GOLD DEPOSITS O F 1,"/:"0 RI: I .I FRONT/ .\' /'/ Fl 1-: 1'1..1TF I I'I.A C EI< . ~ll :\' 1:\ C , AT TH E WHIT E l'ATH 1;0 1.1) Ml :\ ~: . C II. \IER COL ' :\ TY , <:I:OR<: I A. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA W. S. YEATES, State Geologist BULLETIN No. 4- A A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON A PART OF THE Gold Deposits of Georgia BY W.S.YEATES State Geologist AND S. W. MCCALLIE and FRANCIS P. KING Assistant Geologists I GEO. W. HARRISON, STATE PRINTER FRANKLIN PRINTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY Atlanta, Ga. ERRATA 1. On page 28, 4th line from the bottom, for "1872 ", read I77 2; and in the last line, for "Eleven years", read Seventeen years. 2. On page 43, roth line from the bottom, for "outs de" read outside. 3 On page 5 I, 7th line from the bottom, for "lot go", read lot 70; and in the 6th line from the bottom, for "just above the 20-stamp mill", read just belozv the 20-stamp mill. 4 On page I 62, 2nd line, for "operate", read work. 5 On page I73, 3rd line, for "operate", read work. 6. On page I 77, 2nd line from the bottom, for "stoping ", read and stoping. 7 On page r8o, ISth line, for "right bank", read left bank. 8 .. On page Igo, 6th line, omit the words, "and the sandstone was penetrated". g. On page 206, THE BELL PROPERTY, Ist line, for "32g", read 829. 10. On page 220, 2nd and 3rd lines from the bottom, for "The story, though somewhat exaggerated", read The story, though probably somewhat exaggerated. I I. On page 225, 6th line, for "eighty years", read sixty years. I 2. On page 23 I, gth line, for "cannot be verified", read could not be verified. 13. On page 247, at the end of the 4th line, for "by", read at. 14 On page 2 54, 5th line from the bottom, for "seven hundred pennyweights", read se11eral hundred pennyweights. THE ADVISORY BOARD of the Geological Survey of Georgia (Ex-Officio) His ExcELLENCY, W. Y. ATKINSON, Governor of Georgia, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD HoN. R. T. NESBITT . Commissioner of Agriculture HoN. G. R. GLENN . Commissioner of Public Schools HoN. R. U. HARDEMAN I . . State Treasurer HoN. W. A. WRIGHT . 0 :t 0 0 Comptroller-General HoN. A. D. CANDLER , Secretary of State HoN. J. M. TERRELL , , . Attorney-General SEPTEMBER 24th, I8g6. To His Excellency, W. Y. ATKINSON, Governor, and President of the Advisory Board of the Geological Survey of Georgia, SrR: - I have the honor, to submit, herewith, the report of myself and my assistants, Messrs. King and McCallie, on the Gold Deposits of certain counties in the State, to be published, as one of a series of economic bulletins, on this important source of our material wealth. Many inquiries from investors, during the past two years, emphasize the necessity for a clear and concise statement, as to the location, extent and probable value of these deposits. Very respectful!y yours, w. s. YEATES, State Geologist. THE GOLD DEPOSITS OF GEORGIA CHAPTER 1 THE OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY OF GOLD BY S. W. MCCALLIE, AssiSTANT GEOLOGIST GOLD, one of the most valuable of all metals, is nearly everywhere present; but only in comparatively few places does it occur, in sufficient abundance, to be of economic importance. It is found in the recent, as well as in the older geological formations. The sea-water holds it in solution, and its presence has been detected even in common brick-clay. If the nebular hypothesis be true, gold, like all other elements, was, at one time, during the early history of the earth, in a gaseous condition. A loss of heat, together with certain chemical changes, in process of time, caused many of these elements to assume a solid form ; and, at the same time, to arrange themselves into various groups and compounds, which now form the minerals of the earth's crust. Gold thus probably passed from a gaseous to a liquid state, before solidifying, in this way becoming pretty evenly dis- (7) 8 OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY tributed throughout the rock-mass. Cooling, drying, hardening, accompanied by extensive earth-movements, afterwards produced fissures and joints in the earth's crust. Through these crevices, the water circulated, carrying in solution various minerals, leached from the rocks, through which they circulated. A reduction of temperature and a decrease in pressure, as the water ascended, reduced the solubility of the gold and other minerals, held in solution, and caused them to be deposited along the walls of the fissures, thus forming auriferous veins. Such, in brief, is a condensed outline of the most probable theories, as to the origin of gold veins. Gold occurs in a native state, and in chemical combination with tellurium. As a native mineral, it rarely exists in nature chemically pure; but it is nearly always alloyed with more or less silver and other minerals. Native gold varies greatly in purity, ranging from 70 to 99 per cent. in fineness, and sometimes occurring even below 70 per cent. fine. The Australian gold averages 94 per cent. pure, while the California gold is only 88 per cent. The Georgia gold runs from 75 to 98 per cent. pure, a general average being some- what higher than the California gold. Gold most frequently occurs in minute particles disseminated through pyrite, quartz and other minerals ; but it is also sometimes found in masses of considerable size, called nuggets. One of the largest masses of native gold, so far reported, is the "Welcome" nugget, found many years ago in Victoria, Australia. It weighed 184 pounds, and was valued at $40.470. Many other large masses of gold have been found in Australia, weighing from 50 to 190 pounds. The largest lump of gold, found in the United States, was discovered on the Reed plantation in Cabarrus county, N. C., in 1799 It was about 8 Yz inches long, 5 inches broad and an inch thick, and weighed 28 pounds avoirdupois. A number of nuggets have OCCURRENG'E AND HiSTORY 9 also been found m California, the largest of which weighed 20 pounds. There are numerous current reports of nuggets having been found, at different mines, in Georgia ; but none of them compare, in size, with the above. A nugget found at the White Path mine, Gil- mer county, which was said to have weighed about 4 Yz pounds, and was valued at $I,IOO, is probably the largest mass of native gold ever found in the State. The peculiar yellow color of gold, with its malleability and high specific gravity, must have attracted the attention of man, at an early date. These physical properties, together with its rarity, made it an object of great value among the ancients, who first used it, in making images of worship, and in decorating the persons of their royal chiefs ; and, later, as a medium of exchange. Probably the oldest written account of gold, now extant, appears in the second chapter of Genesis, where it is spoken of, as occurring along the river Pison, a stream, which flowed from the Garden of Eden. Many allusions to gold occur in the Old Testament, from which it is learned, that it was extensively used, by the Jews, in adorning the robes of their priests, and in decorating their places of worship. The immense amount of gold, collected by this chosen people, for decorating Solomon's Temple, seems almost incredible. The precious metal, thus used, has been valued at $2 so,ooo,ooo, a sum, greater, by nearly one half, than the present annual output of the world. Such an accumulation of gold indicates an acquaintance with rich gold deposits, and an extensive knowledge of mining. The source of this gold seems to be a mere question of conjecture. However, it has been recently asserted, with a considerable degree of confidence, by some of the best informed scien- tists, that it was obtained from the rich auriferous deposits, now be- ing worked in South Africa. IO OCCURRENCE AND HiSTORY The unearthing of golden vessels from the buried cities of EgyP,t, and the remains of ancient works in the gold-fields of Western Asia, show that the inhabitants of these countries were familiar with the precious metal, and mined it, more or less extensively, hundreds of years before the Christian era. The following statistics and notes, collected from various sources, give a short, condensed review and history of the principal goldproducing countries of the world:- GOLD PRODUCTION OF THE WORLD FOR 1895 EUROPE A ustria-Hungary -- _-- .. - - :.. ______ - -- -- --- - --- - _____ $ I ,989,ooo Germany -------- _____________________________ _ 2,223,100 Great Britain_------- _______ : ____________ _ I07,000 Italy __ ------------------------------------------ I I7,000 Russia ___ ----- -- _________________ -- _- ____ . __________ _ 28,894.400 Sweden ___________________________________________ _ 52,500 Turkey_------------------------- _---------------- 8,000 ASIA British India __ ------- __ China _____________________________________________ _ Japan ___________________________________________ _ Korea 4.755.900 3,521,000 5I 7, IOO 699,200 AFRICA SouthAfrica __________ -- ---------------------- 42,993,869 The West Coast_ __________ ------------------------ I,550,250 AUSTRALASIA Australasia ____________________________________ _ OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY I I SOUTH AMERICA Argentine Republic - __ - . - __ - . -- . _-- _. - .. ---- . Bolivia------------------------------ --------- ---Brazil .__ --- ----------- - - ------- - - ------ ----- ---Chile __ ~ __ - -- _. --- _--- - - - .. - . ------ --- - --- ---- -Colombia-------------------------------------- __ Ecuador ____ - ______________ . _______ ______ . . . __ _ Peru-----------------------------------------Uruguay Venezuela ___ .--------------- ______ ------------ __ Guiana (British) Guiana (French) 95,000 67,000 2,2I9,500 I,407,60o 2,892,800 68,4'oo 63,800 27,200 909,500 2,2I3,IOO 2,6o5,2oo NORTH AMERICA Nicaragua ________________________________ . _______ _ Mexico __________________________________ . ____ . ___ _ Canada Nova Scotia _________ .. __________ . ___ . _ Quebec - _- __ ____________ .. __ .. __ _ ___ _ Ontario _________ _ . __ ___ _ _____________ _ The Northwest Territories and the Yukon District __ British Columbia ________ ______ . _____ _ 470,558 6,000,000 406,764 I ,28 I 62,,')20 I 50,002 I,290,53 I United States Alabama ___________ - _ - ____ -- ___ .. - . _.. _-- Alaska ___ - ___ . - - ___ -- __ ---- _ . _. _- ____ -- _ Arizona _____ ------------------------------ I,87I,6I8 Calzfornia -- ---- -- ---- -- -- -- --- - - ----- - - -- I 5, 334, 3 I 7 Colorado _____ ----------------------------- I5,0I3,434 Georgia _- - - - _---- . _- - -- _.. --- - -------- -- .. .. I 2 7, 94 2 Idaho ------------- -------------------- 2,594,666 Maryland Michigan 12 OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY Montana-- - __ --- _- -- . _ - . __ -____ -- _______ - __ Nevada . --- --- --- ---- -- __ -- __ ------ __ '---New Mexico __ - __. -. __ - _________ . _ _______ _ North Carolz"tta South Carolina Oregon---------------------- __________ _ South Dakota .. _________ . __________ . _______ . Tennessee Utah ______ . ____ . ___ . __ Virginia _________ . . _. ____ - _________ .... ___ _ Washington _______ __________ . __ __ . _______ .. 4.327,040 1,780,204 943,050 68,476 127,819 1,837.682 4,266,898 334 1,546,679 6,303 373 148 Total for the United States--.----------- $52,596,429 Russia.- The principal gold-producing country of Europe, at present, is Russia. The gold deposits of this country first attracted attention in 1726. The maximum output of the mines was reached, in 1825. Since then, with the exception of I87I-76, the annual production has been on the decrease. The gold is obtained mainly from placers, along the streams flowing from the Ural and Altai mountains. Besides the placer deposits, there has also been discovered, in these mountains, numerous valuable auriferous quartz veins, cutting the mica- and diorite-schists, at various angles. The veins are now attracting considerable attention; and they will probably soon become a source of revenue to the country. The lack of skilled labor, the severity of the climate, and the crudeness of the machinery, used in mining, have always greatly added to the expense of mining operations; and, at the same time, retarded, to a great extent, the development of prospects, which otherwise would be considered to be handsome investments. Austna-Hungary. -The gold production of Austria-Hungary OCCURRENCE AND HJSTOR Y 13 comes mainly from Transylvania. There are also mines, operated at Pribram in Bohemia, and at Gastein in Salzburg. The mines in Transylvania have long been worked with profit ; but they have now become partially exhausted, so that the future output will probably add no great amount to the world's production. France.- In France, a limited amount of gold is produced, chiefly as a by-product, from auriferous galena ores. The country, in time past, has yielded a considerable amount of gold, from placer deposits ; but these ate now practically exhausted. The few auriferous veins, so far discovered, are usually small ; and the ore is of too low grade, to be mined with profit. Great Britain. -The gold deposits of Great Britain were known to the Romans ; and they have been worked, irregularly, for several hundred years. The most profitable mining locality is in the mountainous part of Merionethshire, near Dolgelly. There has also been found, from time to time, a small amount of gold, associated with the tin ores of Cornwall. Germany. -The gold-producing localities of Germany occur in Saxony, near Freiburg, and, also, in the Harz mountains. The mines belong to the government, and are said to be operated, frequently, at a loss. The gold usually occurs associated with silver ores, the chief output at present being derived from that source. Italy.- The auriferous deposits of Italy were known and worked, quite extensively, by the Romans, prior to the Christian era. So productive were the mines of ancient Apulia, at one time, that the value of the precious metal is said to have been greatly decreased at Rome. The mines, now operated, are located in the Province of Piedmont, in the vicinity of Lake Maggiore, and in the Val d' Aosta. The ores are auriferous pyrites in schists, associated with copper and silver. Sweden. -The principal gold-mining region of Sweden is found in I4 OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY the Province of Svealand, in the vicinity of Fahlun. The gold occurs in auriferous quartz veins, associated with pyrite and copper ores. It is obtained, mainly, ,as a by-product, from the copper mines, which have been so profitable, in time, that the town of Fahlun has been termed "The Treasury of Sweden." British India. -Gold mining in British India appears to be as old as its civilization. The remains of prehistoric works are found, in many of the provinces. It has been suggested by 'rumpelly, that the gold-fields of India were the source of the fabulous wealth, accumulated by Crcesus. The early workings seem to have been confined almost entirely to placer-mining; and it is only within the last few years, that attention has been directed to vein-mining. Gold is found in many parts of British India; but the chief output, at present, is derived from the gold-fields of Mysore, near Colar. These deposits first attracted attention, in I 880. A number of companies have since been organized, and are now carrying on mining operrations, on a large scale, with encouraging results. The most productive deposits of the Colar gold-fields are located in a grassy plain, about forty miles east of Bangalore. The gold appears in quartz veins, penetrating intrusive masses of diorite. The veins are usually small, but carry high-grade ore, which is free-milling. China. -According to Pumpelly, who investigated the mineral resources of China, in I 862-5, gold is found, more or less abundant, in nearly all the various provinces. The principal output, for the last few years, has been derived, chiefly, from the extensive goldfields, recently discovered in Manchuria. There are also mines of less importance in Karea, Yunnan and Kweichau. The gold-mining industry of China has been greatly retarded by governmental restrictions. It is thought, if the laws were more lenient toward the miners, the output of the empire would materially affect the gold production of the world. OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY IS Japan.- Japan has many gold mines, some of which have been worked, for centuries. The most noted mines are those situated on so Sado Island, miles north of the city of N iigatia. The early work- ings, on the island, were confined to rich placers, along the various streams. The alluvial deposits are now practically exhausted ; and attention is being directed to vein-mining. At present, four different lodes are being worked, on the island. The lodes are frequently 30 feet or more, in width; and, in places, they have been worked, to the depth of 900 feet. Associated with the gold, is silver, copper and lead ore, forming the gangue of the auriferous deposits. South Africa. -The recent exploration of the gold-fields of South Africa, by John Hays Hammond and others, show, that the auriferous deposits were known and worked, by the ancient inhabitants of the country, many centuries ago. These explorers give an account of numerous old working5, in Mashonaland and Matabeleland, extending along the outcropping of the different reefs, for more than 300 miles. The work consists of open cuts, from 2 S to 50 feet deep, and frequently several hundred yards in length. The excavations, made by Theodore Bent, a few years ago, in exploring the ruins of the ancient cities of Zimbabe, in Mashonaland, disclosed the remains of numerous furnaces, crucibles and casting-moulds, the handiwork of some prehistoric race, familiar with gold and the various modes of extracting it from the ores. The recent gold excitement of South Africa may be said to have commenced in 1868. During this year, the first London company was organized ; and it began mining operations in the Tata river, a gold district in the southeastern part of Matabeleland, near the Transvaal boundary. Previous to this date, even as early~as 1854, gold was discovered at various place~, in the Transvaal, by the Boers and foreign travellers ; but, as gold mining was prohibited by law, the discovery attracted but little attention. The London company, although it proved a financial failure, seems I6 OCCURRENCE AND l:{ISTORY to have greatly stimulated prospecting, which soon led to important discoveries, and finally to the development of the most noted gold deposits in the world. The principal mining centres of the South African Republic, at present, are the rich gold-fields of Witwatersrand, DeKaap, Lydenburg, Klerksdrop, Potschefstroom, Zoutpansberg and Malmani. These deposits are all of great extent ; and, if current reports are to be relied upon, they will, in a few years, greatly increase the annual gold production of the world. Dr. George F. Becker, of the U. S. Geological Survey, who has recently returned from the gold-fields of South Africa, says, that the Transvaal Republic contains the greatest gold deposits in the world. He states that, within fifteen miles of Johannesburg, which is the center of the Witwatersrand gold-fields, there is now an amount o'f gold, practically in sight, on what is called the main reef, estimated to be worth $3,SOO,ooo,ooo, or, nearly as much as the entire volume of gold coin, now in existence. The present rate of output from these various gold-fields is nearly $I oo,ooo,ooo per annum; yet, at this rate of mining, it would require more than half a century, to exhaust the auriferous deposits, now in sight. The gold-bearing reefs in the vicinity of Johannesburg, and also in many other goldmining districts, in the southern part of the Transvaal, occur in beds of conglomerate, interstratified with sandstone. These auriferous beds vary, from I to 20 feet in thickness, and carry ore, milling from $I o to $50 per ton. The deposits in the northern part of the. Transvaal, and also in Mashonaland and Matabeleland, are said to be found in fissure veins, in zones of schists enclosed in granite. The Western Coast. - Gold has long been known, to occur, in more or less abundance, in Western Africa, especially along the Gold Coast ; but, owing to the unhealthy condition of the climate, the auriferous deposits have never been thoroughly investigated. Mr. Hesketh J. Bell, Asst. Treasurer of the Gold Coast, in a paper, OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY I7 read May Ist, I 893, before the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, says:- " If the Gold Coast possessed a climate, no worse than that of Australia or South Africa, the question would, long ere this, have solved itself; and a rush to the West Africa gold-fields would have happened very many years ago." So common is gold among the natives, that it is said, that no family, in the country, is without its ornaments of the purest gold. The most noted auriferous deposits, now being worked on the Gold Coast, are located in Warsaw. This gold-field, which is situated many miles inland, is at present being developed by a number of English companies, who have experienced great difficulty, in opening up the mines, on account of the unhealthfulness of the climate, and the bad condition of the road, over which machinery has to be transported. The gold occurs in alluvial deposits, and in quartz veins, in gneiss and mica-schist. Australia. -The first discovery of gold in Australia, was made, in I 823, by James O'Brian, a surveyor; but it was not until I 85I, that the importance of the gold--fields was made generally known to the civilized world. It was during this year, that E. Hammond Hargraves, an English miner, on his return from California, found gold at Lewis Ponds, and Summer Hill creek, in the Bathurst and Wellington Districts, about IOO miles west of Sydney. Immediately following the announcement of this discovery, there was a great rush to the Australian gold-fields, from both America and Europe; and, in a comparatively short time, there were thousands of miners, busily engaged, in washing gold from the alluvial deposits, along the various streams. From these deposits alone, there was produced, during the first year, nearly one and a half million dollars worth of gold. Other discoveries soon followed, in rapid succession, not only inNew South Wales, but also in Victoria, Queensland, West Australia, Tasmania and South Australia, and in New Zealand. The gold-fields of Australia 18 OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY cover thousands of square miles; and are gradually being extended from year to year, by new discoveries. The chief output of gold, at present, is mainly derived from the rich gold-fields of Queensland and Victoria. These fields formerly yielded large quantities of gold, from the alluvial deposits; but they are now partly exhausted; and the principal supply is being derived, at present, from the quartz mines. The placer deposits occur along streams, and in ancient river-beds, which are often overlain by thick beds of basalt. These alluvial deposits are frequently quite rich, and often yield numerous nuggets, some of which have been found, weighing more than 2,000 ounces, and valued at $40,000. The auriferous quartz veins, occurring in gneiss and granite, vary in width, from a foot to many rods in thickness, and sometimes carry ore, running several hundred dollars per ton. The general average, however, is from $IO to $20 per ton. The veins are said to run, generally, parallel with the bedding of the country-rock, and, occasionally, to become greatly enlarged into pockets, carrying many tons of high-grade ore. South America. -The gold deposits of South America have been known to the Europeans, ever since the country was first discovered ; and, up to the opening of the California mines, they produced a great part of the world's production of the yellow metal. The first mines were opened, by the Spaniards in Colombia, in I 537 Since then, rich gold-fields have been found, in all the different political divisions. The mines of Brazil, Colombia and British Guiana are, at present, the most productive. The Brazilian deposits were discovered, as early as I 577; but they were not worked, to any extent, for more than a century, afterwards. The early workings were confined chiefly to the alluvial deposits along the various streams, in the Province of Minas Geraes. These placer deposits are now partially exhausted, and the principal output is, at present, derived from quartz mining. The gold, which is frequently alloyed with OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY silver and copper, and also, sometimes, with platinum and palladium, occurs generally in quartz veins, penetrating mica-schists, slates and itacolumite. It is also sometimes found disseminated throughout the rock-mass, which forms large bodies of low-grade ore. The auriferous deposits of Colombia have been worked, continuously, since I 537; and, prior to the discovery of gold in California and Australia, they were the most productive fields in the world. Three-fourths of the present output of the mines is now derived from the alluvial deposits, the most noted of which are located in the Department of Antioquia, a mountainous region, near the centre of the republic. All the political divisions, lying along the Pacific {;Oast, are said to have rich placers; but, owing to the scarcity of water, many of them are practically unproductive. Numerous goldbearing lodes have been discovered, in the Departments of Antioquia and Cauca, some of which are now being worked with profit. British Guiana. -The gold-mining industry of British Guiana, which first attracted attention in I 884, has gradually increased in importance, from year to year, until it has become one of the leading industries of the colony. The most productive mines are those located on the Potoro river, about 150 miles from Georgetown. There are also other valuable alluvial deposits along Cuyuni, Mazaruni and Demerara rivers, all of which are now being worked. The deposits occur, in heavily wooded lowlands along the rivers, and are frequently difficult to work, on account of insufficient drainage, and the heavy growth of vegetation, which has to be removed. The mining regions are hot and unhealthy. The work is chiefly done by negro laborers, brought from the coast. A number of gold-bearing veins have been discovered, in several of the mining districts; but they have not yet been worked, to any extent, as the placer deposits offer more profitable returns. 20 OCCURRENCE AND H/!JTORY Nicaragua.- The auriferous deposits of Nicaragua extend along the Coco river, near the Honduras boundary, and also along the eastern shore of Lake Nicaragua. The mines have been worked, since the early explorations of the Spaniards. Many of them are said to be rich in gold; but the crude and unscientific mode of mining greatly reduces their profits. Some of the gold-belts have been only partially explored, and are thought to offer inviting fields for prospectors. Mexico. - Mexico has but few paying gold mines, although it yields quite an output of the yellow metal. The source of the gold is mainly the auriferous silver ore, from which it is obtained as a by-product. Canada.- The principal gold-producing fields of Canada are located in Nova Scotia and British Columbia. The deposits of Nova Scotia were discovered in I 86 I; and they have since yielded a small, , but constant, output. The gold-belt, which has a maximum width of 30 miles, extends parallel with the eastern coast of the peninsular, from Canso to Yarmouth, a distance of nearly 200 miles. The gold occurs in quartz veins, which mostly run parallel with the sandstone and quartzite, which constitute the country-rock. These veins are said to vary, from a few inches to several feet, in width, and can frequently be followed, for long distances, along their ou~crops. Associated with the gold ores are zinc blende, pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite and iron-oxide. British Columbia. -The chief gold-mining region of British Columbia is located along the Frazier and Columbia rivers and their tributaries, between the Rocky mountains and the Coast Range. The first discovery of the precious metal, in this province; was made in I859, on the Frazier river, near Necoamen. The mining operations have been confined chiefly to the alluvial deposits along the streams. The most valuable deposits, so far discovered, are located OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY 2I in the Cariboo district, a mining region on the headwaters of the Frazier river. The rich deposits found here occur in ancient riverchannels, frequently I oo feet or more beneath the beds of the present streams. The placer mines on the Leech river, on Vancouver's Island, for a time, yielded quite an output of gold, and gave promise of a bright future ; but the works are now abandoned. UNITED STATES.- The various gold-fields of the United States may be divided, for convenience of description, into three separate divisions, viz:- The Pacific division, _the Rocky Mountain division and the Appalachian division. The Pacific division embraces all the auriferous deposits, found in California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. California. -The first discovery of the precious metal, on the Pacific Coast, was made, on the South fork of the American river, near Coloma, about forty miles southwest of Sacramento City, in the spring of 1848. The discovery was accidentally made, by a party of workmen, while making an excavation for a mill-race. An investigation of the alluvial deposits along the stream quickly followed, and revealed an extensive placer, remarkably rich in gold. The news of this important find was soon made known, through the daily press, and fortune-seekers, in great numbers, flocked to the new gold-fields. New discoveries followed each other, in rapid succession ; and, in a comparatively short time, California became the most noted gold-producing country in the world. So profitable were these early workings, that a common miner, with shovel and pan, made from 10 to 20 dollars per day; and, in some instances, as much as $1 ,ooo per day has been credited to one miner. The gold-fields of California are found along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, running parallel with the Pacific 22 OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY coast. The total length of the belt is nearly 700 miles, and its width varies from 20 to 6o miles. Oregon and Washington. -The auriferous deposits of Oregon and Washington are similar to those of California. The output of the yellow metal, from these States, has never attained very large proportions. However, they have many mines, both of quartz and of alluvial deposits, paying profitable dividends. Nevada, which is noted mainly for its rich silver mines, has also produced large quantities of gold, chiefly as a by-product from the argentiferous ores. The most celebrated mines in the State are located, on what has been termed the Comstock Lode in Storey county, a few miles northeast of Carson City. TJtis lode was discovered in 1859; and it has since been extensively worked, yielding immense quantities of both gold and silver. The mines are noted for the large size and richness of the ore-bodies ; the great depth of the works; and the high temperature of the rocks in the lower levels. The lode is a fissure vein, four miles long, with a width varying, from 20 to 6o feet. The vein material consists of crushed quartz and decomposed co~ntry-rock, with more or less pyrite, calcite and gypsum. The high-grade ore occurs in ore-bodies called "bonanzas," at irregular intervals along the vein. The total output of the different mines on the lode has been estimated, at $400,ooo,ooo, two-fifths of it being gold, and the remainder, silver. The greatest depth, attained in the mine, is more than 3,000 feet, while the aggregate length of the shafts and galleries exceeds 1 50 miles. The heat in the lower levels of the mines is so intense, as to greatly interfere with mining, the temperature increasing at the rate of 1 for every 34 feet of descent. Alaska. -As a gold-producing country, Alaska is rapidly pushing itself to the front, regardless of the many difficulties, encountered by the miners. Attention wa~ first directed to the auriferous de- OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY 23 posits, as early as I 876. During this year, the first important mine was located, near the mouth of Stikeen river, in the southern part of the territory, 75 miles southeast of Sitka. Further discoveries were soon made, on the various islands along the coast, as far north as Glacier Strait. Some of these prospects have, since, developed into profitable mines, notably those situated on Douglas Island, near Juneau City. The mines of this island produce, annually, chiefly from quartz veins, more than one half of the entire output of the territory. The ore-bodies occur, in huge dikes or granite bosses, penetrating the Triassic slates. They have been worked in places, to the depth of 500 feet, with but little change in their metalliferous contents. The rich alluvial deposits, recently discovered in the Yukon Valley, are at present attracting considerable attention, and are thought to be of great extent and of unusual richness. The first important placer diggings, in the gold-field was carried on, along Forty Mile Creek, only a short distan'ce from the Canadian border. These deposits are now partly exhausted; but other rich placers are reported, further to the northeast, on the numerous tributaries of the Yukon and Tanana rivers. Mr. J. E. Spurr, of the U. S. Geological Survey, who has just returned from an exploring expedition of the Yukon Valley gold-fields, is reported, through the daily press, as giving an encouraging account of the auriferous deposits. The severity of the climate and the scarcity of food, in the gold district, make mining extremely expensive, so that only the richer parts of the placers can be worked with profit. The Rocky Mountain Division comprises Colorado, Montana and New Mexico. Colorado is the most important gold-producing State of this division, ranking second to California, in the production of the yellow metal. South Dakota and Montana each have many valuable and productive mines; but neither has yet attained much importance as a gold-producing State. 24 OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY The Pike's peak gold excitement, which took place in 1859, may be regarded, as the beginning of the gold mining, in Colorado. During the same year, the rich placer deposits of Gilpin county were made known. These discoveries were followed by the usual rush of prospectors, who explored the eastern slopes and foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains, and located, at various places, valuable mines, which have since produced large quantities of gold. One of the most important of these discoveries, and the last to attract wide-spread public attention, was the location of the rich lode in the Cripple Creek district. The first important find in this district was made, in 1891. Previous to this date; there was carried on, from time to time, considerable prospecting, in the locality; but no discoveries, of any note, appear to have been reported. The Cripple Creek mining camp is located some fifty miles southwest of Colorado Springs, near the western base of Pike's Peak, on a small tributary of the Arkansas river. Topographically, the district is made up, of many rounded hills, with numerous small valleys and gulches. The productive area, which is being gradually enlarged, from time to time, by the location of new prospects, is about six miles long and three miles wide. The entire area is overlaid, by a brecciated rock, of igneous origin, frequently penetrated by dikes, which are the chief orecarriers. The dikes appear to have been shattered and fissured, by s orne dynamical force, and, afterward, to have been impregnated with gold and various other associated minerals. The ore-bodies often occur in the form of chimneys or ore-chutes, separated by wide intervals of barren rock. They vary, in thickness, from a few inches to several feet, and, in places, seem to extend to great depth. The larger portion of the gold, now mined at the camp, occurs, in the form of a telluride, associated with pyrite, fluorite and manganese- and iron-oxides. Free gold is also abundant in places, near the surface, where the ore-bodies have become oxidized. The ore is usually of a OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY 25 high grade, running from twenty to several hundred dollars per ton. The average yield per ton, from the various mines, during the month of 'September, is reported to have been over $5o. Since the completion of the railroad to the camp, much of the ore is being shipped to Denver and Pueblo, where large smelters have been erected. The Appalachian Dt'vision. -The Appalachian gold-fields comprise numerous auriferous deposits, forming a more or less continuous belt, extending from Maine to Alabama. It is only the southern part of the belt, traversing Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, that has attained any very great economic importance. The belt, which consists of highly metamorphic rocks of unknown age, varies from 1 o to 75 miles, in width. In places, it is made up of several minor belts, running parallel with each other, which have been named, from some well known mine or mountain, along their course. The numerous streams, intersecting these belts, flow over beds of auriferous gravel. In many places, these alluvial deposits were formerly quite rich in gold; but they have now become practicallyexhausted, and attention is, at present, being directed to veinmining. The ore-bodies, which have fed the streams, consist generally of zones of schists and other metamorphic rocks, interlaminated with numerous quartz stringers, forming belts, frequently many rods wide, and miles in length. The gold is chiefly found in the quartz, though it also occurs, in places, disseminated throughout the schists. Quartz veins, of considerable size, carrying auriferous pyrite, and cutting the schists at various angles, are also occasionally met with. Such veins often become greatly enlarged into huge chimneys or chutes, carrying large quantities of highgrade ore. The exact date of the discovery of gold in the Appalachian goldfields, by the whites, appears to be a mere question of conjecture. