Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-19
GEORGIA GOLD FIELDS.
A Visit to DahlOnsEa aud Sketch of Its
Mines.
From the SasAoiHs 4 n,sr,can.

From the Eash0ills 4 ner5can.
DAHLoNEGA, Ca, Aug. ia ride Of
IS miles up the Richmond and Danville
Air Line from Atlanta brings one to
Gainesville, town noted for its schools
and its popularity as summer resort for
Atlanta and Macon people.
Gainesville Is an old town, deriving its
principal support from the patronage OF
the schools ana considerable mountain
trade, supplemented by the summer visi-
tors' patronage. The Confederate Gen
eral. Longstreet, lives few miles out in
modest farm house, where he passes
the greater portion of his time since his
retirement from the Republican appoint
ment of Minister TO Turkey. Notwith-
standing his political changes since the
war. he is much esteemed by his neigh
bors, who take pride in claiming Gen.
L0ngstreet as citizen OF Gainesville.
A new road, recently completed from
the Georgia railroad at Social Circle to
the Airline at Gainesville, promises to
aid materially in the extension of the
place.
Stopping to drink some of the fine, cool
water iust out of town, ! drove out to
visit the mountain town, Dahlonega,
twenty-four miles away. The road leads
past thrifty farms and fine orchards, with
here and there an abandoned mine opened
long since by prospsctors in u vain hope
of finding gold), gradually ascending the
foothills and winding r circuitous way
through scrub oaks, pines, and hickories
to the upper range. Having reached the
tOpmOst point OF the road n few miles
from Dahlonega, found n view most
grand, stretching away 10 the north and
west. while below lay the Georgia gold
fields encircling the little village whose
name has long been associated With Geor-
ga gold.
The mining done in this vicinity has
passed the uncertain period of great risks
and occasional bonapZas, and to-day each
company can count pretty accurately on
u fair profit, If the mine is properly man
aged.
AS water is an indispensable article in
gold mining, aud the lack of it in sufil-
cent quantity was for years the cause OF
tardy progress and frequent failures. the
company with, pluck end capital that
brought a mountain creek thirty miles of
through channels cut around hill4sides to
a point high above Dahl0nega, was, OF
course, amply PAID for tue expense by the
mining companies who ucedeI wa'er so
badly. Neatly all tna, yariops mines oh
tain their supply from this source, at $l2
PER miBer's men per month. "s
There are over a dozen different CON-
the hillsides, using hydraulic pressure,
supplemented by thel pick snd shovel.
The stream of owater, under a powerful
fall, is conducted to the point needed
through strong iron pipes II to 40 inches
in diapeter, aud flows through nozzle,
which is built TO be easily PORTED in any
direction by means OF 4 mechanical con-
triVaBce operated by one man, On open
ing the d00d-gHte the stream rilsbes down
rth
on the hillside with rapidity and force
capable OF tearing trees and rocks away.
The trees and stumps, however, are
cleaned away before operating, 50 as to
let the slate, broken quartz and earth, and
all flow uninterrupted down the sluice-
way to the stamp mills for crushing and
amalgamating.
Each company has mill containing
from ten TO sixty stamps, and appli-
ances for separating the gold.
The stamps are usually built in sets OF
five to each frame and operate like drop
hammer, alternately. The earth, slate,
quartz, etc, is poured into hopper and
crushed till fine enough TO flow through q
sieve and over a copper plate. This
plate is about four fest square, and is
treated with quicksilver, which amRiga.
mates with fine particles OF gold dust,
causing all the gold to adhere to the plate,
while the water, mud, slate and quartz
dust pass over and flow away.
Once week the stamps are stopped
and the plate IS carefully scraped, all
quicksilver with adhering gold going into
a bag of buckskin. This buckskin or
channels skin teing squeezed, the quick
silver flows out through the pores of the
leather, leaving the gold to be melted into
bricks.
A 2O-stamp mill, driven by water power,
only needs couple of men for each -
hour shift, and half dozen men at the
hillside can during the day furnish them
enough material for twenty-four hours
crushing -lE ~ l.tahfu..
The Singleton Mining Company has
twenty stamps In operation, Barlbw forty,
Ivy sixty,s Eindlay sixty, Gordon nifty,
Columbia twenty, and a number of
others, making up theiatotal number of
stamps $40 Immediately around Dab
lonega. re 'Rth ~
There is only one mine operated under
ground, and il 10 not considered so pro-
fitable an investment as others operating
on the surface. ef4ld nrs .4..n
The operatives are. asarule, quiet and
Industrious, working tor regular wages
instead OF the pick and pan aud grub
West.
An interview with prominent mine
owner show me thar the business was
considered about the same in risk and
net profits az a we'll conducted manuiac-
turing enterprise Of any charaeter--cot-
ton mill, for instance. ,...e
The stamps used are mostly manufac-
tnTed In Georgia, beng patented by Capt.
Frank W. Hall, of D0hlOneRa.
The Coco Creek Monroe county, East
TENNESSEE gold field presents the same
general character In formation and sur
face indications, and is only % miles from
the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia
railroad.