The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-08
A NEW CAROLINA INDUSTRY.
Washing Monazite Sand in the Pied
mont Region.
From the New York Tribune.

mont Region.
From the New York Tribune.
The finding of monazite is the best thing
that has ever happened for the poorer
people of the Piedmont region of North
and South Carolina. This part of the
country has been known to the world
chiefly on account of its moonshiners. In
the early part of this century it was con-
sidered a disgrace for Piedmonter OF
respectable aspirations not to know how
to make good whisky and brandy out of
his corn, and every one was expected to
keep supply of it on hand for the benefit
of friends and neighbors. In latter years
cotton mills have been started, which
have attracted a small proportion of the
natives as employees. 1t is only within
the last eighteen months however, that
an industry has been discovered which
absorbs the attention of all classes; that
is. searching for monazite.
These sturdy mountaineers have not
been wont to engage in anything that inn
piled exertion, unless that exertion bore
a resemblance to play They are willing
10 spend unlimited time and energy in
hunting and fishing but for work in the
literal sense of the term they have no
liking. When it was discovered, however,
that the heavy yellowish sand of their
mountain streams contained a mineral
as valuable as gold, with one accord they
became enthusiastic monazite diggers.
Men, women and children are now en-
gagged in the work, and a new element
has entered into their lives. Year after
year the gold miners hunting for the
precious metal along the streams of this
Piedmont belt threw away as worthless
the sand which they found in the bottom
of their pans. Now they will frequently
fling aside tolerable fair specimens of
gold in their eager search for the newer
treasurer. This rare valuation set upon
thing that lay unnoticed at their very
doors reminds one of the length of time
that elapsed before the phosphate indus
try was discovered For more than 200
years the planters on the coast of South
Carolina stumbled over the phosphate
rock constantly being upturned on their
land. and regarded it as of no Importance.
Finally after the civil war, when the peo-
pie were most in need of a revenue, a
certain learned professor began to inVesti-
gate this peculiar rock formation, and as
a result a valuable source of income was
discovered and an industry sprang into
existence which yields millions of dollars
annually.
To procure monazite from the hundreds
of little streams that are found In this
belt of country the prospector sets out
armed with shovel and pan.
In the bed of the stream, or very near
il, he scoops out a little hole, digging
through the strata of alluvial deposits
until he comes to a mixed white sand and
gravel. Taking a small quantity of this
in his pan he washes it carefully and ex-
amines Athe quality and quantity. Often
he makes these Investigations in a number
of places before he is able to decide
whether that particular stream is worth
working. In the south, by the way, the
common appellatiOn for a stream is
branch" and when this term is not
used, 'crick' is the native expression. If
this particular branch promises WELL
trial is made. All of the top soil is cleared
away from a small area until the monazite
stratum is reached That sand is scooped
up and carefully washed, and If the re-
suit is satisfactory work is begun. Most
of the mining is done by contractors, a
royalty being paid of from one-ffth to
one seventh. Sometimes the monazite
privilege is purchase outright; $500 an acre
has occasionally been paid for an unusu-
ally promising claim. Land owners oc-
casionally utilize their own good fortune
and become miners themselves: The
"hands" employed to do the work are
unskilled laborers, who have never worked
much at anything. There are compare
lively few negroes in the Piedmont region,
the white inhabitants before the war
having owned few slaves. The hands who
clear away the top soil are called strip
pers."They cut off all the timber growing
and remove all the underbrush, stripping
off the soil down to the gravel and sand.
Next comes what is called the gravel
gang. 1t takes out all the monazite sand
and gives il over to the washers, who get
all the gravel silver and clay, leaving
mixture of heavy material behind. After
the residue is washed and sifted a second
time, the material left is marketable mon
azite.
length u inches deep and II wide, is
used for the Washing At the upper end
of the box there is a castiron perforated
plate, through which the monazite falls,
while the clay and lighter material drifts
away Through the box a good stream of
watre flows. One dollar day is the pay
for expert washers, but many hands can
be found who will work fairly well for Go
cents a day. A dollar and half day is
paid the time keepers and overseers.
Six cents a pound Is the average price
paid for monazite sand, that being as cur
rent as gold dust. and 1t is estimated that
a group of well managed hands will make
twice their daily wages.
Monazite has been found in small guam
titles in Russia, Norway, Bohemia and oc
casionally in gold washings in Brazil and
in the mica veins at Quebec. In none of
these places, however, has it been found
in as large quantities rs in this Pied
mont belt The government geological
survey has received letters from all coun-
tries seeking information in regard to
this new find. and there Is every reason
to believe that the money brought into
this region of the Carolinas this year for
monazite will fall little short of 100000.
The value of the sand depends upon
the rare metal thorum found in 1t. The
thorum is separated from II by very com
closed TO any save those concerned in the
operations. Thorum Is used in the manu-
facture of incandescent gas burners of
different forms.
The finding of this valuable sand is an
era in the history of the Piedmont people.
Hundreds of them are now earning daily
wages who never thought of handling
cash in compensation for work. the credit
system having always obtained when bus
mess transactions were carried on, as II
does in most of the cotton states.