The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-04-12

hioIlHd 10 III Olu StOlS. l1OHSI Dc'
fore California had become a factor In
the worlds mineral yield the govern
ment was taking It's bullion stock from
the Atlantic Coast States. At Dab.
lonega, in Georgia, a mint was estab.
lishod, and an assay office at Char
lotte, N.AC.----the same Charlotte that
declared independence Of England q
year before n similar declaration was
adopted in Philadelphia.
An old history of North Carolina
notes that In 1Sl0. the State yielded
over u quarter OF n million dollars in.
gold, with 9GS tons Of iron, a little
lead, a million gallons Of waiskey and
other things. Before the war, gold
mining was an industry of considera.
bic Importance. After that date, with
everything d%emoralized, and Califor-
MIA slowing such tremendous compe-
tltton, II was d bold man who spent
time or money seeking gold in this
State. Nevertheless a limited amount
turned up each year at Charlotte AS
say Office, and North Carolina hung
on by the teeth in the list OF gold.pro.
duclng States.
One day P. II. Laufman, the pioneer
tlnplate mar Of the ,Kiskiminetas Val
ley. came into my Office in Pittsburg,
and told me Of his gold operations
In North Carolina, not far from South.
ern Pines. He was enlisting Pitts
burg capital in the development, and
think considerable work has been
done. Some other Western Pennsyl-
vania people are doing something
farther West. With this in my mind
was interested the other day, when
w. 7. Junge, a hustling Yankee, from
Potter county, Pa, held me up, and
wanted me 10 go over TO the west side
Of the county with him to see a North
Carolina gold mine.
A crowd of about seventy formed
the gang that set out; for down here,
when a man finds some new thing
of interest to look at. he does not
look at It alone, unless lie keeps his
affairs to himself. So many people
are ready to be entertained that the
crowd follows the bell COW without
asking n question.
Going to a gold mine in North Caro-.
line is different from going /. one or
the Comstock,, in Nevada, or in the
forbldding regions Of Idano. Here,
from The a window. the delicate
pink Of the peach trees cclorel the
landscape; The plow mule to:lcd slow,
ly down the rows that are to be
planted in cotton; the moc.ing bird
whistled in tic swinging tops of the
black jacks.
4 Then the train stopped, and We
took a path close 10 n primitive cab
in bursting with a pack CT children
that would have made Roosevelt!
heart Joyous. Down a little ravin,
and a mill was in sight. the battery o
= stamps playing n merry tattoo on tn,
Yocli from which amalgamated plate.
! pick up real yellow gold while 20,
stand and wait. Only you can't tel
that 1t is gold, for until It goes to tn
assay office, and has th4 mcrcur
5 roasted out. 1t looks like the stun tn
tinker man $ to solder up the was
: boiler.
The mine We went TO was locate
in the Candor region, the group col
tanning three or four development
: OF these the lola is the Oldest. 1t wa
q opened three or four years ngo. and
said to be cleaning up $500 a day.
was interesting to watch the unromal
=, tic stamps hammering away at til
: equally unromantic looking rock, m
u to be told that the stuff was droppin
cnouglr money every day to keep
family bigger than Brigham Young
+ Three mines IRE working in I'll
e Candor distrlct-the lola, The Mon
u gomery and the Golconda. 1t was Ii
u Golcontla that my Potter county frlen
was interested in, and the Golcont
received the most of our lttentto
1t 1t reminded me Of tine old days In CT
ie %ifornia, when every man you met hi
ct both coats pockets filled with chunl
II Of rock, until you would suppose ]
re had gone out TO look for dogs. D
rs think of throwing a stone at a d.
p when you can take an iron pan, pour
n the rock to fine sand, and with Il
Il pan wash out enough gold to ma
It, YOU envIous Of the fellow who ow:
the whole hill full Of the stun.
That day at Golconda wherever y
turned it vas to see some one III
ging up a stone, half as big as |
10 head, to get it pounded up and was
a ed out, for the sake Of seeing the !
e. tie streak of %glistening yellow in Il
lr. | h0ttOm of tho NON r. .'@. s. NJ