Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1841-01-16
From the ST Louis Republican.

Nl5Sot LAA va LAHb'
We learn that o discovery has been made in
The load mines in tho Southern part Of this State,
of new description Of lead ore which il likely to
sch an important revolution in the cost Of the
article. In tho southern mines there II q species
Of ore which sbounds in immense quantities,
called by miners. dry bone mineral there are
several different descriptions Of ID, bu; the more
comaaon is that Of o porous stone OF great weight,
living on the surface or near 10 it: This dry bone
mineral hss always been esteemed to no Of 40
value, and has ia most cases been greatly In the
xay Of the miners opening hew lesds or digging
for tho blue mineral. We understand that this
is especially the case in the leads on The Mine La
Note tack. A few months since, q German
.niuer came into the mines and showed the value
and manaer Of working the dry bone mineral. and
| such hes been the success attending the working
| of it tia, il now bids fair 10 supersede the shafts or
| digainxs for the blue mineral. entirely. II is gem
srally found combined with sand and earthly sub.
s.snces-is submitted to a process Of washing,
and upon being smelied in q furnace Of peculiar
construction, yields in proportion to its cost, q
greater return than the blue mineral. a company
concerned in the Mine La Motto Mines. have erec-
| ted q furnace something after the fashion of the
cupslo furnaces, to which they apply a blast by
steam. In this furnace, which is so small thai
four persons can keep her supplied, have in forty
Eve days, Sundays included, when the furnace ii
not run, made rising 100000 pounds Of lead
There 10 no expense in raising the mineral, and il
10 furnished 10 the smeiters OF one dollar and q hal
i.l 49, 90. .l-..lk .~-,k
cheaper than the blue mineral at three dnllais.-
The company we understand, calculate that they
can manufacture at their furnace, this year, near
" four millions of lead, a quantity greatly exceed
ing the product of all the mines in any preVi ou'
wear. II the experiment continues es success stu
as they have began, there cannot be a doubt tina
the ease with which this ore is produced, the ia
cility with which it is smelted, mus, eventually
make a great change in the supply Of the article
and its cost. e.
One of the most singular features of this matter
10 that the value of this ore should have remained
so long unknown. We understand that mi!Iion
Of pounds Of it have, AZ different times and place,
been dug up and thrown aside as Of no vaIue.-
Biologists and scientific men have frequently ,rav
eiled the mining country, and particularly thu
Mine La Motto track, and yet it remained for
common lsboreI to develope it's real worth. A
| general who is familiar with she country says ,ha
there is no power of estimating the quantity
This discovery d~evelopes another importante
fact, that the real value of the mineral depositea
in this State is not yet half told; in fact, we have
no. begun 10 see g ty,he of their intrinsic value.
We further learn, that upon the Mine La Motto
track, a miner has lately discovered a new vein Of
copper ore, m easuring about three feet in thick
ness, and which has been traced to q considerable
| distance without any indication of its giving out.
| On the contrary, every appearance indicates that
it will improve as it penesrates deeper into the
earth.
The above facts we have from a gentleman of
our city who has recently been in the vicinity o!
the mines.