The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-08-01
STAFFORD SAID TO BE RICH IN ORE
Mr. Macpherson Opinion OF Virginia
Mines.

Mr. John l. Macpherson. n mining ex-
pert. Of New York, formerly oi Gala
iurnia. has made recently very full and
careful examination of some OF the gold
fields oi \irginia. He was chairman OF
the committee ON practical mining of the
New York Mining Exchange for 10 years
At the request OF members of this eN-
change he has made his second visit To
the Virginia gold fields. and will soon
submit report To his clients. When ap-
pronchcd on the subject, hc talked most
interestingly about the object and pur-
poses oi his visit to the Virginia mining
regions
II have made a visit to the god-bea
ing belt of Virginia, he said in sub
stance, at the request of certain persons
who desired my opinion ~ To their value
and my Judgment ~ Ia the best method
of properly developing them. These Nir
ginia mines, in my judgment, can be de
veloped mt "A minimum cost into really
valuable properties Their ores will have
10 be treated by the electro-cyanide pro
cess 10 extract all their gold. That Is
the system / recommended in the case at
the Georgia mines. and also in south
Carolinn. Take. for instance, the Brewer
mine. OF south Carolina. Its ore-or pay
dirt-wil average less tnan = per ton.
vet worked az il il. with abundant and
cheap labor at hand, and its ores treated
10y elcctro-cyanide and chlorination
methods. this mine has steadily paid an
nual dividends Of 6 per cent. ON it's entire
working capital. Its superintendent told
me recently that he was working out
lot of pay dirt-amounting to Lotions
at an entire expense of - cents per ton,
with profit Of from Sl.i0 to Sl'O per
ton.
The mines examined in Virginia con
tain quartz veins that bear gold that
will Yield from so to SD, and in one in
stance so per ton This, treated 10y the
method / have mentioned, will give an
extremely handsome profit. made
many tests by panning and assaying
The correctness of my assays was con-
iirmed by the assayer OF the nited States
suh-trcasury.
"What mines did you test was
asked.
Quite a number will mention those
to which gave most attentionin in assays.
There is the old Eagle Mine in Stafford
county. saw the man in charge wash
out four tons of placer dirt with an or
binary miners rocker. The result an
alyzed and assayed gave considerably
over SO per ton. This mine will soon
be fully worked It's owners are about
buying washing plant that will handle
200 tons Of placer dirt every twentyfour
hours. estimated that they have
abundant material for development, not
less than hall n million tons that will
nowhere run lower than - per ton, and
much will average from - TO Sl2 per
ton.
Just to thenorthward, but adjoining
the Eagle Mine property. il the Lee
Nine" 1t contains about 800 acres and.
il the property, believe, of some OF the
Virginia Lees. | saw two very promls-
ING veins Of gold that run through this
property, and | am told that there are
two Others quite the equal OF those |
mentioned. Well. a test lot of ten tons
OF pay dirt from this mine that was be-
ing worked at neighbOring quartz mil
gave an average Of S1S per ton. When
| tell you that in California mining dirt
or quartz that will yield II cents per
ton pays, you will see how valuable TINS
Lee mine will be when it is properly
worked Why, steam washers could lie
built and placed on the ground for less
than 81 900 a piece in these mines that
will handle 200 tons every twenty-iour
hours. believe that the Lee mine dirt
can be handled at a cost for mining and
washing of less than II cents per ton.
Another mill recently established washed
quartz thatran in value from so to $50
per ton, and have seen some that