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --~ -~-------------------------------- 26 OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY That the yellow metal was known to the Indians, and used by them, to a certain extent, for personal adornment, is a well-known fact. However, there appears to be but little evidence, that they carried on mining operations, to any extent. Probably the oldest written account, of the occurrence of gold in the Southern States, appears in the Chronicles of America, by Herrera. This historian states, that Ponce De Leon, in his search for the fountain of perpetual youth, along the coast of Florida, in I 5I 3, was informed by the natives, that an Indian chief, in the neighborhood, possessed large quantities of gold. As the aborigines knew but little of metals, it has been suggested, that this statement most likely referred to copper, mica, or some other mineral in more general use. Three years after the explorations of Ponce De Leon, Diego Miruelo, a fearless Spanish sea-captain, touched on the coast of Florida, and, in trading with the Indians, obtained a small amount of gold. This seems to be the first conclusive evidence, of the occurrence of gold in the Southern States. In I 528, Pamphilo de Narvaez, who had been appointed Governor of Florida, by the Spanish Crown, arrived at Tampa Bay, with a large armed force, for the purpose of subduing the country of the supposed Montezumas. No sooner had the expedition landed and taken up their march into the interior, than the Indians, who were anxious to rid themselves of the cruel invaders. exhibited numerous trinkets, made of gold, and, at the same time, pointed northward, where they reported the yellow metal to be found, in great abundance, in the Apalachen country. The Spanish general, stimulated by the sight of gold, pushed forward; and, after many weeks of toil and hardship, traversing the swamps of Western Florida, he at last arrived at a miserable Indian village, of forty small cabins. This, he was told, by his guides, was Apalacha ; but a diligent search, in the surrounding country, revealed no gold. OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY Bryant, the historian, is of the opinion, that the Indians, in speaking of Apalachen, had reference to the country, at the source of a river, rising in the Appalachian mountains of Georgia, and not to the village at its mouth, as understood by the Spaniards. If Bryant's interpretation be correct, this is the first mention of gold, within the limits of the State of Georgia. The expedition of De Narvaez proved a signal failure. He found, in his various wanderings, neither gold in abundance nor wealthy princes ; yet, regardless of the unfavorable reports of the survivors of the unfortunate expedition, but little effect seemed to have been produced, in dispelling the current belief, that there existed somewhere, in the newly discovered country, rich empires, with numerous palaces and temples, gorgeously decorated with gold and precious stones. Shortly after the-return of the four remaining survivors of Narvaez's expedition, DeSoto, a noted Cavalier and companion of Pizarro, fitted out a second expedition, for the purpose of exploring and conquering Florida. This armed force, which consisted of more than 6oo trained soldiers, landed at Tampa Bay, in June, 15 39, and, at once, struck boldly into the interior, in quest of riches and fame. For more than three years, the Spaniards traversed the Southern States ; but nowhere were they able to find riches, in sufficient abundance, to satisfy their avaricious desires. It was during this expedition, that the Spaniards are supposed, by some writers, to have traversed the gold-fields of North Georgia, and carried on mining, to a limited extent, in that region. Dr. Chas. C. Jones, in his history of Georgia, in speaking of the expedition, says: -"Five days were occupied, in passing from this province to Xualla. The chief town of this last-named province bore the same name; and it was located on the flanks of a mountain, with a small, but rapid, river flowing near. We venture the suggestion, that this village was situated in Nacoo- 28 OCCURRENCEAND HISTORY chee Valley,1 Habersham county, and that the mountain, referred to, was Yonah. In the valley, physical proofs of primitive occupancy are still extant, and metallic fragments of European manufacture have been found, confirmatory of the fact, that, many years prior to the settlement of this region by the whites, it had been visited by kindred peoples." The same author, in another part of the work, makes the following statements:- "In recalling the ex- istence of temporary occupancy, by Europeans, of limited portions of the territory, at a later period, conveyed to the trustees, for establishing the colony of Georgia, it is proper, that we should allude to mining operations, conducted by the Spaniards, at an early epoch, among the auriferous mountains of upper Georgia. Influenced by the representations, made by the returned soldiers of De Soto's expedition, of the quantity of gold, silver and pearls, existing in the province of Cosa, Luis de Velasco dispatched his general, Tristan de Luna, to open communication with Cosa, by the way of Pensacola Bay. Three hundred Spanish soldiers of this expedition, equipped with mining tools penetrated to the valley of Coosa, and passed the summer of I 560 in northern Georgia and the adjacent region." Other instances are sighted by the author, as a proof of early mining in North Georgia, by the Spaniards. Many of these accounts and traditions seem to be quite plausible. Nevertheless, it is hardly probable, that the Spaniards would have abandoned mines, which were afterwards found to be so profitable, as those in North Georgia. Leaving out the various reports of the Spaniards, the first authenticated account, of the occurrence of gold in the Southern States, appears in Jefferson's notes on Virginia, published in I8J2. He, therein, speaks of a piece of ore, found a short distance below the falls of the Rappahannock river, weighing four pounds, and contain- ing I 7 pwts. of gold. Eleven years after the publication of J effer- 1 Now. a part of White countY. OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY son's notes (I 799), a nugget, weighing I 7 pounds, was discovered on the Reed plantation in Cabarrus county, N. C. The true nature of this nugget was not made known, until some years afterwards, when further search revealed a number of other nuggets, one of which is reported to have weighed 28 'pounds. After the discovery of gold on the Reed plantation, North Carolina became a regular producer, and yielded all the native gold, coined in the United States, until I827, the total amount being about $I IO,ooo. In I829, South Carolina made the first deposit at the mint. During the same year, gold was discovered in Georgia. The first discovery of gold, in Alabama, was probably in I 830; and, in the following year, the placer deposits on Coco creek, Tennessee, were made known. Gold is reported to have been found in Maryland, as early as I849; but the U. S. Mint shows no return, from this State, until I 868. Geowgia. - In White's Statistics of Georgia, published in I 849, occurs the following statement, with reference to gold in Georgia: "The first discovery of gold in the State was made on Duke's creek, Habersham county,' in I 829. The mass weighed three ounces." It is currently repo~::_ted, and generally believed, in Lumpkin county, that the first discovery of gold in the State was made, some months previous to the above date, on the Calhoun property, three miles south of Dahlonega. This early discovery is substantiated, by living witnesses; but, whether or not it antedates the Duke's creek find, is an open question. It appears quite probable, that the first discoveries succeeded each other, in such rapid succession, that it is now practically impossible, to decide, definitely, the question of priority. However, at present, the most reliable information seems to be in favor of Duke's creek. Only a few months after the announcement of the occurrence of 1 This part of Habersham county is now White county. OCCURRENc.-'E AND HISTORY gold in North Georgia, hundreds of miners were busily engaged on various streams, throughout the section, in search of the yellow metal. Governor Gilmer, in a letter, dated May 6th, I830, ad- dressed to John McPherson Berrian, then Attorney General of the United States, says:- "l am in doubt, as to what ought to be done with the gold-diggers. They, with their various attendants, foragers and suppliers, make up between six and ten thousand per- sons. They occupy the country between the Chestatee and Eto- wah rivers, near the mountains, gold being found in the great- est quantity, deposited in the small streams, which flow into those rivers." In June of the following year, Governor Gilmer is- sued a proclamation, prO'hibiting gold mining in North Georgia, which was then known as the Cherokee Country. An armed force, sent into the territory, to enforce this proclamation, retarded, for a time, to a great extent, the mining industry of the region; but the desire for gold, was by no means lessened, by such a prohibition ; and many of the miners were able to evade the law, and obtain gold, regardless of the watchful eye of the soldiery. It was during this year, that the first deposit of gold from Georgia, amounting to $2 I 2,000 was made at the U. S. Mint. The most active mining re- gion, at the time, was in Lumpkin county, in the vicinity of Dahlon- ega. So important had these gold-fields become, that the U. S. Government established a branch mint here, in I838. The mint <:ontinued in operation, until I86I, and coined I,38I,784 pieces, valued at $6, I I s.s69. The report of the u. s. Treasury Depart- ment shows the following annual coinage, from the Dahlonega Mint:- I838 $102,9 I 5.00 I839 I 28,880.00 I840 I23,3IO.OO I84I I62,885.oo 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 r85o 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 r86o r86r' OCCURRENCE AND HISTORY 31 309,64750 582,782.50 488,240.00 501,29500 449,272.50 361,485.00 27J,752.50 244, I 30.50 258,502.00 35 1,592.oo 473.815.00 462,918.oo 292,760.00 rr6,778.5o 102,57500 32,906.oo roo, 167.00 65,582.oo 69,47700 60,946.oo TotaL---- ---- -- ----------$6, II 5 569.00 It is reported, by a number of reliable citizens, who were familiar with the early mining industry of North Georgia, during the establishment of the Dahlonega Mint, that a considerable part of the gold, mined in Georgia, was sent to the Philadelphia and other mints, so that the annual output, for that State, was really greater, than that reported in the foregoing table. The total production of gold and silver from Georgia, since the early discoveries, until the present, has been estimated to be as follows:- 32 I799-I879 r88o I88I I882 r883 I884 I885 I886 I887 I888 I889 I890 I89I I892 I893 I894 I895 OCCURRENCE AND H./STORY $14, r8o,5oo I20,000 I25,000 2 50,000 200,000 I37,000 I 36,ooo I 53,500 I Io,5oo I04,500 I08,069 IOI,3 I8 80,622 95,25 I I00,375 99,095 I27,942 TotaL- - __ ----------- ------ ----$I6,228,730 The approximate amount of silver, produced during this time, was $7,000, which, deducted from the above total, gives$I6,22I,730, the amount of gold produced. The greatest annual output, from the State, occurred in I843, when the total yield of the various mines, then in operation, was $5 82,782. 50. Since the above date, the output has greatly fluctuated, from year to year. However, the total yield has gradually decreased, until the last two years. This gradual reduction has been due, mainly, to the exhaustion of the placer mines, the source, from which the greater part of the Georgia gold has been derived. As deep mining_ and the economic working of refractory ores are now being introduced, with satisfactory results, the future outlook for the Georgia gold-fields is, at present, quite promising, and will, no doubt, in a few years, again reach their former productiveness. CHAPTER II WHITE COUNTY Bv FRANCIS P. KING, AssiSTANT GEOLOGIST "The Dahlonega Gold Belt" extends through the entire county of White ; and, as far as known, its richest depositions are to be found in the two counties, Lumpkin and White. The early renown of the Dahlonega district, the establishment there of extensive and expensive plants, and the wide distribution of its mining stock has, up to the past few years, diverted attention from this equally important se<;tion of the belt. Lately, however, more interest has been concentrated on this county. Suitable plants are taking the place of old and crude equipments, and there has asserted itself here a tendency, gradual but decided, toward advanced methods in mining both vein and gravel deposits. The results of this continued advancement will soon speak for themselves; yet it may be safely prophesied, that they will, in a brief time, place White county at least close to the head of the gold-producing counties in Georgia. The earliest discovery of gold in this county, and probably in Georgia, was in 1828, by a negro servant of Major Logan, of Loudsville, Ga. While on his way from Rutherford, N. C., where gold mines had just been opened, he was attracted by the similar appearance of the soil along Nacoochee river, tested it in a "boiler," and found gold. This discovery was made in a branch on the Lovelady place. At this time, the Cherokee Indians had left the Nacoochee and Loudsville valleys, and were beyond the Chestatee, (33) 34 WHITE COUNTY to the west. The lands they left in this region had been surveyed into two hundred and fifty acre lots, and sold to settlers. It is presumed, that the Cherokees did not know of the existence of gold, in this region, up to the time of this discovery, although housewife fabulous tales of their discoveries are current. There seems to have been little system to the mining, in these early days of gold discovery, and even on, up to the war. The settlers worked singly and in small gangs, at odd times during the ye.ar, and jumped from place to place, as new discoveries were reported. Yet, in I 86o, C. L. Williams, a merchant at Nacoochee, Ga., who purchased much of the gold produced in that region, writes: - "I have been in business here, for thirty years, and, for most of that time, agent for some one of the banks (in Charleston), and, during that time, have bought between two and three million dwts. of gold." Most of this was taken from the stream deposits in the vicinity. Following the war, we find water aqueducts constructed, and generally improved conditions of mining, especially in the Nacoochee district. Progressive development in the past, nevertheless, has been retarded in a great measure, by iniquitous lawsuits and damage claims. I am glad to say, that that class of citizens, who would profit by,or retard the prosperity of,their neighbors, is rapidly being pushed into the background, by the better element and new blood. The belt of auriferous deposit extends northeast, through the county, from corner to corner, its average width being from two and a half to three miles. Throughout its entire extent, it is rich in gold-bearing veins and saprolite; 1 and the stream straversing it have yielded magnificent returns. Practically, little attention has been given to the first, and their development remains to the future. Besides the vein and gravel deposits, the northeastern portion of 1 The term "Saprolite," is used by Becker, "to signify thoroughly decomposed rock, in place." Reconnaissance of the Gold Fields of the Southern Appalachians, by George F. Becker, pp. 38 and 43 Extract from the Sixteenth Annual Report of the Director of theU. S.lGeological Survey. Part II. WHITE COUNTY 35 the belt, especially, has extensive saprolite areas, untouched and most inviting. The rocks of the belt are gneisses, mica-schists and hornblendic schists. The transition from one to the other of these rocks is generaily so gradual, as to be unnoticeable, except in the case of the hornblendic schists, which most frequently show decidedly sharp transition phases, presenting the appearance of dikes. The average strike of these schists is N. 30 E., with a universal dip to the southeast, although exceptional instances are to be found locally. The present mining interest of the belt, despite its universal richness, is centered in the Nacoochee district. This is one of the most picturesque regions of North Georgia. It is not only prominent for its scenic beauty and fertility of soil, but for its Indian traditions. Nacoochee, meaning "Evening Star," is said to have been the name of a Cherokee maiden, daughter of the local chief, famous for her beauty. Fleeing with her lover from a hostile father, says tradition, they escaped to Yonah mountain ; and here, hard pressed, in preference to separation and torture, they leaped together into oblivion from its frightful precipice. They were buried together in a mound at the junction of the Chattahoochee and Nacoochee rivers. A solitary pine marks the grave. Broad meadows border the Chattahoochee, and, on either side, rise the broken spurs of the Blue Ridge. The Nacoochee river, now known as Duke's creek, enters the Chattahoochee at the lower end of the valley, after flowing in a parallel course with it, through an adjoining valley, Hamby mountain intervening. On the south, towers Yonah mountain, a gneissic mass, with an elevation of 3,02 5 feet above sea-level ; on the north, the long line of the Blue Ridge, usually haze-covered, but ever changeful in its foliage effects and magnificent contouring. WHITE COUNTY THE LUMSDEN PROPERTY 1 "LOT 10" This property is located about two miles north of Nacoochee valley, and lies in the Jrd district of White county. The lots, 250 acres each, which it embraces, are Io, I I, 2I, 22, 23 and 44 It is best known among the miners and residents of northeast Georgia as " Lot 10 "; and, as a gold-bearing property, it stands in good repute among these people. More or less widely known, since the discovery of gold in its streams, it has recently attracted considerable attention, since the opening up on it of a zone of gold-bearing material. The first authentic discovery of gold on this property was in I 830. It was then worked by Horshaw, Reynolds and others, by means of "long toms," "rockers" etc. Diamonds are said to have been found here, during the first workings. Lately, the work has been carried on by Mr. J. R. Lumsden and others. Placer-work, however, has ceased almost entirely ; and now attention is confined strictly to the gold-bearing slate, which is worked by tributers, using a combination of hydraulic and dry mining. The hard ore is hauled a quarter of a mile to a wooden ten-stamp mill, driven by a twenty-foot overshot water-wheel. The country in this region is quite broken, some of the hills having an elevation of four hundred feet. It is drained by Bean creek and tributary branches. Along these water-courses, considerable gold has been washed out, since its discovery. Although much of the placer areas has been worked over once, at least, and, 1 From field-notes of S. W. McCallie, Assistant Geologist. WHITE COUNTY 37 m richer and more accessible portions, several times, there still remains considerable virgin territory. The bottoms, or placer areas, of Bean creek and its branches have been worked, on either side, to a width, varying from fifty feet to four hundred yards. Bean creek, from the stamp-mill to Sautee creek, has only a moderate fall - in a distance of over one mile and a half, probably not over twenty-five feet. This slight fall, therefore, has seriously interfered with the working of the bottoms below the mill, to such an extent, that there are possibly fifty acres of auriferous gravel, which have never been touched by miners. Besides this area, much of the old placer areas could be re-worked profitably, by devising a suitable system of drainage. The sketch-map of this property, which accompanies this report, will serve to show the worked and workable areas. Geologically considered, this property is made up of gneisses and mica-schists. These grade into each other, and strike about N. 20 E. The dip varies; but it is usually sharp and invariably to the northwest. A gold-bearing zone, in this formation, has been discovered, near the south line of lot 10, close to Bean creek; and it is here, that the principal work is now being conducted. This auriferous zone or belt is over two hundred feet in width, and consists of garnetiferous hornblende-gneiss, frequently traversed with extremely thin dikes of hornblende, and innumerable quartz stringers and lenticular pockets, conformable with the gneiss. Weathering has so completely broken and shattered the rock to some depth, that blasting is unnecessary, and the entire mining of the gold can be carried on by hydraulicking and dry mining. The apparent auriferous material of this zone are the quartz stringers and quartz nodules. Garnets, however, which are quite abundant, are frequently shown to contain some gold, when crushed and panned. WHI7E COUNTY The present proprietors' lack of funds has prevented them from supplying a proper equipment for the carrying on of their work to the best advantage; yet, with the crude means at hand, they state, that five men are able to extract from 70 to So dwts. per week. Fig. r. ... ... .. . ..{""Q""...l 1.-....... I jp.. \ln""o"""C\.j:.:...j Sketch-Map of the Lumsden Gold Lots. Five samples of ore were taken for assay at the same number of openings, along this zone. These assayed, in the laboratory of the Survey, as follows:- WHITE COUNTY 39 Sample No. I " "2 " "3 " "4 " "5 0.175 oz.- $3.50 per ton. 0.050 " !.00 " " 0. I 25 " 0.130 " 0.125 " 2.50 " " z.6o " " 2.50 " " THE JARRET PROPERTY This property is more generally known as the "Childs mine." It lies to the southwest of lot IO, on lot 24, 3rd district, White county. Mr. Childs of Athens, Ga., operated here, for some time; but, for the past seven or eight years, no work of any duration has been done. What has been already stated, in regard to the natural features of the Lumsden property, holds true here. The geological formation is the same. The gold-bearing material, worked upon, is but a continuation of the quartz "stringer" auriferous zone, now being operated by the Lumsden people, a quarter of a mile to the northeast. Mr. Childs did his work, by hydraulicking and dry mmmg. The excavated material was sluiced some distance, through a long line of riffle-boxes, to a twenty-stamp mill, where the coarse and hard material was finally worked up. This work covered a considerable period of time, and an immense amount of auriferous matter was thus treated. About eight years ago, Mr. Childs ceased work. We are not able to give an estimate of his profits, as we have only rumor to guide us, and this is variable. 40 WHITE COUNTY THE PLATTSBURGH PROPERTY I The Plattsburgh property consists of the northeastern quarter of lot 40, 3rd district, and has been locally known for some years as "The England Mine." In I 895, it was purchased at a large price, and is now about to be operated, by an organization, under a State charter, granted to the The Plattsburgh Gold Mining and Milling Company. The main office of this company is Plattsburgh, N. Y. Mr. Albert W. Emery of Plattsburgh is president, and Mr. W. H. Stephenson of Troy, N. Y., one of the directors, is local manager of the mine. The special feature of this property, and that, for the development of which this company was organized, is an ore-body from six to eight feet in thickness, made up of many quartz stringers intercalated in mica-schist. These stringers, as is usual with such ore-bodies iH Georgia, vary in thickness, from a thin wafer to six inches. It is identical in character with the vein on the Thompson property! except, that, judged from present exposures, it carries less quartz than the Thompson vein. It is known to extend in a northeastern course, dipping sharply to the southeast through a ridge running parallel with the Chattahoochee river. The ridge itself is the present terminal of a long southern spur of Tray mountain, and has an altitude of about 300 feet above the river. T.oward the river, and also to the north, although much shorter, its slope is almost precipitous. In the past, on both sharp slopes of the ridge, the ore-body has been stripped for some distance, and tunnels have been extended in, a hundred feet or more. At the I The present owners began work, and cleaned up the working tunnel. some time after I had collected the ores from this terntory; hence no Survey assay of their ore appears. 2 See page 67 and Plate IV. WHiTE COUNTY 41 time of purchase by - Not in the Gold Belt. 3 30 3 32 250 3 33 250 I 3 34 250 3 35 250 j 3 36 250 3 37 !25 3 39 !25 Conley Mine and Farm. 3 3 s5s7 I28 Nichols Mine. 250 Frazier Mine. 3 59 IS 3 6o 47 Hamby Mine. 3 62 3 63 rgo Curtis Mill Tract. Not in the Gold Belt. 3 64 125 Not in the Gold Belt. 3 70 250 White-McGhee Mine; 20-stamp Mill. 3 7I 250 Richardson Mine. 3 go 63 Russell Mine. 3 gr 94 Powell Mine. 3 93 250 Park's Mine. 3 99 !25 3 roo 250 3 IOI 250 3 I26 250 Oliver Mine. A large part of the acreage enumerated above does not lie in the gold belt; its position, with reference to water-rights, timber etc., WHITE COUNTY is such, however, that it ma.kes an essential complement to the gold-bearing area. The nucleus of this property was brought under one management, in I 8 57, by "The Nacoochee Hydraulic Company" of Boston, with J. R. Dean, Jr., of Nacoochee, as mining superintendent. They possessed, in fee simple, only 875 acres; but they controlled, by leases, most of the auriferous lots, embraced between Duke's creek and the Chattahoochee river, which they worked, at a royalty of onetenth of the gold produced. Active measures to develop the property commenced in I 86o; and, at the breaking out of the war, the present canal was completed, water running through, and ready to be used for the hydraulic operation of the gold fields, which it commanded. The cost of building this canal was about $50,000. The war suddenly arrested all work; but, upon the restoration of peace, work was re-commenced; and this company, followed later by others, prosecuted successfully hydraulic mining, for some years. During this period, some of the largest nuggets ever found in Georgia were taken from these hills, besides many thousands dwts. of gold in grains. Mr. Martin came into possession of the property, about five years ago, and has been zealously at work, adding new and important territory by direct purchase, until he has now brought it to its present magnitude. In the past year, 1 the ditch has been completely repaired, and, in many respects, improved; and a large 20-stamp mill has been kept running, day and night, working ore, taken from the Reynolds vein, and selected surface ore, very abundant in many localities, which he has had collected and hauled to the mill. In addition to his own large working force, numerous small parties are given brief leases, to work at the various deposits ; such parties pay to him one-tenth toll, and are provided with giants and water WHITE COUNTY 49 privileges, at the rate of 50 cents a pipe-head. In conjunction with his mining operations, he carries on a commissary store, through which much of the mining labor is paid, and to which the lessee-miners carry their gold. By such business-like manage- ment, he has been enabled to improve his property, and increase its size. Indeed, the commissary department, toll on leases, and rent of water could be made in themselves to pay a fair interest on money invested. Nevertheless, in addition to these, his own work- ing force has been profitably engaged. The auriferous formation of this property consists of saprolite, stream deposits, on both hill and bottom land, and veins. In the description of this immense property, these deposits will be dis- cussed collectively, and in the above order. Topographically considered, this region forms the water-shed between Duke's creek and the Chattahoochee river, and is a long spur of the Blue Ridge with a southeasterly trend. It has one prominent elevation, known as Hamby mountain, which, on lot 36, attains an elevation of over 2,300 feet above sea-level. This stands in the midst of the Nacoochee mining field, and gives rise to many mountain branches, which flow down its sides, and stretch out south and north to Duke's creek and the Chattahoochee river, respectively. The valleys of the branches are deep, and the ground rises rapidly on either side, so that there is a ridge or spur between each. The map1 shows the course of these streams, and the relative location of the branches flowing into them. Present evidence points to the saprolite,2 as the chief supply of the stream gold to this property, and large areas of it are to be found here. Indeed, one can hardly wash a pan of dirt, along any of the prospecting cuts, without obtaining some gold. Moreover, 1 See page 44 2 See page 34 so WHITE COUNTY by selecting the dirt for panning-in which case, one familiar with the formation would choose the black seams, occupied by iron oxides -a rich showing of gold will invariably be found in the concentrates. Whether, or not, all the saprolite areas are auriferous, prospecting has, as yet, not revealed ; but, where testing has been carried on, such areas have been found to be gold-bearing; as, for instance, lot 6o, where large excavations have been made in the saprolite, which is not extensive, but, in places, at least 75 feet deep, as shown at excavations near the reservoir. In this locality, certain strips were worked, with most excellent results. On the north side of Hamby mountain may be sighted the large excavation made by the St. George Company, where they are now working, an extension of which area will be found on this property. Excavations, also, are to be seen in the saprolite at other points, where auriferous leads have been followed to some purpose. The total amount of gold, already taken from the branch deposits, is something enormous. The branches, especially during the wet months, are perfect torrents, with an immense erosive power; during such periods, also, they are supplemented by innumerable mountain rills, at other times dry. Centuries of such powerful and continued action, on the feeding saprolite and decomposing veins of this auriferous body of land, have made the deposits of these branches the most richly productive in Georgia. Long Hungry Branch, the only branch of Mr. Martin's property flowing into the Chattahoochee, has the most extended deposit, of any branch on the north side of the Hamby water-shed, being, as its name implies, of unusual length, and having many feeders. The quantity of gold, removed from its deposit, show extensive areas of saprolite along its course; and inspection reveals much placer ground yet untouched. The banks, moreover, show valuable hill deposits. Four or five feeders, or forks, enter the branch on the WHITE COUNTY 51 north side, and nearly all these have hill deposits on the left banks, near their mouths. The main deposits offer hardly any drainage for washing; hence artificial drainage will be required, when they are worked. The dry hollows and hill deposits should claim attention. The main deposits of this branch are estimated to have yielded over $I oo,ooo worth of gold. Richardson Branch rises in lot 7I, and enters Duke's creek on the eastern side of lot 9I. It flows along the eastern edge of the gold belt, and has disclosed good deposits. As it approaches Duke's creek, the land becomes flat, and the drainage of the deposition ground, too slight for natural sluicing; hence little work has been done here, in the past, and considerable virgin ground is offered for the modern methods of hydraulicking. Black Branch heads in lot 70, at which point the surface spreads out, fan-like, with diverging dry hollows, where pits sunk to bedrock have revealed gold in the saprolite. Between this branch and the White-McGhee branch, is a hill-deposit, from which Mr. Dean took about $I,500 worth of gold, mainly nuggets, in 1860. The largest of these nuggets weighed 69 dwts., I I 5 dwts. and 387 dwts., respectively, the last believed to be the largest nugget found, up to that time, in Georgia. All showed marks of much attrition. This branch is noted for its coarse gold. White-McGehee Branch rises in Hamby mountain, between the sources of the Hamby and Long Hungry branches, lots 59 and 6o, and flows south through the center of lot 90, entering Duke's creek, just above the twenty-stamp mill. It has been the scene of spasmodic, but extensive, mining for years. Midway, in its course, it passes over a hard ledge of siliceous gneiss, which forms a waterfall, about fifty feet high. This has been the means of forming a large flat tract below the fall, underlaid with auriferous gravel. From this basin, much gold has been removed, although the workers --- WHiTE COUNTY have been hampered by poor drainage. Below this fall, the branch has been richly productive, to Duke's creek. The Reynolds vein crosses the branch, just below the fall, and is presumed, on account of its present richness, to have assisted these lower deposits quite considerably. For such a fertile gold area, few veins have yet been cut, which it would be profitable to work. Naturally, their presence is assumed; but, thus far, they have escaped attention, although, up to the present time, search for them has been of secondary importance, so vast have been the workable areas of other deposits. I~ is very probable, however, that, while the saprolite leads are being operated, evidence will be forthcoming to give clews to the source of the nuggets and coarse gold, which the placer deposits are continually giving up. t One vein, nevertheless, of considerable promise was discovered by Mr. Reynolds, early in the gold history of this region, and was worked down, to the depth of fifty feet, along a cut of about seven hundred feet. The ore was carted to a little stamp-mill, erected on the White-McGhee branch; and the milling, according to Mr. Charles Williams of Nacoochee, who received the toll, amounted to, from $1,500 to $2,000 a week. According to the same gentleman, the entire yield of the vein, when worked by Mr. Reynolds, was $66,ooo. When first inspected by me, the walls of the excavation had fallen in, thus covering a considerable portion of the vein; but, near the center of the cut, the vein was well exposed and open to examination. It was found to consist of compact milk-white quartz, from twelve to eighteen inches in thickness, carrying pyrite partially oxidized. This ore-body is apparently conformable to the hard hornblendic schist, in which it lies; it strikes N. 40 E., with a.dip of 70 to the southeast. To the east of this ore-body, are to be seen other veins, similar as to nature, but more lenticular- WHITE COUNTY 53 and less continuous. The band of hornblendic schist, in which it lies, is not over thirty feet in thickness ; but it is so hard and tough, as to be moved only by blasting. On either side of the hordblende, are most thoroughly decomposed mica-schists. An average sample of this vein, taken along a ten-foot exposure, gave in the laboratory of the Survey, the following results :- First assay 0.562 oz. of gold per ton Second assay (duplicate) 0.520 " " " " " At $20 per ounce, the value of this ore would be $1 1.24 and $10.40 per ton, according to the respective assays. These results are certainly indicative of an ore-body, which can be operated profitably, and are encouraging to the future working of the Reynolds vein. At the present depth of the worked por- tion, free-milling will, hereafter, be impossible ; therefore a plant for desulphurizing the ore will be required. The past history of the vein and its present indications argue favorably toward the estab- lishment of such a plant. The Conley Vein, so called, is located north of center of lot 39 , it was worked, some years ago, by local miners. All the gold, taken from it, was obtained by sluicing, no part of the ore-body being milled. The excavation on the vein shows the presence of very little quartz; and, therefore, it might preferably be called a rich lead in saprolite. Mrs. Conley, who owned the lot, up to a short time ago, refused a working lease on the vein, soon after its wealth was discovered. The sample taken by me showed, on assay- ing, only a trace of gold. This sample, however, was taken at ran- dom, with rio accurate knowledge of the lead, in which the miners had made their discovery. The few other veins, discovered on these properties, were either not in a conditi~n to be examined, or were too undeveloped, to re- quire special mention. 54 WHITE COUNTY As already stated, the properties, controlled by Mr. Martin, are splendidly equipped for development; and their topography, as a whole, is most superior for mining operation. On the north side of Hamby mountain, is the St.George ten-stamp mill, on lot ]6, and on the south side, on lot 70, Mr. Martin's twenty-stamp milL This twenty-stamp mill is finely housed and perfectly equipped, and is run by a turbine-wheel, water being supplied from the Hamby ditch. The principal feature of the property, in the way of equipment for mining operations, is the Hamby ditch. This aqueduct takes its water from Duke's creek, on lot JJ, and winds around the slopes of Hamby mountain, with a gentle and uniform grade, five feet to the mile. Its course must necessarily be uneven; but it is rendered more so, by the engineer's endeavor to avoid the building of trestles. On account of its elevation, which, in lot ]6, is 3 50 feet above Duke's creek, this was rendered possible. Although / the lower end of the ditch is only three miles, in a direct line, from the dam, its complete length is about seven and one-half miles. Its elevation above, and its location in respect to, the known deposits is such, that it is universally acknowledged to be the key to the entire auriferous area between Duke's creek and the Chattahoochee river. The original expense of constructing this ditch has been given.' In the summer of 1894, it was thoroughly overhauled; the dam was repaired, the flumes were reconstructed, and new gates were built at the most advantageous distributing points. I See page 48. WHITE COUNTY 55 THE ST. GEORGE PROPERTY 1 The St. George Property consists of about I ,84 I acres, lying in the Nacoochee district of White county. Only a portion, locally known as "The Dean Gold Mines," is in the gold belt. The Dean, or auriferous area, consists of a part of the following 2 5o acre lots: - District Lot 3 37 3 38 3 59 Acres 3I 200 235 The remaining acreage was secured for water-rights, timber and other purposes. In the Jrd district, the company owns parts of lots 27 and 28/ in the sth district, lots I9 and 20, and one-half of lot 2I. The lots of the latter district are laid down as 450 acre lots. These latter lots were taken in, with the intention of drawing water from the Chattahoochee to the Dean Gold Mine. During the company's early possession of the Dean mine, therefore, they purchased these lots and the right of way covering the remaining distance, and started a ditch from lot 20. Before completing this ditch, however, only three and one-quarter miles being constructed, the Hamby mountain ditch had been completed; and since then, when operating the Dean mine, they have used water from the Hamby ditch. The geological formation, the nature and character of the auriferous deposit, is but a repetition of those of Yonah mountain and the Martin property. The entire tract of gold-bearing land, however, lies on the north side of the water-shed, and its water-courses enter the Chattahoochee river. The deposits of these streams, like those on the south side, have been worked pretty thoroughly, especially near the river. 1 See map, for the relative position of the lots and their prominent features. page 44.' WHITE COUNTY The Horton Branch has its source outside of the gold belt, and its gravel deposits are perfectly barren, until it approaches the river. Here it flows over flat ground, affording little facility for easy mining. Still, much gold has been taken from points of the deposit, offering the necessary advantages. Basing opinion on what is reported to have been done here in the past, the ground yet unbroken by miners suggests good possibilities for future workers. The England, the Old House and the Gaten Branches have all been Fig. 3 s 25 ')0 4-1 Map of the St.George Gold Property. worked, again and again, and have proved rich sources of revenue. Each flows in sharp ravines, up to the river valley; and the characteristics of the deposits and ground-course are exactly alike. They are especially of noteworthy importance, on account of their coarse gold deposits and the presence of hill deposits of coarse gravel, which give substantial evidence of old river benches. An inspection of the old work, along these streams, shows, that the miners found frequent inducements to extend their washing up into these WHITE COUNTY 57 hill deposits. It is quite possible, that these old works would pay, if carefully cleaned; and that, which remains untouched, taken together with the hill deposits, is suggestive of bright prospects. The most important feature of this property, however, has been exposed by the Dean cut on lot 38. Here, Mr. Dean, who was later made mining superintendent of the old Nacoochee Hydraulic Company, operated, for several hundred feet, a quartz vein, or rather stringers of quartz, widening from a mere band to eighteen inches, and continuing in a well defined course; and, from the milling of the ore and ground-sluicing of its walls, he is reported to have reaped a rich harvest. This work was prosecuted, some time after the close of the war. Mr. R. W. Rickard, M.E., who, in I 886, reported on the property, for the St. George people, was especially taken with the rich saprolite, exposed by Dean's cut. Since, in his report, he expresses, in a general way, the consensus of opinion of those, who have made a study of the southern gold fields, and this property in particular, I will quote his words : - "The precious metal occurs in the following manner : Several large bands, or adopting the local term, courses, of goldbearing schist, run parallel through the gold belt, southwest and northeast. They all contain small quartz veins throughout; and the schist, which generally is comparatively hard, in these courses is quite soft, and can be worked almost with a shovel. It is difficult to determine the cause of this softness; one thing is remarkable, that quartz veins, from the thickness of letter paper up to eighteen inches, exist throughout this soft and productive ground, having the same run and dip, as the courses themselves; and to these veins, probably, is attributable the deposition of the precious metal, as well as the softening of the mica-schist. The gold is free from sulphurets, and consequently may be treated effectually by amalgamation. In connection with these veins of quartz, there is a con- WHITE COUNTY centration of gold-bearing material; in fact, the quartz itself is au- riferous, showing, upon assay, from %' ounces upwards, per ton." At the time of my visit to this excavation, no work had been done, for some years; and the vein was not sufficiently exposed, to take a fair sample for assay. In the spring of 1895, a ten-stamp mill, run by a turbine-wheel, supplied with Hamby ditch water, was erected; and, since then, the St.George management has been constantly milling the quartz and harder portions of the saprolite. First of all, however, they cleaned up the old box ground-sluice, which had been acting as a drain, during these lapse of years, and found about 300 dwts. of gold. The size of the return was unexpected, and hence extremely gratifying. The cut is now being extended along the lead of the vein, by the simple erosion of water flowing down from the Hamby ditch. The drain to the river consists of a line of two-foot sluice-boxes. Just before the drain reaches the mill, there is another system of boxes, connected with the main drain in a Y, so that large quartz masses and hard pieces of schist may be sent down in the sluice-boxes toward the mill. About fifty feet from the mill, all the large material is caught in a big bin, broken up, and forwarded, by the emptying sluices, to the mill. The illustration' shows the St. George cut, from a point about midway, looking toward the mill and river. A close inspection will show the system of transferring auriferous material to the mill. At present, about six men are at work in the cut, with pick and shovel, guiding and assisting the action of the water; another man is stationed at the mill feeding the batteries. Mr. John Martin has an interest in this property, and manages it in conjunction with his own. 1 See Plate II. WHITE COUNTY 59 THE YONAH LAND AND MINING COMPANY'S PROPERTY The Yonah Land and Mining Company controls one of the largest contiguous acreages in North Georgia. This body of land lies in the Jrd district along the watershed of Duke's creek, and comprises lots 6o, 6I, 62, 67, 68, 69, 89, 90, 9I, 92, IOJ, I04, and one half of IOj, forming a tract of about 3,268 acres. It may be well to add, that a few small areas in some of these lots are owned jointly with other companies. Besides the above tract, they own the mineral interest in lot I 4, 6th district. "The property is a consolidation of what was formerly known as "The Tonton Mines," "The Mercer Mines" and "The Butt Mines." These mines were all adjacent; and, because of the water supply, gold belts, and many other advantages, arising from the ownership of such a large territory, they were consolidated into one property, purchased for a large sum, and given the name of "The Calhoun Land and Mining Company." The property has been known in this way, for a series of years; but, recently, the present company has applied for a new charter; and the property will henceforth be known, as the Yonah Land and Mining Company's property, or, in brief, the Yonah Gold Mines." 