The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-03-28
What 10 Mica?

w nuU ~ mica. VINO KNOWS! OHo
gentleman said he thought it grew on
trees in Central America. Another
knew better. "NIica said he, is ISM
glass, and any fool knows what that
is. Ny mother used to Use it in maxi
ing 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 a cloud, which was also very like q
whale. Mica il one OF the most sfngu-
lar and beautiful minerals that ever
came out of natures laboratory.
lsinglass is an animal substance, mar
ufactured from n marine fish, and is
used for culinery purposes.
The mineralogsts say that "mica is
composed of silica 46.3, aluminium
1858, potash %, peroxide OF iron As,
fuoric acid OF, water Is. Before tho
blow pipe infusible, but becomes
opaque white.
Many and many year ago, before
Americas Nespuccius stole the honors
OF Columbus, there were mica miners
in North Carolina. Industrious fell
lows 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 Carolina mica mines by
the first white explorers OF that
country. So there was prehistoric
mica. What did these ancient
worthless do with it? Queen
Sabe? Stone arrow-heads and axes
are found everywhere but what be-
came OF the mica taken out of North
Calolina mines a thousands years ago?
AS well ask for Montezuma's gcnealogi-
cal 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, Phpbusl
how hot, it must have been. The
granite rocks perspired. These lam
ina or layers, into which YOU can
split n piece of mica until you get
tired, were the successive deposits
made between each painting breath of
the sweltering worth. Go into mica
mine, an open cut into which the sum
light penetrates, and behold with won
der, awe and admiration the glittering
glories that stud the walls. Aladdin's
lamp never cast its rays on greater eff
fulgence or more Respondent or daz-
cling brilliance. All the delicate tints
and hues that magician ever dreamed
of are there, and there they have lain
hidden for how many 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 a
special prison house to fasten down
her jewels. One needs to be an expert
professional burglar, specially trained
as craftsman of natures safes, to
penetrate into those double-locked
and bolted penetralia.
Until within few years the modern
world did not know what to do with
mica. The time is here when it seems
puzzled to know what to do without it.
There is q mica famine in the land-in
Europe as well as our own country.
The great stove manufacturers are
crying "give, give" but the mica
mines won't give, save grudgingly.
Last year there was less than 10000
pounds Of mica produced in the Uni
ted States. Ten times that amount
could be sold today. 1t is safe to
say that in q dozen different cities OF
our country 100 tons of mica could be
sold as soon as delivered for cash. ut
prices ranging from three to ten dol
lars per pound.-NIineral World.