The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-01-17
Fer tie rAR1IER All MECHANIC.
The Colo Mines CfNorth Carolina.

The South Atlantic gold field having
recently become q subject of inquiry,
q brief statement respecting that part
Of it situated in North Carolina may be
timely. This North Carolina area is
best known because OF its greater ex-
tent, and of the great number and re-
lative richness of its mines.
Gold is found here and there in at
least one-half Of the State, but the por-
ton productive on a working scale is
considerably less, embracing about
one-fourth of the entire area-12, 900
square miles it extends from Moore
and Franklin counties on the east,
nearly to the Tennessee line On the
west. Within these limits may be
found Illustrations of every mode of
occurrence OF gold-placers, gravel
~washings, beds, veins. and bottoms of
streams. Within this area, too, are at
least three different geological forma-
lions, FAC furnishing ores with pecu-
liar characters.
The best known mines are upon the
central belt of granite Cfor such il may
tx termed III d general wayl, stretch
ing aeroos the State III Il NE. and S.
w. direction, with a width OF 10 to %
miles the towns of Greensboro and
Charlotte being nearly on its axis this
area is commonly regarded by geolo-
gists as among the Oldest on the North
American continent.
To the east is u large body of states,
generally ~argillaceOus, with a width
varying from - to so miles this re-
giOn also abounds in mines, but it has
been less explored. To the west is a
still larger area, made up for the most
part of gneissoid and schistose forma-
tons, and extending nearly or quite to
the Tennessee border; this area. too
has Il large number of mines, but the
most valuable deposits are placers and
gravel washings.
r HISTORY OF GOLD lining
1t is highly probable that gold was
mined in this State as early as the Re-
evolutionary war, bus only in a small
way by washing bed of streams in
but II case have | heard Of tradition
ever of vein mining at that early
period. The discovery of the famous
% 10. nugget at the Reed Mine, in
Cabarrus county, occurred in 1893, but
regular operations were prosecuted
only some years after; by the year 1895
the Carolina gold mines had become
well known at the North and abroad.
A Legislative Report of 1880 puts the
ascertained production at $500, 900 per
annum. Thus far work had been done
only on placer mines, but the speedy
exhaustion OF these compelled the
miners to hunt the veins which had
been the source of such riches.
The large number Of veins found put
entirely new conditions 10 this now
important industry.
Neither the circumstances nor know
ledge nor skill of that period were
favorable to operations planned on :
scale, or with aims such as we now
witnessi in our Western territories haC
they been SO the entire industrial con
dition of the State would have beer
completely changed to this day nearly
all mining work has been of the mos
desultory character. The veins wer,
worked generally by farmers, wht
spent their odd time in these enter
prises, using their slaves (otherwis
u~noccupied) as miners the waste at
tending such random work was enoI
NOUS, but as ores were abundant an,
rich, and easily and cheaply treated
there was no incentive to economy
When the permanent water line wa
reached-generally at the depth of 4
to 60 feet-the ore changed to refrac
tory sulphurets, and as expensiv
pumping and hosting machinery WIS
necessary, and as all operations needle
to be continuous, the work, as the
conducted, ceased to be profitable, an
mine after mine was discontinued /; til
larger number remain abandoned
this day.
The five years preceding the war WI
messed a revival of mining industr
and a real progress was made towar'
a mastery of the methods of dealir
with SulphuretS iii an economical al
thorough manne But the all-absor
ing issues of that struggle diverted
efforts in this direction, and at its clio
but one mine was in operation. al
that only in fitful manner.
The dependence of the country hel
after will be on deep lying ores CO
tanning 10 to 80 per cent sulphure'
mainly iron pyrites: occasional bunch
of copper pyrites are found in a lar
number Of mines, and is sometim
present in proportions large enough
ha Cn,olfad for copnar alona tbor