The evening times., 1900-02-10
GOLD Mines IN VIRGINIA
A Claim That Many Can Be Work
ed With Considerable Profit.
Boston Capitalists Engaged in Put
ting i'm n New PInat With ImPrOv-
ed Machinery Near CulPeper-A
Nugget Worth SISO-The Yields of
Various shafts in Former Years.

CULPEPER, Va. Feb. 10. - What is
known as the "Peninsular' OF the Kappa
hammock and Rapidan rivers is historic it
having been the scene OF several battles
during the civil war. Another point OF in
terest in this section is the gold fields, in
the Rappahannock Valley, near the mouth
Of the Rapidan River. In this immediate
vicinity can be found a large number Of
gold mines. which are the Franklan, the
Randolph, Liberty, Kelley. Pollard, Wyck-
hon and Tedyard, in Fauquier county; the
RaDDahannOck, the Eagle. Rattlesnake. and
Monroe, In Stafford, the Goodwin and Gold
Flat. in Spottsylvaniai the Yancluse, VII
derness. Mulviile. Grasty. ard Whitehall,
in Orange; the Powhatan, Dry Bottom.
Culpeper, Enterprise, Ellis, Eva, and
Pennsylvania, in Culpeper.
The principal form of the gold found in
these mines is in pyrites OF iron in con
nectiOn with sulphur and antim0ny. Prof.
J. A. Holmes says Of these mines IN a
book recently published; These gold
fields are well worth development, for there
are sufficient evidences II a remarkable
output and that Of the Virginia mines TO
man, nearly sixty years ago. said in his
book Of practical mineraIogy: There are
numerous goldhelds in Virginia and North
Carolina, which, if not equal to those Of
California at present, will certainly in the
future. when properly worked be Of much
greater importance" Other testimony Is
] from Mr. c. W. 5. Turner. the mining ex-
pert. who. last year Investigated these
gOldhelds. says in his report, now on hle:
These mines are certainly capable of a
great outcome; the gold TO great extent
can be easily mined"
The Culpeper mine. which is now work
ed by Boston capitalists. was some time
ago purchased Of Baltimore parties. This
mine comprises 325 acres, and $40 900 was
the price paid for it. M. II. J. Clark who
is the superintendent for the Boston cor
poratiOn and one OF the owners as well. is
| busily engaged in putting in a new plant
the cost OF machinery being, he said. S25. -
000 minus the cost Of putting all OF II in
place. This mine. he said. had the most
improved machinery.
Mr.. Clark, who is an old Colorado miner,
| is the first man I'm all this country IL is
said. who tested and used the cyanide
process in mining, and this will be the
first test he will make in the Culpeper
mines. lie said that in inspecting the Cul-
peper fields he met with new encourage
ment. and that the Culpeper fields were
sure to be a paying property. He also ex-
planned that by this cyanide process the
gold and other fine minerals are dissolved
and drawn Off in liquid form from the val
ueless matter, then pTecipitated. and re-
turned TO the former solid state"
Further, he said, that the indications IN
the Culpeper mines we're far better than
any he had seen in Colorado. A short
time since Mr.. James W Smith living in
the vicinity Of this mine, found a nugget
OF gold for which he readily got $3.50.
There are a number Of other mines
where gold was mined previous to the
civil war, and in some OF which shafts
are now being sunk $50 feet deep. Among
these the Whitehall. in this county yield
ed 100000 worth Of gold in one summer
| United States gold statistics show that be-
fore 1860 there came from the CuipCper
mines 81 800 600. As much more certainly
found its way 10 the mint by private par
ties and manufacturers. The earliest min
ing in the Culpeper fields was in 1921.