1 The lots of land included in this property, with the exception of lot I 4, 6th district, and their relative positions to each other, are shown on the map! There are thirty cottages on the property, twelve of which are frame buildings; and all are suitable for the occupancy of miners. Besides these cottages, there is a commissary building, now un- 1 See pp. 3 and 4 Report of E. T. Whatley, on" The Yonah Land and Mining Co. of White Co., Ga., r893." 2 See page 44 6o WHITE COUNTY tenanted, and an equipped blacksmith shop. All these are accessible, by wagon roads. "The cleared, cultivated lands consist of approximately 218 acres. Of this, about fifty acres is fine bottom land, and would, if properly cultivated, produce 1,500 bushels of corn. The remaining 168 acres ought to produce I,ooo bushels, making a total yield of 2,500 bushels. These lands would produce other crops in the same proportion. The farms, however, have been poorly cultivated, and the yields have never been what they should. Besides these cleared farms, there are approximately 300 acres of excellent farming lands, that have never been cleared of their original forests. Similar land, in the same vicinity (Nacoochee valley) has sold for $40 per acre, for farming purposes. The farms are well watered, eas'ily drained, and seldom, if ever, damaged by overflow. They contain many convenient springs of pure freestone water, for drinking purposes. The soils are light-gray and mulatto color, and easily tilled." I These lots, likewise, are generally well timbered; and Mr. Whatley has estimated, that they contain many thousand feet of marketable timber, consisting of pine, oak, hickory, poplar, chestnut and maple. The property is especially well watered. In addition to Duke's creek, a large stream, with a fall of 220 feet, which traverses the property, there are also Mill creek, Mercer branch, Pardue branch, Kelly branch and Stoner branch, all of which can be utilized, in operating the mineral areas of this property. When operated by the Calhoun Company, a ditch seven miles long, extending entirely through the property, was constructed, at an expense exceeding $J,OOO. "This canal has a fall of 63 feet, s. I Seep. Report of E. T. Whatley on "The Yonah Land and Mining Co. of White Co., Ga. 1893" WHITE COUNTY 6r from its source to the mouth, and an elevation of 93 feet above Duke's creek, at its mouth, lots 72 and 89. It -carries a volume of water sufficiently large to run a IO-stamp mill, with a 40-foot fall, at any point along the canal. The size of the canal can easily be increased, at any time, at small expense. Since its construction, at various times expenditures have b~en made on its improvement and repair; and the canal is now in good condition, and the water, ready for use, either to work the placer mine, or to operate a mill located at some point along the canal." 1 Besides this ditch, the property lies in such a position, with reference to the Hamby mountain property, that the Hamby ditch alone could be made to play an important part, in operating the Yonah Mountain mines. This property is not only essentially rich in placer areas; but it contains, already opened up, several veins, assays of which are indicative of considerable economic importance. Mr. Whatley states, that, as near as can be estimated by information gathered from all sources, between $ soo,ooo and $I ,ooo,ooo have been taken from the Yonah Gold Mines. Work on the streams and bottoms has been going on, almost continually since 1830; and there still remain virgin areas. During the summer of I 893, Mr. Whatley reports, that he himself removed from one of the placers $2,000, at an expense, not exceeding $I ,ooo. The work, however, during the earlier periods, was conducted in such a crude way, that so much of the fine gold was left, that, at each re-working- a most common occurrence even to the third time- the labor has been profitable. The gold deposits of all the branches, platted on the map: have been more or less worked in the past; but, in some instances, and 1 Seep. 8, Report of E. T. Whatley on" The Yonah Land and Mining Co. of WhitejCo., Ga . r&)J.'' 2 See page 44 6z WHITE COUNTY especially at certain points, they will pay another overhauling. Returns, however, from the deposits of the branches, flowing into Duke's creek from Hamby mountain, have far surpassed those entering the same from the south. For instance, Hamby branch, with numerous heads in lot 6o, has been one of the most important gold-fields of this county. It has been found to be rich in gold, to the very head. Moreover, the upper and steeper portions of the valleys of its main stem and forks have not been worked much; these present good ground for washing. There are, also, many dry hollows, extending off in different directions; and it is presumed, that nearly all of them contain valuable deposits of gold; for, wherever water could be had to wash with, there have yielded splendid returns. On the main branch, the washing in of the gold has been on the left side, at many points. Indeed, not only on this, but on other streams having the same direction, it appears to be generally true, that the gold deposit is richest along the western bank. The early workers found it too laborious to operate these deposits cleanly, on account of the deep overburden; hence considerable has been left, which hydraulic mining will render easy and profitable. As Hamby branch approaches Duke's creek, the ground of the deposit becomes low and flat, spreading out over considerable surface. This was found to be very rich; it afforded large amounts of gold; but it could not be worked out, with success, on account of poor drainage. With the present equipment for such mining, therefore, there is still to be found fertile areas for successful work. Furthermore, there are many points along the course of the branch, where there are indications of good hill-deposits. These lie on the banks, or slopes of the hills, along the main forks of the branch, and also on the points of the hills between the forks. The main hill-deposit, however, is on the ridge, or hill, above the WHITE COUNTY branch, where there is a fine show of stream-gravel, much rounded and probably rich in gold. Some of these deposits have been washed; but much remains for the future. Another branch, which has been much prospected, is Mercer branch. This is at the upper edge of the gold belt, and extends from Hamby mountain, southeast, to Duke's creek. Like all the other gold-bearing branches, this was washed, soon after the discovery of gold in the Nacoochee district, and was found to be auriferous throughout, as is shown by the gravel-banks and pits along its course. It has several subdivisions of forks, which also contained good deposits, and have been worked out, almost to their source. One of the forks extends, in a northwesterly direction, beyond the upper edge of the gold belt, and is consequent!y barren of gold. Near its entrance to Duke's creek, on the western bank, there is an accumulation of water-worn boulders, or river drift, in the soil, which shows a river deposit, doubtless auriferous. There are hill deposits, also, on several of the points between the main branch and its forks. Pardue Branch, Bramlett Branch, Alabama Branch and Kelly Branch have also been worked successfully; and numerous points along their course may still be subjected to hydraulic mining, with satisfactory results. In fact, the inspection of these stream deposits, although the returns have not been so rich as the north branches, reveal similar characteristics and equally as encouraging prospects, as those branches already described. The main placer area of this property, and the one, which will be especially referred to, in this report, lies along Duke's creek, in lots 89 and 90, and comprises, in all, a complete body of, perhaps, fifty acres. Since my attention was directed to the gold-fields of the State, Mr. Whatley, local manager of the Yonah Gold Mines, has been concentrating all his mining operations on the placer of 64 WHITE COUNTY these lots. In passing, it may be said, that, previous to his management, $1,500 in nuggets was removed from one pit, in two days. Mr. Whatley's first work consisted in clearing out a pit, just uncovered by his predecessor; the returns were most profitable. He next turned his attention to the head of this large body, near the entrance of Duke's creek. Here he spent some months of 1894, working one giant and two hydraulic elevators. The numerous freshets of this season frequently burst his dam, and filled in the working-pit. This occurrence, not once, but many times, caused the expenditure on necessary, but unprofitable, labor to exceed the returns. Yet, gold was taken out, in sufficient amounts, to more than warrant the expense, barring untoward accidents. Later, he removed his plant to a point, about midway between the old location and the Cleveland road, on lot 89. Here, he worked out two pits, whose total surface area would consist of about 2 50 square feet; and he reports, as his return, 3,000 pennyweights of gold. During the past winter he has made a radical change in his plant. He has introduced a steam-pump, with fire-hose and nozzle attachments, and has devoted the entire power of his ditch to draining the working-pit. This complement to his new plant consists of a thirty-six horse-power engine and a Worthington duplex-pump, with four rubber fire hose-pipes attached to a main force-pipe. AU are new. For celerity and ease in work, this is very plainly a decided improvement over the old system. The pump furnishes, under a seventy-foot pressure, I,ooo gallons of water per minute. This is sufficient to supply the four hose attached. With these easily shifted hose, the objective point of the hydraulicking can be changed, at a moment's notice; whereas, with the old plant, much time was lost, in replacing and jointing the heavy iron pipes, and adjusting the giant. Besides, he can distribute the water force of these hose WHITE COUNTY at various points in the pit, unite their attack collectively, or by stops, turn such force, as may be desired, on different hose. The cost of running this plant, not including pipe-men and pitworkers, is estimated at about $3 per day, which estimate, according _ to the manager, is practically the expense of running the old plant. In addition to the advantages already enumerated, with fewer men, they can accomplish with this plant an equal amount of, if not more, work, in a day. Mr. Whatley finds, after a month's tr_ial, that each hose will clear about two ten-foot pits per day. The different pits, worked in this bottom, and the present workingpit, show, on an average, a nine-foot "topping" and three feet of gravel. The main body of this overburden, being light alluvium, is easily removed; but, on the gravel, there rests from six to twelve inches of peat and blue clay, which offers considerable resistance to hydraulic action. To a large extent, the gold is coarse, and many small nuggets, well-rounded and water-worn, abound. Not .infrequently, moreover, the gold is found aggregated in pockets. Furthermore, the gold is especially fine in quality, carrying only a slight percentage of alloy. A photograph showing the plant and working-pit was taken March gth, 1896.1 In addition to the placers, prospecting has disclosed a large number of auriferous veins, which preserve, in some instances, consid.erable continuity along the strike. These are generally exposed .by cross-cuts; some, however, have been stripped, for a short distance, but only by shallow cuts. All are intercalated with the mica-schist, and apparently conform, in strike and dip, to the same. The major portion of the veins, now exposed, are on lots 68 and 92. The veins on the latter lot are exposed only by three-foot cross-cuts, so that only a small part of the ore-body is exposed. These vary in width, from two to seven feet, and are much decom- 1 See Plate V. 66 WHITE COUNTY posed and weathered. Assays, made by the company, show them to run from $4 to $I 2 per ton. Assays made in the Survey laboratory resulted, in value per ton, as follows:- Vein 51 , Cut I 2 Vein 6, Cut I 3 Vein 7, Cut I4 Vein 8, Cut I 5 Vein 9, Cut I6 $0.00 0.00 .so- trace o.oo 5 0.00 1 2.$0 These assays of samples, taken as they were from such small portions of the veins, and, usually, badly broken down, should not be accepted as condemnatory, but rather as suggestive, until further explored. In the case of vein No. g, while one assay shows no gold, its duplicate yields as much as $2.50 a ton. On lot 68, the veins are better exposed than elsewhere on the property; and ore, taken from vein 2, has been worked in smaL mortars, by local miners, with profit. This vein is now covered, except for about twenty feet. It strikes N. 20 E., and dips 65 S. E. Where exposed, it is not over twelve inches thick, and is rich in completely oxidized sulphides. Average sample material, taken along the twenty-foot exposure, was assayed in duplicate in the laboratory of the Survey, with the following results:- Assays of sample from vein 2, cut 2 { $ 9-4 per ton I 3.00 '' " Vein I, which has been more prospected than any of the others. having cross-cuts, at irregular intervals, for over three hundred yards, varies in thickness, from one to three feet, and corresponds closely to vein 2, in strike and dip. The various exposures do not show it to be as rich in sulphides; but assay material taken from 1 These veins are designated here, as marked in the field by sign-boards. WHITE COUNTY the large exposure, next to the most northern cut, gives favorable returns, as shown by assay in duplicate in the laboratory of the Survey:Assays of sample from vein r $1.00 per ton { 7.00 " " 'It may be seen, therefore, that there are veins at the Yonah Mountain mines, which, probably, can be made to pay at least fairly well, and now offer inducements to development. There is, at present, a large amount of free-milling ore in situ; but the Thies chlorination process, or some other method of chemical reduction, must be introduced, to insure continuous success. Included in this report is a map, showing the location of the ditch on the property, its water-courses, present placer-plant and vein-cut. I Mr. Henry E. Young of Charleston, S. C., is President of the company, and Mr. E. T. Whatley, Superintendent and Mining Engineer. THE THOMPSON PROPERTY The Thompson Property has lately been purchased by Captain T. W. Hix of Rockland, Me., now resident at Nacoochee, and local manager of the Sail Mountain Asbestos Company. It consists of lot I02, Jrd district, and lies about one and _one-half miles southeast of Nacoochee. This property contains one of the most interesting veins of its class, in this region, cutting the lot diagonally from corner to cor- I See page 44. 68 WHITE COUNTY ner, southwest and northeast. The vein, referred to, occupies the center of a low ridge, and has been prospected, by open cuts and shafts, the entire length of the lot; and, northeast, into the adjoining lot. It consists of a zone, from six to ten feet in thickness, of quartz stringers intercalated in mica-schist, the country-rock. I have seen no instance, in the counties examined by me, of a similar vein of equal thickness, carrying so many quartz lenses and stringers. In an open cut, about the center of the lot, I was able to make a photograph of the ore-body.' This shows the vein in the northeast end of the cut; the larger quartz stringers stand out prominently; and their width may be readily estimated, by comparison with the animate object. The course of the vein is N. 35 E., and dips very sharply to the southeast. The average ore is low grade, probably varying from 50 cents (the assay made by the Survey of its sample) to $5 per ton; and, as far as prospected, it is free-milling. The picked ore runs high. The situation, however, of the ore-body is such, that there is a large amount of ore above water-level, which is consequently oxidized and free-milling. Prospecting has already developed it sufficiently, to base close estimates on the cost and profit of working the free-milling portion. During the past few years, one of the native geniuses, by the name of Turner, with his aged mother, has spent a few months in each year, mining and milling this ore-body. The son packed selected ore, in a bag on his back, to a rude mill, a quarter of a mile from the shafts, and emptied it into a nail keg; the mother fed the mill with a shingle. Working thus, from sunrise to sunset, they eked out a good living, for persons of their class, never making less than $I a day apiece. The Turner Stamp-mill 2 has been accepted by all, who have 1 See Plate IV. 2 See Plate III. WHITE COUNTY seen it, as the first of its kind. A ten-foot overshot water-wheel, with axis elongated at one side, set in propped posts, constitutes the motor. Three spindles, roughly hewn, are shod with radially arranged and overlapping bands of iron (pieces of a wheel-tire), bound by a ring. The5e are the stamps. The mortar consists of the remnant of the shoe material. Flat iron plugs, bent at the end, are so arranged in the axis, that, when it revolves, these plugs catch, lift and drop each notched spindle at different intervals. The screen of the mortar chamber is a piece of iron stove-pipe, rolled out, and punctured with nail-holes. A combination sluicebox does the rest. Neighbors from different parts of the gold belt have infringed upon this model, with perfect impunity; and, as a result, the inexpensive, convenient and profitable wooden stamp-mill has been evolved. The usual cost of construction for a first class one is less than $roo. Several of these may be seen in daily use, in this and neighboring counties. THE MERRITT PROPERTY On lot I 24, Jrd district, Mr. Merritt and others, dwelling in the vicinity, worked, during a large part of the year I 894. Surface panning had revealed an auriferous lead through this lot, and testpits resulted in the finding of a zone of small quartz stringers, about ten feet wide. The mica-schist, in which they are intercalated, is so thoroughly decomposed, to the depth mined, as to have lost its identity. The stringers themselves, with their "binding," were found to differ widely' in value, some being completely barren of 70 WHITE COUNTY gold; hence they guided their work by panning-tests, and followed only the richest stringers. They mined in open cuts, and only to water-level, which, here. was never below twelve feet. The ore was carted to a wooden tenstamp mill, run by an overshot wheel, supplied with water from Castleberry's mill-race. The ore milled consisted of auriferous dirt and sand; the larger masses of quartz, although milled only infrequently, showed free gold. The presence of gold in the dirt and sand, therefore, was due probably to the utter decomposition of the smaller quartz lenses. During the entire period of operation, these men averaged from 75 cents to a dollar a day, apiece, by. keeping the mill running all night. The ore, therefore, is low grade; and its proximity to water-level will make it unprofitable to work, by the present method, because of the presence of sulphides below that point. However, this property, with the adjoining lots, in which the same head has been traced and similarly worked, should be kept in mind for the future. BAKER & SON'S PLACER PROPERTY John Baker and Fred W. Baker of Detroit, Mich., control, at the time of this writing,' about 2,700 acres of mineral land, lying a few miles north of Cleveland. For the past twenty months, their work has been confined to the placer area of lot I62, -,rd district. This lot contains about twenty-five acres of bottom land, portions of which have been worked at infrequent periods, for many years. Up to the time, that Baker came into possession, it was know as 1 February, 1896. WHITE COUNTY the " Longstreet" lot; and, at this time, a portion of five acres had been more or less gouged. Since the Bakers began opera- tions, these five acres have been carefully washed, using one- and two-inch hydraulic giants, supplied with water from a small ditch, giving a thirty-five foot pressure; also, other small areas. Find- ing that the re-working of the old works about paid the attendant expense, and the other testing being unusually satisfactory, they have now proceeded to a thorough equipment for placer-mining. Their late expenditures have been toward gaining further acre- age; building a large dam and a seven-mile ditch, at a total expense of three thousand dollars; and for piping, giants and hydraulic ele- vators. vVhen this equipment is complete, they will undoubtedly have one of the best plants for placer-mining, in North Georgia. vVith the new ditch, they will have a water-pressure of one hun- dred and twenty-five feet, and sufficient water to run at least five pipe lines. Besides the Longstreet lot, they have lots r58 and I59 The former is considered the best lot in their property; but water is absent. The latter contains the Teasley branch, which is locally famous for its gold-bearing gravel. The work, as conducted here by the Bakers, is in striking con- trast with the usual placer-mining in this country. Bringing into their work both business thrift, and considerable mining experience, they are not neglectful of the future. Instead of destroying the rich and fertile bottom lands in their search for gold, they operate the land in such a manner, that only a brief time must elapse, l before the bottom will be rejuvenated, and in an arable condition. 72 WHITE COUNTY THE BLAKE PROPERTY The developed portion of the Blake Property includes lots 26 and 47, 4th district. A large amount of prospecting and mining must have been done here in the past, judging from the present appearance of the surface. The Sprague vein was especially worked. From local reports concerning this vein, it is concluded, that the ore was quite prolific in free gold. In two shafts on lot 26, this vein shows a thickness of four feet, and contains a large amount of pyrite. It was impossible to obtain a fair test-sample of the vein; but surface specimens were suggestive of a medium-grade ore. Special attention should be directed to this vein. It is evident, from the appearance of the property, that the hopes of the operators, based on the wealth of the stream gravels and surface ore, were frustrated by the occurrence of the unoxidized sulphides. THE ATKINSON PROPERTY The Atkinson Property lies about five miles west of Cleveland, the county seat, and consists of lot 48, 4th district of White county. Lying, as it does, in the midst of a fertile gold-field, it has been more or less prospected superficially by local miners. Indeed, one of the three branches, running through the property, yielded such attractive returns to the native gougers, that it has been dubbed "The Gold Branch"; and it is thus locally well known. The schists and gneisses of the property are of the usual character, striking about N. 2 5 E., and dipping sharply to the southeast. The saprolitic condition of the formations is especially noticeable, WHITE COUNTY 7J, except in the northwest corner of the lot, where a high hill, with frequent exposures of barren ledge, trends through. Eight or nine years ago, a vein was opened up, on the south side of Gold branch, close to, and about the center of, the line of the lot. Gold branch was dammed a short distance above; and a ditch, three feet wide and one quarter of a mile in length, brought sufficient water to the objective point, to sluice down the hill-side, and thus work the saprolite and vein. A few men, with pick and shovel, used simply the running water to such advantage, that, in the few weeks spent here, an excavation, one hundred and fifty yards long by seventy-five, wide, was made. A system of sluiceboxes, draining into Gold branch, caught the loose gold, while the vein-matter and hard material was carted some distance to a stampmill. Mr. James E. McAfee, who has personal knowledge of the results, reports, that several handsome pockets of coarse gold were found, during this brief investigation, and that the work of the rospector paid well. The present owner, Governor W. Y. Atkin- n, has prohibited further work on the property, since his heirship to it. During the investigation of this property by the Survey, this vein was exposed by Mr. McAfee, for about ten feet, with considerable difficulty, owing to the filling in, consequent upon the lapse of time, since the last operations. The exposed portion of the vein was two feet in width, and consisted of compact white quartz, somewhat stained, and containing a ,very small percentage of decomposed pyrite. Mr. McAfee informed me that this was the largest known swell in the vein, and that, on either side, as far as it had ever been exposed, the vein would average only a few inches in width. This ore-body conforms, in strike and dip, to the enclosing schists. The swell, as appears especially true, in largely swollen portions of veins of like character, seemed barren. This 74 WHITE COUNTY exposure, however, being the best that could be obtained, with our means, and the Reaves stamp-mill being close at hand, a ton of the ore was carted over and milled. It did not pay the expense of milling. This vein had been discovered by panning along Gold branch. On the branch, above a point opposite the excavation, the miners were hardly able to get a "color," hence the excavation at this point. The placer areas alone on this property are hard!y worthy of consideration, the water-courses being too small. Nevertheless, I am lead to believe, that there is sufficient gold in the saprolite, to make this a profitable gold property, if worked in conjunction with surrounding lots. Indeed, the result of the early work at the excavation, coming, as it does, from an undoubtedly trustworthy source, points in this direction. Likewise, the shafts on adjoining properties, which show the formation to be rich in quartz stringers, assist in confirming the opinion. The difficulty and expense in working this property will be in obtaining water for hydraulicking. THE HENDERSON PROPERTY In the past year, the old "Rider Place," lot 35, Ist district, has been purchased by Mr. Albert H. Henderson of Cleveland, Ga. Local reports of the returns of its gravel-deposits, and its proximity to the Loud mine, cause it to be considered a valuable piece of mineral land. Jennings creek, which flows through it, has already yielded up exceedingly rich material. Since purchasing, Mr. Henderson has been engaged, at odd intervals, in prospecting the lot for veins. No important discovery WHITE COUNTY 75 has been made, up to the present, although rich drift quartz is fre- quently found. In the northwest corner of this lot, there is a small ten-stamp mill, the property of Mr. Rufus K. Reaves of Athens, Ga. This has been used, for testing the ores extracted from the different veins, in this region. THE LOUD MINE The Loud Mine includes lots 39, 40 and 4I, Ist district, White county. They lie in a north and south range, lot 39 being at the north; and each is said to contain 250 acres. It may be located, generally, as fourteen miles northeast of Dahlonega, or five miles west of Cleveland, the county-seat of White. The geological formation is mica-schist and gneiss, with transitions into, or dikes of, hornblende-gneiss. These strike usually about N. 45 E., dipping from 30 to 6o0 to the southwest, rarely vertical or inclined to the northwest. The country is of an undulatory character, hills seldom rising high above the intervening valleys. The auriferous material of this property may be classified as placers, saprolite and quartz veins. The placer areas are quite extensive. They are characterized, by a maximum twenty-toot "topping," and from one to four feet of gravel. Coarse gold and nuggets 1 prevail in the gravel. The gravel rests on the slate or bed-rock. The material above the gravel, or the "topping," com- I A nugget from this deposit, weighing 83 dwts., was exhibited by the Geological Survey of Georgia at the Cotton States and International Exposition, Atlanta, Sept. r8th to Dec. 31st, 1895 inclusive. 0.1e weighin;< 370 dwts, was found in August, 189~. at the same place, with a number of smaller sizes. WHITE COUNTY posed, as it is, of the material washing from the hills, contains, in some places, quite a little gold, while, at others, it is barren. The hills are saprolite to some depth. This rotten rock, or saprolite, is the thoroughly decomposed and untransported mica-schists and gneisses. Such decomposition may extend to some depth, and probably does, on this property. Permeating this saprolite, are bands or stringers of quartz, conforming to the trend of the micaschists and gneisses, which are most frequently auriferous. The hydraulicking of hills rich in such quartz, on account of the easy concentration of the gold by amalgamation in sluices, is found exceedingly profitable, at several of the mines in this county, notably the Hamby Mountain and St. George, in the Nacoochee district. Several quartz veins have been located, but not tested. These all conform, in strike and dip, to the country-rock. The only vein, which has been worked in the Loud mine, runs diagonally through lot 39 This is the vein, from which the magnificent specimens of crystallized and wire gold, exhibited in this country and abroad, were taken. It was accidentally discovered by Mr. Courtney of Cleveland, Ga., while scraping the underlying slate of a placer. At the point of discovery (the northeast corner of lot 39), a shaft was sunk immediately; and, for the first ten feet, the richness of the quartz in free gold is said to have been astounding. The vein, a ribbon at the start, and but a little over an inch in width, during its rich descent of ten feet, increased to a maximum width of two feet,. and varied, back and forth, in thickness, to the depth of the shaft. At a depth of sixty feet, work was stopped, on account of their inability to cope with the water. From the depth of ten feet to the base of the shaft, gold was almost totally absent. A definite lateral tracing of this vein has never been undertaken. An outcropping of a quartz vein, however, two feet in width, occurs several thousand feet southwest of the shaft, and may be traced back WHITE COUNTY 77 roughly to the shaft. Whether there are two distinct vems along this lead, or they are one and the same, cannot be conclusively asserted. A small branch runs through the bottom, in which this vein is located. Good drainage will be necessary,. before thorough work, even in the placer, can be carried on. Although, at the shaft, the level is sixty feet above that of the Tessantee river, which flows along the eastern side of these lots, the topography is such that artifi- cial drainage will be required. This may be accomplished, by run- ning a drain to the Tessantee river, I or, what would be more advan- tageous in several respects, by the use of hydraulic elevators. The placer itself is worthy of this outlay, and the vein certainly should not be ignored on account of its sudden barrenness. Gold veins are rarely uniformly rich; but, on the other hand, they hold the gold in pockets, shoots or chimneys. Tapping a vein at only one point, by a small shaft without levels, cannot be considered a fair test. It may be possible, but it should not be considered probable, that a gold vein, which undoubtedly has been so material, in mak- ing the surrounding placer (worked only for about an acre) rich in nuggets and coarse gold, has yielded, already, all its wealth. Only a few years ago, seven pounds of gold was removed from one spot, close by the shaft. It is in the neighborhood of the shaft, also, that many of the large nuggets, which have marked this prop- erty, have been found. While some of the gold obtained here, is smooth and water-worn, many of the specimens are very rough. Very little prospecting for the location of veins has been under- taken. In fact, work on this property has been confined almost 1 entirely to the placers, and these have been worked in the most primitive. way. A ditch, twenty-one miles long, supplies the mines with water for hydraulicking and washing. I Such a ditch has already been surveyed. WHITE COUNTY As well as can be determined, the placers alone offer legitimate fields for fair profits; and equal, if not richer returns, may be expected from the saprolite areas and the veins. This property, so long and favorably known as the Loud mine, is owned by Mr. Rufus K. Reaves of Athens, Ga. THE REAVES PROPERTY In addition to the Loud mine, Mr. Reaves owns lot 37, IS! district. On a ridge, about the center of the lot, a zone of quartz stringers, about ten feet in width, has been quite extensively prospected, and ore from the same has been milled, in a small mill on lot 35 During the prospecting, occasional rich pockets have been discovered; but, considered as a whole, the ore-body has not been found to be a successful free-milling ore. Possibly, the only successful method of mining this vein would be, by hydraulicking the quartz, and chemically treating the rusty gold and concentrates. THE ASHBURY PROPERTY A zone of quartz stringers, about ten feet wide, beginning in the southeast corner of lot 57, Is! district, has been prospected, southwest, through lots 56, 65 and 66, of White county, to the Chestatee river in Lumpkin. Along this entire length, shafts, varying in depth to 75 feet, have been sunk on the ore-body; and the ore has been milled with varying success. Work on the lead in White WHITE COUNTY 79 county had been abandoned, prior to my visit. Most of this prospecting and mining has been carried on, under the personal management of Capt. Ashbury, a citizen of White county, who has done much mining work through North Georgia. CHAPTER III RABUN COUNTY BY S. \V. McCALLIE, AssiSTAI\T GEoLoGisT The gold deposits of RABUN CouNTY may be described, as belonging to two different auriferous belts, one lying in the extreme western, and the other, in the extreme eastern, part of the county. The former belongs to what is known, as the Dahlonega gold belt, while the latter appears to be the northeastern extension of the Hall County belt. Beyond the limits of these belts, which vary, from one to four miles, in width, are other isolated areas, of limited extent, where gold is reported, to have been found, in the gravel, along a number of small streams. The two belts, above named, are not to be considered as continuous, and equally gold-bearing, at all points along their course ; but, on the contrary, they must be considered, as a number of auriferous veins and ore-bodies, occurring, at irregular intervals, at many localities, along the strike of the schists and gneisses. The western, or Dahlonega, belt appears to have but few breaks, in its course throughout the county. Its limits are fairly well defined; and its course can be traced, with a considerable degree of accuracy, from the southwestern corner of the county to the N. C. State line. The eastern belt seems to be far less continuous ; and it is well defined, only in the extreme north. "eastern part of the county, where successful placer-mining has been (8o) RABUN COUNTY Sr -carried on at several places, along the small streams. The area, over which these placer-works extend, forms a narrow belt, with a northeast and southwest trend, not over two miles wide, and less than ten miles in length. Between the southern terminus of these placer-works and the Hall County belt, which extends through Habersham County, is a portion of the belt, many miles in length, in which but little or no gold has, so far, been discovered. For this reason, it has been suggested, that the deposits, in the eastern 'Part of th~ county, form a southern extremity of a North Carolina gold belt, that has been extensively worked, in Horse Cove, just across the State line. As but little is known of the geological structure of the eastern part of the county, it is, at present, prac- tically impossible, to settle, definitely, which of these views is correct. However, on account of the similarity of the country, and the gen- eral trend of the different formations, it is thought best, for the present, at least, to consider the deposits, in the eastern part of the county, as belonging to the Hall County belt, and the Horse Cove deposits, as the northern extension of the same. The topography of that portion of the county, traversed by the gold belts, is usually rugged and mountainous. The eastern belt lies along the base of a series of high ridges, or mountains, which are often barren of vegetation on their slopes; and which frequently end abruptly, in precipitous cliffs, more than a hundred feet in height, and "extending, for long distances. This great chain of cliffs, extending like a broken wall, for miles, together with the ) barren mountain-tops, called "balls," add, to an already unique scenery, a peculiar wildness, probably to be seen, at no other point, within the limits of the State. Many instances are related, by the older inhabitants, telling how their ancestors, in the early settle- ment of the country, perched on the tops of these high cliffs, killed 82 RABUN COUNTY the deer and other wild game, as they quietly fed, along the streams below. Rapid streams and extensive forests of oak, chestnut etc. everywhere abound. Owing to the rapidity and the abundance of the streams, hydraulic-mining can be carried on, in many places, with a comparatively small outlay, in the construction of ditches and flumes. The western, or Dahlonega, belt, traverses a section of the county, equally as mountainous, and, at the same time, as well, or even better, supplied with water-power, that could easily be used, for mining purposes. The rocks, occurring along the auriferous belts, are chiefly gneisses and schists. Besides these, there also occur, in places, granites and a number of basic eruptive rocks. The former appear, as intrusive masses, in the schists, usually