Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-11-02
SOUTH CAROLINA MINERALS.


by many people, says Washington
dispatch, that the mineral resources
Of the TWO Carolinas and other parts
of the Piedmont section are ineXhaust-
ible, though to a large extent unde-
veloped, 1t has remained for the OFF,
cials Of the United States geological
survey to show exactly how rich this
section really Is and what might be
accomplished with concentrated ef-
fort and capital.
Copper, silver, lead, zinc and iron
among the most valuable minerals
in the world-are shown to exist In
the Piedmont section in inexhaustible
quantities.
Silver occurs in the region Of Kings
Mountain, N. c., and was said to be
present to the extent Of about fifty
ounces per ton in some Of the ore
from the old Cameron lead mine In
Cherokee county, s. c. 1t also occurs
In some quantity at the Silver Hill
mine in Davidson county, N. c., but
on the whole II Is not very plentiful
in the southern Appalachians.
Copper occurs In many parts OF the
area. Chalcopyrite, the most common
copper bearing-metal mineral, has
been found at Kings Mountain, Fer
guson. Big Wilson and Colossus gold
mines. at the Mary copper mine
at the Cameron lead mine. at the
Jones tin mine, and at other places
1t is also said to have been found at
the Mott mine in Union county. ). Z.
Pyrrhotite, probably copper bearing,
Is found at the Kings Mountain. CO.
lossus and Halle gold mines, at the
Cameron lead mine, and at the Jones
tin mine, all Of these mines being In
the two Carolinas.
Copper is known to have been
sought at the Mary mine, not far from
Yorkville, s. c. During the civil war
II Is said that the ore was shipped 10
Charleston and converted into shells
for use Of the Confederate govern
ment.
Lead Is known to occur at the
Kings Mountain gold mine and more
important deposit was known at the
Cameron mine, and earlier at the
Morgan or Leitner mine.
Rich glena ore occurs at the Black
mine. near Indian Trail, Union coun-
ty, N. c., but the quantity that mas
been Obtained there Is not known.
Considerable activity was once
shown in this region in the mining
of iron-one Of the several iron pro-
ducing regions in the Carolinas being
that along the Kings Mountain range.
The Mills Iron Mining company Is
said to have worked deposit oefore
the Revolutionary war occurring at
Nannie's Mountain, near YorkVllle.
The Swedish Iron Mining company
In the vicinity of Cherokee Falls, and
the Kings Mountain Iron mining COM
uany in the vicinity Of Kings Noun
tain, carried on extensive operations
before the civil war. More recent
work has been done at the Ormond
mine. near Kings Mountain. and
Rlacksburg This iron belt is known
To extend for q mile or two south
of Broad river through Cleveland,
CASTOR, and Lincoln counties and into
Catawba county, North Carolina. Re-
mains Of furnaces that were In opera
ton and piles Of ore may still De
seen.
Considerable work was once done
on the south side of Broad river, and
before the Michigan and Alabama
fields were worked these deposits fur
nished a great part Of the iron locally
consumed. and 1t Is said that some
was shipped away. Other workings
were located in CASTOR and Lincoln
counties. Deposits Of this kind are
known on the ridge north Of Chero-
kee factory, in Cherokee, county, N.
C., and In York county, 8. G. Iron or
good grade occurring In streaks or
yein-like masses was once mined 20
a small extent from the Ross property,
York county. There is little doubt
that much mining was carried on In
that county years ago.
The Ormond mine. near King s
Mountain, has been more developed
than any Of the iron deposits In the
district described. This deposit Is sus-
ceptible Of great wealth, but on ac-
count Of the large supplies now to be
had In Alabama, Michigan and other
states developments in the Piedmont
section Is not receiving the attention
1t is worth.
Besides these important minerals,
deposits Of manganese, pyrites, graph
ite, barite, monazite, lithium, mica,
corundum, limestone and clay have
been found. The country Is known
to be one Of the richest In the United
States bur lack of necessary capital
and the fact that the owners Of many
rich deposits have not been willing
to part with their holdings have sent
capitalists elsewhere, with the result
that other sections not showing any
thing like the possibilities to be found
In the Piedmont section have reaped
the benefit while this region has re-
manned undeveloped.