Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-05-27
GOLD IN GEORGIA.
Veins Which Would Yield Thou
sands of Dollars a Day IL
Developed.
Atlanta Constitntinn-1

There is a mistaken notion with re-
gard to the nature and formation of
gold veins. We premise by stating
that the operation of the laws Of God
never change, and that a true or vol
canic vein" is everywhere the same;
that its metallic properties depends
upon whatever metal CHANGED to be
forced up with the matrix to the sur
face from the fluid mass of matter be-
meath the crust of the earth, which is
about fifty miles thick. Whenever a
grand cataclyisn obtains this crust is
disrupted, and a chain of mountains
is formed, and many assures are form
ed, giving numerous metalliferous
veins OF whatever happens to be at
that point in a fluid state-sometimes
iron, someties gold, silver, zinc, cop
per, or any other substance. These
veins never exhaust. As the crust Of
the earth is at least fifty miles thick.
the metals of whatever kind will con-
tlnue to that depth. The Comstock
lode has been worked $500 feet deep.
and the heat increases about one de-
gree in every ifty-six feet; conse.
quently, at the present. level, no one
can work longer than one hour.
In Georgia we have but five true
veins, which have produced i'm
mensely rich deposits Of massive gold.
But not one has been developed. No
search has been made for the veins
which, if worked, will yield thou
sands of dollars per day to each hand.
The Potosi mines in South America
yielded over $4,000, 600 annually for
many years, ald we have at least four
equally as rich. The Lumsden mine.
at NacoOcbee, is of this character.
and has produced hundreds of thou
sands of dollars from the placers, but
when traced to the cause, will weld
as much every month. The most of.
the veins in Georgia and other parts
of the world were altogether different
from true or assure veins. They
were formed by chemical precipita-
ton, from a solution in a temperature
above boiling water, and formed a
strata in the primary sea-bed, which
were, after millions of years. up.
heaved by volcanic force, and now
constitutes what we call segregated
veins" which trend with the Appala-
chan range OF mountains in a south.
east and northwest direction in the
states of Georgia, Alabama, North
and South Carolina, and EDWARDS for
a thousand miles. The radical diff
ference is simply that the gold, in a
true vein, is always massive, ranging
from a few pennyweights to ten or
twenty pounds, and at the Cabarras
mine thirty-seven pounds, and in Cal
lfornia the largest mass weighed 100
pounds. One equally large from
Australia, now in England, is from a
volcanic vein, in all of which the gold
is forced up from the internal great
deep in a fluid state, with the matrix.
while the segregated veins or strata
are formed by the precipitation of
gold from solution by chemical atm
lty, and is never massive, and may be
rich or not, just in proportion to the
quantity in solution in the menstrum;
and may continue for miles deep or
give out quick, just in accordance
with the extent Of the disrupted Sec
ton. In North Carolina, in Cabarras
county, at the Reid mine, was found
the first gold in the United States.
The mass was picked up by a boy.
who shot at and missed a fish, aud his
arrow was broken against a yellow
mass, which he carried home, and
his mother used it for years to prop
the door open. 1t weighed thirty
seven pounds troy. We know of two
other mines which have been aban-
doned for forty years no doubt equally
rich.