in the form of pegmatitic veins, varying from a few inches to many feet in width, while the latter occurs, as bosses, with their fringe of lateral apophyses, or dikes, traversing the county, for long distances. A good example of the basic eruptive rocks is to be seen, at the Laurel Creek Corundum mines, on the east belt ; and a similar formation also occurs, within the western belt, near the Smith gold mine, on lot 7 The pegmatitic veins are quite common, throughout th,e county ; and, in places, they are so abundant, as to form a large part of the country-rock. Many of them are unquestionably of eruptive origin, while others seem to have been formed, as segregations. The different formations, throughout the county, generally, have a northeasterly and southwesterly strike, and a southeasterly dip. There is one notable exception to this, however, along the west slope of Tallulah mountains, where the dip is, usually, to the northwest. The most extensive mining operations, along the western, or RABUN COUNTY Dahlonega, belt, have..been carried on, in the southwest part of the county, on lots I03, I04 and ros,in tlze st!t district. Gold was first discovered, in this locality, along Dick's creek, on what is known as the Smith property, about fifty years ago, by John Morris, the former owner. Shortly after the discovery was made known, mining operations began and continued, almost uninterruptedly, until the breaking out of the late war. In the meantime, the adjoining properties were prospected ; and, in many instances, the gravel along the various streams, tributary to Tallulah river, were found to carry rich deposits of gold. Flattering reports, concerning the richness of the mines, soon attracted many miners, who are reported to have taken out several thousand pennyweights annually, for a number of years. After the war, mining operations again began;; but they never regained their former activity. Much of the rich placer being exhausted, attention was now directed to vein-prospecting. A number of auriferous quartz veins are reported to have been worked, to a limited extent; but they were all finally abandoned. Placer mining, on the other hand, seemed to have been more successful ; and it has continued, uninterruptedly, until the present. An average miner is said to be able to make, even now,. from seventy-five cents to a dollar per day, by "pitting and sluicing." It appears to be practically impossible, with the data at hand, to arrive atlany:definite figures, as to the total output of the different mines, in this locality, from the time of their earliest workings, until[the present. A number of the oldest citizens in the county, who have been acquainted with these mines, since early childhood, estimate the total output from $roo,ooo to $250,000; but it is impossible to state, which of these estimates approximates more nearly the truth. Nevertheless, there can be no question,. about certain portions of the placers being immensely rich, and paying the early miners handsome profits. RABUN COUNTY THE HEDDEN PLACER MINE By w. s. YEATES, STATE GEOLOGIST In the extreme northeastern part of Rabun county, up near the North Carolina line, is a group of placers, which attracted consid- erable attention, during those times of great activity in gold mining so. in Georgia, between I 840 and I 8 One of the most prominent Of these was the Hedden mine, on which work was begun in I 843. It occupies parts of lots 99 and IOO, Jrd district, by far the greater part of it lying on lot IOO, along the Hedden branch and a tributary, which, for convenience, the writer has designated, as Rhododen- dron branch, from the dense undergrowth of that beautiful moun- tain shrub, along its course. These two branches rise in adjoining lots, on the top of a moun- tain ridge known, locally, as the "Buzzard Rocks," from the huge, bare, precipitous cliffs of gneiss and mica-slate, which crown the top of this ridge, viewed from its western side. After a tiresame ride up the mountain, on what is known as the Horse Cove road from Walhalla, S. C., to Highlands, N. C., three and a half miles, north, from Pine Mountain post-office, where the famous Laurel Creek Corundum mines are located, the attention of the traveler is arrested, by a sudden view of the rock-crowned ridge, referred to above, with all its wild grandeur. From the point, where the road crosses, the ridge continues east, for nearly half a mile; and then, turning, it continues north about 200 yards, and then northwest, enclosing a ridge-locked valley, below, which constitutes the main part of the Hedden Placer Mine. At the point, where the ridge RABUN COUNTY turns towards the north, the Hedden branch breaks over its western side, having, long ago, cut a precipitous chasm, through the hard gneissic and schistose rocks, which compose the ridge. The highest point of this ridge is just west, of where the falls of the Rhododendron branch begin. Measured by the writer, with an aneroid barometer, this point is 700 feet above the valley below. The accompanying plat of the main part of the placer,' made by the writer, indicates tlte valley-outlz"ne, tlze Hedden brandt and z"ts tributaries, and tlze area, lzere zvorked as placer. The old dead chestnut, indicated on the diagram, is as far, it is said, as the deposit was ever worked, only the bed of the stream having been worked, this far. The main part of the work, as will be seen from the plat, was below this. Between I 843 and I 847, this placer was vigorously worked, by Capt. S. M. Beck, Mr. James Kell and others, some of them leasing Ioo-foot squares, and washing the gravel mined. After this time, others worked the mine occasionally, until about I 889, when the last work was done by Mr. Than. Talley. Mr. Talley, who is now about So years of age, and who had been one of the early workers of the mine, subsequently did a great deal of prospecting work, with the view to discovering the vein, or veins, from which the deposits came; but no deposits, in place, have yet been discovered in this mine. In the unworked area, indicated in the northeast part of the diagram, which consists largely of the lower slope of the ridge, which here gently spreads out towards the west, numerous test-pits were observed, which are doubtless the landmarks of Mr. Talley's search for the mother veins. His work, in 1889, was not very extensive, consisting of two small open cuts. The remains of the long-tom, used by him, are still to be seen, where he left off work. Capt. Beck informed the writer, that he took, from an area ten feet square, along the branch, 50 dwts. of gold. 1 See fig. 5 :86 RABUN COUNTY At the points indicated on the plat, the writer had two testpits sunk outside the worked area, both pits yielding fair returns. After removing the over-burden, which was nearly four feet thick, in pit No. I, and three feet, in pit No. 2, IO cubic feet of gravel from the former, about half its superficial area, and all, from the latter, were panned at the branch, and concentrated to two small bulks, which were carefully labelled and brought to Atlanta, where they were panned by the writer, in the laboratory of the Survey. The gold, in both cases, consisted of coarse particles, numbering scarcely less than 2 5 from each pit. The saprolite of the slates, underlying the gravel, was skimmed and included in the material, panned. An important discovery was made, in panning the gravel of Pit No. I. A bright, yellow, heavy sand was found, in large quantity, as a residue in the pan, with the gold. This was afterwards identified by the writer, as monazite sand, which, for the last four years, has been so extensively mined, in North Carolina, for making the mantles for the Welsbach gas-burner, and for others, of the same pattern, now coming into the market. It is probable, that the mining of this material would prove, alone, a source of considerable profit, at this mine. The following sections of the pits were noted:- PIT No. I Soil (brown loam)------------------------ 711 Reddish, sandy clay ___ ----- -- ----------- I6 Gray, micaceous sand--------- __ ---------- I8 Gravel (bowlders, pebbles and sand)- ------ I8' TotaL ________ -------------- 5911 I 12 to 15 inches On the side farthest from the branch. RABUN COUNTY PIT No. 2 Soil (rich, dark-brown loam).-------------- 2211 Reddish, coarse sand---------------------- 13 Gravel (sand, small pebbles and bowlders)___ I 8' Total ----------------------- ----- 53 11 The pebbles and bowlders, from both these pits, were remarkably angular, indicating, that they had not traveled far, and that they had not been subject to abrasive action, for any considerable time. The gold was very little worn, and could not have been transported far. At present, the site of former mining operations is thickly covered, with an undergrowth of rhododendron, alder, laurel, huckleberry, bamboo and blackberry briars, sweet shrubs, ferns, grass etc.; while the ridge has a dense growth of poplar, birch, white pine, holly, chestnut, locust, magnolia (magnolia acuminata L.), small oaks etc. All along the branches, are large piles of pebbles and bowlders, evidence of great activity, years ago. Between the immense cliffs at the top of the ridge, is a fringe of evergreens and chestnuts. Three gaps in these mark the positions of the three falls, represented in the lower right-hand corner of the map.2 Over one of these, a mere ribbon of water falls; while the Hedden and Rhododendron branches form beautiful falls. These streams vary from five to eight feet in width, and average_ about ten inches in depth. From the foot of the falls, the water has a gradual fall, till it reaches the road, beyond which little work has been done. The aneroid barometer indicated a fall of 40 feet from the foot of the falls to the road, }B of a mile, an average of two close measurements, under about the same conditions. 1 5 to 9 inches on the side farthest from the branch. 2 See fig. 5 88 RABUN COUNTY It is said, that some of the gravel has been worked over twice, and some of it, three times; but the method of working has always been by the crude gum rocker and the long-tom. With such a water-power, and an excellent drainage to the Big Creek, half a mile, below, it is highly probable, that this property would pay well, if worked with hydraulic giants, both for the gold, and for the monazite sand, which is undoubtedly in large quantity. Mr: John D. Verner, of Walhalla, S. C., is said to be the owner of this property. About a third of a mile down the road, on the south side of the ridge, a stream crosses the road, flowing west, but bending north immediately afterward. This comes from a southern extension of the ridge; and the stream, altogether, is not more than 500 yards, from its source to where it empties into Hedden branch, west of the road. This stream is known as "Gold Mine Run." East of the road, toward the ridge, it was worked, in conjunction with the Hedden mine; and it is said, that it yielded considerable gold. North of the Hedden mine valley, along a small stream, work was done for some distance along the road, on what was then a part of the Hedden property. Piles of bowlders are still to be seen. THE LAMAR MINE BY S. \V. McCALLIE, AssiSTANT GEOLOGIST The Lamar Mine, located on lot JO, 2nd district, and now owned by Bidwell & Co., of Franklin, N. C., has been more extensively worked, and has yielded a greater amount of gold, than any placer in the eastern part of the county, with the exception, probably, of RABUN COUNTY 89, the Hedden mine, described above by Prof. Yeates. The principaL part of the work, on the Lamar lot, was done, between I 844 and I 8 58. Since then, there has been more or less irregular work carried on, from time to time, on the property ; but no systematic mining has been attempted. The old works, now overgrown by shrubs and trees of considerable size, occur along a small branch, a tributary of War-woman creek, which heads, at the base of Raven rock, in the high ridges, lying a short distance to the northeast. The placer is confined to the bed of the stream and its narrow bottoms, which, at no point, attain a width of more than I oo yards. The works extend along the branch, for more than half a mile, covering a total area of about I 5 acres. Some of the area has been worked over, twice, with "long-toms" and "rockers," each time paying fair profits. The chief difficulty, encountered in working the mine,_ has been the lack of a sufficient amount of water, for sluicing purposes. If water could be conducted on the mine, with enough fall for hydraulic purposes, it is likely, that much of the old placer might be worked again, with profit. However, the expense of conducting the water on the mine would probably overbalance the profit, derived from working the deposit. A good deal of prospecting has been done, on the property, from time to time, with a view to locating the veins, that have supplied the placer ; but, so far, the efforts have been unsuccessful. That the gold is derived from auriferous veins, in the immediate vicinity, is quite evident, from the roughened appearance of the coarse gold, found, in the deposit. RABUN COUNTY "THE HAMBY PLACER This p!acer, on lot 43, Jrd district, lies immediately north of the Lamar mine, and has probably been fed, by the same system of auriferous veins. The works, which were mostly done, many years ago, are confined chiefly to the bed of a small stream, known as , the Hamby branch. The deposit is said to have been quite rich, in ; places, and to have yielded the miners good profits. THE PAGE PROPERTY The Page Property, lots 44 and 45, Jrd district, situated on the ' Chatuga river, near the mouth of Laurel creek, has had a considerable amount of placer-mining, along two different streams, viz:- Page's creek and the Law-ground branch. The works, on the latter, cover a total area, of about five acres, which has been reported, -to have produced a large quantity of gold, much of it being in the form of nuggets weighing from five to twenty pennyweights. The auriferous gravel, which often forms beds, many inches in thick- ness, is frequently found on the hillsides, several feet above the present bed of the creek. The paying part of the placer, along the above mentioned stream, is now practically exhausted, unless unknown deposits are discovered, which does not appear probable ; as the stream and its adjacent bottoms have been pretty thoroughly :prospected. The amount of work, on the Law-ground branch, has 'not been so extensive, as that on Page's creek. However, judging RABUN COUNTY 91 from the huge piles of gravel, it has also yielded considerable gold. A mile or so further up the branch, on lot 77, are to be seen the remains of other old placer-works, long since abandoned. Near by, on an adjacent hillside, are some vein-prospects ; but the outlook for locating a valuable gold-bearing vein, at that point, did not seem to be very encouraging. Gold is reported to have been found on several other lots, in the 3rd district, but not in sufficient quantities, to be of any economic value. THE BRIGHT EVANS PROPERTY. The Bright Evans Property, lot 82, 3rd district, is situated in the extreme southern part of the county, within a short distan~e of Tallulah river. Gold was discovered, here, some ten years ago ; and a limited amount of vein-prospecting was done ; but the work was finally abandoned, until a few months ago, when it was again renewed. The prospect is located on a steep hillside, near a small branch, at the base of Long mountain. At the time of the writer's visit, the principal excavation consisted of an open cut, about thirty feet long and twelve feet deep. In the cut, was to be seen a quartz vein, from ten to eighteen inches in thickness, dipping with the schist, the country-rock, to the northwest. The quartz contains more or less pyrite; and, occasionally, it shows free gold. Samples of the ore collected for assay, give only a trace of gold. This is probably explained, by the gold's being in very coarse grains, and unevenly distributed through the quartz. Under these conditions, it is possible for the sample of ore, as a whole, to con- 92 RABUN COUNTY tain a considerable amount of gold ; but, being unevenly distribu-ted through the mass, it may be entirely absent, from so small a fraction of the sample, as an assay ton, even though it passed_ through an So-mesh sieve. SCREAMER MOUNTAIN Some interest was manifested a few years ago, in the discovery of gold, in a small stream on a lot in the 2nd district, at the base of Screamer Mountain, now owned by Judge L. E. Bleckley; and also, on E. H. Allman's property and J. G. Welborn's property, lots I9 and 2I, Ist district, a few miles northwest of Clayton. But none of these deposits proved to be of sufficient extent, to be profitable. THE SMITH MINE The Smith Mine, now owned by B. S. Graves, is located on lots IOJ and I04, 5tlz district, about one mile west of Burton postoffice. The works consist chiefly of placer-mining, which extends along Dick's creek and its tributaries, for about I Yz miles, with a width, varying from a few rods to 200 yards. The auriferous gravel is confined, principally, to the creek bottoms. There are, however, two or three points, where the deposits occur, well up on the hillside, fully 30 feet above the present bed of the stream. Some of the richest deposits have thus been found, along the points of the ridges, or near the head of deep gulches. The gold, found in these eleva- RABUN COUNTY 93 ted positions, is usually water-worn, showing, that it has been deposited, in its present position, when the stream flowed, at a much higher elevation. The manner of mining, on this property, has .always been, of a primitive nature. It consists, in the use of the sluice-box, "rocker" and "long-tom," in washing the gravel, after the overburden has been removed, by pick and shovel. Placermining, by the use of the hydraulic giant, seems never to have been attempted in placer-workings, although Dick's creek furnishes sufficient water and ample fall, to be utilized for this purpose. At a comparatively small outlay, in constructing ditches, flumes and the necessary hydraulic plant, the entire old works, together with several acres of unworked placer, might be made to pay handsome returns, if judiciously managed. The overburden varies from three to eight feet in thickness. The bed-rock consists of decomposed schists and gneisses, thus ,enabling the gold to be collected, without difficulty. The streams, flowing through the places, have sufficient fall, at all points, for drainage ; and no trouble 1s experienced, in removing the water from the pits. Vein-prospecting has been carried on, at various places on the Smith property, for many years ; but no real vein-mining was attempted, until 1882. During this year, Capt. J. P. Willson, of 'Clarkesville, leased the property; and, erecting a ten-stamp steammill, he began mining operations. The vein, which was worked by Capt. Willson, is located, at the base of a hill, near the upper edge of the old placer. Mining was done, chiefly by means of a hydraulic giant; and the ore was sluiced to the mill, situated a short distance below, on the branch. The works were said to have continued, in successful operation, for only a few months; and they were finally shut down, on account of litigation. The mill has 94 RABUN COUNTY since been removed, and no further attempt has been made, to renew the work. The only indication of these former workings, now to be seen, is a large open cut, about roo yards long, from ro to 40 feet deep, and 50 feet wide, together with one or two shafts and a tunnel. All these excavations were found to be so filled, with water, or fallen earth and decomposed rock, that it was impossible to examine the ore-bodies in situ. There is reported to have been discovered here, running parallel with the schists, a rich auriferous quartz vein, several inches in thickness. For reasons above stated, the writer was unable to verify these statements. However, he was shown, in the bed of the stream, a few yards away, on the strike of the vein, some quartz stringers in the schist. rich in gold, which are evidently off-shoots of the main ore-body. Still further to the northeast, on the same line of outcropping, on an adjacent hillside, a short distance from the placer-workings, is another excavation, of more recent date. There is exposed here, in a small open cut, a quartz vein, about three feet in thickness. The vein runs parallel with the schists, and dips, at a high angle, to the southwest. The quartz is massive, frequently more o.r less porous, and iron-stained ; and, in places, it contains considerable pyrite. Other veins, on the property, have been similarly prospected; but none of the excavations are now accessible. The different veins, prospected, wherever examined, appear to show very encouraging results, and would seem to justify further development. The extensive placer, the numerous vein-prospects, and the admirable facilities for hydraulic mining, make the Smith property quite desirable, for mining purposes. On the adjoining properties, owned by ]. H. Derrick, A. ]. Powell and W. T. Dickenson, are other placer and vein-prospects, of similar character. The placers occur along a number of RABUN COUNTY small streams ; but they have been only partly worked, on account of insufficiency of water. Some of the veins are reported, to have been worked, to a limited extent, many years ago ; but no reliable information was obtained, concerning either the character of the veins, or the nature of the ore. THE STONESYPHER PROPERTY The Stonesypher Property, lot I05, lies immediately south of the Smith property. It is traversed by Moccasin creek, along which, more or less placer-work has been carried on, from time to time. The total area of the placer-works covers some four or five acres; and it is reported to have paid from $ r to $5 per day, per hand .. Besides the placer-works, there has been considerable vein-mining, on the southern part of the lot, now owned by Mr. R. K. Reaves, of Athens, Ga. There is to be seen, here, along a hillside, several tunnels from 20 to roo feet, in length ; and, also, a number of shafts, all of which were made, many years ago ; but they are now inaccessible. It is said, that, at one time, a number of hands were employed, at this mine, which is reported to have paid fair dividends. The stamp-mill, which was erected on Wild Cat creek, near by, has long since been removed ; and no attempt has been made, in recent years, to place the mine in proper condition, for examination. Mr. Reaves, who, in the last few months, has become the owner of the property, is now making arrangements, to open up the mine. At the time of our visit, he had just begun work, by exploring the old tunnels, and cleaning out the shafts; but the work had not, then, progressed, to a sufficient extent, to .. RABUN COUNTY give any definite idea, of the extent and nature of the ore-bodies. The only opportunity, offered for an examination of the vein-material, was the few pieces of ore, scattered about the dump. These fragments showed, that the ore-bodies consist of reddish, porous quartz, frequently showing free gold, on their roughened surfaces. It is said, that the Gre occurs in veins, of considerable size ; and it .conforms in strike and dip, to the hornblende- and mica-schists, which constitute the country-rock. Ample water can be secured on the property, for mining purposes. On the opposite side of Moccasin creek, near the summit of a high ridge, just back of the Stonesypher residence, are other vein-prospects. There occurs, here, a small open cut and a short tunnel, .exposing a quartz vein, which varies from one to three feet in thickness. The vein dips, at a high angle, to the southeast; and it can be easily traced, for several rods, along its outcropping. The quartz has the usual characteristic iron stains; and, in places, it contains considerable pyrite. Some ore, from this prospect, was milled; .and it is reported to have yielded $7.00 per ton. THE MOORE GIRLS' MINE This mine is located on lots 58 and 59, rst district, Rabun county. Gold was discovered here, som(fifty years ago, by B. J. Patterson; but no work was done, until about eight years ago, when seven small cart-loads of the ore were taken from the vein, and milled on a small stamp-mill, erected on a branch, a short distance below the outcropping of the vein. From the above amount of ore, it is reported, tthat 22 pennyweights of gold were obtained, making an average of, RABUN COUNTY 97 probably, $3.00 per ton. An attempt was, also, made, to work, as a placer, the alluvial deposits, in the creek-bottom, at the base of the hill, on which the vein outcrops ; but the enterprise proved unsuccessful, and the work was finally abandoned. A few years ago, another attempt was made to work the vein, and a considerable outlay of money was made, in conducting water on the mine, for hydraulic purposes; but this, also, proved unsuccessful; and it was likewise abandoned. Since our visit to the mine, it has been learned that a stamp-mill has been erected on the property ; and that a third attempt is now being made, to work the vein. The ore-body consists of a huge quartz vein, about thirty feet in width. It is made up of several layers, a foot or more in thickness, which, along certain lines, carry a considerable amount of pyrite and chalcopyrite. The vein strikes northeast and southwest, and can be traced, for some distance, along its outcropping. The country-rock consists of mica- and hornblende-schists, and is generally weathered, to a considerable depth. Persimmon creek, a stream of some size, traverses the property, on which the prospect is located ; and it could be used, for mining purposes, should further investigation prove the mine to be profitable. THE H. W. BARTLEY PROPERTY This property, lot 44, Istdzstn"ct, adjoining the Moore Girls' property, was prospected for gold, in 1849; and some of the ore was milled. The excavations were all found to be inaccessible ; and no satisfactory information could be obtained, concerning the nature of the ore-bodies. The property is now in the hands of Col. L. N. Trammell, of Atlanta, who, I understand, intends to have the lot thoroughly inspected, at an early date. g8 RABUN COUNTY THE BLALOCK PROPERTY On the Blalock property, a short distance above Burton Postoffice, a small amount of work has been done, in the bed of Tallulah river ; but gold was not found, in sufficient quantity, to be mined at a profit, with the means then at hand. The bed of the river is said to contain more or less gold, for some distance, both above and below Burton. It seems quite likely, that much of the bed of this stream might be worked with profit, if suitable machinery were used, and necessary judgment were exercised, in selecting the most valuable gravel deposits. THE J. M. DILLARD PROPERTY This property, consisting of lots I90 and I9I, 2nd district, which lie in the Tennessee Valley, on the North Carolina State line, eight miles northeast of the Moore Girls' mine, was worked, as a placer, many years ago ; and a considerable amount of gold is reported, to have been obtained. Search for the vein has been made, from time to time, on the property ; but, so far, no ore-bodies of economi"c importance have yet been discovered. RABUN COUNTY 99 THE AMMONS BRANCH MINE 1 The Hall County Belt first makes its appearance, within the State, in the northeastern corner of Rabun county, on lot I IO, Jrd district, where a limited amount of placer-work was done, many years ago. Just across the State line, in what is called Horse Cove, North Carolina, a great deal of placer-work has been done. Only a few months since, a rich ore-shoot was struck here, and several hundred pennyweights of gold were taken out, in a short time. This prospect was visited and carefully examined, in order to obtain all the information possible, concerning the mode of occurrence and the nature of the ore-bodies, of the above gold belt. This prospect is now called the Ammons Branch mine, and is situated only about I Yz miles beyond the State line. The writer is informed, that there is a dispute, about the State line, at this point ; and that a part of the Horse Cove district probably lies within the Georgia limits. vVhen the prospect was visited, in August, I 896, the work consisted of an open cut, 50 feet long and from IO to 20 feet deep. The excavation is located on a steep hillside, a short distance from a small branch, which has been extensively worked, for its placer deposits. The vein, exposed here, consists of iron-stained quartz, varying from a few inches to two feet in thickness ; and, in places, it shows much free gold. Samples of the ore, from the vein, weighing several ounces, were seen, the greater part of the masses beihg free gold, in the form of imperfect crystals. Up to the time of the writer's visit to the property, if current reports can be relied upon, there had been taken, from the excavation, about ten pounds of gold. 1 The description of this property is included ; as a correct location of the State line may prove, that it lies in Georgia. IOO RABUN COUNTY The vein occurs in a garnetiferous gneiss, within a few rods of a large mass of coarse-grained granite, containing large, irregular pieces of feldspar. The granite seems to be an intrusive mass, and appears to be intimately connected with the auriferous vein. In a few instances, pyrite was noticed in the quartz; but it is of rare occurrence. However, it will probably become quite abundant, at the depth of 40 or 50 feet, the water-level. The country-rock, together with the vein, dips, at a high angle to the southeast, and strikes N. 20 E. CHAPTER IV HABERSHAM COUNTY BY S. W. McCALLIE, ASSISTANT GEOLOGIST HABERSHAM CouNTY is traversed by both the Dahlonega and the Hall County gold-belts. The former occurs in the extreme northwestern part of the county, while the latter reaches its greatest development near the center of the county, a few miles west of Clarkesville. The eastern and western belts seem not to be well defined. On the contrary, they appear to overlay or merge into each other, in places. The distance separating the workable mines of the two different belts, is, however, several miles; and they may be taken, for our present economic purposes, as the limits of each respective belt. The character of the rock, occurring within the gold-belts, is similar to those found in Rabun county. They consist of hornblende- and mica -schists, gneisses and granites. The latter is often found in huge masses; but, more frequently, it occurs in the form of pegmatitic veins, interlaminated with the gneisses and schists, and cutting them at various angles. It was noted, as a general rule, that the auriferous veins, examined, in both belts, were often associated with, or located near, these pegmatitic veins, although the wall-rock was itself generally found to be gneisses or schists. This association seems to indicate, that the pegmatitic veins are intimately connected, in some way, with the gneisses of the ore-bodies. ( IOI) 102 HABERSHAM COUNTY All the gold-bearing veins, examined, in the county, with one exception, conform, in strike and dip, to the country-rock, and vary greatly in thickness, being, more properly speaking, a series of quartz lenses or ore-chutes, connected by narrow quartz stringers. The veins are generally made of porous iron-stained quartz; and, where not affected by atmospheric agencies, they contain more or less pyrite. The exception to the parallelism of country-rock and vein, above referred to, occurs on the Willbanks property, lot 5I, IItlz district, 7 miles north of Clarkesville. The auriferous vein here cuts the country-rock, at almost right-angles. It was found impossible to determine, from the limited out-cropping here exposed, whether this is a so-called true fissure-vein, or only the filling, with quartz, of a transverse joint, in the schist. THE NICHOLS MINE This mine is located on lots 92 and I 20, I 2tlt district, about 6 miles east of Clarkesville. Gold was first discovered, on this property, by A. J. Nichols, its former owner, about I 840. Since then, irregular placer-mining has been carried on, from time to time, and a considerable quantity of gold has been obtained. The various estimates, as to the total output of the mine, differ greatly. However, from the most reliable information, secured from v_arious parties, who have been acquainted with the mine, for many years, it seems to be quite evident, that the entire yield of the placer, from its earliest workings to the present, has been at least 20,000 pennyweights, and probably twice, and even three, times that amount. The gold, HABERSHAM COUNTY 103 obtained from the placer, commonly occurs in fine particles, though nuggets, weighing 22 5 pennyweights, have been found. It runs from 75 to 8o per cent. fine, the impurity being chiefly silver. The old works, which cover an area of about five acres, are located along a small branch, that takes its rise on the property. The richer part of the placer seemed to be confined, mainly, to the narrow bottom along the stream, where the alluvial deposits, consisting of water-worn gravel and clay, have a thickness, varying from three to eight feet. The adjacent hill-slopes, on either side of the branch, have been worked several feet, along the bed of the stream, in places; and they are reported to have yielded gold, in paying quantities. All the workable placer appears to be, now, practically exhausted, and the value of the property, for mining purposes, seems to depend largely on the location of paying veins. Along the hillside, near the placer works, are to be seen several excavations, consisting of shafts, open cuts and short tunnels, made with a view to locating the veins, that supplied the stream below. All the excavations expose quartz-veins; but none of them carry gold, in sufficient quantities, to be of economic value. The veins are mainly made up of iron-stained quartz, which, in places, contains numerous imperfect radiating, or interlocking, crystals of the same material, which give, to the vein, a beautiful comb-like structure. The fragments of vein material, adhering to nuggets, found in the deposits, along the branch, are said to consist of granular iron-stained quartz. Diligent search has been made, to locate the vein, carrying material of this nature; but, so far, all efforts have been futile. The country-rock consists of gneiss and schists, much contorted, and interlaminated, or traversed, by numerous pegmatitic veins. The prevailing dip is to the southeast, and the strike, northeast and southwest. 104 HABERSHAM COuNTY One of the chief difficulties, encountered m working the property, has been the lack of water, for mining purposes. This, however, can be overcome, by constructing a ditch to Deep creek, some four miles. The creek is of ample size, to furnish water, sufficient to carry on extensive mining operations; and, should valuable ore deposits be discovered on the property, there is no doubt, but that the ditch will be constructed, and thus enable the quartz to be milled, in close proximity to the ore-bodies. THE LA PRADE PLACER The LaPrade Placer Mine is situated on lot IJ5, I Ith district, at the base of Tallulah mountain, about ten miles north of Clarkesville. Gold has been known to occur here, ever since 1840; and, at times, very active mining operations have been carried on. The works, which are located at the junction of two small streams, tributaries to Soquee river, cover an area of about three acres. From this small placer, it is claimed, that between 20,000 and 30,000 pennyweights of gold have been obtained. Several nuggets are reported to have been found, one of which is said to have weighed three and a half pounds. The deposit consists of heavy beds of gravel and water-worn boulders, overlain, by a thin layer of earth, washed from the adjacent hillside. The paying part of the placer seems to be now pretty well exhausted. However, it is not at all improbable, that other deposits may yet be discovered, on these streams. A limited amount of vein-prospecting has been done on the hillside, in the vicinity of the placer; and some quartz veins have been exposed; but none of them have carried sufficient gold, to pay for working. HABERSHAM COUNTY IOS THE C. T. WILLBANKS PROPERTY This property, lot 5 I, I Itlz district, was prospected for gold, some years ago. There is to be seen here, in a shaft twenty feet deep, a quartz vein, having an average thickness of about 20 inches, and cutting the country-rock, at almost right-angles. The quartz is porous and iron-stained, and has all the appearance of being a fair quality of ore. However, an assay showed only a trace of gold. THE T. G. EDWARDS PROPERTY This property, consisting of lot I 47, Jrd district, located on the \ Chattahoochee river, was prospected for gold, about seven years ago. There was a considerable amount of gold found on the prop- erty; but not enough to justify further mining operations. It is thought, by some prospectors, well acquainted with the river-bed, in this vicinity, that it contains considerable quantities of gold, and 'WOuld probably pay to mine, if suitable machinery were used. T. S. BEAN'S PROPERTY This property, and the adjoining town-lot, now owned by Judge L. E. Bleckley, of Atlanta, both of which are within the corporate limits of Clarkesville, have been prospected, to a limited extent, .for gold; but neither has yielded a sufficient quantity of the yellow 106 HABERSHAM COUNTY metal, to encourage systematic mining. The gold occurs in the alluvial deposits, along a small stream, flowing through the eastern part of the town. The deposit covers only a small area, and does not carry sufficient gold to be of economic interest. A small amount of vein-prospecting has been carried on, in the immediate vicinity, with the hope of locating auriferous veins; but, so far. the efforts have been unsuccessful. OTHER PROPERTIES In the extreme northern part of the county, on lots 20 and 22, IJtlt district, and, also, on lot 69, 6t!t district, are small placer workings, near the headwaters of the Soquee river. The deposits, confined chiefly to the beds of the streams, have been worked, from time to time, since 1853; and they have produced several hundred pennyweights of gold; but the paying parts of these deposits seem, now, to be exhausted. There has also been a limited amount of placer-mining, on the \;Vaters and the Warford properties, in the eastern part of the county, neat Currahee mountain. These deposits were neither rich nor extensive; and they have long since been abandoned. CHAPTER V TOWNS COUNTY BY S. W. McCALLIE, ASSISTANT GEOLOGIST So far, in only two localities of this county, has gold been found, in sufficient quantity, to pay for working. Each of these localities is quite limited in area; and they have, apparently, no connection with each other. One lies in the eastern portion of the county, near Visage, and the other, in the extreme northwestern corner, Ill the vicinity of Welsh. I_n the eastern portion of the county, which is very mountainous and rugged, placer-mining for gold has been carried on; notably at a few places, near Hightower creek and its tributaries. These workings have, generally, received the name of the original owner of the land; and they are always, locally, called "mines." However, the term, " prospect," in some cases, at least, would appear to be a more suitable name. The streams of this region are numerous and rapid, traversing narrow, fertile valleys. Many of these valleys, with the adjacent mountain-sides, still retain a remarkably fine virgin forest, of poplar and the various species of hardwoods. The geological formation is completely crystalline, and rarely shows any evidence of a clastic origin. Mica-schists and gneisses, cut by pegmatitic veins, soapstone and other magnesian rocks, all much folded and contorted, make up the underlying geological formations, whose structural relations are difficult to make out. (Io7) 108 TOWNS COUNTY THE NEWTON MINE This mme is located in the I 8tlz district of Towns county, on lot IJ I. It extends along both sides of a small stream, which enters Hightower creek from the east. The worked portion of the mine covers an area of less than three acres, and lies in a narrow hollow, formed by the foot-hills, that lead down, from the main ridge, to within a few yards of the creek. Gold is said to have been discovered here, many years ago, by Joseph Eller. His attention was first attracted, by some waterworn gravel, which his dog had exposed, while making an excavation for a burrowing animal. This led to an examination oi: the gravel deposits, beneath the overlying soil; and they were found, to be rich in gold. The work of washing the gravel was begun, immediately, by Eller, assisted by others; but, owing to the want of a sufficient amount of water, the work progressed slowly. The gravel, frequently, had to be carried, some distance, to running water. However, regardless of this difficulty, it is said, that the mine paid handsomely. In I 872, Bush & Lyons leased the property, and operated the mine, for about two years. To secure the necessary water for washing, hydraulicking and sluicing purposes, they constructed a ditch, nearly a mile in length. This ditch conducted the greater part of the Chastain branch to the mine, and enabled them to operate one small hydraulic giant. With this equipment, they were able to work, successfully, much of the gravel, in the lower part of the hollow; but it was impossible to secure any reliable information, as to the amount of gold, taken out, during the time of the lease. After the expiration of this lease, Nicholson & Sons.worked the TOWNS COUNTY mine, irregularly, for about five years, when it fell into the hands of Mcintosh, who, with a number of hands, operated it, for nearly a year. Mcintosh had a second ditch dug, two miles in length, which, on account of its connection with the Chastain branch, near its source, carried much less water, than the old ditch; but it gave an increase in fall, at the mine, of nearly a hundred feet. Parts of the mine, heretofore unworked, by reason of their elevation, together with certain portions of the old works, are said to have been worked, at this time, with profit. Fig. 6 Diagram Showing the Present Condition of the Newton Placer Mine, Towns County, Georgia. At the time of our visit, a new company, consisting mainly of Western men, had recently been organized for the purpose of operating this mine. They had secured, under certain conditions, both I I0 TOWNS COUNTY a lease and an option on the property, for a number of years. It was the intention of the Company, to work that portion of the mine, lying between the creek and the old works,' which had, thus far, been neglected, on account of the difficulty in drainage. Furthermore, they proposed, to re-work certain parts of the old works, and in the meantime to locate, if possible, the veins, which fed the placer. The firm had just completed a ditch, three quarters of a mile long, to the Chastain branch; it was much larger than any ditch, previously constructed on the property, and of sufficient size, to conduct the entire stream over the mine. They were thus ready to commence mining, on a more extensive scale, than had, hitherto, been carried on, in the locality. But, unfortunately, at this stage of the work, there originated a misunderstanding among the members of the company; and, as a result, the outlook for carrying on successful mining operations did not appear to be very encouraging. The gold, found here, is usually coarse, varying in size from a fraction of a grain to nuggets, weighing from fifteen to twenty pennyweights. The larger pieces are generally quite rough; and they show evidence of little transportation. The vein, from which the gold was derived, although frequently sought for by miners, has not, yet, been located. There can be but little doubt, however, by reason of the topography of this locality, that the vein intersects the hollow, at some point, near the old works. This opinion, as to the source of the gold, is also strengthened, by the occurrence, in the hollow and along the hillsides, of numerous loose, angular quartz rocks, which frequently contain iron-stained cavities, and occasionally particles of gold. From the most reliable information, which could be obtained, it appears, that between five and ten thousand pennyweights of gold 1 See diagram, p. rag. TOWNS COUNTY I I I have been taken from the mine, since it was first discovered. The amount of gold, still remaining in the placer, is, at present, a mere matter of speculation. Nearly all the unworked portion of the mine lies in a boggy bottom, near the creek; and it will have to be drained, by means of long ditches, eight or ten feet in depth, before it can be successfully worked. If the reports, concerning the testpits, which have been made here, can be relied on, there seems to be no reason, why this part of the mine cannot be profitably worked. 