The herald., 1898-12-21
PARTICULARS OF AN INTEREST.
ING FIND IN THIS COUNTY
D.
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OFFICE OF THE HERALD,
Los Angeles. Dec. 20, 1898

Lewis EDlnSer oil TINS city mas Drought tC
our Office some excellent specimens OF mica
The deposit from which the specimens were
taken is situated, he says, six miles south OF
Kavenna station, which is in Soledad can
yon, at an elevation OF 2500 feet. 1t is on
the soutfr slope of the main range. Mr.
Ebinger st'tesa follows: "The. ledge con
tanning the mica is white quartz, from ten
no twerfty feer wide. The trend ~ the
ledge is northerly and southerly, cutting the
range at right angles. The country rock is
shale and granite. Everything points to a
true fissure, as the character of the mica is
pronounced by the best experts to be first
cluss Sheets of it have been taken out that
cut from four to six inches square. The
elasticity and softness of the mica make it
very valuable as an insulator in electrical
works."
The find is certainly an interesting one,
and the following particulars about mica,
contained in an article published in the San
Francisco Examiner, will be found worthy
Of attention:
ii anybody has reasonably good mica
mine or prospect in this state or on the
coast, this is the time to hurry it to the
front. There is a good demand for the
mineral. and the demand is increasing with
advancing prices. The large amount OF
good mica desired for electrical insulation
purposes is the reason for this, and this
country is now importing from Canada and
India to fill the demand. There are pretty
good mines in the Black Hills of Dakota
and in New Mexico, but the best in the
United States comes from North Carolina
In fact, the latter state has "the CALI on
mica, and all of its deposits are being
worked. Some has been found in California,
but it is of generally inferior character and
OF little commercial value. Still the fact that
it has been found here should encourage pros
pectors to look for deposits. the product OF
which may be put upon the market Most
of our granite is too solid or too dense and
folded to produce good mica. 1t should be
searched for in the hornbcnde or mica
schist No big mine of mica has yet becn
found in the granite where most prospectors
have searched for the mineral. In the
Black Hills there is very course granite
axis, but the mica does not occur in this
1t does occur, however, in the honrblende
and mica. greiss, on the margin of the
granite. The same conditions may exist in
our sierras. 1t should be understood that
the presence of iron in the mineral does no
harm unless there is too large percentage
or unless it is in "spots." When an integral
part of the composition of the mica itself,
it does not seem to interfere with its use
fulness for electrical purposes. The dark
COloleQ VI SHlOkN lilcu HIS lIOIl tIlOIOuRUlN
disseminated, but will answer every pur-
pose for insulation. The size has also
something to do with relative value. In
the smaller sizes of sheets, say two inches
by two inches it is worth, when merchant
able, 20 cents per pound, and when ten by
twelve inches it is marketable up to SIC
per pound for the best quality. That which
is considered of the best quality is noted
for freedom from flaws, cracks or specks,
the latter generally consisting of iron or
sometimes manganese mixed with the iron.
The "rriled mica" shows cuts through the
whole block, and when the block is cut into
narrow strips it is not good unless the
strips are at least two inches wide, SO it can
be used for electrical purposes. "a" mica
has lines running one way in one part and
at an angle in another. Sometimes when
these lines are only on the margin the in
side or center of the block may be service
able, but the rest must be cut out. Occa-
sionally the block is thicker in one part
than another, when it is called "wedge
mica" This is defective, too, because the
intervening, layers run out before the full
width of the sheet is obtained. For eIec-
trical purposes the material is cut into small
rings to go over bolts, and into strips and
squares, but the smallest size in use is two
by two inches. The highest priced mica is
that which is clear white, and is used for
stove doors. This is almost altogether de-
rived from North Carolina, though some
comes from India That used for electrical
purposes comes largely from Canada, and is
known as "phlogophite." It is softer than
the ordinary mica, and is preferred because
it will adapt itself to the inequalities of
iron surfaces in dynamoes, etc. Mica oc-
ours in very irregular dikes and in all sorts
OF shapes. The widest dixie worked in North
Carolina is about fifty feet, and about one
per cent of this may be utilized The rest
OF the dixie is feldspar and quartz These
pegmatitc dikcs are of a coarse granite
character. The deepest workings in that
state are 300 feet, and at that depth the
quality is rather better than OH the surface.
The miners follow down the lead like they
would sink SHIFT 'in quartz, but skip
around through the dixie wherever they find
the most mica. They do not quarry out the
s. whole mass, but sometimes follow the mica
streak zigzag through the dixie as it occurs.
After the. mica is mined it is trimmed to
make marketable sheets. and the trimmings
and scraps are used to make Faint, lubri-
Gators, wall paper, etc. About ninety-five
ger cent OF The material turns out waste.
Vor electrical purposes, as insulating ma
terial,, large quantities are now used-more
in fact than for all other purposes COM
bincd Nothing has been found to take its
place, glass being too thick and too brittle.
Mica mining is II sort of "ground-hog" busi-
ness, like "coyoting" around pocket mines
IN stringer district; but the owner of a.
good deposit has better thing these days
than if lie owned a gold mine.
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