The Washington herald., 1909-07-25
VIRGINIA LEADS
SOAPSTONE OUTPUT
Continued from Page One.

factory to work. but is the best FOR most
OF the uses 90 which soapstone Is applied.
The dark-greenish soapstone. which &C.
ours with the light colored more or less
abundautly IN all the quarries, owes its
: green color 10 the abundance Of chlorite
and Its greater hardness IN part 70 celOr-
/ tie. but more particularly to the greater
proportion of the sillcates-hornblende and
pyrOxene-both of which are much harder
than tale. Hornblende and pyroxene are
the minerals from which, by alteration
the tale Is derived The dark green hard
grade OF soapstone, II Il were more al
| tered. so that the pyroxene and amphibole
were changed 70 tale. would become the
/ better grade Of soapstone.
( In May. 1909, there were six plants in
operation In the decentralization COun-
/ ~ soapstone belt Beginning az the
northeast. they were as follows: The
/ Virginia SOapstOne Company, which from
It's large Quarries at Schuyler supplied its
/ two large mills. one at Schuyler and the
other at Alberene; the Old Dominion, the
| Climax, the Phoenix, and the Piedmont,
all in operation. with Quarries and mills
running and the Eureka. which lately
! succeeded the Plumbers and at which
the quarry only and not the mill was IN
| operation.
! All the quarries are well equipped with
channeling machines and mills for saw
| ing the slabs or shaping and dressing the
manufactured articles. The excellent
quality OF this Coapstone adapts II TO a
wide range Of uses. Laundry tubs are
| the chief manufactured product, but Il is
used extensively for sinks and other sani-
tary devices. as well as for electrical APP
planes and cooking utensils.
Tale In North Carolina,
North Carolina Is the fifth State in the
order Of production. and has Eve active
mines. OF which that OF the North Caro-
/ lin Tale and Mining Company. near Hew-
tits. in Swain County. is the largest pro-
Queer. The tale occurs as. series OF len
ticular masses and sheets IN the blue and
white marbles Of Cambrian age along the
Nantahala Valley and Nottely River
Tale associated with limestone Is most
] likely derived from sedimentary rock. II
/ is found also in the Great Smoky con-
| glomerate OF Cambrian age. and in thS
Archean rocks. where its association with
periGotites is such as 10 show that IL Is
derived from igneous rocks
! The Cambrian marbles have a length
/ OF outcrop Of about forty miles in
! North Carolina and are continued in
I Georgia for a much greater distance
Tale Is known 10 occur IN more than
twenty-five places along the marble
! belt OF North Carolina. but IS less
common in Georgia The lenticulaI
bodies inclosed IN the marble vary IN
size from mere scales 10 masses fifty
| feet thick and 200 feet long.
Owing to It's soft nature. the tale
does not withstand weathering. but
readily crumbles down. II does not
/ outcrop. therefore, and its position is
/ indicated merely by fragments OF
weathered material on the surface.
Thus. II is impossible to determine
! the full extent OF the tale bodies. ex-
| cept where they are exposed by min
/ ing. For the same reason. II is prob
ablo that many bodies OF tale have
thus far escaped observation. Some
/ OF the bodies are so extensive that
/ they resemble sheets OF sedimentary
matter. This is especially the case
where the tale sheets grade into the
adjoining sandstone beds. They are
| termed veins" by the miners. but they
| have none OF the characteristics OF
/ true veins.
Tale Vnries I'm Color.
The tale varies in color from dull
white and opaque. where weathered,
to dull blush green or pale green
and translucent, where the solid rock
Is freshest. Inasmuch as the methods
Of manufacture OF tale depend upon it,
softness. any impurities which may az
/ feet this quality are a detriment. Thus
It happens that the occurrence Of nu-
merous acicular or prismatic crystals
OF amphibole or pyroxene greatly de-
| preciate the value Of some Of the large
deposits Of tale. In North Carolina
| tale IS mined partly in open cuts and
partly in shafts and tunnels. BY far
/ the greater portion OF IL is ground 10
powder, but some OF Il IS sawed into
slabs and manufactured into small ar
ticles. such as pencils, crayons. and
gas tips. as we'll as electrical and
thermal insulators OF various forms.
| The tale deposits associated with the
Murphy marble are readily accessible
to the Southern Railway. but other de-
| pOsits OF tale which occur IN the
! Great Smoky conglomerate, as well as
the bodies OF sOapstOne associated
with dunite IN the Archean rocks.
! though large. are so remote from
| transportation that they are generally
undeveloped. tbs interesting to note.
| however that since the extension OF
the railroad down the Little Tennessee
| from Bushnell one Of the masses Of fine
! foliated tale in the conglomerate IS be-
| ing worked two miles southwest OF
W0yside and hauled to Hewitts to be
ground.