Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-05-14
1t was necessary to wear oilcloth or rubber
clothing to keep dry.

pieces and then transferred by more machinery
grist min, where it is pounded up 6y immenss
heaVy iron mallets into condition as flne as
Ordinary building sand. Then 1t slides into two
gallon capacity, called the "pans,H where !
quantity OF water is turned into 1t, and the
whole thing stirred up with half dozen steam.
consistency OF thin mush. From There It runs
into the settlers" two other large cast iron
Iups. where the quicksilver is poured into it.
Inc qqcRsiavef attracts all the gold, which
the bottom and then sneaks It out py an inge-
NOUS arrangement or trap at the bottom, the
!ailngs or leayings being allowed to escape
| from the tubs after 1t Is forced TO WELD mn The
rich metal that formed in 1t, and to run do En
into valley In the rear Of the works. The
Is dipped out and poured into bag filter, the
material Of which Is bed ticking. The mercury
or quicksilver. or "qu1ck" as the miners call IL,
passes through the interstices 10 the bag. leay,,
Ing the gold almost free and pure. One or two
| more processes are necessary-for the gold as
| left In the filter is In an amalgam-of chemical
| character before the gold goes to the cupola.
where It is melted up into bars.
.'As far as am concerned" said Mr. Morgan
after the tour OF Inspection OF the works was
completed, Il have nothing to do With the rock
or results after land it on top" referring to
| the place where the quartz was piled up.
my work Is confined to mining It, and that is
can miner send DIP In day." TIE STAR man
| asked THAT depends" said he. ION the guam.
t1ty OF the blast. Ordinarily one man can send
up Two en TONS OF aock IN day For blasting we
which Is It's kicking power. 1t tears the rock
away from beneath or on the sides, and rarely
rine. 1 understand they have opened several
veins lately on the Virginia side OF the river
WIlch promise to pay well: It's the same vein,
| guess, for It crosses the river" Thanking MIR.
Morgan for his kindness and inform alton. THe
STAR reporter next tackled one of the miners
as he was engaged In putting away his dinner,
TALK WITH MINER.
The dress he wore was like that worn by the
Potomac fishermen. Noticing that he did not
have the usual miners lamp attached to his
nat, TIE s, STAR reporter was led to inquire how
ne got light TO work with. "Oh we've shook
the lamp. The fumes from the burning oil
MADE IL unhealthy, and In its place we use
sperm or wax candleS.r
lis 1t cool down ia the mine?" THE STAR re.
porter inquired. when 1t be cold on top It
be warm below" he said, land when 1t be warm
on top 1t be cold below. During the past
winter when it was cold as ice here it was
warm below, so warm that when we came up
for dinner. or at night. we almost froze
me water drips on us all of the time keeping
kept going all the time still the water is seyeral
inches deep all OF the time. II we didn't run
last AFTER we came up In the winter to the
quarters and change clothing we would freeze
stiff. In summer time it is pleasant enouyh
down there"
"How long have you been miner"
i COAL
mines In Pennsylvania a long time; indeed, /
have seen less sunshine than almost any man
my age, for have been underground nearly ali
Inc met, time inc Gun shines But we pass the time
drilling and talking, and now and then swear
Ing and blasting. The boss can't tell whether
we are working or playing, unless he notices
that we Amt sending up much. Mining is like
everything else, some like iG and some DON'T
as lor me never did anything else, and don't
expect TO. They say it's a trade. L do like
Tn otxyhf Jo
sun Is shining, just to get little color In my
face. don't like to be looking bleached and
like ghost all of the time"
DISCOVERIES ON THE VIRGINIA SIDE.
The other miner, who had finished his dinner
asked the reporter IL he had heard anything 10
regard to the vein that had been struck near
Falls Church. In Fairfax county, Virginia. add
ing that he had heard there were some solid
men who intended to work iG, and that they
nad oo ordered machinery which was to cost
Treasury department, was large stakeholder
in the new enterprise.
The reporter said he had not heard anything
In regard to the Fails Church strike. except Ia
general way. WELL" said the miner, "my
opinion is that it will pay rich II enough money
E Is put = up to buy the necessary machinery.
this mine II IL is managed right
THE GREAT QUESTIONABLE 1T PAY?
1t will be noticed that up to this time moth
ing has been written about the all important
question Of how much does the mine pay.
No one whom THR STAR reporter had yet met
had any figures TO offer or at least did not offer
them. Running across Mr.. H. C. Harrison, the
ton was answered.
SIT pays well enough for us to work it,
said he, "or you can rest assured we would
result OF the last five tons of rock that | have
Worktd d." showing small bar OF gold .,IC Is
worth S91, though 1T was rather below the
n fYfrya tlnno
than can do, for 1t varies, but it runs from
sl5 to So per Ton. opened vein on the FaW-
cett property, three fourths OF mile from here
ene otner gay f9r ten lest. Il belongs to our
by using what is known as the sodium ANAL
gum process, such as have lately used, ROCK
viii pay to work If 1t only yields ten or twelve
dollars per ton.
NEw PROCESS OF HANDLING ORE
Mr.. Crosby. mineralOgist and assayist, who
resides in East Washington, informed the
writer that by new English process, gold
mining would pay If the yield was i've dollars
per ton.
In connection with the same matter, Col. j.
X. French. ex- SergeaRtat- arms OF the Senate
who Is president OF a company which for some
/ time was engaged at their works near the eth
street wharf, In south Washington, In reducing
ores, said he would not like to deal In rock that
DID not pay at least ten dollars per ton, and
that he thought one OF the Maryland or Vir-
GINA companies intended purchasing the ma
company,
THE VIRGINIA WINS.
Hearing that Mr.. VIM F. Carne OF Alex an.
dT1a. had devoted some attention to the gold
question, as far as Virginia is concerned, The
STAR reporter hied himself to that city. and
meeting Mr.. Carne allowed him TO tell his story
In his own words. the statistical part OF It and
the neat calculation being specially valuable.
The statement is as follows:
'Some time ago, prospecting through Fairfax
county, was struck with The frequent ap-
pearaLce OF rock and pebble b, although am
not skilled In Sucn matters, struck me as Slngu-
ian y like these which abOunded In gold bearing
regions that had visited In North Carolina
While specializing upon the matter, | overlook
plain sensible looking gentleman whose nag
was slower than my own, and reiaed In ana
we rode on side by side.
This looks good deal like a gold region
said.
and 1t don't belle its looks, said he. There's
just as good gold here as there Is In California.
but the trouble Is that there ain t 80 much of 10
TO the acre. A buShel or so of good corn put
into the ground Will suck up, with The help of
the sunshine and Of the earlier and the latter
rain, mere money from earth than man can
get with the same labor in breaking up stone
or washing Fairfax sand to get the gold out OF
it,
DOESN'T PAN OUT WELL.
Then 1t doesn't pan out weli?'
Il reckon It DON'T he replied. II it did we'd
never grow potatoes and turnips We'd harvest
the crop every day In the year and make the
Treasury building at washington our granary.
The fact is that 1t costs as much, and some
tha tfAloa