Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-06-04
SURVEY OF SOUTH eARoLINA.

We have received from OSCAR NJ. LIPpER, ESQ,
State Geologst, copy of his able report on that
portion of his survey embraced in his Inst years
operations, and relating particularly to the Geolc
gical features of Lancaster, Chesterfield, York
aud Chester. In this Report our district occupies
a prominent position Lesriag off the palm in min
eral wealth, from any competitor yet IN tie field.
The distinctive character of the various mines, are
stated in plain lucid practical language, with as
few technicalities as possible. The Report is il
ustrated with typographical plates of the country
:. surveyed exhibiting the lying Of the different
strata and executed in beautiful and so far MS
we can judge, faithful manner. We append the
following extracts, relating to this District:
"The Martin mine is situated on the waters of
Wolf creek, in northwestern York, and is the
most extensive depositI have yet seen in the State
The area of the gravel bed is about four acres its
greatest depth twelve reet Its shape is OVAL the
broad part being on the northwest. rhe longest
diameter is from the N. W. to the S. E. The un-
dcrlying slate forms ridge in the CENTRE so that
the deposit has filled two distinct depressions; its
depth over the dividing ridge being but one or two
| feet Towards the sides the deposit thins out en-
trey but the surface is almost everywhere aurif-
erous
The material forming the deposit, Isl gravel and
white pipe-clay, in alternating layers. The gray
el consists ofroed quartz, of which som. pebbles
are half foot in diameter. Ordinarily the size is
about three inches, and decreases from that down
to half an inch. The quartz are white and sacha-
rne, and, therefore, ifsit had ever been intended
to work the minc properly, these pebbles should
have been crushed. The operations have, howev-
ever, been confined to washing the gravel. Some
few pebbles, of more chrystallne quartz are seen,
but these contain no gold. The pipe-clay, even
when perfectly free from all pcrceptibe quartzpar-
ticles, is highly auriferous and, my paintings gave
most favorable results, although the unctious char
acter renders it troublesome to pan and necessari
ly cause loss ofgold. This deposit was derived
from veins which crop out close at hand.
"Other veins show themselves on the hills o.
round As the original source lies so close at hand,
powerful gyratory motion must have been exert
ed to round the pebbles to the extent in which they
are now seen.
"This mine was first worked in 1886 or '3S by
Daniel Smith and Dawkins who obtained lease
for niuety-nine years from Martin. This lease has
repeatedly changed hands, and the mine is still
worked upon it. At the time of my visit, two and
half hands only were occupied there. The gold
~
the size of pins head ore common and nuggets
weighing seventeen ounces and nine and half
ounces have been found. One piece OF quartz,
about one quarter cubic foot in bulk, contained
2l0 pennyweghts, another over 400. In May and
June, 1852 Messrs. Beam, Gill and Allison, with
the labor of two men and two boys and the use of
rockers only, made SIS, 700 worth of gold. But for
a short period was drag mill ever at work here;
otherwise rockers have alone been employed. The
gold is worth ninety-eight cents per pennyweight'
"To enumerate oil the depostes along branches
and elsewhere in district like York, for instance,
would alone fill a volume; for, in the northwest
ern part of that district there is scarcely water
course whose sands do not contain more or less
gold. The deposits here mentonedare all OF those,
whose importance is sufficient to demand our at-
tention in these cursory observations.
CoprER.-This metal is entirely new among the
discovered minerals of our States and as there are
numerous unexplored mines of this metal, some
of which are of the highest promise, the SUBJECT
merits our especial attention.
"Ths Mary mine is situated in York district,
four miles and quarter northeast of the Court
House. The vein is o contact vein between pro-
phyry dixie and the ea-slate, the prophyry ITSELF