The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-07-21
GOLD IS THERE
IN RICH QUALITY
Mr.. Bruner on the Recent
Fine Strikes.
BUT CAPITAL IS NEEDED
The Great Trouble Ab1ul Mining Operations In
North Carolina in the Past Has
Been Exravagance and
Speculation.

Speculation.
Yesterday a News and Observer report
er was talking with Secretary T. X. Brun-
er, of the State Department of Agriculture
about the recent interest that has been
aroused about gold mining in North Car
DINA
'The great trouble about mining oper-
ations in North Carolina in the past, said
Mr. Bruner. who is one of the best in
formed men in the State on this subject,
has been the extravaganza in manage
ment and the speculation. These have
been the true causes, in my judgment,
that have prevented the legitimate de-
velopment Of these resources
Then Mr.. Bruner went on as follows:
within a radius of fifty miles from the
town of Salisbury, which will include
Charlotte on the south, Greensboro on the
north, Troy, Montgomery county, on the
east, there are more than 400 and per-
haps as many as GOO known localities
where gold, silver and copper bearing
ores are being found and identified The
truth of the matter is that but very seant
intelligent research has been made in
/ this enormous region of metalliferous
been floating in the press of the A. b.
and c.. who has found it rich at such a
place Most OF these have been insight
ficant in Importance. while few others
have resulted in the production of very
considerable quantities of precious metal.
From 1880 to 1886 / spent much time
in visiting all of the localities reported
to be gold bearing in the region described
was impressed then, and believe now
that enormous quantities OF rich ore
underlie the soil of Guilford, Randolph,
Davidson, Rowan. Montgomery, Stanly,
Cabarrus, Union, Mecklenburg, Arson and
Moore counties.
"A geological survey of this region
would simply mean an identification of the
rocks exposed on the surface, and a de-
scription of the mining already done in
the seams and assures of the mother rock.
That much is already pretty well known.
What we want to know now is where
these assures, seams and veins occur in
the country rock. They are the gold
bearers. The farmer with his plough aud
hoe is just as apt to turn up the precious
metal as the prospector with pick and
shovel
1T is there, and in rich quantity Cor
the finder. Some systematic investigation
with money enough behind it to expose
and locate these assures seems to me the
only practical way to solve this problem. |
However, the rich finds recently reported |
may bring score of miners with pick
and pan to delve among the rocks to find
natures store house of precious metals.
''The State is credited with the produe-
ton of twenty-five or twenty-six million
dollars worth OF gold since its discovery, |
about 1926 This is very limited amount
of production compared with the richness
of the field, as l believe it to be, and
expect to see the day when many mil |
lions more will be taken from the sod
OF those counties.
why, in the township of Ell Dorado, |
in Montgomery county said he, there /
is not ten feet of road that will not show
the color of gold if carefully PANIED.
"once 1 went over one two hundred
feet wide and a half mile long right
through the woods, and took samples |
every ten feet. had those samples as
sayed, and the average was $500 to the
tom
Some of the recent gold stories appear
to be entirely authentic, and are OF the |
utmost interest:
Tests have been made in Moore county, |
which have been perfectly satisfactory, |
and col. P. H. Laufman, president of the
p. III. Laufman Gold Mining Company, OF
Moore county, is now in the North to or
ganize and properly finance the company. |
Work will begin anew very soon. Another
new Eldorado for the South and which is |
situated in the famous Gold Hill district |
of North Carolina, is owned by the whit
ney Company, of Pittsburg Six months
ago George /. Whitney obtained an option
on the entire holdings of the Barringer
Mining Company, which was organized in
1888, and on May 18th options were closed |
transferring its ownership of $1,OO0,000
capital to the Whitney's interests. The
Whitney Company late in March, sent
sample from this new mine to Whitney &
Stephenson, at Pittsburg, which it is |
claimed showed the enormous value of
$S3 794 to the ton. The owners first
thought that this might be some pocket
find and proceeded at once to make
further investigations and found specimens
of ore which assayed 100000 Still furth-
er the work was pushed ahead and taking
into consideration the poorest samples the
average per ton amounted to $1,000. The
Barringer mine so far as explored, is four
and one half feet wide, % long The work
now being done by the Whitney Com.
pany is probably the most extensive in
the South. The original mines, known as
the McMackin, are located within one milo |
of Gold Hill, with shafts 700 feet and four
miles of underground work; 100000 tons
have been assayed. showing a value Of
from So to $25. The company now owns
more than 10000 acres of land in Stanly
and Montgomery counties, and the ripar-
ian rights for twelve or fifteen miles
along the Yadkin.
An Exchange says:
within the past few days. fortune
has been take out of the Barringer mine,
near Misenheimer Springs, in Stanly |
county. Six tons of ore containing an
average of $4,000 ton in gold have beer.
taken out. The ore contains masses Of
almost pure gold as large as mans fist.
Mr.. E. M. Armield, of High Point, and
Mr.. M. L. Jones' of Montgomery county,
took cut of the lola gold mines in Mont
gomery county seventy-two pounds of
crude. gold, worth $4,000, within seven
weeks.
The lola mine has haep In onara+;o,, FOR