Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-04-17
MINERAL WEALTH OF VIRGINIA.
BY DIR. E. ii. Grant, Late State GeoIogist OF vir
Rinia.
From the journal of Mining

The most profound mystery Of America is that
there exists belt of country on the Atlantic sea-
board, within few hours travel Of New York chal.
longing comparison in quality, quantity and extent
with any other mining region OF the globe-whch
has been passed by and neglected to give preference
to far distant regions. Of course some cogent
son must exist, for this anomaly among people or
dinariy supposed to be awake to the opportunities
of obtaining wealth, and propose to briefly con-
slider them. The first and most important that the
few efforts which have been made in time past have
employed ignorant and untrustwOrthy slave labor
having neither energy nor selfrespect because held
in position anomalous to that designed for the hu-
man race-void of family ties, with labor unremu.
nerated, without any legal rights or privileges and
subject to the caprice of their masters. The world
has long since realized that the capacity of any
class, however mental their employment is enchanc-
ed by their personal intelligence liberty and civil
privileges. The second difficulty has been that the
superintendent and mining engineers have rather
been chosen for their family position and social in
fuence, than their practical knowledge of mineral
opy and principles of mining. The third trouble
has been wasteful expenditure of money on useless
machinery. have knowledge of one mine where
over $4,000 has been spent for steam-engines,
pumps, and shafts which cost 500 a day, besides
iaborers wages to keep in running order whilst
the same property existed a most valuable water
power and all the could have been extracted by
a tunnel above water level, which would have drain
ed itself, and brought the ore to the works de-
scending grade. merely mention this as an illus
tration of the wasteful method which has invariably
been adopted in working these mines in years past
The fourth obstacle has been the want of sympathy
towards the few who have engaged in mining oper-
atoms, originating mainly, from the public inter-
est being wholly concentrated on slaves and tObac
co.
All that portion of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge
known as the Piedmont district, bounded by the
tidewater district on the east, is resting upon the
primitive strata-Cambriam and Lower Siluran-
and has been upheaved by plutonc and volcanic ac-
ton. The valley of Virginia is of the secondary
formation, and owes its position in the Shenandoah
district mainly to putonic in the southwestern to
volcanic agencies. There has been vast diluval
wave overspreading the State, giving evidence, in
some counties, as BetetOurt of glacial action, and
in Others of 6uvial deposit. This drift belongs to
the Eocene period, and in many parts is Metallic
rous. There is no correspondence between the con-
formation of the surface of the earth and the posi-
ton of the subjacent strata, except in the mountain
ranges as the valleys are mainly those of erosion
and not of subsistence. The character and position
of the metalliferous strata more closely resembles
those of Europe, than those of Lake Superior and
Missouri. There are more troubles, trap dykes, con-
tra-lodes, and faults than properly belong to plu
tonic upheavals. The igneous forces had a much
more powerful influence in the production and posi-
ton Of the metalliferous deposits and veins than
either the aqueous, the electrochemical and mag
netc. But since their origin they have been greatly
modified by these other agencies in the diluval de-
posts, but retain their original character in the sub
jacent strata. The metallifer0us veins are rarely
parallel to the strata, are frequently crossed and i'm
pOverished by fissure veins, and belong, especially
in the southwestern valley to the same formations
as those of Freiburg and Cornwall.
The greatest difficulty in exploring the mineral
regions is the vastness and popularity of the drift,
which frequently miseads the minor by atfording
surface indications remote from the true veins.
Especially is this true of the aurierous belt. There,
a drift of pay dirt averaging foot thick, has over
spread large extent of country, which frequently
is found rich and constant, remote from assure
veins. This drift is not so thick as that Of Caifor
mia, but it iseasily stripped and is equally extern
sive and has, in many places, yielded as much to
the hand. The character of the placer gold is
mostly coarse, nuggets of large size having been
frequently found. | have seen many weighing
over an once apiece, and have one weighing about
two ounces, which has been declared on careful in.
spection, to be superior to Australian gold.
The gold ores which have proved by test and as
say most profitable in Virginia, do not usually
show gold under the lens 1t is therefore, fine, and
in many cases may be chemically united with
the chlOrides and sulphurets and be precptated by
water or heat in the process of extraction. The
best gold ores of Virgnia-the sulphurets of arse
mic, iron, lead, copper, and feTuginous and alum
inal CLAWS, and the talcose slates-have never
been worked to any extent. Therefore, they have
yet to become the subject of exploration and prac-
teal manipulation. | have made several tests,
which warrant me in declaring that these sulphu.
refs and cays will yield gold equal to any ores hither
to brought before scientific and practical mneralo.
gists The usual rule in mining in Virginia has
been, that at a depth of fifty feet and upwards,
sulphuTets predomindted, and heretofore, owing to
want of knowledge of method of treatment, the op-
eratons then ceased, and new shafts were sunk in
the decomposed ores which constituted the surface
of the veins. These ordinarily yielded from $40 to
S35 ton by assay, but much less as worked by in
ferior labor with the rudest proceses-pans and
rockers. Sluces and long toms are comparatively
unknown, and hydraulic mining has never been at
tempted in Virginia.
The greatest difficulty in tracing the lodes has been
the discrepancy between the surface and subiacent
strata the frequent intervention of troubles from tap
kyes granite and other metalliferous strata, the
frequent intersection of lOdes often of very
diverse character from the vein in course of eXpora
ton the rapid transition of the ore from kindly to
intractabe, from oxides to sulphurets, and the me-
cessity of providing means to remove the abundant
influx of water.
When it is taken in consideration that these Mines
which can challenge comparison in quality and
quantity of ore, have such great advantages in
feasibility, economy of working and transportation,
abundance of timber and water in fertile regions,
having mild and salubrious climate where mining
operations can be successfully prosecuted every
month in the year, it seems impossible to believe
that there will be any hesitation in developing such
valuable resources 1t is the surest and best known,
the most accessible and advantageous field now
60 ba lict nd min in