Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-04-28
GOLD MINES OF ABBEvILLE
Old Stories Revived by Recent
Enterprises.

Troy, April 16.-Special: From
runors afoat it seems that the gold
interests in this section are to be
developed. Parties have been
prospecting, and as saysmade range
from $40 to 500. There is no doubt
about the gold being here, and
many people believe there are
fortunes for those who will dig.
An old miner writing in last Sun
day s Augusta Chronicle says:
"The Dorm mine was the richest
vein ever discovered in this coun-
try, and the Belknap-Smith mine
is to day one of the best paying
in the South, and in my opinion
there is no reason why there should
not be thousand just as good"
The Dorm mine is at Mccormick,
about FIVE miles from this place.
The first vein was discove ed some
where in the SOS, and Mr. William
Dorm, the owner, with a few hands
and crude machinery often got out
over $1,000 worth of gold in day.
In a few years the mine yielded
more than a million dollars. Most
of the gold was taken from pockets,
the last of which was exhausted
soon after the war, Mr. Dorm, who
had spent his fortune in
philanthropic ways and in negro
investments, was then forced to
discontinue work, and soon died
in poverty. The mine is now own
ed by Mrs Cyrus Mccormick, of
Chicago, Mr. L. w. Jordan, of SEN
eca, and others, who 80 far have
taken no steps towards reopening
it. Experienced Miners have said
that there is still more gold in the
mine than has ever been taken out,
and after a heavy rain nuggets of
gold are often found in the vicinity.
A man living near Mccormick
has supported his family for years
by washing surface ore. Traces
of gold have been found from Little
Mountain. six miles south of
Abbevil.e, to the Dorm mine,
distance of twenty miles. Several
shafts havo been sunk near Troy,
and last summer nugget which
sold for $40 was ploughed up on
the outskirts of the town. There
are several valuable mines on the
Bradley estate near here, which
will be opened at an early date.
A Pennsylvania company is
now in possession of the mine at
Little Mountain, where they have
placed $4,000 worth OF machinery.
The Reynolds mine, three miles
from here, which was discontinued
on account of sulphurets, will soon
be reopened. This mine has assay
ed 500 to the ton.
One of the most valuable veins
40 far discovered is on the land of
Prof William McCaslan, of Clinton,
The vein is about two miles this
side of Little M ountain. The ore
has assayed very high, and nuggets
as large as grains of corn have been
picked up. With crude rocker
| the ore has yielded from $22 to
$17 per day. Prof McCaslan's father
refused $4,000 for the place. Years
ago, in an account of his journey
through this section. Prof LaBorde,
of the South Carolina College, fore
told that the mineral springs of
Meriwether County, Georgia, would
claim the attention they now hold,
and at the same time he predicted
that tie gold fields of Abbeville
County, South Carolina, would
some day yield immense fortunes.
Experienced miners say that the
gold is here, and all that is needed
is capital to develop it.
Mineral deposits were discovered
IN this part of the State by the
spaniards over three hundred
years ago, In 1910 DeSoto, in his
search for gold, reached the capital
of the famous territory of
Cofachique where he found a
people who made their hatchets
from an alloy of gold and copper.
The Spanish Governor was treated
with great hospitality by Xualla,
the beautiful Indian Queen, until
he had desecrated some of her
sacred mounds.
The Indians refused to tell where
the gold was obtained, the Span
iard5 turned from the land they
had 80 long sought and proceeded
towards the Dahlonega mines of
Georgia. Xualla's capital was
situated at the junction of the Broad
and Savannah rivers, about fifteen
miles from here.
All of the early historians of
South Carolina emphasize the fact
that there are valuable mineral
resources in this part of the State.
Adair tells of a silver mine which
was operated by gang of counter
feiters. Logan adds that all traces
of this mine, like many others in
the same region, have been lost,
Lawson states that from time
immemorial the Indians were
acquainted with valuable mines of
gold and silver in upper Carolina,
but that they concealed the fact
for fear their lands would be settled
by the whites. Cox tells of a
quicksilver mine used by the
Indians. the site of which cannot