'I'HE CHAS'I'AIN BRANCH MINE The Chastain Branch mine is located on lot IJ6, I8t!t district; and it lies immediately south of the Newton property. It was discovered, about the same time, as the Newton mine; and it has probably pro- Fig. 7 Diagram Showing the Present Condition of the Chastain Branch Placer :\line, Towns County, Georgia. 112 TOWNS COUNTY duced an equal amount of gold. The area, over which the old works extend, is somewhat larger, than the worked portion of the adjoining property; but the depth of earth and gravel, overlying the bed-rock, is not so great. This, together with the abundance of water-power, furnished by the Chastain branch, for sluicing and washing, has enabled persons to work the mine, at comparatively little expense. A few test-pits, sunk near the branch, indicate, that there is a narrow strip, both below and above the old works, which may still be worked with profit. The character of the gold is very similar to that, found at the Newton mine; and, undoubtedly, it has originated. from the breaking down of parts of the same veins. THE SMITH MINE This mine is located, one and a half miles northeast of the Newton property, on lot 94, I8tlz district. The placer work has been confined, here, to a narrow strip, not over a hundred feet in width. It extends, for about one hundred yards, along a small stream, which enters Hightower creek, from the west. The mine is reported to have paid the miners, on an average, less than 75 cents per day. All the gold-bearing gravel seems to have been worked out, with the probable exception of that, underlying a small boggy area, near the junction of the stream and the creek. TOWNS COUNTY 113 THE WILLS CREEK PROPERTY On this property, lot I02, I8t!z district, a limited amount of placer mi'_ling has been carried on. Gold was said to have been discovered, here, more than forty years ago; and to have been first worked, by a miner, named vVoods. The deposit, in places, is reported to have been very rich, some ten-foot pits paying, as much as sixty pennyweights. The works are located near the head of a narrow hollow, and cover an area, of less than half an acre. Only in this limited area, has gold been found, in sufficient quantities to pay for working. Besides the above described localities, there are numerous other places, where gold occurs, in this portion of the county; but, in no other places, as far as known, in sufficient quantities, to be of any economic value. The distribution and mode of occurrence of gold, in this region, indicates, that it originated, from the breaking down of a number of veins. These veins appear, to have become greatly enlarged, only at a few points in their course, where they formed rich pockets, that supplied gold to the workable placers. In the extreme northwestern portion of the county, near \Velsh post-office, a number of small gold-bearing quartz veins have been discovered. They seem to be the southern terminus of a more or less well-defined belt, fully two miles in width, extending into the State, from North Carolina. The portion of the county, where these gold-bearing veins occur, is not so rugged or mountainous, as the eastern portion, though it is equally well-watered, and is made up, of similar geological formations. Il4 TOWNS COUNTY THE MURDOCK VEIN This property, now owned by the Hiawassee Gold Mining Company, is located on lots 32 and 42, I7tlz dstrct, Tmlins county. Gold was first discovered, here, in float-quartz, in I 8 s6, by A. B. Patton, while plowing in a field, where the vein was subsequently located. A miner, by the name of Murdock, assisted by a few hands, began mining on this property, in I 8 59, and continued, with a considerable degree of success, for about three years, when the mine was shut down, on account of the late war. Under Murdock's management, the vein was worked, for nearly a hundred yards, to a depth of thirty-five feet. Much of the ore, taken out, during this time, is said to have been very rich in free gold. It was milled, near by, on a small stream, by means of an arrastre, a primitive mill, consisting of a vertical axis, with a horizontal arm, to which, in this case, was attached a large flat bowlder, that was dragged over the ore, placed on a bed of flat stones, within a circular box. This mode, of extracting the gold from the quartz, was exceedingly slow, and, necessarily, more or less imperfect; but, nevertheless, it is claimed, that the mine, on account of the high grade of the ore, paid a fair profit. In I87I, Perry Ellis obtained control of the property, on which the Murdock vein is located. He replaced the arrastre with a tenstamp mill, and operated the mine, for three years, at the end of which period, it passed into the hands of J. B. Puett. The mine was worked, though not continuously, by Puett, for six or seven years, and was finally sold by him, in I 884, to the Hiawassee Gold Mining Company. At the time of our visit, this company was perfecting arrangements, to renew mining operations on the property. TOWNS COUN7 Y The Murdock vein is what is known, as a true fissure vein; it cuts the mica-schist, or country-rock, at nearly right-angles. The strike is almost due northwest, while it dips, at a high angle, to the northeast. The vein varies, in thickness, from six inches to two feet; and it may be traced, with a considerable degree of certainty, for a quarter of a mile. In places, it is much fissured and broken, as if it had been subjected to a great crushing force. The quartz is more or less iron-stained; and it frequently contains cavities, in which free gold may be seen. The country-rock is so completely decomposed, even at the bottom of the deepest shafts, that the ore can be mined, at comparatively little expense. One hundred and fifty feet west of the Murdock vein, is another gold-bearing quartz vein, eight inches in thickness. It runs parallel with the former; but, on account of its small size, it has been prospected, only to the depth of a few feet. These veins are located near the north end of a low, flat ridge, which slopes, gradually, to Brasstown creek, and a lesser stream, entering it from the west. Both of these streams are rapid; and they furnish ample watet:, during the greater part of the year, to run stamp-mills, with from five to twenty batteries. LOT 43, 17TH DISTRICT On lot 43, I7tlz district, owned by E. R. Brown, and lying immediately east of the property, on which the Murdock vein is located, a limited amount of prospecting has been done; but no gold-bearing veins, of any size, have, yet, been found, to justify their development. Angular fragments of gold-bearing quartz, of consider- r r6 TOWNS COUNTY able size, are frequently met with, on this lot. They appear to have originated from the breaking down of veins, near by. THE STRUBY PROPERTY One mile south of Welsh, on lot 67, I?tlt district, some work was done, in 1870, for gold, on the Struby Property. The prospecting consisted of a tunnel, driven into the hill, to a distance, of about one hundred feet, and a number of shafts and cross-cuts, of various depths. It is reported, that 5everal tons of ore were taken from these different openings, which were afterwards milled by J. B. Puett. The ore is claimed to have been of fair quality; but, owing to the small size of the gold-bearing quartz vein, it could not be mined with profit. At the time of our examination of the property, all the excavations had so fallen in, that it was found impossible, to make any satisfactory examination. Only in one place, was the vein exposed to view. It varies, here, in thickness, from twelve to eighteen inches, and corresponds, in strike and dip, to the country-rock. THE MALDEN PROPERTY On the Malden property, lot 99, I?th district, one mile west of Young Harris, a small fissure vein of gold-bearing quartz was discovered, a few years ago. When examined by us, it was exposed only in two shallow pits, near the road. At these points, it has an TOWNS COU1\ TY I I7 average thickness of about six inches, and cuts the mica-schist, at nearly right angles. Nothing definite could be ascertained from the limited exposure, in regard to the extent or general character of the vein. The strike and dip correspond very closely, to that of the Murdock vein. An ore sample was taken by the writer; and it yielded the following result, in the laboratory of this Suivey:- Ore sample, Malden property, .125 oz. ($2.50) of gold per ton. THE NANCY BROWN MINE This mine is located on lot 34, I7tlt district. There appears, here, a more or less continuous gold-bearing vein, extending diagonally across the northwe:<~t corner of the lot, parallel with the strike of Fig. 8 Cross-section through the Nancy Brown Gold Mine, Towns Coun'y, Georgia, Showing a Fault adjacent to the Auriferous Quartz Vein. the mica-schist. It varies greatly, in size, and in the character of the ore, at the various exposures. At the opening, furthest north, near the small stream, which flows from the east across the lot, the vein is from three to five feet wide, and is made up, of numerous thin layers of quartz, interlaminated with mica-schist; while at the opening, furthest to the south, it consists of a compact, milkcolored quartz, from eighteen to twenty inches, in thickness. The II8 TOWNS COUNTY dip of the ore-body correspond to the country-rock; but, at some of the exposures, there occurs an unconformity between the overhanging and foot walls, that is evidently due to local faulting. 1 Williams & Pruett began mining operations, on this property, in I 874, and worked the mine, though not continuously, for about four years. During this time, several tons of ore were taken out, and hauled two miles to a stamp-mill, which had been erected by Perry Ellis, near Welsh. This ore is said to have milled, on an average, $I 8.00 per ton, and was taken from the north exposure of the vein, where a tunnel, several yards in length, was driven into the hill, along the vein at water-level. Beiow this level, the vein is said to continue, at its usual width and richness; but, owing to inadequate drainage and the falling in of the tunnel walls, it was found impracticable, with the means then at hand, to prosecute the work further. In I 882, eight years after williams & Pruett abandoned the mine, some prospecting was done on the vein, about two hundred yards south of the old works. Here, it is claimed, a very rich pocket was found, containing much coarse gold, which was worked to the depth of twenty feet, the water-level. There are a number of other pits and cross-cuts along a line, corresponding with the trend of the vein; but all have caved in, except the recent cut and tunnel, at the most southern exposure, where the vein, a5 stated above, is composed of a compact, milk-colored quartz, dipping with the micaschist, at a high angle, to the southeast. The tunnel, which is a continuation of the open cut, extends into the hill, only about twenty feet. The vein, throughout its entire exposure, here, has a well defined wall of black hydro-mica slate, from eight to ten inches thick. A number of samples, from this mine, were taken by the writer, 1 See cross-section, p. II7. TOWNS COUlv'TY I 19 which, assayed, m the Survey laboratory, gave the following results:- I. Ore sample, Pit No. I _________ .IO oz. ($2.00) of gold per ton 2. Ore sample, Pit No.5 _______ Trace only of gold 3 " " 7----- - .05 oz. ($I.oo) of gold per ton 4 Ore sample, Pit No.7-------- .125 oz. ($2.50) of gold per ton 5 Ore sample, Pit No.7 _______ - .125 oz. ($2.50) of gold per ton 6. Ore sample, Pit No.8-------- .075 oz. ($1.50) of gold per ton LOT 3, 17TH DISTRICT On lot 3, which lies immediately north of the Brown property, and which is known, locally, as the "Old Field," considerable work has been done, on a vein, that seems to be a continuation of the vein, which occurs on the adjoining lot. Prospecting was begun here, by Perry Ellis, as early as 1869; and, on account of the favorable surface indications, more or less work has been done, on the property, by various parties, nearly every year, since. Numerous shafts and pits, varying from ten to fifty feet in depth, with a number ot short tunnels, have been made, with a view to locating the vein, from which the rich float ore, scattered throughout the field, was derived; but, so far, the prospecting has met with only partial success. At only a few places, was the vein located; and here it was found to be too small or too barren, to be worked with profit. The ore, found on the surface, and scattered through the soil, is quite abundant; and, in places, several tons may be seen, heaped together in piles. It consists of brownish or reddish-colored quartz 120 TOWNS COUNTY bowlders, of various sizes, frequently somewhat granular, and containing iron-stained cavities, with more or less pyrite, in which particles 'Of free gold may sometimes be detected. There was no opening on the property, where the ore could be examined in situ/ but, near by, in the northwest corner of lot 34, scarcely twenty feet from its divisional line with lot 3, a vein, which is said to be the same, as that prospected on the latter lot, was examined. The vein, here, is exposed in an open cut, to the depth of about twelve feet. It consists of a quartz vein, twelve inches wide, carrying free gold, and conforming in dip and strike, to the folded and contorted country-rock. The lack of sufficient water, to operate these prospects, seems to accaunt, to a great extent, for their present undeveloped conclition. Two small streams take their rise, on lot 34; but neither furnishes enough water, to be of any economic value, in mining. It is possible, nevertheless, by digging a ditch, two or three miles long, to conduct a branch of Brasstown creek to the lots, which would furnish ample water, to run a stamp-mill, and which could, probably, be used, in hydraulic mining. THE HORSE VEIN The Horse Vein, which is located in the soutlzeastern portion of lot I, I?tlt district, was visited; but all the old pits were so filled in, that it was found practically impossible, to make any satisfactory examination of the vein. The prospecting has been limited, to some four or five pits, none of which appear to have been originally over fifteen feet in depth. TOWNS COUNTY 121 LOT 2, 17TH DISTRICT :\Iany years ago, some placer mining was done by Mr. Kinsey, with slave labor, on a small stream, on lot 2, a few hundred yards north of where the vein was afterwards prospected. It is said, that he extracted, in a short time, as much as $1,200 worth of gold from the gravel covering a very small area. CHAPTER Vl UNION COUNTY BY S. W. McCALLIE, ASSISTA"T GEOLOGIST The gold-bearing belt, that traverses the northwestern portion of Towns county, extends, for a short distance, into Union. The auriferous veins make their appearance, in the extreme northeast corner of the county, and continue, with frequent interruptions, through a number of lots, lying to the southwest. This section is hilly, but well-watered, by numerous small streams, that traverse narrow fertile valleys, which yield excellent crops of corn, rye etc. THE WELLBORN HILL MINE This mine, now owned by the Chattanooga and Gum Log Mining Company, is situated in the southeast corner of lot I8, 9tlz district, within a short distance of Gum Log creek. Some prospecting was carried on, here, shortly after the war; but no systematic work was attempted, until r883, when the property fell into the hands of the present owners, who spent a considerable amount of money, in developing it.. The Company finally abandoned the work, in 1889. (rzz) Fig. 9 Map of the Northern Adjoining Corners of Towns and Union Counties, Georgia, Showing the Locations of the Principal Gohl Mines in the Included Territory. 124 UNION COUNTY The main parts of the work are near the summit of a low ridge; they consist of a main shaft, one hundred and thirty-five feet in depth, with two drifts at the eighty-five foot level, one extending north, one hundred and ten feet, and the other, southwest, one hundred and fifty feet. These drifts are said to have followed up a gold-bearing quartz vein, that, in places, yielded a high-grade ore. It was impossible to examine the vein, either in the main shaft or in the drifts, on account of the water; but, in a second shaft, seventyfive feet west from the main shaft, and extending down to the southeast drift, the vein was exposed to view. It has a thickness, here, of eighteen to twenty-four inches, and consists of a lightcolored, somewhat granular quartz, with numerous iron-stained cavities. The dip of the vein, which corresponds to that of the mica-schist and gneiss of the country-rock, is to the southeast, varying only a few degrees from the perpendicular. At the base of the hill, about three hundred yards northeast of the main shaft, a tunnel, one hundred and twenty feet long, known as the "Old Tunnel," has been driven into the hill, on the vein. It is said, that the vein, in this tunnel, had an average width, of two feet, and yielded an ore, which gave satisfactory results at the mill. Numerous small pits and cross-cuts are to be seen about the hill; but all were so inaccessible, that the vein could not be examined. The ten-stamp mill, erected by the Chattanooga & Gum Log Mining Company, is located on Gum Log creek, three hundred and fifty yards west of the main shaft. This mill, which was run, at irregular intervals, for four or five years, is still in a fair state of preservation ; and it would require the expenditure of only a small amount of money, to put it again in running order. The waterpower utilized here, when the works were in operation, was produced by a twenty-five-foot fall, which was sufficient to run the Uli'ION COUNTY I25 ten-stamp mill, and to furnish all the necessary power, at the main shaft, for hoisting etc. Mr. Henry G. H;anks, late State Mineralogist of Californiot, visited this property, in I 88 5 ; and, in speaking of this mine, he says:'- "The mine is fairly well opened, and there is a good mill, ready for operation, when the water is turned into the ditch, which is also nearly ready for working. I saw no reason, why the mill should not be started up, and the quartz crushed with success. The mill has ten stamps, with space and ample power for ten more. A projected tunnel, the entrance of which is near the mill, will cut the vein at a considerable depth, and can be made an outlet, for the mine, for years to come. When all the upper works are exhausted, lower levels could be pumped through the tunnel by water-power. I prospected the quartz, and found some of it rich in gold. " I think quartz could be gathered on the surface of the ground, over a large area of co~ntry, which would pay in the mill. The mine was discovered, about twelve years ago, by Edward D. Rogers. He used to pay forty cents per bu!3hel, for crushing the ore to sand, in stump mortars, with stamp pestles, by setting iron wedges in stems of wood, which, for convenience, were attached to spring poles. He then rocked the sand with quicksilver. The gold obtained, gave him a profit of about $I .oo per bushel. The stump mortars may still be seen. The tree was cut down, and the stump sawed off square. The concavity was made by burning with live coals, assisted by judicious use of the axe. While this was a rude substitute, for a crushing apparatus, it served a useful purpose, and enabled the miners, in an imperfect manner, to extract the gold, that under other circumstances would have been practically inac- 1 Fifth Annual Report. State Mineralogist of California. 1885; p. q6. 126 CNION COUNTY cessible. There has, at no time, been a mill at this mme. The new mill has not yet turned a wheel. "On my return to San Francisco, a sample of quartz from \Veil- born Hill, weighing three hundred and twenty grams, was crushed and sifted, and at my request, Mr. Melville Atwood carefully washed it in a batea. The prospect, or residue, weighed 0.1263 grams. It contained a little quartz, but was largely gold, beautifully clean and bright, and part of it, in distinct crystals. There were some par- ticles leaf-like, but crystalline. The rock was very easily crushed. The following is the result of an examination and assay of an aver- age specimen from Wellborn Hill, Union county, made since my return:Percentage of gold__ _ __ _____ _ _ __ __ _ ______ _ .015 3 Ounces in ton of 2,000 pounds ____ --------- 4-47 Value per ton _________________________ _ $g2.40" THE BROWN SHAFT One mile southwest of the vVellborn Hill mine, on lot I9, 9tlz distn'ct, a shaft, known as the Brown Shaft, has been run down on a ten-inch quartz vein, to the depth of fifty-five feet. The ore, lying near the opening, which had been taken from the shaft, contains a great deal of pyrite ; but, having no means at hand, to get down into the shaft, the ore could not be examined, in place. It is reported, that four tons of this ore produced, at the stamp-mill, an average of twenty pennyweights of gold per ton. Near by, are other prospecting shafts and tunnels, made many years ago, all of which are now, more or less caved in. UNION COUNTY 127 LOT 20, 9TH DISTRICT On lot 20, immediately west of lot 19, a large, granular, goldbearing quartz bowlder, weighing more than a ton, was seen. It was located in a depression, near a small ravine ; and it had evidently been derived, from the breaking down of a quartz vein, near by. A limited amount of placer-work, and some prospecting for the vein, has been carried on, here ; but neither proved to be successful. THE OLD GUM LOG MINE This mine is located on lot 52, 9tlz district. It was discovered, many years ago ; and it was more or less extensively worked, immediately after the late war. If current reports, concerning its richness, can be relied upon, it must have been, in its earlier days, a profitable mine; and it could, even now, probably, be made to pay a fair dividend, if judiciously worked. The principal part of the work, done here, was near the end of a low ridge ; and it consists of numerous shafts, tunnels and crosscuts. Report is current, that the extreme western point of this ridge, made up of mica-schists and gneisses, decomposed to some depth, contains a number of auriferous veins, that have been worked, in places, to the depth of seventy feet. All the excavations had so fallen in, that the veins were all hidden from view, except one, in an open cut, near the top of the hill. This vein, varying in thickness, from four to twelve inches, corresponds, in dip, to the 128 UNIO_il/ COUNTY mica-schist ; and it consists of reddish and light-colored quartz, with cavities, in which free gold may often be seen. Specimens of ore, lying on the surface, which were probably taken from a considerable depth, contained pyrite. \Vithin a short distance of the mine on Gum Log creek, may be seen the remains of an old stamp-mill, which was formerly used, in crushing the ore. The creek at this point is small, though it has a considerable fall, and furnishes sufficient power, to operate a small stamp-mill. An ore sample, taken by the writer, assayed in the laboratory of the Survey, yielded, as follows :-Ore sample, Old Gum Log Mine, .05 oz. ($1.00) of gold per ton. THE HUNT PROPERTY On the Hunt Property, lot 55, 9tlz district, a gold-bearing quartz vein was discovered, about eighteen years ago ; and some of the ore was taken out, and milled. Since then, a shaft, forty feet deep, and a short tunnel and an open-cut have been made. In the opencut, occurs a white quarti vein, from eighteen to twenty-four inches thick, dipping with the mica-schist. At this exposure, the vein carries very little gold, and the ore could not be milled with profit ; while only a few feet away, in the forty-foot shaft, now filled with water, the vein is said to have yielded a high grade of ore. From a pile of ore, taken from the shaft, some nice specimens with brownish cavities were secured, showing free gold. UNION COUNTY 129 THE COOSA CREEK PLACER MINE This mine is located on Coosa creek, in tlze 9tlz district of Union <:ounty, on lots 85, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, I24, I29 and IJO, four miles south of Blairsville. This section of the country is quite mountainous, with numerous peaks, reaching an altitude, of more than four thousand feet above sea-level. The creek, along which placermining has been carried on, is a typical mountain stream, making its way through the hills, in narrow gorges, that, frequently, become expanded into fertile valleys, underlaid with auriferous gravel. Within the gorges, the stream forms numerous shoals and cataracts, having an aggregate fall of many feet, in a few hundred yards. The channel, in these narrows, is frequently so filled with large bowlders, which have fallen from the adjacent cliffs, from time to time, that the stream is often almost hidden from view as it flows between them ; but, where the obstructions are less abundant, or .absent, the bed-rock, consisting of mica-schists and gneisses, is worn smooth or cut into numerous pot-holes, by the action of the sand and pebbles, driven along by the rushing water. The creek has ample water, throughout the entire year, to carry on extensive sluicing; and, by extending a system of flumes and ditches, only a short distance back into the gorges, almost any desired head of water can be secured for hydraulic purposes. The bed-rock, underlying the valley, where gold has been found, in paying quantities, has not, in all cases, on account of its variable hardness, been cut down by erosion to a uniform plane ; but it is more or less irregular. This gives rise to many shoals and eddies, when the earth and gravel have been removed, by sluicing. These irregular surfaces seriously interfere with the saving of the gold; UNION COUNTY and, as a consequence, it frequently becomes necessary, to remove them, by blasting, or in some other way, in order to drain the low places, where the fine gold has accumulated, in more or less abundance. During the earlier workings of the mine, only that part of the valley was worked, which formerly constituted the shoals in the creek's old beds, and had a natural drainage, while the depressions, although covering a comparatively small area, were generally neglected. Fig. IO Diagram Showing the Present Condition of the Coosa Creek Placer :vline, near Blairsville, Union County, Georgia. There occurs, at several places along the creek, a number of small, isolated areas, containing, usually, only a fraction of an acre, which, for several reasons, unknown to the writer, have been neglected in all the former workings. On two or three of these detached areas, test-pits, three feet square, were made, and the gravel was panned. Each pit yielded, from ten to twenty-five cents' worth of fine gold. Besides these small areas, much of the_ old placer could probably be operated, with a good profit, if a suitable hydraulic plant were erected. This, however, would necessitate a UNION COUNTY considerable outlay of money, which, in most cases, is not, now, at the command of the owners. At the time of our visit, eight hands were engaged, here, in uncovering certain promising portions of the creek-bottoms, and washing the gravel, taken from these pits. By confining their attention to such sections, they were able to use their time and labor to best advantage. Working in this way, they report, that they were able to average, from twenty- fiv.e cents to one dollar a day, per man. The 'entire output of the Coosa Creek mine, from its earliest workings to the present, has been estimated at, from five hundred thousand to one million pennyweights of gold. CHAPTER VII HALL COUNTY Bv FRANCIS P. KING, AssiSTANT GEOLOGIST The principal mining operations in this county must be spoken <>f, merely as prospecting. This fact has been due to the properties falling into unfortunate hands. The occurrence of diamonds in the itacolumite, north of Gainesville, seems to have attracted more local .attention, than the auriferous deposits. Nevertheless, when some of the well-known gold-bearing veins are free for legitimate devel<>pment, this county will average well, in its gold production, when -compared with other counties, now more favorably considered. The gold belt of this county extends down from the Habersham county line, west of the Southern Railway, and out beyond the Chattahoochee river. The best developed property is the Currahee. Other properties, though less developed, will awaken interest, when more attention is centered on this county. A description of those properties, which have been more or less prospected, follows. THE GLADES "The Glades," a small settlement five miles northwest of Lula, is the center of a large body of land owned by Mr. A. J. Jennings (!32) HALL COUNTY of Brooklyn, N.Y. A portion of this estate lies in the gold belt; and, some years ago, it was considerably prospected. No development of consequence, however, followed the prospecting; and, at the time of my visit, the results of this old work were not visible. In the northeastern corner of lot 94, I 2tlt district, the so-called "Stephenson vein" was opened. The ore-body consists of a sulphide-quartz vein, one and a half feet thick, striking N. 80 E. A quartz vein, said to contain a sulphide of silver, was prospected, by several long tunnels, in the northwest corner of lot 99, I 2tlz district. In 1887, a ditch was constructed from Flat creek to The Glades -a distance of several miles -for the purpose of hydraulicking the deposits of the Glades branch. Immediately after the completion of the ditch, a two hundred-foot sweep was made down the branch, and $1 o,ooo worth of gold is reported to have been taken out. The ditch is now used as a water-supply to the house and stock buildings. Mr. C. R. Clemmens, manager of the estate, has made an interesting collection of the minerals and ores found on the property. These were exhibited at the recent Cotton States and Internationaf Exposition, held in Atlanta. Perhaps the most interesting and important mineral in the collection, on account of its economic importance, was monazite, which is now extensively used in the manufacture of the incandescent mantles of the Welsbach gasburner, a new form of burner, which produces a beautiful soft, white light, now being largely introduced into city homes. The monazite from this locality occurs as sand, associated with magnetite, garnet, gold, quartz etc., as other components of the sand. 134 HALL COUNTY THE ODOM PROPERTY The Odom Property, about thirteen miles from Gainesville, con tains 210 acres in lot III, IIth district. In the summer of 1894, when visited by me, it was owned by A. M. Whelchel and Benjamin Parks. At this time, H. Odom and T. C. Evens were working it, under a lease. Previous to I 8g4, it had not been worked for fifty years; during the original working, however, by Benjamin Parks and a man by the name of Garwin, $1,000 worth of gold was produced, in four weeks. These original operators found a rich shoot, carried the ore in sacks to a small branch some distance away, and there washed it by hand. The vein, upon which all have worked, consists of a system of quartz stringers intercalated in mica-schist, forming an ore-body about three feet thick. This ore-body lies on the southeast side of a hill, near the east side of the lot. The sample, taken by me for assay, gave, in the laboratory of the Survey, a value in gold of $6.oo per ton. THE PARKS PROPERTY Lot 56, I I tit district, is here noted as the Parks Property. On the lot, near the center, a solid quartz vein, six feet thick, cuts the country-rock at a large angle. The strike of the vein is N. 70 W.; and it dips sharply to the southwest. On the north side, the vein is practically barren of pyrite, and is solid; but the southern half is HALL COUNTY 135 porous, and shows the presence of a large amount of oxidized sulphide. The sample taken from this vein for assay yielded, in our laboratory, only a trace of gold. THE JOHNSON PROPERTY This property, lot 72, Ioth district, is situated about ten miles northwest of Gainesville. It is owned by J. W. Johnson, Jr., who lives close by. A small sulphide-quartz vein, one foot thick, has been located here, and exposed by a few shallow cuts. The vein cuts the country-schist, at a small angle, and strikes N. 57 E. The sample taken for assay was found to contain only a trace of gold. The same vein has been traced into Dunnagan's lot, on the east, and Simpson's lot, on the west. THE POTOSI MINE The Potosi Mine is situated twelve miles northeast of Gainesville, on lot 85, I It!z district. Sixty-two years ago, it was operated, for two years, by some Englishmen. The oldest settlers tell of an immensely rich shoot, discovered by these workers; and they add, that the discovery was blocked by an impenetrable horse. In I 894, John Johnson and J. H. Summerall took an "option" on the prop- L HALL COUNTY erty, and sunk a shaft, close to the old works. They soon abandoned work, on account of their inability to cope with the quicksand. June I oth, I 89 5, "The Potosi Mining & Milling Company" was incorporated; and Mr. H. T. Fisher was made president and manager. The search for the rich shoot was continued. At my last visit, during the summer of I895, it had not been discovered, and they were laboring with the quicksand, which had so disarranged the plan of former workers. The vein, in which they are attempting to re-discover the rich shoot, is about eighteen inches in thickness, with a vertical dip, and striking N. 50 W., cutting the country-schists at a wide angle. It consists of a milky white quartz, with a structure of parallelly arranged interlocking acicular crystals. In the joints of the vein,. made by the meeting of these crystals in their horizontal extension, free gold is sometimes, but rarely, found. In the ore-body, there is, however, no trace of sulphides. I have not seen a vein of similar character in the gold-fields of the State. The gold, occurring on this property, both in the vein and in the little branch, is exceptionally low: grade. Mr. Fisher informed me, that it runs fourteen parts silver and twenty-five parts gold. THE ELROD PROPERTY The Elrod Property is situated about SIX miles northwes~ of Gainesville, on the Dahlonega road. Embraced under this head are the following properties : - HALL COUNTY 137 Lot The Stephens __ - __ -. -- . - .. --- -- . ---- ----- 99 The Keath ___________ - _____________ ------- 100 The Newton ______ --------------------- 103 The Ivy Mountain __________ ------------- 104 District 10 10 10 10 Prior to the war, some rich ore shoots had been found on these lots, and the owners did an extensive amount of work, as is evinced by their numerous pits and dump-piles. A few years ago, a fifteen-stamp mill was erected on the Ivy Mountain lot, and an unsuccessful effort at milling the ore-body was carried on, for a short time. The occurrence of the ore-body is interesting, and exceptional in Georgia. The schists of the region have a very slight dip and are apparently interbedded with seams of small milky-white quartz, carrying a small percentage of sulphides. This seam varies in thickness, from a few inches to several feet, and is evidently a stringer vein horizoBtally inclined. The topography of the region is such, that the vein is readily exposed, by shallow pits, and is to be found over a wide area. The major portion of this immense bed of quartz is of a very low grade ore, although, in the past, some rich pockets may have been found. The mining of the vein, as a body, however, would be impracticable. THE PASS PROPERTY This property was opened up prior to the war; and, with the exception of some trifling work, done a few years ago, by Beam HALL COUNTY and Calhoun, to introduce their chlorination-process, no work has been carried on, since. It consists of lots IJ 2 and IJJ, Iot!t distn'ct. On both lots, a vein about sixteen inches in thickness has been exposed, and shafts forty and seventy feet deep, respectively, have been sunk. At each shaft, the ore-body shows the same strike, and is perpendicular and unconformable to the country-rock. Judging from the position of the exposures and the strike of the ore-body, it is one and the same vem. From the shaft on lot IJJ, the only one I could enter, I took a sample of ore from the east side of the shaft. The assay value, as determined in the laboratory of the Survey, was $ 1.00 per ton. THE LONGSTREET PROPERTY The Longstreet mineral property lies two and one half miles north of Gainesville, and consists of lot IJO, 9t!t district. The mineral interest in this lot is owned jointly by Messrs. Robert Lee Longstreet and Benjamin A. Merck, of Gainesville. Great excitement was aroused over this property, a few years back, by the discovery of gold in a quartz vein, in the bed of a small branch. Several hundred pounds of quartz slabs, completely encrusted with minute plates of gold, were taken from a small pit, a few feet in diameter. Immediately following this discovery, an offer of $8,ooo was made to the owners by certain parties ; but it was not accepted. .Inconsequent efforts, for a brief period, followed up this discovery ; but, since then, the branch has held possession. HALL COUNTY 139 It is presumed by the owners, that this IS a chimney formation ; but their development was too slight, to warrant such a conclusion. South of the creek, and cutting the schist formation at a wide angle, is another vein, which should be developed, in conjunction with the branch vein. The property was not in such condition, as to admit of my taking material for assay. THE MERCK PROPERTY On the property of Charles S. Merck, of Gainesville, lot I 29, 9th district, Messrs. Taft & Ehler, of Chicago, prospected a system of small quartz stringers, which form a zone in the mica-schist, aggregating a width of three feet,. This ore-body lies conformable to the enclosing schist, with a strike, N. 55 E., and a dip of 35 to the southeast. Assay of surface material, showing a value of $6 per ton, they erected a plant, at an expense of $700.00. This plant consists of a small mill-bouse with engine, crusher, concentrator and amalgamator. Operations extended over a period of several months, during which time, they had run an incline-tunnel down on the ore-body, to a length of seventy-five feet. Finding, that their operations were being conducted at a continued loss, and the ore decreasing in assay value, they abandoned the property. 