Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-05-12
Yours,
Gold in NGrLh Carolina

We observe that the House OF Rep
esentatives has passed an appropria-
tia for the assay office at Charlotte,
| North Carolina. This is step in the
| right direction. The mineral resources
OF North Carolina have of late at
| tracted considerable attention. The
great extent of the mineral belt run
ming through that section of tie cOun-
try has never, until recently, been ac-
curateiy known in a general way, for
the reason that all the mining opera
tions carried OF in the South, with
one or two exceptions, prior to and to
a great extent since the war, have been
mere surface or placer" mining.
Only recently have any we'll directed
efforts been made tc develop the veins
by deep mining. Placer mining is
very uncertain, ard, therefore seldom
profitable; but experience has shown
that wherever well directed efforts
have been made to penetrate to the
lower levels on gold or silver bearing
! lodges, the results are as certain as
any other species of mining, including
coal and iron.
It is believed that all along the east
ern range traversing the Carolinas,
and further South, there are yet to be
found many stores of wealth beE eath
the surface, which only await practi-
| cal application of capital. That gold
bearing quartz is present in great
abundance has been fully demon
strated in numerous instances-nota-
| bly, at Gold Hill, near Salisbury, and
| the region immediately surrounding
| Charlotte.
The Gold Hi mine is the deepest,
! and contains very rich ore, but mostly
1ol 40 =
to treat. This is not the case, how
ever, at other points. For instance,
the we'll known Kings Mountain mine,
near Charlotte, at depth of two hun
/ dred and fifty feet, has an extensive
vein of limestone formation, carrying
| telluride of lead and free gold, which
is readily extracted by amalgamation
i'll the ordinary stamp mill. The ore
in this mine is Of the same character as
that found on the Comstock lode, and,
| while it has not proved so rich SO far
as developed, it appears to be almost
as extensive. There are also a number
of other mines from which large
| amounts of bullion have been taken.
The rcopening of the assay Office at
Charlotte will aid very materially in
stimulating the mining interests of that
I'region, particularly just now when SO
! much attention is being given i'll that
direction.
Mr.. Holman Of Indiana stated in the
course of his debate on the appro
priation, that the last year the assay
office at Charlotte was kept open there
was GU Y about Sc, 900 deposited there
However this may be, we know that
the Kings Mountain mine alone ha~
produced during the past year Sll7,-
600, and the prospect is that the pro-
duct of the region about Charlotte,
which is low known to be very cons
siderable 1--WE have net the exact
figures), will be much greater during
the near future than ever before, ow-
ing to the fact that more capital is be
ing expended in development of the
mines. There is no doubt that the
time is near when Charlotte will be tie
centre of an extensive and tiouiishing
mining region, and the passage of the
appropriation which provoked these
remarks is an indication that Congress
is becoming conscious of the fact
Phit0deil1hia Enquirer. |