North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-10-04
GOLD MINING IN NORTH cARoI1Na..


State: 9tf go l-z- RI src.e=.- Ss.,- s.-
"As it may be of some interest to give WOW some
account of Gold Mininz in this part of the State
Will close with brief sketch of my visit TO Gold Hill
lou are of course aware that Gold has been found in
large quantities in North Carolina Mines are now
successfully worked Gas nearly can learnl in the
following counties :-Guilford, Randolph, Moore,
Montgomery, Davidson, Rowan, Cabarrus, Stanly,
nson' Union, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, CASTOR, Ruth
erford, Burke and Mcdowell. Gold mining is an
important and extensive business in the West; and
indeed 1t seems the chief and almost sole source of
existence to the people, under their present ruinous
policy OF spending for Northern and Foreign
manufactures than they receive for native productions
They go to the North tor everything and send little or
nothing there in return but gold. All articles of
manutacture-food and clothing-machnes and tools,
from a cotton-gn to axe-helve-are brought from
the North by people who command the ralo
GtertaI In any quantity and who have the force to
create for 1t value, if they had the proper ener-
gy and enterprise.
Gold Hill is thriving village of some 1000 in
habItants built up during the last years, and de-
pending entirely on the of its mines for its
present and future existence The houses are there
fore built on cheap style, and few are more than
one story high. The village is IA miles s. E. of
Salisbury, and very the Cabarus line. Persons
ira Yelling in this section of the State could spend
short time very pro6taby and agreeably this place,
and find excellent accommodation at the Hotel of Mr..
Joseph A. Worth.
Imagine bleak, barren ridge, thick with bushes
and small oak growth, with here and there a little
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and you have the site OF Gold Hill it is approach
ed from Salisbury. The first sound that sautes your
ears is the monotonous cough of the pun.p-engine
which INCREASINGLY forces up the water from the bot
tom OF the mines. Passing through a crooked street
of cabins, the vast machinery OF the MILL and huge
piles of ore attract the strangers notice. As this is
the largest mine in the neighb orhood, let find Mr..
Gardner Slearnes (the obging superintendent and
examine the machinery, &c., and learn the various
operations required to extract the virgin gold. We
satisfied of the extent of the operations when
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per day, which ranges in value from dollar to 500
dollars per bushe, and averaging about dollars
Two relays OF hands are employed, numbering in all
between forty and fifty, who receive, according
their capacity, from SO dollars per month. One
hall the miners commence their labor at in the
morning and come out dark, the other half work all
night. Let US first visit the 40 horse power pump
engine, which works continually, night and day
(Sundays not excepted) to draw off the water which
Is constantly rising in the mines. The pistons
OF lron foot in diameter, and extend than 800
feet down into the mines. The water is forced up
by valves and is conveyed in troughs supply the
large engine which works the mills &C., and TO wash
out the goid in the rockers, &c. This engine has
three boilers, and is equal SO horse power. There
are two millsthe is ground by the revolution of
two large stones, feet in diameter, rolling vertical
y within the circumference of the mill, and crush
ing the hardest rock into powder. AS ;he is
ground 1t is washed out into six large vessels called
drags om the revolving rocks which constantly turn
the mud and water.) The metal escaping these
chimes is caught in eight smaller vessels called
stirrerS, from the wooden paddles which revolve in
their centre) From the stirrers, the fluid pass
es through the bOULs and receives its final washing
in the rockers. There 1S of the former and Is of
the latter now in operation. The bowls about
feet in diameter, and intended, by their sudden
half revolutions, shake the gold the bottom and
let the sand run off with the water. The mud and
sand is all washed over again in the rockers, worked
by small boys. These cradle looking have
little notches called rifles in :er troughs, 10 catch
the gold while the wafer and sand float OFT. The
precious metal appears at the bottom of the rifles,
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with which it forms amalgum. This is burned
of-the gold cast into bars-and the bullion carried
TO the mint for coinage.
After gratifying my curiosity amidst the machine
ry. was introduced to Mr.. Matthew Moyl Zone of
the overseers under ground) and after doffing my
clothes for a miners suit consisting simply of
flannel Shirt pair of coarse pants and outside draw
ers, jack boots and thick heavy hat) ready to
explore the dark and subterranean passages,
beneath At the mouth of the shaft was furnished
with light. The candle stick Of soft mud, and
to give free TO our hands candles stuck
to the crowns of our hats. My guide first entered
the shaft "a pit six eight feet square) and
meaced our descent, on upright ladders, very slowly
and cautiously. Some fifty feet down, both our can
dies were exnguished by the dripping moisture from
the dark and Jagged slate rock, which all sides
surrounded ThereI halted alone, in darkness and
silence, until my guide returned with light and
we continued our descent. AS neared the veins
we could distinguish the blows of the miners, drill
ing powder holes to blast out the They cannot
advance step without blasting, the slate
hardness as j. descends. The veins of gold lie on
both sides of of slate between stratas
and appear either combined with copper sui phur
The slate is first removed to give room to work
the and this in turn is sent up in buckets to the
mill. When within hundred feet of the bottom,
we halted at signal just below US. 1t was
ing that blast to be fired. We waited few
seconds in suspense-the match had failed-but a
mother instant brought convulsive shock, and ond
report of rolling thunders. This nose though al
most deafenng below, cannot be heard above the
ground. We followed the dripping passage, through
the smoke of the powder, sometimes leaping across
yawDing chasms, and crawling hands and
knees, climbing heaps of ORE till reached
one 10 turn the chsel, the other to strike. They
sually work in pairs following the the veins
which North and South. One of the Copper
miners of Cornwall, told that the British mines
were, some of them, 300 fathoms deep, and so in
tensly hot as to be almost beyond endurance. The
day, above ground, unpleasantly warm, but
found the mines quite cool and refreshing, and after
passing hour very pleasantly, toiled up the steep
ladder, to rejoice at the sight of daylight once more,
and to continue my journey towards Concord.
Mr.. Worth informed that the capital invested
in machinery, tile hill is 100, 000-he mines
cannot be valued. He also furnished with the
following statistical table, which you publish if
you think proper;
GoLb HILL MINES.
Honeycutt, Culp & Co., $lO1.665 81
Field & Company, $4,000 90
Barnhardt, Nancy & Co., 300, 900 90
Heilig, Barnhardt & Co., 10000 90
Holmes, Barnhardt & CO.., $4,000 90
Trounan & McMackins; 10000 90
Walls & Houston, 10000 90