140 HALL COUNTY THE O'SHIELDS PROPERTY Near the Merck property, on lot I2J, 9th district, Mrs. \V. H._ O'Shields, the owner, has stripped several auriferous veins, for a few feet On the northeast side of the lot, a vein, one to two feet thick, cuts the schist at a well defined angle, and strikes N. 75 W. The vein contains some sulphides, oxidized at the depth exposed~ A sample from this vein was taken for assay ; the report, by theSurvey Chemist, gives only a trace of gold present. The dirt walling of the vein, when panned, gave a very fair showing of gold. One hundred yards to the northwest, a smaller vein, similar ill. character, has also been cut. THE MAMMOTH MINE The property, known as the Mammoth Mine, lies three miles. northeast of Gainesville, close to the Southern Railway. It is said to belong to William Willim. Several years ago, considerable prospecting was carried on, here ; but with what results I am not. informed. There appears one main shaft, which was closed at thetime of my visit. I examined the ore from the dump of this vein. and found it to be similar, in character, to that at the Currahee: Mine, a description of which follows, below HALL COUNTY 'I'HE CURRAHEE MINE The Currahee Mine is located along the Southern Railway, about six miles northeast of Gainesville. It is owned by Josephus Roberts .of Philadelphia. Up to a few months ago, J. S. Hamilton, of Athens, was preparing to operate the ore of this property, by a roasting process ; financial difficulties and expiration of lease neces.sitated his abandoning the property. During his presence here, however, an admirable twenty-stamp mill was erected ; also a furnace for roasting the ore. The ore of this mine comes from two veins, both of which have about the same thickness, strike and dip. One lies on the east side -of the railroad; the other, on the west. The ore-body on the west side has been cut into, by tunnels and open cuts, for a length of several hundred yards. In the open cut near the mill, it shows a -thickness of five and one-half feet, striking N. 65 E., with a dip 8 5 to the southeast. The vein on the east side of the railroad has been less prospected. Upon it, in a sharp ravine, due east from the mill, is one cut. This exposure shows a three and one-half foot vein, with practically the same strike and dip, as the western vein. Specimens from the two ore-bodies are indistinguishable. The veins consist of hard milky-white quartz, containing a large proportion of the sulphides, pyrite and galena. As an auriferous body, jt is of low grade. The ore-bodies, however, are both so extensive and easy of access ; and the concentration of the sulphides, per ton, would be so large, that it is very probable, that this property can be operated, at a satisfactory margin. CHAPTER VI II GWINNETT COUNTY BY FRANCIS P. KING, AssiSTA!\T GEOLOGIST The knowledge of the existence of gold in this county has been apparent, for some time; yet, in the past year, more interest has been centered here, owing to the application of the Piedmont property owners to its development. Prior to the late war between the States, work was confined to the two adjoining properties, the Simmons and the Shelly, and to the Harris, where the work was carried on lustily and successfully by the employment of slaves. It is only in the past few years, that outside prospectors have turned their attention to this county, and their efforts seem, thus far, to have been haphazard and spasmodic, rather than well directed and continuous. The auriferous belt, as now known in this county, lies along the line of the Southern Railway, between the towns of Suwanee and Buford, the major portion lying west of the railroad. A description of properties in this county follows. THE PIEDMONT PROPERTY The Piedmont Mine is located on lot 304, 7tlz district, and lies about two miles northeast of Buford. It is controlled by a stock ( 142) GWINNETT COUNTY I43 company, known as the Buford Gold Mining Co., and the work is carried on, under the personal supervision of Mr. F. ]. Rothpletz, a mining engineer. This is the only property, now being operated in Gwinnett county. The plant, although small, is well-equipped for the present development of the property, and consists of - A mill-house, with all attachments ------------------ 25x30 ft. An engine-house, with engine ---------------------- I3XI8 ft. A stable and carriage-house ________________________ I6x24 ft. A concentrator roof attached to mill ______ __ __ ___ ___ I 2x I 6 ft. A blacksmith-shop, with blacksmith and carpenter tools, I 4x I 6 ft. A small dwelling-house _____________________________ r6x20 ft. The old work on this property is on the same vein, that is now being worked, and consists of one main tunnel, cutting the vein, I 8 5 feet (still in splendid condition for examination); one cross tunnel, I oo feet ; one culvert I 50 feet, and seven shafts. The working shaft is well timbered, lined and partitioned. At the time of the writer's examination of the property, during the summer of I 89 5, they were clearing out the stapes, and had reached a depth of sixty feet. Their purpose, at this time, according to contract, was to extend the shaft to an eighty-foot level, before they' began to mill and concentrate the ore. The Piedmont vein is plainly what is known among mining men, as a true fissure-vein, cutting the laminated country-rock, at a wide angle. It strikes about due east, the strike of the country-rock being about N. 50 E. The ore-body will average, from eighteen inches to two feet in width, and consists of compact milk-white quartz, containing varying proportions of pyrite, galena and free gold, the latter frequently apparent to the unaided eye. Immediately adjoining the vein proper, or in its "binding," are small quartz 144 GWINNETT COUNTY stringers, which will undoubtedly pay to work, with the main orebody. This ore-body has been traced, already, several hundred yards, by test-pits ; and surface indications may be found along its lead, for some distance. Assays of the ore, made for the company, from both picked and average samples, have been, thus far, most captivating. Crawford mill-tests have been made, showing a mill-saving of over seventy per cent. of its assay value. The lowest assay made was $5 per ton, while other assays have reached $3 I per ton. These tests have invariably shown a tendency toward increase in value, with depth. An assay, made in the laboratory of the Survey, from the sample selected by the writer, did not yield such high results, a value of only $I .oo per ton being obtained. THE SHELLY PROPERTY The Shelly property lies about four miles west of Buford, and consists of lot 290, 7tlz district. Several veins have been cut on this lot, and long lines of open cuts, now more or less fallen in, may be found along the leads on this property. The ore-bodies were worked, years ago, by slaves ; and the reports of the profits have become so warped, by passing from mouth to ear, that we can only consider them legendary. Nevertheless, the assays of the ore, made by different people, from material taken from various points along these veins, seldom fall below $6.oo per ton ; and picked ore runs exceedingly high. Ore for assay was taken by me from the largest vein, and the result of the assay, in the Survey laboratory, is as follows: - GWINNETT COUNTY 145 Ore sample taken from the large vein on the Shelly property ----------LI75 oz. ($23.50) per ton The veins strike almost due east and west, and have an average dip of 65 to the south. They are made up of a compact quartz body, containing a large percentage of sulphides, which, in the surface material, has become partially, and often completely, oxidized. The greatest thickness of the vein exposed was four feet ; the average width, about two. There seems to be little doubt, but that this property can be operated most advantageously. A large amount of ore is already in sight, and the character of the veins would warrant the supposition, that tbe supply is fairly inexhaustible. During slavery times, these ore-bodies were worked with arrastres, a rude apparatus, used in Mexico and certain places in this country, for grinding ore. Since the war, scarcely any work has been done, on any of the veins. For the past year, Captain James Thompson' of Buford has. been interested in the property ; and, through his efforts, we may look to its early development. THE SIMMONS PROPERTY The Simmons property, formerly known as "The Percy Gold Mine," is now owned by Mr. Roby Robinson of Atlanta. It joins the Shelly, on the east, and consists of lot 290, 7th district. The Simmons property was operated, during the same period as 1 Since this report was submitted by Mr. King to the State Geologist, the latter has been informed by Mr. F.]. Rothpletz, that Capt..Thompson has become the owner of this property, and that work would begin soon, on the erection of a 2o-stamp mill, with concentrators and a chlorination plant. Oct., rll<)6. I 46 GW.INNETT COUNTY the Shelly. Unlike the Shelly, surface quartz fragments are not numerous. One vein, nevertheless, has heen exposed and operated. The ore is similar to that of the Shelly. The vein has the same strike and dip, as those of the Shelly. Such work, as has been done here, time has almost obliterated ; yet old piles of ore are still in evidence. From these it is judged, that the value of the ore is unusually high, and that what is said, in regard to the Shelly vein values, may be repeated here, except as to the amount of ore in sight. The ore, taken for assay, in the laboratory of this Survey, was obtained from a large dump near the main pit; and it may be taken as an average of the same. Sample of dump ore on the Simmons property __ ... $16-44 per ton THE MOORE AND BROGDEN PROPERTY Lots 309, JIO, JI8 and JI9, 7tlz district, have been prospected to some extent, in the past year. A few interesting veins have been exposed, by small test-pits. These were panned carefully, with most favorable results. The development, however, of any other vein, at the time of the survey, was too slight, ~to assist in .drawing satisfactory conclusions. GWINNETT COUNTY 147 THE WILL BROGDEN PROPERTY On lot 258, 7th district, a little over two miles southwest of Buford, is a large exposure of quartz, which has attracted some attention, on account of its unusual size. The outcropping is about 20 feet in diameter, .and large bowlders of the same are strewn over the neighboring surface. As is usual, with such large outcroppings, the quartz is practically barren of gold. Its occurrence, nevertheless, induced prospecting, and several trenches have been dug along probable lines of strike, but without resulting in anything further than the attendant expense. THE ROBERTS PROPERTY In the southwest corner of lot 253, 7th district, occurs a large outcropping of a quartz vein, rich in iron sulphide, more or less oxidized and disintegrated. The vein, at the exposure, swells out, to a width of ten feet. It has been thoroughly tested by prospectors and pronounced worthless. No attempt seems to have been made toward tapping the vein at other points. Nevertheless its appearance is such, as to warrant such prospecting, as a fair test demands. The property belongs to Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Roberts, who live close by, about a mile and a half northeast of Suwanee. The adjoining lots, 254 and 255, were prospected by Mr. N. P. Pratt, of Atlanta, during the spring and summer of r895, for iron. q8 GWINNETT COUNTY THE HARRIS PROPERTY The Harris property lies about one mile northeast from Suwanee, on lot 275, 7th district. This property is interesting, from the fact of the occurrence, here, of two veins cutting the schist, at an angle of about 2 5, and dipping toward each other. The ore is of the same character, as at the Shelly and the Simmons properties, that is, rich in limonite and partly altered pyrite. The presence of siderite (iron carbonate) is also noted, here. The veins lie about one hundred yards apart, and strike N. 75 E., dipping, the one at the north, about 6 5 to the southeast, and the southern vein, about 55 to the northwest. These, as has been stated, are not conformable to the schist; but they cut it, at a well defined angle. Their true fissure character is likewise well shown,by the crumbling of the schist wall. Very little has been done, in the way'of development. On the northern vein, a single shaft about twenty-five feet deep, occurs. A cut, with numerous pits, is to be found on the southern vein. Th"e southern vein was worked, many years ago, with slave labor, using an arrastre, for milling the ore. The result of this labor is not known; it can be judged only by the amount of work, which has been done, here. Ore for assay was taken from the southern vein; but the Survey Chemist reports only a trace of gold present. This property is controlled by J. F. Baxter, Esq. of Suwanee, Ga. CHAPTER IX FORSYTH COUNTY Bv FRANCIS P. KING, AssiSTANT GEoLoGIST Two gold-belts pass through Forsyth county; the DAHLONEGA GoLD-BELT, which passes through the northwest corner, and the HALL CouNTY GoLD-BELT, running through the entire county, on the east side. Besides these two belts, we find an isolated area in the center of the county, the Sawnee Mountain gold area. Authentic records, of gold-mining in this county, date back to some time, prior to the opening up of the California gold-fields. Nrore or less stream-washing and vein-prospecting has been going on, ever since. Although there are no records, of a specially startling find, in Forsyth, yet a small proportion of the population have yearly eked out, from this industry the larger part of their living. The work of such laborers has been confined largely to streamwashing, although a few veins have been partially worked to waterlevel. No property in this county has been more than prospected, and this has generally been done, by the owners, who have not sufficient means to supply a proper plant for the development of worthy discoveries. Several such properties may be especially mentioned; as, for instance, the Strickland, the crude working of which enriched the old members of the family; also the Charles and the Little properties, both of which are well opened up. The latter property is in the eastern gold-belt; the two former, in the western. ( 149) ISO FORSYTH COUNTY THE CHARLES PROPERTY This property lies near the junction of Dawson, Forsyth and Cherokee counties. It belongs to Dr. Frederick Charles. Lot 77, 3rd district, Ist section, is the land, upon which all the prospecting has thus far been carried on. This development shows two stringer leads, each averaging several feet in width, striking N. 60 E., and dipping 70 to the southeast. These veins are separated from each other, by a space of about twenty feet. They differ from each other, only in the extent of oxidation of the iron sulphide. The vein to the north is rich in iron sulphide. This is comparatively fresh, while the sulphides of the vein to the south have undergone considerable decomposition. Pits, varying in depth, have been dug at irregular intervals along the leads of both these veins, for several hundred yards. Although, at the time of the Survey examination, these pits were useless for observation, yet it is said that the veins throughout the length tested, maintained the average width already given. Above the ten-stamp mill, located on this property, a large cut enabled a very good examination of both these veins. This property, lying, as it does, in the neighborhood of the Franklin mine,' and the ore-bodies resembling each other so closely, much interest will be attached to its development. Attempts to free-mill the ore have necessarily proved futile, the gold being bound up in the sulphide. Enterprise, tending toward a more definite knowledge of the economic value of these ore-bodies, has probably been hampered by the management. 1 Now the Creighton Mine. FORSYTH COUNTY Dr. Becker, 1 of the United States Geological Survey, who examined this property reports the occurrence, here, of numerous. slickensides, with their surfaces stained black with manganese ; and he concludes, from observations of similar occurrences on various properties, that these are not due to faulting, but to the changes of the rock in volume attending decomposition. These observations are of interest, in as far as, if the reverse were true, we should expect to find, in the working of these ore-bodies, troublesome displacements. THE STRICKLAND PROPERTY The Strickland mines, occupying lots 67 and 68, Jrd district, Jrd section, must be judged by past glory, on account of the present condition of the old works. It is well known, that the Strickland family were enriched, by the gold, taken from this property. Nevertheless, no mining work, of any duration, has been conducted here, for years. The ore, worked by the Stricklands, came from stringer leads, and only free-milling ore was handled. It is most probable, that the occurrence of sulphides caused the abandonment of the mines. The character of the ore-bodies is, very likely, similar to that of the Cherokee properties, near by. 1 Reconnaissance of the Gold Fields of the Southern Appalachians, by George F. Becker-Sixteenth Annual Report, U.S. Geol. Sur., Part II, Mineral Resources. FORSYTH COUNTY THE PARKS AND FOWLER PROPERTY The Parks and Fowler property lies about mne miles west of Cumming, and consists of lots 933, 934, 935, 936 and 937, in the 3rd district, Ist section, Forsyth county, and lots 973 and 974, 3rd distn"ct, 2nd section, Cherokee county. On May 7th, 1867, a New York company purchased this property, at a price of $1 ,ooo,ooo. All these lots, with the exception of the house-lot, 937, were prospected. For years, no work of a mining nature has been done upon them; and the old tunnels and pits were so completely filled in, at the time of the writer's visit, that it was impossible to determine the character of the veins opened. The abandonment of the property by the New York people tends. to discredit its value as a mineral property. Nevertheless, local reports and traditions of the revenue, obtained by the early owners, working it with slave labor, are very alluring. Dr. John Hockenhull, of Cumming, Ga., is agent, and owner of one-third interest in this property. THE SAWNEE MOUNTAIN PROPERTY SAWNEE MouNTAIN, lying in the heart of Forsyth county, towers, in solitary grandeur, 900 feet above the surrounding country, otherwise practically unbroken. Its central summit rises I,967 feet above the sea-level; and spurs, from this, trend from northeast to southwest, making a total length of about six miles. Generation follow- FORSYTH COUNTY 153 :oing generation have panned, and in other ways prospected, this mass, for gold. The metal, however, has been found, only upon the southeastern slope. The objective point, for the past few years, has been on the -southeastern side of Sawnee mountain, proper. Here, several cuts .and tunnels have been run, in an endeavor to discover the source of the stream-gold. These efforts have, thus far, been futile. During the year 1895, Messrs. Hampton & Herman, of Atlanta, .obtained control of lots 820, 836, 837, 89I, 892, 893, 909, 9IO, 9I I, 9I2, 9I3, 9I4, 960, 963 and 983, 3rd district, Ist section; and they have been working the hill-deposits, with very satisfactory results. Their operations, up to the time of examination by me, were in the nature of prospecting. With fifteen men (three working at night) and a tiny stream of water for sluice-box washing, they were able to overcome twelve feet of "topping," and work five or six feet of gravel per day, averaging twenty-five dwts. of gold. When we consider the difficulties, under which they labored, and the small area, which could be workoo, in this way, during a day - all being done by hired manual labor - this result is especially conducive to expenditure, looking toward an easier method of removing the deep "topping," and washing the gravel. While Messrs. Hampton & Herman were perfecting an organization, to operate this property, and were preparing to arrange a reservoir system for hydraulicking, the deed-titles, under which they held this property, were questioned ; and they were forced to suspend further work, pending court decision. The results of their labor, however, tend to show, as conclusively, as is possible, on mineral properties of this character, that Sawnee mountain can be worked with profit. Geologically considered, the mountain is made up of schists and _gneisses, striking northeast, and dipping sharply to the southeast. I 54 FORSYTH COUNTY Interbedded with these, are thick beds of quartzite, bowlders of which overlie the surface, in such abundance, that the mountain is locally considered to be formed entirely of the same. This latter idea, however, may be shown to be erroneous, by even a casual examination of the prospectors' cuts. One of these, a cut of two hundred feet or. more in length, shows a complete walling of schists, with the exception of several quartzite beds, one of which attains the width of twenty feet. Furthermore, a consideration of the laws of natural erosion, on different rocks here displayed, will satisfactorily explain the presence of the quartzite bowlders. THE COLLINS PROPERTY The Collins property consists of lot 450, Ist district, Ist section, and belongs to Mr. Collins, a merchant in Sheltonville, Ga. Two veins were located on this property, about twenty-four years ago, by Jack Rogers. These ore-bodies vary in thickness, from one to three feet. On one, three shafts, varying from ten to seventy feet, have been sunk ; on the other, only a small pit. The refractory nature of the ore caused its abandonment by Rogers. Others have worked here, and have been balked, for the same reason. When a plant, for working ores of a similar character, is established in this vicinity, this property should be taken into account. FORSYTH COUNTY 155 THE AD. CAMPBELL PROPERTY Lot 427, Ist district, ISt section, is known as "The Ad. Campbell Mine," from the name of its original prospector. Vein-mining received first attention, in this part of the country, on this property. Campbell, early in the forties, with the assistance of slaves, sunk a shaft one hundred feet deep, and ran out tunnels, in both directions, on a vein. The ore, brought to the surface, was put through an ingenious stamp-mill, constructed on the spot. No well directed effort has been made to operate this property, since, although old settlers affirm, that Campbell's operations were conducted with success. The old works are necessarily in too ruined a condition, to gain any direct information, as to the nature and character of the ore-body worked ; neither does the surface reveal anything. THE SETTLES PROPERTY Lot 934, 2nd distn'ct, Ist section, is known as the Settles Property. The same Rogers, who worked on the Collins property, also operated here. Several shafts, on a large sulphide vein, marked the extent of his operations. Finding the ore would not free-mill, he quit. This property, as in the case of those already mentioned, in this district, should receive the attention of any one, proposing to operate such ores, in this vicinity. FORSYTH COUNTY THE LITTLE PROPERTY The property referred to, under this head, consists of lot 420, Ist district, Ist section. It is owned by two brothers, Dr. E. D. Little and Mr. G. W. Little, of Sheltonville, Ga. Dr. Little has had this lot thorough,ly prospected; and, at this time, it is in better shape for examination, by interested parties, than any other property, in this section of the county. This prospecting shows the lot to be cut by five veins, all of which are conformable to the mica-schists, which make up the country-rock, except one which cuts the same at a large angle. One of the four conformable ore-bodies, the one furthest to the east, has shown free-milling ore to the depth of the shafts, two of which have been sunk, in close proximity to each other, thirty-seven feet. The vein consists of a decomposed sulphide-quartz, sixteen inches in thickness. On either side of the quartz, several inches of the schist " binding" is of such richness, as to necessitate its inclusion as part of the ore-body. Three tons of ore, taken from these shafts, were milled by F. L. Rempess, a western prospector, on an ingeniously arranged single wooden stamp-mill, located under Dr. Little's grist-mill, and run by the mill-wheel. From these three tons, he obtained, on milling, fifty-six dwts. of gold, from the amalgamation plates. The ore, milled, consisted of the better quartz ore of the vein and all the schist "binding." This test of the ore-body, nevertheless, was of such a thorough character, that the result was satisfactory and highly flattering. The other conformable vein, being found to contain entirely refractory ore, received little attention. The vein, which cuts the FORSY7H COUNTY I 57 schists at a wide angle, is several feet in width; but, where exposed, it has not been found sufficiently gold-bearing, to induce much development. Besides these veins, this property contains the gold deposits of a small branch, running through the north side. Six acres have been worked; and, to-day, native lessees average a dollar a day, per hand, in working its deposits. Frequently, the favorite localities are re-worked. CHAPTER X DAWSON COUNTY BY FRANCIS P. KING, AssisTANT GEoLOGIST The Dahlonega Gold Belt passes through Dawson; its western limit is a little over one mile east of Dawsonville, the county-seat. The extent of its auriferous deposits forms a belt, about two miles wide. During the operation of the Kin Mori mines, the mining interests were most lively; but, in r888, when the Kin Mori closed, the development of all the gold properties ceased throughout the county. Interesting and important deposits, nevertheless, have been discovered along the belt in Dawson; and awakening along the line will eventually take place. A description of those properties, on which some development may be s~en, follows. THE MORSE PROPERTY On the west bank of the Etowah river, where the river forms the boundary line between Lumpkin and Dawson counties, Messrs. Urquhart and Elberts did some hydraulicking, the results of which, though unprofitable to the operators, may be interesting to such (I 58) DAWSON COUNTY I 59 parties, as are looking into the development of similar property. By means of test-pits, these gentlemen traced back the old riverbed, and where the gravel was most promising, with one hydraulic giant - water pressure being obtained from a reservoir, filled by a steam-pump at the river - they stripped several acres of surface, in a few weeks. The gold, panned in the test-pits and saved from the sluiceboxes, was extremely fine. With their best efforts, they found, they were obtaining only a small amount of the test-pit promises; hence they ceased further operations. This work was conducted, during the spring months of I 89 5. THE PALMOUR PROPERTY That part of the Palmour property, about to be described, lies about seven miles, by road, to the northeast of Dawsonville, and consists of lot J6I, north half of the I]tlz, distn'ct, Ist section. For some years, the presence of gold here has been known; and members of the Palmour family have worked on this lot, spasmodically, since it came into their possession. There are few places in Dawson county, that have attracted more attention, locally. The geological formation, shown by stream-cutting, shafts and excavations, consists of schists, striking N. 35 E., and dipping sharply to the southeast. Proctor's creek, which runs through this property, has been successfully washed for gold. The most interesting occurrence, however, and that, which has attracted wide-spread attention, are the quartz stringers, cut at several points along the strike, but only worked at one point. The present appearance of 160 DAWSON COUNTY the excavation, in which the main portion of the energy, directed toward the development of this property, has been concentrated, shows a cut, about two hundred feet long and forty feet wide. In the cut, and well separated from each other, are a series of quartz stringers, averaging from one to six inches in width. On the right side of the cut, one of these stringers has been discovered to be exceedingly rich in gold. This lies close to the right-hand wall, and has varied from a thin ribbon to a vein, one foot in width. It is this vein, which has furnished the major portion of the gold. found by all workers here; and it is this vein, for which the excavation was made. The vein is quite typical m appearance, and may be readily distinguished from the others, as far as it has been operated. It is made up of a dark, finely granular quartz, arranged in thin parallel bands, of about one-quarter inch, in thickness. This laminated structure of the vein material causes it, when picked out by the miners. to break into rectangular pieces ; and, on this account, it is referred to, as "The Palmour Brickbat Vein." Portions of the vein run extremely high in free gold, the gold occurring, not only in the quartz matrix, as I found, by powdering and panning a considerable quantity, but especially along the lines of lamination. In the work conducted under the Survey management, a large number of pieces were split open, and almost invariably flaky particles of gold were apparent to the naked eye. Several pieces have been found incrusted with such flakes. The rotten schist walling was also panned freely; and, from each small panful of earth, the color obtained was surprising-. This vein certainly should be investigated further. The topography is such, however, that artificial drainage will be required to sink further on the vein. Up to a short time ago, the Palmour boys DAWSON COUNTY 161 worked the vein, when they wished ready money. Lately, they have worked the vein to water-level, and hence further operations are blocked, on account of their crude means of operating; their revenue from this source has, therefore, ceased, for the present. Mr. W. W. Habersham, of Gainesville, Ga., who held an optio? Dn this property, at the time of the Survey inspection, had some beautiful specimens from this vein, showing free gold. Also, there is in the possession of the family, a block from this vein, about the size of a man's hand, which being split open, shows the inner sides of the two halves of the specimen perfectly incrusted with minute scales of gold. THE SHELTON PROPERTY That part of J. F. Shelton's Property, to which the attention of the Survey was particularly called, lies on lot 24I, north half of the IJth district, rst section, about four and a half miles northeast of Dawsonville. Southwest of his house, on the nC't:theast side of a long ridge, in the small ravine of a spring branch, Mr. Shelton has partially opened up an auriferous vein, previously exposed by the channeling of the branch. This vein consists of a finely granular, laminated quartz, containing a very large percentage of unoxidized pyrite. It is five feet in width, and the gold-bearing pyrite is regularly disseminated throughout the quartz matrix. Because of its accessibility, assay material was taken at this point. The Survey chemist reports on this sample as follows : - "Shelton Cut, on Sulphide Vein ____________ $1.00 per ton" DAWSON COUNTY Since this is not a free-milling ore, and consequently a special plant will be necessary to operate it, the vein should be carefully tested, at various points, to insure a safe investment. Such a procedure will be practically easy, on account of the ready surface following of the vein, although attended with some expense. This should be undertaken, by all means, in order to give this ore-body a fair test. Sulphide veins, having the inviting characteristics of this, are of too infrequent occurrence in the Georgia gold-fields, to be overlooked. Below the branch, from which the assay sample was taken, a larger branch cuts this vein. At this exp03ure, the vein is a little wider, and the pyrite reaches out, some distance into the enclo3ing schist. From here on, the vein may be traced to the Church lot opening, and beyond; also, to the northeast, from Mr. Shelton's last cut. It will probably average four feet in thickness, and descend to an indefinite depth. Concentration of the ore will give, at least, one ton of crude concentrates to twenty-five tons of ore. The strike of the vein is N. 55 E., dipping about 65 to the southeast. THE CHURCH LOT This lot is situated about four miles northeast of Dawsonville, in the north half of the I3th district, Ist section. An outcropping of a pyritiferous quartz vein has been cut, for a few feet, near the spring, back of the church. This is apparently a continuation of the Shelton vein, as it may be traced, from property to property, fairly well, through the intervening lots and beyond, either way, for some dis- DAWSON COUNTY tance. Furthermore, specimens of ore from this lot are indistinguishable from those, taken at the cut on the Shelton property. Careful examination of this vein and its environments reveals no features, differing from those on lot 24T. The vein is fully five feet in width, and dips about 65 to the southeast, conforming likewise, in strike, to the country-rock. THE ELLSWORTH PROPERTY The so-called Ellsworth mine is situated two miles east of Dawsonville, occupying lot 54, 4th district, I st section. Lot 54 is one of the "fraction lots" of this county. This property was purchased and operated, for a brief period, a few years ago, by "The Ellsworth Mining Company," an organization composed of persons from Ellsworth, Maine. Since the ces- sation of its operation by them, Dr. A. J. Robinson, of Dawsonville, has acted as their agent. Some time prior to the ownership of this property by the Ells- worth people, a concentrated belt of quartz stringers had been cut by native miners. Finding this combination of quartz and dirt to pan well, they immediately set to work, with pick and shovel, using a "long-tom," for washing the ore and concentrating the free gold. For the depth, to which they worked this belt, together with the character of the material, their crude working tools are said to I have answered their purpose admirably, in that the work paid them. well. When the Ellsworth Company arrived on the field, their first undertaking was the construction of a five-stamp mill, driven by an 164 DAWSON COUNTY over-shot water-wheel. Immediately after the completion of the mill, an inclined shaft was run down on the belt, and the milling of ore was begun. Unfortunately, the ore soon ceased to pay, and the Ellsworth people retired. The material, worked, consisted of an ore-belt, about two feet in width, containing a number of thin quartz stringers. Such a close aggregate, of these narrow veins of quartz, is so frequently found to be productive in the Georgia gold-field, that they are sought after most eagerly, by prospectors. The native miners made a superficial working of this, pay, even with their rude equipments ; and assays made through the Ellsworth Company were sufficiently tempting, for the expense of mill-construction. It is quite possible, therefore, although verification, at the time of the survey, was out of the question, on account of water filling the shaft, that the Ellsworth people were blocked, by attempting to mill the unoxidized sulphides, depending alone, for their returns, on the gold, caught on the copper plates. This belt of stringers, at the point worked, slopes under a small hill, and dips to the southeast, at an angle of about 2 5. It conforms with the strike, N. 35 E., of the mica-schists, which make up the country-rock. THE KIN MORI MINES In 188 r, Charles W. Short, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and associates purchased between 700 and 8oo acres of land, about four miles .south of Dawsonville, and organized the Kin Mori Gold Mining Company. The officers of this company were Charles W. Short, DAWSON COUNTY President and Treasurer, Charles L. Mitchell, Secretary, and Messrs. Anderson & Hobbs, of Cincinnati, Engineers. The Kin Mori property, besides some adjacent land, included lots 86I, 862, 908, 909, 9IO, 9II, 926, 927, 928, 929, 976, 977, 978 and 979 These are all forty acre lots, and lie in the 4th district, Ist sectwn. The first work undertaken, looking towards the operation of this mineral property, was the construction of a ditch, for conveying water from Nimble Will creek, in Lumpkin county, to the mine. This ditch, known as the "Nimble Will Ditch," was constructed, and water reached the property, in the early part of 188 3 The ditch was thirty-three miles long; and, when completed, it had cost $40,000. It was designed for a capacity of I ,ooo miner's inches (Georgia standard) of water, equal to a volume of twentyfive cubic feet per second. On an average, during the year, the creek furnished about 6oo miner's inches. Having obtained water, hydraulic mining was started immediately. The first objective point was Bean branch. This was worked fifty feet on either side, by means of a No. I 5 hydraulic giant, with a water-pressure of I 75 feet. From Bean branch, they transferred their operations to the placer on the Etowah river bottoms, just above Hugh's Shoals, from which, tradition says, Indians formerly took considerable quantities of gold. This was the most difficult task to which they set themselves, both fall and dumping ground being absent. To surmount the natural difficulties, they resorted to a hydraulic gravel-elevator. This was operated under a waterhead of 300 feet ; and it carried, to a height of forty feet, all the water discharged from a No. 8 hydraulic giant, under equal pressure, together with all the clay, sand and gravel moved. The Hugh's Shoal placer was mined, in the latter part of I 88 3, continuously, for about one year. 166 DAWSON COUNTY During the winter of I 884 and I 88 5, a thirty-stamp mill, driven by a turbine wheel, was erected on Harris branch. Following the erection of this mill, hydraulic ore mining was instituted, and the property was thus operated, up to the cessation of work, by this company. By means of hydraulic giants, they cut down, as far as possible, the so-called Quarles belt, which consists of innumerable small quartz stringers and lenses in schists. The water from the giants carried the displaced material, through a long line of sluiceboxes, to the mill, situated some distance below the workings. In the mill, the coarse and harder portions were retained in a bin, and were fed to the batteries by hand, the mud and silt being carried through into Harris branch. In this way, a large percentage of the gold obtained was taken from the riffle sluice-boxes. The Quarles belt was thus mined, until the early part of I887. During the period of operation on this section, some 300,000 cubic yards of earth was removed. The estimated expense of cutting down the ore-body was a fraction of one cent per cubic yard, and of milling the ore, about 50 cents per ton. Operations of a proportionate nature were continued, until early in the year I888, when they were postponed indefinitely. In I883, Mr. D. Lee Wardroper was appointed superintendent, and remained in that position, until the mine closed. The work of the Ohio people points to but one conclusion, viz., that the veins and saprolite of this body of land, worked by them, is not profitable, as free-milling material. Whether or not the concentrates of the ore contain much gold is not known, since no attempts were made to save them. It is very probable, however, that a large percentage of the gold was carried away in the tailings. Workers of similar material have found such to be the case. A mill will, in the case of some saprolites, save only about one-fourth of DAWSON COUNTY 167 .. - - - -- -,~., - - -- - -- -- -~~~---~=~-- ~~t - -,r;~-- ~\~"'"''='- - ~;--- ------ - --- ---- __..f!..J.L ---- _______ _ --~- ------- ... ~, 1~___ /llV___ _ ---------- its assay value. It has been found, that much of the gold is so rusty, that the friction in the batteries is not sufficient to remove the rust, and the amalgamation plates cannot catch such gold. This rust must be removed by friction in amalgamation pans, or by some chemical means. There is one vem on the ~ property, which, notwithstand- 8~ ing the misfortunes of the Kin i Mori Company, will preserve .::: :@ this area from complete condemnation. This is known as "The Big Sulphuret Vein." It has been prospected by Messrs. Hall Brothers, Mining Engineers of Atlanta, from a point, a short distance northwest of the stamp-mill, to the banks of the Etowah river, a total distance of over twelve hundred yards. Surface shafts have been made, at various points along the vein, and one tunnel, not far from the mill, has been run into the vein. The same gentlemen have also made a survey of the vein, the results of which have been kindly loaned I68 DAWSON COUNTY to the writer, and appear in figure I I. The profile of the vem shows the elevations and the locations of the tunnel and pits, and the width of the vein, at the various cuts. The average thickness of this vein is about six feet. It strikes N. 60 E., and dips sharply to the southeast. All the cuts show a compact quartz vein, containing more or less pyrite. In the cut at Harris branch, the pyrite is extensive and unoxidized. At tunnel "No. 7," the character of the ore-body is somewhat changed ; the previous solid body here spreads out into stringers, with intervening schists, but still strongly sulphide in character. Panning from the ore-body, at this tunnel, failed to give a trace of gold ; yet the sample taken by me, from the vein, at this point, yielded high assay results. The sample, assayed, represents an average ore, from the full thickness of the vein ; and the marked difference, between this and the Crandall assay, must be accounted for, by the presence of minute particles of free gold. Mr. W. R. Crandall, M. E., of Dahlonega, Ga., assayed the Hall samples from these cuts, with the following results : - Cut~_ ___________________________ $ 4-I3 per ton " 2 _____ ---- --------- ------ 1.07 " " " 3- ----- -- ____..