The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1883-09-22
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from the Mineral World !

w liEt 10 hic1 NHO knnW9. One
gentleman said he thought itgrew on
trees in Central America. Another
knew better. mica" said he sis isin.
glass, and any fool knows what that is.
aIy mother used to u 9 it in making soup
when | was boy. 1t was good soup,
too" The fact is that mica has about as
much relationship to isinglass as old
Polonius' camel had to cloud, which
was also very like whale" Mica is
one Of the most singular and beautiful
minerals that ever came out of Natures
laboratory. Isinglsss is an animal sub.
stance manufactured from marine fish,
and is used for culinary purposes.
The mineralogists say that "mica is
composed of silica 1873, aluminium 36.S,
potash 80, peroxide of iron As, fouric
acid OF. water Is. Before the blow
pipe infusible, but becomes opaque
white"
Many and many year ago, before
Americus Vespuccius stole the honors Of
Columbus, there were mica miners in
North Carolina. Industrious fellows
they were, too, considering the inferior
copper and stone tools they used, for the
evidences Of their hard and patient toll
were found deep down in the North Car.
olina mica mines by the first white ex.
plorers of that country. SO there was
pre-. historic mica. What did these an
cient worthies do with it? Quin Sabe
Stone arrow heads and axes are found
everywhere, but what became of the mica
taken out of the North Carolina mines
thousand years ago? As well ask for
Montezuma's genealogical tree.
In what merry mood must Mother
Nature have been when she made mica.
The sun was certainly shining and the
day was bright, and Phebus. how hot it
must have been. The granite rocks per.
spired. These lamin@ or layers into
which you can split piece of mica until
you get tired, were the successive de-
p',it' made between each painting breath
of the sweltering world. Go into mica
mine, an open cut into which the sun.
light penetrates, and behold with won.
dr., awe and admiration the glittering
glories that stud the walls. Aladdan's
lamp never cast its rays on greater efful.
gence or more resplendent and dazzling
brilliance. All the delicate tints and
hues that magician ever dreamed of are
there, and there they have lain hidden
for how many millions Of years. impris-
oned light, in great blocks, in wide sheets,
hid away under quartz and spar, between
hanging wall and foot wall, as though
nature had built special prison house
to fasten down her jewels. One need to
be an expert professional burglar. speci-
ally trained rs brakeman of Natures
safes, to penetrate, into these double.
locked and bolted penetralia.
Until within few years the modern
world did mt know what to do with
mica. The time is here when it seems
pusaled to know what to do without it.
There is a mica famine in the land--ir
Europe IS we'll as our own country. Ths
great stove manufacturers are cryin
"Give, Give" but the p,;ca ,u;pes ,von',
give, save grudgingly. Last year ther.
was less than $4,000 pounds Of mica pro
duced in the United State. Ten time
thst amount could be sold to-day, 1t il
safe to say that in dozen different citie
Of our country one hundred tons Of mic.
could be sold as soon as delivered. fo
cash, at prices ranging from three to ter
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