Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-05-20
Gold Mining in Vermont.
Continued.


ings of Vermont gold-bearing quartz,
given in these papers, came mostly under
the observation of your correspondent,
and nothing is given but what is amply
vouched for as correct.
A further working of ten tons of ore,
as it came from the lode, no poor rock
having been thrown out; poor rock is
usually discarded in working mines,
while many rich specimens were sequest-
cred by workmen or visitors, or retained
by the proprletors
The working was carried on very slow
", owing to the incompleteness of the
machinery and scarcity of water to propel
it, and mostly by persons who had no ex-
perienee in working gold ore, not even
having seen any worked before. The
yield, under these adverse circumstances,
was one apd third pounds of gold, after
melting. the value of which is four hun
dred and fifty dollars, or forty-hfty dol
lars per ton A small working of eighteen
hundred pounds of selected ore, by an
experienced quartz worker, by stamp
process, matchmaking in battery, yielded
one hundred eighty-nine penny weight of
gold after melting, the value of which is
two hundred and seventy dollars, or at
the rate of three hundrd dollars per ton.
Thus it will be seen that without a re-
sort TO the results of assays, the usual
method Of calling attention to new re-
gions, or even the results of pulyerizing
small quantities with a hammer, ,one
piece of ore weighing little less than
two pounds pulverized with hammer,
only the coarse gold being saved, yielded
six dollars, or ut the rate of exceeding six
thousand dollars per tom but by actual,
practical workings of surface ore. Ma
ehincry of the capacity of one hundred
tons per day mot unusual, and mill of
which capacity is now under contract and
building in the neighboring State of New
HampsLire,) would yield not less than
thirty dollars in one day A yield much
exceeding this has been obtained in Cali
fornia, as in the Morgan mine $4,000
was thrown out at single blast. Who
can tell what rich reward Dame Nature
has in store for her toiling children with
in her domains in the foot hills and noun
tains Of Vermont and who will say that
we have not a region east of the Hudson,
which ut some future time may not rival
in richness the Pacific Slope or equal that
g h. ut r,..rl 81 ri.t,,...S. g
the White Pine District in Nevada
Other workings Of small quantities of ore
at Rril. gov have como under the OBJ
servation of the writer, none of which
failed to yield gold.
A company is being formed for the fur
ther prosecution Of mining upon the lode
hereinbcfore described, which company is
the possc>~ur of ten stamp quartz mill,
upon never failing water power, Quee-
chy River. with house, barn, &c, for the
convenience OF the wnrkIncn, and only
lacks small amount of ready money to
complete the necessary shafts and levels
tmostly dead work Ia supply it with ore,
to be IN regular and constant operation
1t il hoped that this means NAV be oh
tanned at an early date, that the present
season may see new branch of industry
firmly established, which will give en-
ployment to numerous workmen at rcmu-
ncrative wages, and furnish ample scope
for the enterprise of our young men,
without their loss to our own State and
the hardships and moral dangers of a
frontier life
The mining of quartz consists of blast
ing it from the lode without regard to
size or shape. Its cost, mostly labor, de-
ponds upon the hardness of the quartz,
the hardness of the adjacent country or
wall rock. the width and position of the
lode as to drainage. &c, &c.
Were it similar to a rock cut in rail-
road, contractors would take it out very
cheaply-each cubic yard weighing up
wards of two tons, but it is most frequent
ly limited in width and worked beneath
the surface, which increases the cost ac-
cording to the circumstances under which
each particular lode is situated, some
lodes being mined as low as half dollar
per ton, while others cost several dollars
per ton. The delivery of the ore to the
mill depends upon the distance to be
hauled and the character of the roads,
varying from twenty-five cents to one
and two dollars per ton. The most gen.
orally adopted and improved machinery
for working gold bearing quartz is stamps,
in batteries or sections of five, each
stamp or pestle being of cast iron, with q
wrought iron spindle, upon which is fast
ened cast iron shoulder, the whole
weighing some five hundred pounds, in
Guiding an easily replaced shoe, when
worn out, of tough. hardened cast iron.
Each stamp is raised from ten to fourteen
inches by cam or arm projecting from q
shaft turned by steam or water power,
and coming in contact with the
shoulder upon the swindle, and
falls by gravity upon the ore in
the mortar or battery box, and
breaks or crushes it into fne PARTICLES.
The cams axe 10 arranged that the stamps