The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1885-01-08
Communications.
MINERALS.
EDITORS TIMES:

MINERALS.
EDITORS TIMES:
For the benefit of mineral hunt.
ters I will say the minerals Of this
country are not distributed over
this country irregularly. There is
system in these distributions, the
knowledge of which furnishes us
with rule by which we decide
whether particular kind Of min
eral may be expected to be found
in a certain locality. The signs by
which we Judge whether particu-
lar mineral is present at the place
in question are the general charac-
teristics of the rock in that locality.
The knowledge of the relations of
particular minerals to the gener-
al character of rocks constitutes
the science or Geology and the
knowledge of the character Of min
erals that of Mineralogy.
The history Of the formation of
rocks has been divided into certain
periods.
The Granite, or primitive, is the
Oldest or first formation, and d.
verse from all qualifications in this
rock, We may expect to find the
ores of tim iron, copper, lead, cobalt,
silver and anthracite coal. We also
find field spar quartz in beautiful
crystals, plumbago garnetts, heavy
spar, calcareous spar and -four spar,
and other matter but foreign to the
rock.
Metamorphic rock is the second
in age. To this belong variety OF
minerals. Gneiss, mica, slate, clay.
slate, limestone and other minerals
in rocks covering tracts of great
extent and at great depth. The
rock of this class is characterized
by a partial stratification, but does
not exactly belong either to the
compact granite or to the stratifiet
variety.
Metamorphic rock often assumes
the appearance of granite pudding
stone and is particularly distin-
guished by its close grain and
strength from granite transition
rock in this rock which is the most
extensive in the United States,
We may expect to find gold in s.
Carolina and other southern states.
We also find silver in this rock, oil.
so gold gold and the platinum met
ais together and iron Of the best
quality. In it we find zinc, anti.
mony, arsenic, nickel, cobalt, tin
manganese. 1t is the home of the
metallic sulpheretts. The rock In
what is known as the fat of the
mountain some four miles from
Montvale Springs, Blount County
Is of this character, and from thi.
fiat on the south side of Chilhowet
Mountain, to the Tennessee river
the indications Of silver are percept
ible; also the sulpherette variet,
near Samuel McMurray's on thu
river. Strong indications are me-
with at another point near thu
Bright saw-mill. At the foot o
the mountain ott-cropping of silver
can be seen and acrost the noun
tain south of Montvale Mr.. Engl,
has been digging and found beau
tiful specimens Of sulpherette o
silver. From my own observation,
the body of this mineral must Ii,
deep in the earth and will requir,
considerable capital to develop il
Again, some twelve miles from
MOntvale, near what is known a,
the Deadrick cabin several mounds
in straight line from the cabin IL
the direction of the Tennessee Riy
er can be seen. These mounds
seem to have been raised or injected
from below by the power of inter
nal heat. They are composed o
red hematite with veins of sole
white quarts running through tn,
mounds which indicates silver and
lead and gold. But iron predomi
mates onpanther creek, rabbit creek
the Hannah mountains, and on tn,
Ditny mountain and Smoke,
mountain large bodies of iron ar,
deposited and many other beauti
full specimens of various minerals.
STRATIFIED Rock.
The rock of this period is the Goa
bearing rock-par excellence. w,
find here the richest and most ex
tensive layers of mineral coal, al
of the hituminous kinda soft coal
In this formation we are to look fol
soft mineral coal, iron ore, lime
stone and salt. It contains none
ofthe precious metals-no lead, M
copper, no gold or silver nor any
metal excanf iron and manuanaso