The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-16
NEW PLANT FOR HANDLING THE
 GOLD-BEARING GRAVELS OF ALABAMA i n
 

Al the request f The Age Her aid. Mr. Ross S Craddock, the min ing engineer in charge, has writ
 ten some interesting data regard
 ing the new installation for profit able recovery Of gold from the
 gravel near Jemison, in Chiffon
 county. It should be read with in-
 terest by everyone who Keeps up with development of Alabamas re-
 sources
 During the latter part of last year an attempt was made to extract the gold existing in the gravel deposits located some six miles easterly from the town of Jcmison.
 Preliminary prospecting work dem onstrated that the grayels contained an apprecable gold content, the gem eral characteristics of which warrant ed the belief that by the application of scientific and modern methods and the practice of strict economy they could be made to return a fair profit on capital invested in the undertak- ing
 Accordingly, as an initial step. a small experimental plant was erected which, after the necessary alterations and Improvements had been Dmade, proved beyond doubt that a profita ble extraction ofithe gold could be effected
 The installation Of a larger plant was then decided upon and today the properly is equipped with plant cap able of working the gravel on a com mercial basis.
 The topography of the area in ques- tion is characterized by flat-topped and rounded hills, their Hanks being subdued by the detrital matter result ing from their erosion merging into the level land forming the creek bet toms.
 It is in these creek bottoms that the greatest concentration of gold occurs and, as far investigation has gone at present with one or two exceptions, the higher elevations, although con sisting of gravel similar to that me with in the low lying lands, do not, apparently, contain attractive gold values.
 From the point of view of placer mining the character of the gravel itself is ideal. Large boulders, such as present so great an obstacle to tie successful placer mining operations In other fields, are entirely absent. The
 
 exceed 10 pounds in weight the gen eral run of gravel consisting of round = cd pebbles from the smallest size to that of a hens egg, intermixed with silt and fine sand. Here and there 1t Is also found in the form of a com . pact, cemented material which, when crushed in a mortar. yields the gold in very small particles II is. how : ever 700 solid to admit of its being treated by washing and does not con tain sufficient value to warrant treat nent by other methods.
 On the creek bottom lands the aver age depth of the gravel rarely exceeds five feet, but the sinking of wells on the higher elevations proves that ii sometimes attains a depth of more than 50 feet. samples from which show q small gold content
 The character of the bedrock Is ir places a hluish- black slate heavily minerallzed with iron pyrites and il others coarse grained sandstone gravel. has been converted by deconi- position into a whitish clay.
 From the number of outcroppines oi conglomerate and also from the fact that they are known to be auriferous II is reasonable inference to sup pose that the gold formed in the gray els is the product of the disintegra tion and decomposition of that forma- tion. atmospheric and other agencies