______ .. __ ---- 1.03 " " " 6.------------------------- II.57 " " " 7- - ----- - --- - --- -- -- - - ---- -- I. 2 4 " " THE SURVEY'S ASSAY Cut 7------ ------------- -------$23.40 per ton Cut 1, being across the river, and my attention not having been called to it, was overlooked. Mr. B. M. Hall, however, informs me, that the vein, at this cut, is fully ten feet in thickness, and will concentrate one ton of crude sulphides to twenty-five tons of ore. The ore of this vein, although low grade, will probably pay a DAWSON COUNTY working margin. A reduction plant will be required. The expense of constructing a plant will be considerably decreased, on account of the presence, here, of a large stamp-mill, in good condition. Thies is said to roast and chlorinate raw concentrates for $3.50 per ton. If this ore will run $4.00, or even some less, in the ton, and will concentrate one to twenty-five, a calculation of the cost of mining, milling, roasting and chlorinating will show a fair profit to the operator. THE M' GUIRE PROPERTY The McGuire property adjoins the Kin Mori. It consists of lots 9I 2 and 925, 4t!t district, Ist section, and lies on the east side of the Kin Mori mill lot. This property is owned by Mr. J. F. Castle- berry, a Dawsonville merchant, who is also local agent for the Kin Mori. The McGuire property gained considerable fame, from a rich strike made there, several years ago. About fifteen thousand dwts. of gold were taken, in a short time, from a small vein near the center of the lot. The vein, worked, is a thin quartz stringer, striking N. 50 E., and dipping about 60 to the southeast. The ore was taken from a short surface cut, and was free-milling. As it ceased to pay, operations ceased, although the present condition of the excavation shows that only a few tons of ore were taken out. About seventy-five yards to the east of the McGuire vein, on the western side of the opposite ridge, is another prospect. This is called the Whippoorwill vein. It consists of an aggregation of quartz stringers, forming a vein five feet thick. This was panned 170 DAWSON COUNTY at various points, and, invariably, the concentrates showed "a good color." The strike and dip of the vein is similar to that of the McGuire vein. This property should receive attention. Indeed, when the veins of the Kin Mori are worked, which probably will be the case, in the near future, this property can be operated very cheaply, owing to its close proximity to the Kin Mori mill. THE LOOPER PROPERTY The Looper Property consists of mineral lots I,ooo, I,04I and I,o68, 4tlt distn"ct, Ist section. The little work, that has been done on this property, has been confined almost entirely to lot I,04I. This work consists of a regular series of surface cuts, only a few feet in depth, for about two hundred yards, along the lead of a small quartz vein. This vein, as shown by the best exposures, consists of a compact, stained quartz stringer, about twelve inches wide, with small quartz stringers on either side, widening out the whole ore-body to a width of two feet. Panning from the ore-body, at the various pits, where the vein was accessible, gave very favorable results. Not sufficient prospecting has been done, however, to warrant the Survey in taking assay material. Results from this ore-body, obtained by Beam & Calhoun, of Gainesville, Georgia, using their own chlorination process, gave from $I 2 to $20 per ton in gold; selected material ran as high as $6o. This property belongs to William H. Looper, of Barrelsville, Dawson County, Georgia. CHAPTER XI MILTON COUNTY BY FRANCIS P. KING, AssiSTANT GEOLOGIST A gold belt passes through this county, as is attested by the condition of the stream gravel deposits, and the reports, concerning the results of their washing; and some quartz veins have been tested by shallow pits, in the vicinity of Warsaw. One of these was especially noted, because of the presence of two deep shafts, said to have been sunk, some twenty years ago, which exposed the vein excellently. This is on the Brown place, one-fourth of a mile north of Warsaw. The vein is about three feet thick, with a perpendicular descent, and cuts the schist, at a well defined angle. Its ore contains some sulphides, but not in sufficient quantities, to warrant the expense of reducing. Quite a number of similar veins, but only shallowly exposed, are to be seen about Warsaw; but not one, to which any importance is attached. In fact, no auriferous deposit of any character has been discovered, in Milton County, of sufficient economic value to ex<:ite interest, since the washing of the gravel deposits of the streams. ( I7 I) CHAPTER XII FULTON COUNTY BY FRANCIS P. KING, AssiSTANT GEOLOGIST Gold is reported to occur, in some of the streams of Fulton county ; and the old mineral map of Georgia, published by the Agricultural Department, shows a gold-belt passing through Atlanta. Nevertheless, I have not been able to obtain any information, concerning the working of any gold deposits, except at one locality, which will be described later. It is very probable, that some of the streams, in the belt mapped, have been worked to a certain extent; and the presence of gold, in some of Fulton's streams, is certain ; but the present importance of this belt is very slight, economically. THE LITTLE & GOODWIN PROPERTY This property lies about ten miles north of Atlanta, on lot 38, I?th district. Two quartz veins have been expo~ed, each vertically inclined, and striking east and west. Both lie within a short distance of each other. The large vein is three feet thick, where exposed by a surface cut, and is practically barren. The smaller i:> (!72) FULTON COUNTY 173 not more than six inches thick, and has been sunk down upon, sixty feet, but with difficulty, on account of the quick-sand. The ore is said to be free-milling, and of sufficient value, to operate, if its quick-sand walling can be successfully controlled. From the character of the surface ore, I see no reason to question this assertion, as to its value. The former owner claims to have averaged $r per day, for several months, from gold extracted from the surface ore, using a hand mortar. The present owners of this property are Dr. E. D. Little, of Sheltonville, Ga., and Mr. Sterling Goodwin, of Cross Keys, Ga. CHAPTER XIII CHEROKEE COUNTY BY S. W. McCALLIE, AsSISTANT GEOLOGIST There is likely no county in the State, where legitimate gold mining has been carried on, so successfully, as in Cherokee. The early mining was confined, almost entirely, to placer-workings, which were both numerous and profitable. When these deposits became less remunerative, or parti~lly exhausted, attention was directed to the gold-bearing saprolites and auriferous ore-bodies. This class of mining, in places, was also remarkably successful. Instances are given, on good authority, where several hundred pennyweights of gold were taken from a decomposed vein, by a single miner, in a few hours. These veins were, in many cases, worked to the water-level, where the gold occurs in unaltered pyrite ; and there they were abandoned, on account of the owners of the mines not being able to erect suitable plants, for working refractory ores, or, because they were unwilling, to dispose of their property, at rates, that would justify others in working them. Such, in brief, has been the history of a number of prospects, that might, to-day, be paying satisfactory dividends, had they been judiciously worked, and economically managed. The Franklin, or Creighton, mine is a practical demonstration, of what may be accomplished, at several other places in the county, should the necessary amount of (I74) CHEROKEE COUNTY 175 money and experience be brought to bear, in developing its numer- ous gold prospects. A great deal of prospecting has been done, in this county, for gold ; but it has generally been of such a superficial character, as to give no adequate idea of the worth of the vein, prospected. Open cuts, shallow pits and shafts, made frequently by farmers and others, inexperienced in mining, are found on almost every lot, along the gold-bearing belt. Stamp-mills and other mining machinery, costing originally thousands of dollars, erected on property, before really anything was known, as to the character of the ore-bodies, are now seen, in advanced stages of dilapidation. Such prospecting as this, directed by persons, having little or no knowledge of mining, has usually given very unsatisfactory results, and caused gold property, generally, to be looked upon, however unjustly, as undesirable investment. THE CREIGHTON MINE' This mine, known, for many years, as one of the most successfully operated gold mines in the South, is located on the Etowah river, six miles east of Ball Ground, the nearest railroad station, and about fifteen miles northeast of Canton, the county-seat. Tradition has it, that the occurrence of the yellow metal, in this vicinity, was known to the Indians, and was worked by them, prior to the settlement of the county, by the whites. About the year r 840, a short time after the property, on which 1 Until recently, this was well known a' the Franklin Mine. CHEROKEE COUNTY the mine is located, had fallen, by lot, into the possession of the Franklin family, the mine began to be worked quite extensively, and produced, annually, for a number of years, under the management of Mrs. Franklin, a handsome dividend. The early workings, which were executed mainly by slave labor, were confined chiefly to surface-mining. The residual earth, in the vicinity of the orebodies, and also the veins, themselves, to the depth of twenty or thirty feet, to which depth the sulphides had decomposed, were found to be remarkably rich in free gold. Many of the old ex{;avations, now partially filled with earth, are to be seen along the Qutcroppings of the vein. One of these, conspicuous for its large size, located near the river, and within a short distance of the present working-shafts, is said to have yielded, alone, more than fifty thousand pennyweights of gold. The system of mining. adopted, during the early workings, consisted principally of sluice-washing and the use of rockers. A small stamp-mill, located on the site of the present mill, was also Qperated, at the same time, in working the vein material. By these means, the greater part of the gold, in the residual earth and the decomposed quartz veins, was saved; but no attempt was made, to secure the gold from the sulphides, which were usually thrown aside, on the dump, as worthless. For twenty years or more, during the lifetime of the Widow Franklin, the decomposed, auriferous material was worked, with marked success. After her death, the mine fell into the hands of her son, who continued mining operations, with little success, until the breaking out of the late war. Immediately after the war, 'vVatson, Hoskins and Moore successfully organized companies, and each operated the mine, for two or more years, with indifferent results. The great difficulty, encoun- CHEROKEE COUNTY tered by these companies, was the separation of the gold from the sulphides. As the greater part of the decomposed ore-bodies had now become exhausted, the value of the mine depended, almost entirely, on the economical working of the refractory ores, which, already, were known to exist, in great quantities. The difficulty was met and partially overcome, when the present company adopted the cyanide process of extraction. The final solution of the problem, however, was not attained, until the erection of the present chlorination-plant, which has enabled the company, to save almost the entire assay value of the ore. The Creighton Mining Company, who now operate the mine, are in possession of several lots, lying along the gold-bearing lead. Two auriferous veins, running almost parallel, and about one hundred and fifty feet apart, the existence of which, on the property, has long been known, are termed, one, the Franklin, and the other, the McDonald vein. The former has been prospected and worked, almost continuously, for fully three-quarters of a mile along its outcropping; while the latter, being much smaller, has been prospected, at only a few points. The Franklin Vein strikes N. 60 E., and dips to the southeast, at an angle of about 40. It is not a vein of continuous, uniform width ; but, on the contrary, it consists of a series of "chimneys," or ore-shoots, connected together, by quartz stringers. The shoots are from fifty to one hundred and twenty feet, in length, with an average width of three feet, and of unknown depth. They dip, in the direction of the strike of the vein, at an angle of about 45. The Creighton Mining Company has worked four of these oreshoots, to a depth, varying from two hundred to four hundred feet, by driving drifts, at one hundred-foot levels, stoping out the ore, from below. The portions of the vein, between the chimneys, are 178 CHEROKEE COUNTY left intact, as pillars, or supports, thus making frequent timbering unnecessary. A prospecting drift, at the time of our visit, was being made along the vein at the three hundred and fifty-foot level, with a view to locating other ore-bodies. It had already been extended, four hundred feet beyond the last ore-shoot, without accomplishing the desired result. Nevertheless, the outlook was sufficiently encouraging, to warrant further continuation of the work. At the depth of about two hundred feet from the surface, a large tunnel, one hundred and seventy feet in length, has been driven, from the Franklin to the McDonald vein. From this point, a drift, one hundred and fifty feet in length, was afterwards made, along the strike of the McDonald vein ; but, at no place, was it found to be of sufficient thickness and richness, to pay for working. Fig. 12 Vertical Section along the Strike of the Ore-bodies, Creighton Gold Mine, Cherokee County, Georgia. a. Ore-bodies. r, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Levels. 6. Proposed Level. A and B. Shafts. About half a mile southwest of the present works, and on- the CHEROKEE COUNTY 179 same vein, is a recent prospecting-shaft, known as" Shaft No. 3." At the time of our visit, it had been extended, to the depth of seventy feet, where a drift, thirty feet in length, had been extended along the vein, and several tons of sulphides had been taken out. The vein, at this point, varies from two to three feet in thickness, and carries ore, which is said to assay, from fifteen dollars to twenty dollars per ton. Near by, is a long open cut, following the slope of the vein, where large quantities of the ore, from the oxidized portion of the vein, were mined, many years ago. Still further to the southwest, say one-third of a mile, and on the opposite side of the creek, is "Shaft No. 4," also a recent prospect. The shaft strikes the vein, which is, here, three feet in thickness, at the depth of seventy-two feet from the surface. The ore, at that depth, consists of undecomposed sulphides in quartz, carrying from $20 to $30 of gold per ton. The oxidized portion of the vein, at this point, has also been worked, for several yards along its outcropping;. and it is said to have paid handsomely. It was learned, that it was the intention of the company, to begin mining operations at shafts 3 and 4, as soon as a tramway could be constructed to the mill. The general appearance of the ore and the structure of the veins, differ but little, from place to place. The vein material consists of a milk-white quartz and thin layers of mica- and hornblende-schist, all impregnated with auriferous pyrite. The veins correspond, in strike and dip, with the country-rock. The quartz, frequently, presents a banded appearance, due to the arrangement of the pyrite and quartz in layers. Fissures, from one to six inches wide, filled with calcite, are sometimes seen, to cut the gold-bearing veins, at almost ri~ht angles. Along the line of one of these fissures, occurs a displacement, or fault, of about fifteen inches. 180 CHEROA'EE COUNTY The country-rock consists of mica- and hornblende-schists. The former is more abundant, than the latter; and, frequently, it carries garnets, which are quite plentiful, in the grayish variety of schists from shaft 3 Interlaminated with the hornblende-schist are thin layers of light-colored mica-schist, that give a peculiar banded :Structure to the otherwise dark-colored rock. No granite veins or dikes were observed, in the immediate vicinity of the auriferous veins; but they occur in the schists, a short distance west of the river. The Creighton Mining Company has, now, in operation, at their mine, a very complete mining plant, which they have been perfecting for a number of years. It consists of a large stamp-mill, with ten concentrators, a chlorination plant, and all the necessary machinery, for mining and milling the ore. The mill is located on the right bank of the river, a quarter of a mile below the present working-shaft. A dam on the river, at this point,1 gives a seven and onehalf foot head of water, which, when concentrated into two large turbine wheels, generates sufficient power, to operate twenty-three .stamps, ten concentrating machines, an electric plant and a duplex Rand air-compressor. There are two stamp-mills, one, of twenty, and the other, of three stamps. The former is used, in crushing the ore, received directly from the mine, while the latter is employed, in working over the tailings, that accumulated, before the erection of the present plant. The stamps weigh 8 50 pounds each, and drop seven inches, at the rate of twenty-seven strokes per minute, crushing about thirty-five tons of ore, every twenty-four hours. The pulp, from the stamp, passes through a No. 7 slotted iron screen, over amalgamated plates, divided into four steps. About half of the 1 See Plate XI. CHEROKEE COUNTY 181 gold is collected on the plates, and the remainder is carried off, in the sulphides, to the concentrators, where the greater part of the quartz and other gangue material is removed, leaving concentrates, consisting of nearly So per cent. sulphides. From three to five tons of these concentrates, assaying from $20 to $30 per ton, are produced daily. The concentrates are carried, in a small car, from the mill to the chlorination-plant, near by, and are there roasted, in a double-hearth reverberatory furnace, for twenty-four hours. This reduces the sulphides to a fraction of I per cent., and leaves the gold, in such a condition, that it can be readily acted upon, chemically. There are two of these furnaces, each having a capacity of two tons, every twenty-four hours. From the furnace-room, the roasted concentrates are elevated to the third story of the building, and are there dumped into a small car, which conveys them to the chlorination-barrel. This consists of an oblong iron cask, lined inside with lead, and provided with a charging-door, which can be hermetically sealed. It is mounted on an axis, and revolves, slowly, while in use. The motion keeps its contents continually agitated, and greatly facilitates the chemical action, which would, otherwise, be very slow and incomplete. The barrel is charged, by placing into it one ton of the roasted concentrates, with a sufficient amount of water to render it semi-fluid. To this, is added about twelve pounds of calcium chloride (chloride of lime of commerce) and an equal amount of sulphuric acid. It is then sealed, and revolved on its axis, from four to six hours, when the gold is found, to have been acted upon, by the nascent chlorine gas, changing it into gold chloride. The pulpy material is now, removed from the barrel to specially prepared filters, where the gold chloride is leached out with water; and the solution is then transferred to storage-tanks. From these 182 CHEROKEE COUNTY tanks, the solution passes to the precipitating-tanks, where the gold is thrown down, by means of ferrous sulphate. The gold precipitate is finally collected, dried, mixed with soda and borax, melted in a crucible, and cast into ingots. The mine is equipped with machinery, for doing rapid and economical work. It is supplied with three engines. One, with a capacity of sixty horse-power, is used in removing the water from the mine, while the two lesser ones furnish power, for running the elevator, ore crusher and machine-shop. The drills are operated, by means of compressed air, supplied by the duplex Rand air-compressor, which is located at the mill. The air, thus used, performs the double office of doing work, and, at the same time, supplying fresh air to the mine. The ore, from the mine, is elevated, in small cars, to the surface, where it passes, through the ore-crusher, into bins beneath. Here, the tram-cars, carrying the ore to the mill, are loaded. The manipulation of the ore, after it leaves the mine, until it is received, at the chlorination-plant, is performed, almost entirely without manual labor. An office, assay laboratory, commissary, blacksmith-shop, stables, miner's cottages etc., all substantially constructed and well arranged, make up the remainder of the Creighton plant. At the time of our visit, eighty-five hands, working in two shifts, of twelve hours each, were employed. The wages, received, vary, from 75 cents to $2.50 per day, according to the class of labor. The entire cost of mining, milling and chlorination has been placed at $2.70 per ton. A selected sample of ore, taken by the writer, and subjected to assay, in the Survey laboratory, gave result, as follows:Ore sample, Creighton mine ____ 6.5 oz. ($130.00) of gold per ton CHEROKEE COUNTY THE COX PROPERTY This property, located about one and one-half miles west of the Creighton mine, was prospected for gold, some four years ago. The work consists of a short tunnel, a number of shallow test-pits, and open cuts. There are exposed in the tunnel, two veins, one, three feet, and the other, eighteen inches, in thickness. The vein material consists of light-colored quartz, frequently porous and iron-stained, interlaminated with thin layers of schist. In dip and strike, the vein corresponds with the mica-schist of the countryrock. Much float, or surface quartz, is found in the vicinity of the pits. This float is often honeycombed, and is said, to carry free gold. About three hundred yards below the tunnel, on a small stream, are to be seen remnants of a patented mill, used, in working a test of the ore. THE SANDOW MINE This mine is situated in thejrd district, on lot 74I. Gold was discovered, here, about r 840, in a quartz vein, on the side of a narrow, heavy wooded, steep ridge, which is washed on either side by two small creeks, known, locally, as Fowler's and Smithwick creeks. Mining operations were begun, almost immediately, and continued, for about three years. During this time, a great deal of ore was taken out, and milled in a small stamp-mill, erected near by. These CHEROKEE COUNTY early workings are reported, to have been profitable, and to have given satisfactory returns, as long as the surface-ores were used. Two gold-bearing veins occur, here. One only, however, was exposed to view. This vein, where accessible to examination, is about eighteen inches in thickness, and dips with the country-rock, mica-schists, at a high angle, to the southeast. It is made up of a reddish- and brownish-colored glassy quartz, frequently laminated, and containing small cavities and cracks, filled with a red dust, of iron oxide, which readily soils the hands. This product evidently results from the oxidation of pyrite, this mineral being still found, unaltered, in the more compact portion of the ore-body. The old works, now more or less filled with earth, consist of three tunnels, varying from one hundred to two hundred and fifty feet in length, besides a number of shafts and open cuts. Gold occurs in the gravel, along the creeks, on either side of the ridge ; but not in sufficient quantities, to make placer-mining profitable. THE S. R. SMITH PROPERTY On the S. R. Smith Property, lot 70I, Jrd district, adjoining the Sandow property, are to be seen, on a gradually sloping hillside, near a small stream, some old excavations. These were made, many years ago; and they are said, to have exposed a rich pocket of gold, which was, however, soon exhausted, and the work was finally abandoned. The material, from the dump, and the loose surface-rock, in the vicinity of the excavations, indicate, that gold occurs, here, in hornblende-schist. On the opposite side of the ridge, a recent pros- CHEROKEE COUNTY pecting-tunnel has been driven into the hill, exposing a white quartz vein in mica-schist. The residual earth, along the ridge, in places, and also the gravel in the stream, at its base, which has been worked, to a limited extent, carry more or less gold. THE RICHARDS PROPERTY This. property, which has been extensively prospected, lies on the opposite side of Fowler's creek, from the Sandow mine. The auriferous veins, found here, are probably a continuation of the veins, occurring on the adjoining lots. They conform, in strike and dip, with the schists, and carry more or less pyrite, even near the surface. But little reliable information could be secured, concerning the amount and value of the ore, mined. Nevertheless, the extent of the work would seem to warrant the conclusion, that the ore, at one time, was profitable; or, at any rate, that it gave very satisfactory evidence of future profitable returns. The tunnels, open cuts and shafts, most of which are, now, inaccessible, extend along the ridge, for many yards. At only one or two points. was the vein exposed to view; and, even there, it was found impracticable, to make a satisfactory examination of it, or to collect specimens of the ore, that could be relied upon, for giving anything like a fair average of the ore-body. Near the excavations, at the junction of Fowler's and Smithwick creeks, on this property, are to be seen the remains of old placermining, long since abandoned. There is exposed, here, also, in the bottom of the creek, a band of schist, two or three feet wide, im- 186 CHEROKEE COUNTY pregnated with pyrite, which has attracted some attention, and which is supposed, by some prospectors, without apparently very good reason, to be the source of the gold, found in the placer. THE LATHAM PROPERTY This property, lot 805, Jrd district, is situated on the Canton road, a short distance west of Orange Postoffice. Gold was discovered, here, in a quartz vein, about I 8 52, by Jack Latham, who mined and milled a few tons of the ore, from which he is said to have obtained So pennyweights of gold. Nothing further was done, towards developing the property, until about seventeen years ago, when Horn & Hoskins did some prospecting ; but their work was not sufficiently extensive, to give any definite idea, concerning the value of the gold-bearing vein. Ten years afterwards, Col. Moore, who was then operating the Franklin mine, had his attention directed to the property. Under his management, a shaft, fifty feet deep, was sunk on the vein ; and some high-grade ore is reported, to have been taken out; but, for some reason, the work was soon abandoned. During the summer of 1893, L. L. Thomason, of Chattanooga, took up the work, discontinued by Col. Moore. He continued mining operations, for a number of months, and, in the meantime, erected a small stamp-mill on the property, sunk new shafts, and took out and milled several tons of ore. At the time of our visit, the work had been discontinued, for months, and the deeper shafts were partially filled with water. Three gold-bearing veins occur here, all running parallel to, and CHEROKEE COUNTY within a few yards of, each other. Vein No. I, on which the greater part of the work has been done, is twenty-four inches wide, where exposed in an open cut. At the bottom of the deepest shafts, which extend only to the depth of fifty feet, it is said to attain a thickness of more than thirty inches. It consists of a somewhat laminated iron-stained quartz, dipping with the mica-schist, at a high angle, to the southeast. Veins Nos. 2 and 3 lie about from twenty to sixty feet respectively west of vein No. I. The former is eighteen inches in thickness, while the latter is only ten inches. Neither has been prospected, to any extent, and little is known of their importance. Samples of ore from this property were taken, by the writer, which, assayed in the Survey laboratory, yielded the following results:I. Ore sample, Vein No. L. _. __ .066 oz. ($1.32) of gold per ton 2. Ore sample, Vein No.2------ .18 oz. ($3.60) of gold per ton LOT 208, 3RD DISTRICT On the adjoining lot, No. 208, a shaft, fifteen feet deep, was sunk by Mr. Thomason, during August, 1893. There is exposed, here, an excellent-looking, cavernous, iron-stained quartz vein, two feet in thickness. Some ten tons of ore are said to have been taken from the excavation, and milled ; but, with what results, we were unable to ascertain. The nature of the vein, and the general appearance of the ore, there exposed, certainly warrant further expenditure of money, in development. 188 CHEROKEE COUNTY FRANK BURT'S PROPERTY This property, located, a short distance northeast of the Latham property, has, also, been prospected, to a limited extent, for gold. An old shaft, about thirty-five feet deep, is to be seen, here, near the top of a ridge, in which there is reported to be a gold-bearing quartz vein. As the excavation was inaccessible, no examination of the ore could be made. THE RUDICIL MINE The Rudicil Mine, consisting of both placer-working and veinprospecting, is situated on lot IO, 2nd district. The placer-mining, most of which was done, some fifty years ago, occurs along a small stream, flowing into Mill creek. The works are only about two hundred and fifty yards long by fifty, wide ; yet, within this small area, much gold is said to have been taken out. Nuggets, weighing as much as seventy pennyweights, are reported to have been found, here. At the upper end of the placer, five shafts, varying from ten to twenty feet in depth, have been sunk, with a view to locating the vein, which has supplied the auriferous gravel, below. It is claimed, that one of these excavations struck a vein of sulphides, from four to six feet wide, assaying about $3 per ton. The truthfulness of this statement, however, we were unable to verity, on account of the shafts being filled with water. Half a mile to the northeast of the Rudicil mine, on an adjoin- CHEROKEE COUNTY 189 ing lot, some recent prospecting has exposed a quartz vem, from oQne to four feet, in thickness. It carries more or less pyrite; and it is said to assay about $3 in gold per ton. T. N. WESTBROOK'S PROPERTY On lot 276, 2d distn'ct, owned by T. N. Westbrook, can be seen, along a small branch, near where it empties into Alaculsa creek, the remains of some old placer works, that were made, directly after the late war. The entire area, over which they extend, does not exceed three acres. It is said, that a miner could make, here, during the early working of the placer, from two to three pennyweights of gold per day, by means of a long-tom or a rocker. No gold-bearing vein has, yet, been discovered, in the immediate locality, however; though a number of test-pits have been dug. THE WORLEY MINE This mine is located on lots 459 and 460, I jtlz district. The early workings consisted of placer-mining, which, though limited in area, and soon exhausted, we learn was very profitable. About ten years ago, some rich ore-shoots were discovered on the property, which were, afterwards, worked to the depth, of several feet, below the surface. At this point, a stratum of decomposed schist, forming a quicksand, was struck. This quicksand, on account of the weight CHEROKEE COUNTY of the superincumbent rock, flowed into the excavation, as rapidly as it could be removed, and thereby made it practically impossible, with the means, then at hand, to follow the ore-bodies to greater depths. It was not until about two years ago, when the property fell into the hands of the Cherokee Milling and Mining Company, that this difficulty was overcome, and the sandstone was penetrated. Fig. 12Yz Cross-section through the Worley Gold Mine, Cherokee County, Georgia, Showing Auriferous Quartz Veins in the Crystalline Schists, Indicated by dots and Broken Lines. At the time of our visit to the property, the company had just erected a first-class prospecting plant, consisting of mill, hoistingengine, pumps etc., and had already done considerable exploration. A tunnel, five hundred feet long, had been driven into the hill, exposing three gold-bearing veins, I only one of which, however, was of sufficient size, to justify further examination. They all run parallel, and correspond, in strike and dip, to the country-rock. The larger one has been worked, for twenty feet, on either side of the tunnel, by driving drifts, and stoping out the ore, from above. Its greatest thickness is about four feet; but it greatly decreases 111 width, at the end of the drifts, where it becomes so contracted, as to make further mining unprofitable. Ninety-two tons of ore, taken from this vein, yielded, in their Huntington mill, $4.08 in gold per ton. The vein material consists of mica-schists, with thin layers of quartz, all more or less decomposed, and easily mined with a pick. Hydraulic mining was first attempted, here, by the Cherokee Milling & Mining Co.; but it was finally abandoned, as unprofitable. I See Fig. 12Y,. CHEROKEE COUNTY 191 The writer took a sample from this mine, which assayed, in the Survey laboratory, as follows:- Ore sample, Worley Mine _____ . . so oz. ($1o.oo) of gold per ton THE CHESTER PROSPECT This property, owned by George T. Chester, of Buffalo, N. Y., is situated in the extreme southeast corner of the county, on lots 804 and 8o5,. 2nd district. The work consists of a seventy-five-foot shaft and cross-cuts, exposing an auriferous quartz vein. THE DAVIS MINE The Davis mine is situated on lot 22, I5tlt district, two miles south of Canton, near the Marietta & North Georgia R. R. 1 Three parallel gold-bearing quartz veins occur here outcropping about four hundred feet apart. The one, furthest to the west, has four shafts sunk on it, varying in depth, from thirty to fifty feet. At the bottom of two of these, drifts have been extended along the vein for fifty feet or more, and the ore has been removed. The thickness of the ore-body is quite variable, in the different shafts; but, at no place, does it exceed two feet. The vein, consisting mainly of 1 Now the Atlanta, Knoxville & Northern R. R. I92 CHEROKEE COUNTY quartz, somewhat laminated, and frequently showing free gold, dips with the country-rock, at a high angle, to the southeast. The east vein has one shaft, eighty feet deep, sunk, during the summer of I 893. Its upper portion resembles very closely, the vein, lying further to the west; but, near the bottom, where it is said to attain a thickness of four feet, it contains much pyrite. A test of the ore, made on a Crawford mill, erected near the shaft, was unsatisfactory. Whether this result was due to the low grade of the ore, or to the imperfect working of the mill, we are uncertain. Should further prospecting reveal valuable deposits of ore, here, a small branch, near by, could be utilized, in furnishing water to supply the batteries of a stamp-mill. THE LA BELLE MINE This mine, owned by the La Belle Mining Company of New Orleans, is located on lots I 57 and 205, I 5th district. Mining operations began, here, in I 888; but they were discontinued, during the following year. The main part of the works is on lot 205, and consists of a shaft eighty-four feet deep, at the bottom, of which, two drifts have been cut, along the vein, for forty feet, each way; and the ore has been stoped out, above. Near by, and located a short distance east of the vein, is another shaft, sixty feet deep. It was the original intention, to extend this shaft, so as to strike the vein, on the three hundred-foot level, and then work out the ore, above; but for some reason, it was never completed. The vein, where examined on the surface, dips with the country-rock, mica-schist, at a high angle, to CHEROKEE COUNTY 193 the southeast. It is from fifteen to twenty inches, in thickness, and consists of thin layers of quartz and mica-schist, the former frequently having their surfaces thickly specked with free gold; while the latter, thoroughly decomposed, rarely shows free gold; but, nevertheless, it pans well. On lot I57, is a shaft, thirty-six feet deep, and an open cut, seventy-five feet long and twelve feet deep. These excavations expose a vein, very similar to that, found on lot 205, and which is probably a continuation of the same. The ore, taken from these different excavations, was milled, near the shafts, on lot 205. The five stamp-mill, erected here, still remains; but it is, now, in a somewhat dilapidated condition; and it would have to be entirely overhauled, before it could be again used. The water, which was sufficient, to supply the batteries of the mill, for only half the time, was taken from the small branch, at the foot of the hill. Had the mill been located on Blanket's creek, only a few hundred yards away, ample water could have been secured, to run the mill continually, and the expense of milling the ore would have been lessened, thereby. The entire works seem to have been poorly planned, and imperfectly carried out, which had evidently much to do, with the unsuccessful operations of the mine. An ore sample, from lot I57, was taken by the writer, which gave the following results, in the Survey laboratory:- Ore sample, lot I 57, La Belle Mine __ . I 22 oz. ($2.44) of gold per ton CHEROKEE COUNTY J. C. CASTEEL'S PROPERTY The property of J. c. Casteel, lot 204, I stlz district, adjoining the La Belle property, on the east, has two small prospecting-pits, exposing a gold-bearing vein, eighteen inches, in thickness. Average samples of ore, taken from these excavations, assayed $3.58 per ton. A sample, taken by the writer, and submitted to assay, in the laboratory of the Survey, resulted as follows : - Ore sample, J. C. Casteel's property __ . I 3 oz. ($2.60) of gold per ton THE MACOU PROPERTY Still further to the northeast, on lot I58, is another prospect, the Macou property. There are two veins here, located about two hundred feet apart, and running, approximately, parallel with each other. The one, lying further to the east, has two shafts, each about forty feet in depth, and connected by an open cut. The orebody is from three to four feet, in thickness, and is made up chiefly of schist, with comparatively little quartz. 