New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-05


ton. Others went by sea, and Georgia was stripped
almost bare of its mining population. and did not
recover before the madness completed It's
ruin. The first stamp mill in the vicinity of Dab
lonega and probably in the State, was crude aalr
on Cane Creek near the present somewhat famous
Pigeon Creek mine. This was nearly all WOOD rs
the cost of hauling iron machinery from Augusta
was So per ewt all by slow bull teams" the only
kind that could forage their living through the Will
derness. The next mill was an improvement, built
upon the Yahooa River. by Choice e. Peck, mer-
chants In 1888 or $50.
In 1910 DR.. Singleton. wealthy cotton planter
of South Carolina, who owned valuable mine in
the quartz ridge along the YahOoa River about two
miles east of Erin, built the first iron stamp mllln
the State; o very crude affair compared with some
of those lately built upon the Same property Dy Gap
tain Frank Hull, Vermonter That mine ana sew
era others in the same ridge have turned out q
great deal of gold mostly from the surface OF short
tunnels aud suppose can be just as prohtaby
worked to day ever as the whole mass OF the NH
appears to contain gold but fine and scant in the
DIRT it does not pay for handling; and in the rock 1t
is found in pockets or isolated veins. which fire.
ouently peter out" or jump over barren spaces
The gold bearing rock is loosejointed quartz, iron
stained and soft sandstone, both easily worked with
but little blasting. Above water they contain Tree
gold and in all the shafts that have been sunk De-
low the water level much richer ore is found, but
In sulphurets that cannot be reduced by any WORKS
In Georgia.
Singleton, owned by New-York company Is no"
being extensively developed, under favorable pros
pects This is one of the Oldest and most solid
mines in the Dahlonega gold field, all Of which are
within space of about three by nine miles. incud-
ing portions of the EtOwah Chestatee, Yahoola ana
Cane Creek and several smaller streams, which
have been doing miners work for untold ages cut
ting through the ridges and scattering the loose
! gold among the sand and pebbles lower down.
Here is where the first gold was found, and Is sui
found, but not In such abundance as IL was MY
'''''' HYDRAULIC MINING.
The -g,nt of water has always been the great
draw back to mining in the Dahlonega Hills. In
1S54J55, Vandyke g. Hamilton, who were largely
interested in Mines undertook TO bring water from
point OH the YahoOla River, twenty miles north
east of town. having to the stream three miles
from town. at an elevation of $50 feet, TO get the
water where it was needed. An expensive wooden
trestle was built which only lasted few years
Since the war the old "YahOOla Ditch' franchise
has fallen into the hands of Colonel Hand, OF Cleve
land Ohio who has substituted wrought iron pipes
three feet in diameter inverted sphons, to cross
the ravines, and has extended the ditch three
or four miles further to the famous Pigeon
Creek Mines, owned by S. l.. NJ Barlow, or
New-York, where, in company with Colonel
Hand the first successful experiment III
hydraulic mining with the " Little Giant, east OF
the Mississippi River, has been made. 10 get me
water TO this mine the valley of Cane Creek, sou
feet deep had to be crossed. This gave he9u 70
the Little Giant" OF 1870 feet. There Is slulce-
box down the hill $500 feet long, through which
the hill of ore, from 100 to 200 feet high ana COM
poscd OF earth, soft sand rock ana dslitegIateu
quartz is beug washed down to the foot OF The
sluice. The hue loose gold is gathered by quick
1 in lac
upon the floor Of the ore house at the toot whence
| they are taken 10 the stamp MILL inns eXpcrlmeeht
| in hvdraulic mining has proved satisfactory. inc
entire expenses Of the first three months operation
were 81 ,713 Sc; the net mint receipts $s,S3O 80
the difference 81 143 80 stands for interest on the
| investment of possibly 100000.
| Another " u tile Giant" successfully working
| upon the old Battle Creek mine also assists 10
| prove that hydraulic mining IN Georgia VIII pay
| wherever head Of water can be obtained without
excessive expense. 1t IS true the g0d Is very uucu
| difused but where hill can be washed down, as
| at pigeon Roost for total expepse of % cents Il
ton and 80 cents ton is got from the slulce-6oXeS
tSe hiJls will be evced as fast as water can be APP
! piled. There is doubt in my mind that the sup
ny of fine gold is practically lneXhausilble IN the
| hills and probably is so below the water-leveI.
| The geological formation Of the DahlOneRa Rold
| fields is somewhat remarkable The general char-
acter of the country rocks IS slate IN places qule
pure, but frequently much deconposeH, ahG ni'Asu
| with quartz aud sand colored with IRON. Inc dlp
of the strata is 200 to co. toward the northwest
| the course corresponding with the Bluo Ridge, zen
| miles distant, that Is: northeast ana sOuln"esl
| nearly Instead of following these lines all the
straaios have chi across them. So 1t usual TO ind
| rich friable soil on the very apex OF the ridges
| covering collaborating quartz, or soft sandstone
sometimes soft that II can be crushsd easily anu
the gold washed out IN the hand-pan mere are also
hard sandstone, irOnstOne schlstone slate eic tha
contain no gold and it seldom found iu7 the wall
rock of vein though 1t is in veins OF slate running
The Topography of this part of Georgia is we'll
worth careful study. The general trend OF all the
ridges tb nam" 10 So of the Blue Rdge and
for more than fifty miles IN width thcre IS con-
slant though very gradual rise, ana succession OF
| wooded hills with but little :evel land between
| and only q small percentage OF 1t III cultivation
notwithstanding It's general fertility; Inc, streams
are nuner0us and seldom clear as allplOughed land
| washes easily and in the gold region the work
| of the miners makes all the streams ,mupuh.
The soil is generally clay. colored % Tld
in Wet or dry times. the dust being worse than the
| mud. The Blue Ridge is broken up INTO knobs,
some OF them over ngH' sgnng bnt ill.,
tic bare rock. This is also true OF the ioOt-h |
mentioned that Dahlonega was built upon hilIs'and
don't see where else 1t could have been bnllt' M
lees unop the bottom lands of some OF the line mil
streams mostly uuused that How through the
The altitude of DahlOneRa, as marked npon the
old mint building, is 1920 feet, which makes IL
about thousand feet higher than Atlahta, lloi
which It is distant seveuty-hve miles by wagon
road 1t is twenty-sX miles from the railroad at
GAINESVILLE. Upon nearly all the streets ana lott IN
the town gold nuggets have been picked up, OF me
Gold manned out of the dirt whenever there was q
little run of water after hard rain ana there Is
| one shaft sunk thIOugn gOld-DeaIlnB q"ditN' uoNu
below the water-line where the qnar,z ~af l4I t
stamn mil and quicksilver did not save enough to
nav expenses; aud the proprietors having anolhe
mine where they could use their machinery, aDan
| doned this shaft. Tie same thing has been dGle az
other p tces the miners all preferriDg to Work dry
, | ores. ,,.. y,L,a.ao. 80, FLO
Almost Immediately adjoining Dahlonega on tho
northwest although the topography Is the same
and stranger can see no change in the geological
formation, the land IS utterly barren OF g3ld Tor
J i've ar ak miles. Indeed, the shaft which have
inst raebtioned which is known as the Lawrence
- mi onrne su1nllrr niPcings clOSe TO II, soon