IT from
thcnct 10 the SuEtdCc III DdEIclo DIS uStSSoiy iS-
auires. Ut may be worthy of remark that this
water although mixed and running over several
sulphurets, IS of the pnrest quality OF spring
water, and perfectly healthy; so much SO. that
the miners use it while at work.) The sheets
of ore found in these horizontal assures are more
or less mixed with spurious metallic substances,
which renders the ore of less value than the two
first classes; its average yield is about seventy
two per cent.
A .,,ksf IL L., IL tRlacE Tacl
is sometimes found in large quantities in these
openings, and which so much resembles galena
that inexperienced miners are often deceived by
taking il TOR the pure ore. In appearance 1t Is
very similar to the protoyyde of lead, and, when
exposed to the air, it dccomPoses rapidly, leaving
a substance similar in appearance 10 small pieces
of slate, and, when exposed to a strong heat, il
ennis large quantities of sulphurc smoke: about
nine tenths of the substance entirely disal pears.
Small PARTICLES Of pure sulphurct OF silver are
found interminglcd with this species of ore
pieces Of two ounces weight have been discover
ed AT the outer edge Of this sheeta substance
known among miners by the name of dry bone
is found, which has the appearance of melted
quartz being very hard and full OF pores, and
seems to have been formed by volcanic action.
Many of the miners believe it TO be the infantile
state of lead ore, from the fact of its having
small portions of ore imbedded in it; and, what
is somewhat singular, the octagonal shape of the
ore is much better preserved in these PARTICLES
than in any other species of the ore. DRY -bone,'
when exposed to a strong heat, loses nothing
but a small portion of sulphur which is in com
bination with the particles OF ore no effort has
vet succeeded in dissolving the substance.
Another substance found in this opening in
great abundance is chrystalized sulphur, which,
In consequence of its being in contact with ga
lena, and entering into combination with II so
easily, has a greyish appearance, which renders
the value of the ore deceptive to the eye. Sui
phur, at this depth, is also found in combination
with lead and arsenic together, so that it pre-
sents, when broken, beautiful appearance, the
small particles having the appearance of orpi-
ment, but its color is of more greyish cast.
Dust mineral is species of mineral of some
what singular formation. 1t is sometimes found
at the depth of three or four feet from the surface
Of the ground, intermingled with sand and clay,
and in small particles about the size of grain Of
sand 1t has a bright and sparkling appearance
when taken from the earth, and is separated
from the clay and sand by being placed on a fiji
ter in swift current OF water the sand and clay
being washed away, while the mineral from its
specific gravity, sinks. through the filter into a
box beneath. This mineral undergoes the pro-
cess Of smelling with less heat than any other
except the ash mineral yet it does not yield so
much per centum of the metal; IL, however, has
never been found in large quantities, and is con
sidered of but little value.
Float mineral is small detached pieces of
ash mineral which have, by the washing of
the rains and repeated frosts, become exposed to
view. 1t is found in the bottom of ravines and
upon the side of the bluffs where it is clear Of
grass. 1t is seldom found except in small pieces
Of about an ounce in weight, and is considered
of no importance further than il denotes the cxs-
tence of body of mineral in its vicinity.
PROCESS OF SMELLING
The first process observed after the discovery
Of the mines was smelling in log furnaces, which
were constructed in the following manner:
stone wall of about two feet in thickness, eigh-
= Ll.serl IL ,t.,c