Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1880-01-22
Mica in North Carolina.

Something AJo,a the Operation Of the
Wlaes an Mitchell County.
Bakcrsyi|le, the county seat Of
Mitchell county, North Carolina, is
quite an elevated place, physically
and morally, being three thousand
feet above the sea level, surrounded
by the grarLest peaks of .hc Ap-
alacllain range, and having a pro
hibitoI. liqnor law. 1t is not often
that we h, ar of Tcnnesseans emf
grating to North Caralina, but hero
is population of five hundred
souls, the greatest number of whom
are natives OF the former State.
The place has new appearance, as
it should hsve. every house except
one having been built since the
late war.
Half the wonders of the celebrat-
ed mica mines have mover been
told. The Clarissa, the principal
mine, is now being worked by
force Of forty or fifty hands, two
hundred and sixty feet under the
surface Of the ground, and the sup
ply of mica still appears to be in
exhaustible. There arc evidences,
too, that this mine was worked
ages ago. Upon the sides of the
deep shafts, now cavcd in, are the
stumps of what were huge forest
! ubi,iN 70 t,,,-n I,ol
from sheer old age. Mining in
strumcuts, too, have been found
unlike any met with elsewhere. A
party OF distinguished scientists
visited this mine some years since,
and after an examination of all the
evidences of Its antiquity, came to-
the conclusion that it must have
been worked by prehistoric race
several thousand years ago. Tho
intcror of the mine has very novel
and striking appearance. The light
from the lamps shining on the ex-
posed blocks Of mica gives them the
appearance OF mirrors, of various
shapes and sizes, SGT in the solid
granite walls. The blocks Of mica
when first removed from the mine
present some interesting phenome--
ma. Pictures Of flow, Is and vines,
IN the most fantastic shapes ana
gcorgeons colnrs, arrange them
selves over its sun face Breath up
OH them, and they viii disappear,
being superseded by bcantifu! cir
clcs representing in their cololing
evcIy shade of the rainbow. These
phenomena are Doubt, ss to be at
trihuted to the action Of gases con
lined in the mica in coming in CON
tract with other gasscs. Mica has
never been used 10 amy considerable
extent except in olnamenting stoves,
and the amount now consumed i'll
this way is truly surprising. In
$50 six hundred pounds supplied
the market, but for the present
year thirty thousand pounds have
been shipped from the mines and
aud adjoining counties Of 1ancy.
Its market prices varies even more
than that OF cotton. 1t is CIT for
use at the mines, the larger pat
terms readily selling for tire dollars,
while the smaller siZas find slow
sale at twenty five cents per pound.
Red and black oarnets are trc-
qurntly found in these mines, and
rich beryls of immense size have
been uncarihcd in their dark chamc
bcrs. Mr. j. q. Heap, of Bakers
Vile, has one OF these red garnets,
which weighcs more than a pound,
and Captain J. l.. Robinson, of tho
same place, is the owner Of beryl
measuring twenty one inches in
circumference and weighing sixty
pounds. y columbite ot'rarc beauty,
said to be the finest ever found on
the continent, was shivcrcd TO atoms
some years ago near one OF these
mines by "a sledyc-hammcr in tho
hands of Il curious isnuramus, who,
not content with its cXquisiteiv
crystalzed sides, like the little
child with its toy, desired to see
bow it was made. A distinguished
mineralogist, who was aftcrward
shown one of these atoms, estimat--
ed. from tie description given him
OF the original appearance of the
stone, that it would have sold for
thousands Of dollars Ncmphis
Appeat.
With an area about half as large as
TeyaS and DOsses SinU tie highest