Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-08-02
manganese contains considerable CO.

bait oxide, when it is known as
asbolite. These minerals are in
color iron black, steel gray, and re-
sembling somewhat soft amorphous
variety of graphite or black lead,
for which they have at times been
mistaken.
Asbolite: This is also known as
black cobalt, earthly cobalt and CO.
bait oxide. 1t contains sometimes
as high as thirty-two per cent. of
cobalt oxide.
The North Carolina Deposits.
In North Carolina none of the sui
phides or arsenics, the original me.
tallic minerals of cobalt, have been
identified, but in number of locali-
ties the oxide, or asbolite, has been
observed, associated with manga.
nese minerals or ores. The princi.
pal localities where the asbolite has
been found are as follows: A few
miles southeast of Cary, Wake
County, where black manganese co.
bait mineral can be observed for a
quarter Of mile, outcropping oc-
casionally on the surface. A little
prospect work has been done here by
sinking pits and making cuts across
the vein, and it has shown it to be
probably continumicaceous schist
extending in general direction
north twenty degrees east that can
be traced from Bessemer City north
eastward into Lincoln County. These
schists contain throughout nearly
the whole area numerous small
seams, incrustations and stains of
black manganese material which
gives reactions for cobalt. Some of
when it is more of reddish or yell
lowish ochre color, but the most of
it is black.
At the Ormond iron mine, one
mile southwest of Bessemer City,
there is a considerable quantity of
this material found mixed with the
iron ore, and it may be that it was
the cobalt which went into the pig
iron that gives this iron it's repu.
taton for hardness and toughness.
At the Long Creek Gold Mine, situ-
ated about six miles northwest of
Dallas, CASTOR County, masses of
quality, taken out of the Asbury
shaft, were thickly encrusted with
mammilary masses of asbolite or
earthly cobalt. About mile north
east from the Long Creek mine, on
the Old Lincolnton, YOrkville, S. c.,
road, near the summit of Cross or
Paysour Mountain, band of rock
hlLeen feet wide across contains
veins and seams of wad or aSbolite.
Following this vein in a northerly
direction, it descends the west slope
of Cross Mountain and fifty years
ago a number of openings had been
made on the asboite seams. Some
OF this material was analyze6 and
gave 1926 per cent. of the cobalt
and nickel oxides. the larger amount
of this being cobalt. The same for
nation can be traced into Lincoln
County and similar seams of wad are
observed.
The original minerals from which
this cobalt oxide is derived may be
one of the sulphides mentioned
above, or one of the sulphides that
contain both nickel and cobalt.
Where IL j. Found.
AS all the cobalt identified in
North Carolina has thus far been as
soCiated with psilomelane wad, it is
such deposits that will attract the
most attention In prosecuting for
this metal. This mineral has been
found at a great many localities
throughout the State, as at Scott's
Hill, Burke County, near Lenoir,
Caldwell County; 1T Gillespie s Gap.
near Bakersville, Mitchell County;
on Cove Greek and Richmond Greek,
Haywood County; near Buckhorn,
Chatham County; Murphy, Cherokee
County; Franklin, Mason County;
Webster, Jackson County; and Zir-
coma, Henderson County.
The simplest test of cobalt is by
fusing up some of the powdered
mineral with boraX, the cobalt oxide
giving to the resulting boral glass a
deep blue color. This test is SO deli
cate that it will show even traces of
cobalt and can be used even when
large percentage of nickel is asso-
ciated with the cobalt.-Charlotte
Daily Observer.