1 The eastern vein has been exposed, at one point, by an open cut, thirty feet long and thirteen feet deep. The character of the ore and the size of the vein, found here, differ but little, from that of the western vein. The greater part of the gold, however, probably occurs in the thin layers of quartz, in the decomposed schists. 1 See cross-section, Fig. 13. CHEROKEE COUNTY Fig. 13 195 Cross-section through the Macau Gold Mine, Cherokee County, Georgia, Showing the Position of the Auriferous Quartz Veins in the Crystalline Schist, Indicated by Dots and Broken Lines. On the property, are to be seen the remains of an old ten-stamp mill, erected in 1886. It, like the one, located on lot 205, being, also, insufficiently supplied with water, was operated, only for a short time, and, eventually, was abandoned. No reliable information, concerning the results of these mill-tests, could be secured. The La Belle, Casteel and Macou prospects are all located along the same ridge, on adjoining lots, and might be considered, as different openings, on the same veins. It is not meant, by this, however, that these veins are continuous and unbroken ; but, on the contrary, it is quite likely, that they are frequently interrupted by barren schists, and form, what my be termed, a series of greatly elongated ore-shoots, all having the same general direction. THE CULP PROPERTY On the Culp Property, lot 30I, I5t!z district, a limited amount of prospecting was done, some forty years ago. It is reported, that some rich pockets of gold were discovered, here ; but that they were soon worked out. None of the excavations are, now, accessible, except one shaft, forty feet deep, which exposes a gold-bear- CHEROKEE COUNTY ing vein, about four feet, in thickness. The vein is made up of porous, iron-stained quartz, separated by thin layers of mica-schist. It is quite a promising looking vein ; and it should be investigated further. THE PUTNAM MINE The Putnam Mine is located on Blanket's creek, lots 350 and J7I, I 5th district, about half a mile below the Culp property. It has been worked, chiefly as a placer, although a remarkably rich ore-shoot was discovered, here, also. Gold was first found in the gravel, in I 842. Shortly after this, mining operations began ; and they were continued, from time to time, until the placer was exhausted. During these early workings, it is said that an average miner would make, from fifteen to twenty-five pennyweights of gold per day. Much of the gold was fine; but there were, also, found some nuggets, the largest of which is reported, to have weighed thirtythree pennyweights. The entire area, covered by the old workings, does not exceed five acres ; yet, much of this area has been worked over twice ; and some portions of it would probably pay, for working even a third time. Much of the placer lies along the creek, where the land is low, and only a few feet above water-level. The richer part of the deposit is said, to have been found, on a gradually sloping hillside. The gold is supposed, to have been derived, from the breaking down of auriferous veins, located near by. This supposition seems quite plausible, when it is remembered, that, during the early placer-workings, a rich ore-shoot was found, near the upper edge CHEROKEE COUNTY 197 of the placer, from which, it is said, four men, took, in one afternoon, seven and one-half pounds of gold. Many of the statements, concerning the richness of this property, will appear almost fabulous ; but they are made, most frequently, by men, whose veracity cannot be questioned ; and, hence, they must contain much truth. There can be no doubt, but that the aggregate output of the mine has been many thousand pennyweights. There has been only a limited amount of vein-prospecting on the property. However, it would seem, that the finding of such a rich ore-shoot should warrant further investigation, on this line. THE CHEROKEE MINE This mine, situated on lot 428, I5tlz district, was worked, as early as r 8 54, by Messrs. McConnell & Putnam. This firm erected a twelve-stamp mill, on the property, and successfully operated the mine, for three years, when it was sold to a Boston company, which continued the work, until the breaking out of the late war. Since then, no work, with the exception of a limited amount of prospecting, has been attempted. Both vein- and placer-mining have been carried on, here. The latter was confined, principally, to the bed of a small stream, that runs at the base of the ridge, on which the veins are located. The gold, from this, has long since been exhausted. There is said to be a number of gold-bearing quartz veins in the ridge, all running parallel, and dipping with the schist. The excavations, however, along these veins, are in such shape, that exposures of only one or Ig8 CHEROKEE COUNTY two of these were possible to be examined. They are quite variable, in thickness, and consist mainly of quartz, with iron-stained cavities. There are numerous shafts and tunnels, at various points, along the ridge, from which many hundred tons of valuable freemilling ore were taken. The mine is reported, to have paid handsomely, as long as the oxidized portion of the veins was worked ; but when this class of ore was exhausted, they were forced to shut down, not having suitable machinery for working the sulphides. There is little doubt, but that there exist, here, considerable quantities of ore, that might be worked with profit, if the mine were judiciously managed, and the necessary gold-saving machinery were used. Since the above was written, the property has passed into the hands of a Chicago company, with C. A. Dye, as manager, who is now actively engaged, in cleaning out old tunnels and shafts, with a view of beginning mining operations at an early date. Four samples, taken from this mine, by the writer, assayed in the Survey laboratory, as follows : - No. 1. Ore sample, Cherokee Mine.__ . I o oz. ($2.00) of gold per ton No. 2. Ore sample, Cherokee Mine __ 0 I 2 5 oz. ($2. so) of gold per ton No.3 Ore sample, Cherokee Mine __ .425 oz. ($8.50) of gold per ton No. 4- Ore sample, Cherokee Mine .. _ . 550 oz.($ I I .oo) of gold per ton THE McCANDLESS PROPERTY The McCandless Property, lot 6I, I 5th district, was first prospected for gold, in I 887. The property shows two small shafts and an CHEROKEE COUNTY 199 open cut, exposing a gold-bearing quartz vein, about twelve inches in thickness. The vein, together with the mica-schist, the countryrock, stands almost perpendicular, and strikes northeast and southwest. The quartz carries considerable pyrite ; but it rarely shows free gold. We learned, that about a hundred tons of this ore was milled, averaging nearly $5 per ton. An ore-sample, taken from the McCandless property, by the writer, yielded, on assay, in the Survey laboratory, as follows : - Ore sample, McCandless Property __ .120 oz. ($2.40) of gold per ton LOTS 63, 64 AND 81, 15TH DISTRICT Downing's creek, which has its head near this property, has been the scene of considerable placer-mining, especially on lots 63, 64 and 8I. THE SIXES MINE The Sixes Mine, lots I50, 2I2, 22I and 284, I5th district, is one of the best known placer mines in Cherokee county. Gold was discovered in a small stream, now known as Sixes creek, prior to the removal of the Indians, from this section of the country. As early as 1834, extensive mining was carried on, here. During these early workings, an average miner is said to have made, from fifteen to twenty pennyweights of gold, per day, by the use of a long-tom, or a rocker. 200 CHEROKEE COUNTY Fig. 14 Diagram Showing the Present Condition of the Sixes Placer Mine, Cherokee County, Georgia. The entire worked portion of the placer does not exceed five acres ; yet, from this small area, if reports are to be credited, many thousand pennyweights of gold have been obtained. Much of the CHEROKEE COUNTY 201 placer has been worked twice, and even three times ; and it is not at all improbable, that there may be certain portions of the mine, even now, containing paying deposits. Both coarse and fine gold occur, here ; but the latter is more abundant. Many nuggets, which are usually rough and angular, have been found ; the largest of which is reported to have weighed ninety pennyweights. A considerable amount of money and labor has been expended, in prospecting for the vein, that has supplied the placer ; but, so far, the work has met with only partial success. A number of shafts and tunnels have been made, on the hillside, near the upper edge of the placer. In one of these excavations, near a contact of granite and hornblende-schist, is a vein or layer of mica-schist, about three and a half feet wide, which carries gold. It is possible, that this gold-bearing schist is a portion of the vein, which has fed the placer. However, if this be true, it must, in places, have contained rich pockets or ore-shoots, that were removed by denudation, and its auriferous contents, distributed along the stream below. Fig. IS Cross-section through the Sixes Gold Property, Cherokee County, Georgia, Showing an Auriferous Quartz Vein in Granite, near the Line of Contact with the Crystalline Schists. The geological formations, occurring in the vicinity of the Sixes Mine, are entirely different, from any, heretofore examined. The hill, on which the vein-prospecting has been carried on, consists of granite and hornblende-schist ; while the formation, lying to the east, and forming the greater portion of the bed-rock of the placer, is mica-schist. The granite is fine-grained, and of a light color ; 202 CHEROKEE COUNTY and it frequently contains more or less pyrite, unevenly distributed throughout the rock-mass. All the formations strike northeast and southwest, and dip, at an angle of about forty degrees, to the .southeast. THE COGGINS PROPERTY This property lies east of the Sixes mine, on the adjoining lot, No. 2I I, I 5th district. It was worked to a limited extent, some years ago, as a placer ; but, recently, it has attracted guite a little attention, as a vein-prospect. Three shafts, varying from twenty to eighty feet in depth, have been made, near the edge of the old placer-workings, on a very rich gold-bearing vein of schist. When the property was examined, by the Survey, the shafts were too old, to even permit of an examination of the ore in situ. A heap of thoroughly decomposed mica-schist, lying near the shafts, showed the nature and character of the ore-body. This consisted mainly of mica and kaolin, with but little quartz ; yet, when panned, it showed a very surprising return, in gold. The nature of this veiq seems to be very peculiar ; and it should be further investigated. THE CLARKSON MINE The Clarkson Mine, owned by a St. Louis Company, is located about three quarters of a mile east of the Sixes mine, on lot 225, CHEROKEE COUNTY 203 Ijth district. Work was begun, here, in 1871; but it was continued, only a short time. The prospecting consists of two tunnels, one, fifty feet, and the other, 3 50 feet long, and a shaft, eighty feet deep. Several tons of ore were taken from these excavations, and milled, on a stamp-mill, erected near by. In a small open cut, there is an exposure of the vein, which, at this point, presents a width of about two feet. It consists of a dark-colored, laminated, granular quartz, resembling quartzite. Samples, from this mine, were taken by the writer, and three assays, made in the Survey laboratory, result'ed, as follows :- No. I. Ore sample, Clarkson mine . I 2 oz. ($2.40) of gold per ton No. 2. Ore sample, Clarks~n mine .125 oz.($2.50) of gold per ton No.3 Ore sample, Clarkson mine .125 oz. ($2.50) of gold per ton LOT 208, 15TH DISTRICT On the adjoining property, lot 208, I 5th district, belonging to James Haynes, is another prospect, where a gold-bearing vein of mica-schist, about three feet in thickness, is exposed in a small shaft. The exposure was too limited, to give any definite idea, concerning the extent, or the general character of the vein. A sample of ore from this property was taken by the writer, which gave the following result, on assay in the laboratory of the Survey:- Ore sample, Haynes Property . I 5 oz. ($3.00) of gold per ton 204 CHEROKEE COUNTY THE McLAIN PROPERTY On the McLain Property, lots 72I and 723, 2Ist district, are two prospecting shafts, exposing a gold-bearing quartz vein, about eighteen inches, in thickness. Several tons of this ore, milled at the Georgiana Mine, are said to have yielded $12 per ton. The excavations were made, some five years ago ; and, at the time of our visit, they were so filled with earth, that no satisfactory examination of the vein could be made. About three-fourths of a mile east of the above prospects, on the same property, lot 723, are other openings, on a vein, called the Magnetic Vein. These veins continue to the northeast ; and they have been prospected, o~ the Clayton and Foster properties. THE EVANS PROPERTY This property, consisting of lots 792 and 793, I5th district, was. first worked, as a placer. We were informed, that this deposit, which occurs in the alluvium, along Rose creek, has been very rich. It is now practically exhausted. Fig. 16 Cross-section through the Evans Gold Property, Cherokee County, Georgia, Showing the Auriferous Quartz Veins in the Crystalline Schists, as Indicated by the Dotted Lines. CHEROKEE COUNTY 205 In the last few years, four well-defined quartz veins have been discovered on the property, all carrying more or less gold. The vein, lying furthest to the east, is known as the Bralley Vein, because of its previous development, on the Bralley property, lying about two miles to the southwest. The vein is exposed, in a recent shaft, on the hillside, to a depth of twenty feet. It is only a few inches, in thickness, and is formed of brownish-colored quartz, dipping with the mica-schist, at a high angle, to the southeast. About a hundred and fifty feet west of the Bralley vein, and running parallel with it, is the Copper Vein, so called, from its outcroppings resembling gossan. It carries only a small amount of gold ; and it has received but little attention from the prospector. The Sandstone Vein lies two hundred feet, still further to the west, and is to be seen, in some recent excavations, along the hillside. Several tons of ore have been taken from the vein, and milled, at a small stamp-mill, erected on Rose creek, a few hundred yards away. The vein varies from one to three feet, in thickness, and consists of milky quartz, with crystals of pyrite. It does not appear to be a continuous vein ; but, on the contrary, it is formed of a series of greatly elongated lenses or ore-bodies, running parallel with each other, and corresponding, in strike and dip, with the mica-schist. The most western vein, known as the Magnetic Lead, attains a thickness, in places, of many feet. It carries but little gold ; nevertheless, it is an important vein, on account of its continuity and conspicuous outcroppings, which enable the prospector to trace it, from one lot to another, and hence to locate, with a considerable degree of certainty, the more valuable auriferous vein, always associated with it. 206 CHEROKEE COUNTY The writer took samples from this property, which were assayed, in the Survey laboratory, with the following results : - No. I. Ore sample, Evans Property .20 oz. ($4.00) of gold per ton No. 2. Ore sample, Evans Property .25 oz. ($5.00) of gold per ton No. 3 Ore sample, Evans Property .25 oz. ($5.00) of gold per ton 'I'HE BELL PROPERTY The Bell Property, lots J 29 and 900, I 5th district, joins the Evans property, on the southwest, and is traversed, by the same veins. The greater part of the vein-mining, on the property, was done, before the late war, by Fields, Bell & Co., who erected a twelve-stamp mill, and worked the sandstone vein, for three hundred yards, along its outcroppings, to the depth of fifty feet. Fig. 17 - -= Diagram Showing the Ore-bodies on the Bell Gold Property, Cherokee County, Georgia. The vein here, as on the adjoining property, consists of a series of parallel short veins, or ore-bodies, having the same dip, but each CHEROKEE COUNTY 207 occupying different planes. 1 These bodies are usually several yards in length ; and they are said to vary, from a few inches to six feet, in thickness. The Bralley Vein and the Copper Vein have also been prospected. On the latter is a shaft, a hundred and thirty feet deep, which supplied the water for the stamp-mill. All the excavations were inaccessible ; and no satisfactory examination of the ores could be made. THE COX PROPERTY This property, lot 90I, I5tlz district, lies immediately south of the Bell property. The various veins, traversing the adjoining properties, seem to converge here, and form a gold-bearing zone, not over one hundred feet in width. Within this zone, are a number of small veins, consisting of mica-schist and thin layers of quartz, rich in gold. At a point, near the summit of the ridge, are to be seen, seven shafts, within a radius of seventy-five feet. These are all said to have exposed gold-bearing veins. There has been considerable prospecting, done on the property, from time to time, and several tons of the ore have been milled; but, at the time of our visit, all the excavations were inaccessible, and no samples were secured for assaying. The present owner of the property, R. C. Freeman, of Goldsboro, N. C., has forwarded to Prof. Yeates, State Geologist, a number of assay reports of the Cox ore. These assays, made at the U. S. Assay-office, Charlotte, N. C., run from $220 to $350 per ton .. 1 See fig. 17. 208 CHEROKEE COUNTY Such assays, as these, cannot be relied upon, for giving any definite idea of the ore-body as a whole; for it is quite likely, that they were selected only from the richer parts of the vein. THE WILLIAMS PROPERTY The Williams property, now owned by Col. J. H. Moore and others, of Canton, lies immediately south of the Cherokee Mine, on lot 437, Ijth district. There are to be seen here, besides the remains of an old placer, several tunnels and shafts, made many years ago; and, also, a number of recent open cuts, exposing auriferous veins. The old works are reported to have yielded much gold; but the operators were compelled to abandon them, on account of the appearance of pyritic ores. Along the western hill-slope, several gold-bearing vems occur, varying, in width, from a few inches to many feet. These ore-bodies consist of quartz stringers, separated by thin layers of schist. The recent prospecting excavations are all superficial. Nevertheless, they expose the veins, well enough, to show ore-bodies, sufficiently inviting in character, to induce further development. Two assays of samples, taken by the writer, from this property, vary somewhat widely. Both were made in the laboratory of this Survey, with the following results:- No. I. Ore sample, Williams Property, Lot 437, 15th District --------------.10 oz. ($2.00) of gold per ton No. 2. Ore sample, Williams Property, Lot 437, 15th District_ ________ , ___ .025 oz. ($o.so) of gold per ton CHEROKEE COUNTY 209 THE BAILEY PROPERTY The Bailey property, lot 97I, I5th district, was first prospected, in 1840; and it has, at present, in the way of development, numerous shafts and open cuts, none of which attain a depth, of more than fifty h:et. The so-called Bailey Vein reaches its greatest size, on this property. It consists of a zone of mica-schist, fifty or seventy-five feet wide, in which appear a number of quartz veins, varying in thickness, from a fraction of an inch to three feet. The quartz and this schist walling, carry gold, in considerable quantities. Numerous quartz bowlders, sometimes weighing as much as five hundred pounds, which have originated, from the breaking down of the orebody, a.re to be seen scattered over the surface of the cultivated field. Many of these show free gold; and, at the time of our visit, they were being collected, by the owner of the property, and beaten, in a common hand mortar. We were shown several hand specimens, chipped from these bowlders, or taken from the vein, each containing several grains of gold. This property is considered, to be quite valuable; and it, probably, would have been developed, before now, had it not been held, at too high a figure. THE KELLOGG MINE This mine, located on lot I,IIJ, I5th district, is noted, principally, for its placer workings. Gold was discovered, many years ago, along a small stream, running through the lot; and its bottom has 2.10 CHEROKEE COuNTY been worked, almost continuously, ever since. The entire output o( this placer is estimated, at I oo,ooo pennyweights. The most valuable part of the placer has evidently been exhausted; but there are still being found occasionally, some nice nuggets. These works continue into the adjoining property, known, as the Williams prop-erty. Some seven or eight years ago, considerable prospecting was done, on this property, by a New York Company. In one of the excavations, made by the company, was exposed, at the time of the writer's visits, a rather compact vein of light-colored quartz, about two feet in thickness, which dipped with the country-rock, tothe southeast, at an angle of about 60. A sample of ore, taken from this vein, by the writer, gave the following assay result, in the laboratory of the Survey:- Ore sample, Kellogg mine __ ---- .125 oz. ($2.50) of gold per ton THE WILLIAMS PROPERTY An area of about s1x acres has been worked on the Williams property, lot I,I 20, 2ISt distn'ct, and many valuable gold nuggets are reported, to have been found, here. One of the great troubles, in working the mine, is the difficulty in conducting water to the ele-. vated portions of the placer, which, in places, extends along thehillside, several feet above the present bed of the stream. A number of veins, carrying gold, have been discovered on this property. Two samples of ore, taken, by the writer, from this property, and subjected to assay, in the Survey laboratory, gave results as. follows:- CHEROKEE COUNTY 21I No. r. Ore sample, Williams Property, Lot I, I 20, 21st District_------ -------375 oz. ($7.50) of gold per ton No. 2. Ore sample, Williams Property, Lot 1,120, 21st District_ -----------375 oz. ($7.50) of gold per ton THE T. D. EVANS PROPERTY Several shafts and tunnels are to be seen, on the ridges, on either side of the creek, on lots 829 and 900, 2Ist district, exposing goldbearing quartz veins, adjacent to the placer. Only one or two of these excavations, however, were accessible. The veins exposed to view, are formed of iron-stained, porous quartz; and they vary, from one to three feet, in thickness. They carry more or less pyrite, and correspond, in dip and strike, with the schist. Some very rich ore-shoots are reported, to have been found here, and to have been worked, to the depth, of several feet from the surface. The ore, in some instances, is said to have milled, as much as $60 per ton. WILLIAM POOR'S PROPERTY On the Poor property, lots 760 and 826, 2Ist district, have been discovered, in the l,ast few months, three different gold-bearing vems. The east vein is exposed, in a recent twenty-five foot shaft, near Mr. Poor's residence. It here consists of an almost perpendicular ore-body of decomposed schist, about three feet wide, within 212 CHEROKEE COUNTY which are numerous thin layers of quartz, frequently showing free gold. As the vein approaches water-level, however, it carries more or less pyrite, and increases in width. The limited prospect gives a very imperfect idea of its economic value. Further investigation is necessary, in order to reveal its character and extent. The central vein is exposed in two small shafts, located on a steep hillside, a few hundred yards west of the east vein. It is about two feet wide; and it is formed mainly of quartz, which carr:es a good deal of pyrite. Several tons of ore, from these excavations, have been milled at the Georgiana mine; but we were unable, to obtain any satisfactory report of the results. The west vein lies a short distance, still further, to the west, and a number of test-pits have been sunk upon it, at different points along its outcropping, on both the Poor and the adjoining properties to the southwest, now owned by H ugher, Evans and Kitchen. This vein is quite similar, in structure and appearance, to the east vein, though it is usually much wider, and contains no pyrite, so far. A sample, taken, by the writer, from this property, gave the following results, in the Survey laboratory:- Ore sample, William Poor's Property_ .2 5 oz. ($5.00) of gold per ton THE GEORGIANA MINE This mine IS located, in the southwestern corner of Cherokee county, on lot 958, 2Ist distn'ct, three and a half miles northeast of Acworth. A number of auriferous veins have been located, on this property; and it has been more or less prospected, in the last few years. These veins occur, along the side of a ridge, near the head- CHEROKEE COUNTY 213 waters of Fox's creek, where they are found, to conform, in strike and dip, to the country-rock. The prospecting consists of several tunnels, and shafts, located, at various points, on the ridge. The main tunnel, four hundred feet in length, driven at right angles to the schists, cuts three different veins, which vary, from two to twenty-seven feet, in width. They consist principally of micaschist, with but little quartz. The ore is all low-grade; and, thus far, it has not been milled with profit. A second tunnel, one hundred and forty feet long, exposes an eight inch vein, carrying ore, that is said to have yielded $5 per ton. The three principal shafts, all of which were inaccessible, at the time of our visit, attain a depth of ninety to one hundred and twenty feet. One of these cuts a quartz vein, from three to six feet wide, carrying gold, in paying quantities. From these various excavations, several tons of ore are reported to have been taken, from time to time, and milled, with satisfactory results. There is located, on the property, a well equipped Huntington mill, in good running condition having a capacity of from one-half to two tons per day, depending upon the hardness of the ore. It is operated, by a thirtyfive horse-power engine, and is supplied with water, from one of the deepest shafts. THE TRIPP PROPERTY This property, lot 959, 2ISt district, lies directly east of the Georgiana mine, on the adjoining lot. It has had a limited amount of placer work, and also some vein prospecting. There is to be seen on this property, within a few yards of the Acworth road, a recent 2I4 CHEROKEE COUNTY shaft, thirty feet deep, exposing a very rich auriferous quartz vein, about twelve inches in thickness. The quartz is mostly of a reddish or brownish color, carrying more or less pyrite, and frequently having a somewhat laminated structure. Some beautiful hand specimens of the ore were obtained from the shaft, showing free gold. The average assay value of the gold, as determined in our laboratory, runs from $I 6 to $I 7 per ton. This is a very encouraging prospect, and certainly warrants further investigation. Below, is given the result of one of the assays, from a sample, taken, by the writer:- Ore sample, Tripp Mine _________ 79 oz. ($I5.8o) of gold per ton THE KITCHEN PROPERTY The Kitchen property, which has recently attracted considerable attention, on account of the discovery, on it, of what has been reported to be a very rich auriferous vein, of great thickness, is located on lots 823 and 834, 2Ist district. Besides this large vein, there also occurs, here, many other gold-bearing quartz veins, varying in thickness, from a few inches to four feet; and all running parallel with the lamin ness. These am;iferous zones dip with the schist, the country-rock, at an angle of about 20, to the CARROLL COUNTY 247 northeast; and they are, frequently, intersected, by small pegma- tite dikes ( ?), which are now thoroughly decomposed, and forin a mass of impure kaolin. The general character of the ore-body can be studied best, by what is known as "Big Cut," near the Bonner residence. The latter excavation is about three hundred and fifty feet long, and twenty feet deep; and, from this many hundred tons of ore have been mined. There can be seen, here, numerous quartz stringers, running practically parallel with each other, separated by thin layers .of schist. A shaft sunk, here, to the depth of sixty feet, shows but little change in the formation. Not only the quartz, but also the schists carry more or less gold, to this depth. Furthermore, the Bradley shaft, a quarter of a mile west of this, and the Tuttle shaft, :about the same distance, east, show, that the ore-body retains pretty much the same character, for a considerable distance. There can be no doubt of the occurrence on this property, of an almost inexhaustible amount of low grade ore, having an assay value of from $I to $5 per ton. Besides the vein material, there are nearly a hundred acres of bottom, on Buffalo creek, which will, probably, pay for working, as placer. The undeveloped condition of the property seems to be due to two causes: - First, a lack of .capital, on the part of the owners, for erecting suitable machinery, for working the ore; and, second, the high price, placed by them, on the property, making it an undesirable investment for capitalists. Samples for assay were taken by the writer, from the Bonner mine, which, in the laboratory of the Survey, gave the following results:- No. I. Ore sample, Big Cut, Bonner Mine ____ ---------- ______ .05 oz. ($r.oo) of gold per ton CARROLL COUNTY No. 2. Ore sample from the same Cut---- _ --- ----------- .05 oz. ($r.oo) of gold perton:- No. 3 Ore sample, Bradley Pit, Bonner Mine_-- ____ .. ____ .05 oz. ($1.00) ot gold per ton No. 4 Ore sample, from the same PiL--- -------- -- .05 oz. ($1.00) of gold per ton No. 5 Ore sample, Tuttle Shaft, Bonner Mine ______________ .125 oz. ($2.50)of goldperton No. 6. Ore sample, from the same shaft - ----- -- ... - -- - . ---- .2 5o oz. ($ 5 oo) of gold per ton No.7- Ore sample, Bonner Mine __ .14 oz. ($2.80) of gold per ton Several lots, lying south of the Bonner property, in the same district, have also been prospected for gold; but the ore appears to be of a low grade; and only a few tons have been milled. THE STACY MINE This mine, now owned by T. F. Maddox, of Atlanta, is located on Oak Mountain, about four miles east of Carrollton. An auriferous vein, three feet wide, was discovered here, about 18 78. Soon afterwards, a five-stamp mill was erected on the property; and mining operations began; but the works were finally abandoned, on account of the difficulty, in separating the gold from the ore. CHAPTER XIX HARALSON COUNTY S. BY \V. :\1cCALLIE, ASSISTAJ';T GEOLOGIST Gold has been discovered in small quantities, on several different lots, in Haralson county; but only at a few places has it proved of economic value. THE DEAN PROPERTY On the Dean property, lot 23, 7tlz district, are to be seen the remains of old placer-works, from which, it is said, five hundred pennyweights of gold were taken, about fifty years ago. The works are located along a small stream, where they cover less than an acre. THE McBRAYER PROPERTY Near by, on McBrayer's property, lots I,207 and I,2JO, 2ot!t district, are other small placer-works; also, on these, a limited amount of vein-prospecting was done, a short time ago, by Mr. Singleton, who then held an option on ~he property. (249) zso HARALSON COUNTY J. W. THOMASON'S PROPERTY This property, lot I 27, 7tlt district, as well as some of tlze adjoining .lots, has been worked on a small scale, from time to time, for their placer-deposits. The aggregate area of the entire works, in the vicinity, covers only a few acres, and is confined, principally, to the beds of small streams, flowing into Beach creek. All attempts to locate the auriferous veins, that have supplied these deposits, seem :to have been, so far, unsuccessful. THE HOLLINS MINE 1 This mine 1s situated near Walker's creek, lot IJ4 8t!t district, -three miles west of Tallapoosa. Gold was discovered here, in the early forties, by \Villiam Owens, the original owner of the property. The manner of its discovery is quite interesting. While washing a pan of potatoes, taken from a patch, near the present stamp-mill, bright specks of gold were noticed, in the dirt. Investigation of the potato-field substantiated the hope, thus raised, and resulted in the discovery of a rich surface-deposit. Owens soon began mining operations, which he successfully continued for several years. During this time he erected a twelve-stamp mill on Walker creek, and did considerable vein-mining, as wtdl as surface-work. The property was, afterward, sold to E. W. Hollins, who operated the mine, with profit, until the breaking out of the civil war. Immediately after the war, Windom & King worked the mine, --------1 Since this report was written, this property has been purchased by the Royal Gold Mining Co., of which Mr. C. E. James, of Chattanooga, Tenn., is President, and Mr. Franklin Harris, also o! Chattanooga, is Secretary. The mine, which is now called the Royal Mine, has been thoroughly equipped with a chlorination-plant, etc., and is said to be having much success- \V. S. Y. HARALSON COUNTY 251 ;for about three years. This firm erected, on the property, a tenstamp steam mill, together with the necessary pumping machinery, to rid the mine of water. Nothing seems, now, to have been done, at the mine, until I 886, when John Cross leased the property, for a term of ten years, with the privilege of buying it, for the sum of $20,000. At the expiration of three months, Cross was successful, in selling the property to the Camille Gold Mining Comi)any, for $ so,ooo. The new firm spent several thousand dollars, in erecting the present well-equipped mining-plant; but they operated the mine only for about two years. Since then a St. Louis company, .and, also, French & Fisher, of the old Franklin mine, made some mill-tests of the ore; but no regular mining has been attempted. The main part of the old works consists of an open cut, about two hundred yards long, one hundred and fifty feet wide, and fifteen feet deep, extending along the outcroppings of the vein. It is claimed that more than one hundred thousand pennyweights of gold have been taken, from this excavation, alone. The more recent work consists of two shafts, located within a few rods of each other. Both have been driven along the slope of the vein one, to the depth of one hundred and eighty-six feet, and the other, to the depth of one hundred and fifty feet. The former, knovvn as Shaft No. 2, has three different drifts, extending, at different levels, along the strike of the vein, in either direction. The first occurs at a seventy-five-foot level, and runs, east, one hundred feet, the second strikes in, at a level of one hundred and four feet, and extends, east, forty feet; and the third, at the bottom of the shaft, drifts, west, fifty feet. The latter, known as Shaft No. I, has two drifts - one, at the seventy-five-foot level, extending, west, one :hundred and twenty-eight feet; and the other, uniting the two shafts. Many tons of ore were taken, from these shafts, and milled; HARAI-SON COUNTY 'for about three years. This firm erected, on the property, a tenstamp steam mill, together with the necessary pumping machinery, to rid the mine of water. Nothing seems, now, to have been done, at the mine, until 1886, when John Cross leased the property, for a term of ten years, with the privilege of buying it, for the sum of $2o,ooo. At the expiration of three months, Cross was successful, in selling the property to the Camille Gold Mining Company, for $ so,ooo. The new firm spent several thousand dollars, in erecting the present well-equipped mining-plant; but they operated the mine only for about two years. Since then a St. Louis company, and, also, French & Fisher, of the old Franklin mine, made some mill-tests of the ore; but no regular mining has been attempted. The main part of the old works consists of an open cut, about two hundred yards long, one hundred and fifty feet wide, and fifteen feet deep, extending along the outcroppings of the vein. It is claimed that more than one hundred thousand pennyweights of gold have been taken, from this excavation, alone. The more recent work consists of two shafts, located within a few rods of each other. Both have been driven along the slope of the vein one, to the depth of one hundred and eighty-six feet, and the other, to the depth of one hundred and fifty feet. The former, known as Shaft No. 2, has three different drifts, extending, at different levels, along the strike of the vein, in either direction. The first occurs at a seventy-five-foot level, and runs, east, one hundred feet, the second strikes in, at a level of one hundred and four feet, and extends, east, forty feet; and the third, at the bottom of the shaft, drifts, west, fifty feet. The latter, known as Shaft No. r, has two drifts - one, at the seventy-five-foot level, extending, west, one hundred and twenty-eight feet; and the other, uniting the two shafts. Many tons of ore were taken, from these shafts, and milled; HARALSON COUNTY but it is said to have been impossible to save the gold, on account of the abundance of sulphides. The ore-body is made up of schists and quartz stringers, forming a zone, from fifteen to thirty feet wide, dipping with the countryrock, at a high angle, to the southeast. As the excavations were inaccessible, no specimens were secured for assay. There is, now, on the property, in a good state of preservation, an excellent goldmining plant, consisting of the following machinery, buildings etc.:- One Twenty-stamp Mill with 950 lb. Stamps, Eight Frue Vanners, One Blake Rock-crusher, I 5 x I 9 ins., Four Automatic Feeders, One I 50 horse-power Corliss Engine, One 50 horse-power Double-headed Engine, Two So horse-power Boilers, One Rand Air-compressor, running 24 drills, Two 2 in. Hooker Pumps, One Knowles Pump, 2 in. discharge, One Dean Pump, 2 in. discharge, One Heater for Boilers, Four Ingersoll Drilling-machines, Seven Cottages for Laborers, One Commissary, One Blacksmith Shop, One Superintendent's Residence, One Assay Office and Fixtures, One Three-story Mill-house. HARALSON COUNTY 2 53 OTHER PROPERTIES In the vicinity of the Hollins mine, are several lots, which have been prospected for gold. The lots, that have attracted the most attention, are 47, 87, 99, I35 and I 45, 8tlz district. All these have had a limited amount of work done on them ; but it has generally been, of such a superficial character, as to give a very imperfect idea, of the economic importance of the veins, prospected. The surface indications, in places, are quite favorable, and seem to warrant further investigation. The same layers of dark-colored laminated quartz (quartzite), which are so characteristic of the gold belt, along Burnt Hickory ridge occur, also, here; and, in places, they are said to carry gold. The geological .formations, in the vicinity, consist, mainly, of mica-schist ; but there also occur, considerable quantities of hornblende-schist and black slate. The latter is well exposed, in a railroad cut, on lot I 45, where it contains much iron-stained quartz, that probably carries gold, in small quantities. CHAPTER XX GILMER COUNTY BY S. W. McCALLIE, AssiSTANT GEOLOGIST THE WHITE PATH MINE The most noted gold mine in Gilmer county is the White Patht Mine, located near the Marietta & North Georgia R. R., 1 six miles' northeast of Ellijay, on lots 253 and 288, 7tlt district, and lot 27 I, Ioth district. This placer was discovered, in the early forties, by 'vV. J. Holt ; and it has, since, been worked almost continuously, producing, it is claimed, from its earliest workings to the present, more than one hundred thousand pennyweights of gold. The old miners tell, what now seem to be almost fabulous stories, about the richness of certain localities, now known as Austin Bluff, Spriggs' Hollow, etc. These stories, although doubtless exaggerated, nevertheless, evidently contain much truth, as they come from various sources,. and, frequently, from meh, whose veracity, on other points, would not be questioned. The gold is usually coarse and water-worn. Many nuggets, weighing from one to seven hundred pennyweights, have been found. It occurs in the gravel, along the small streams, that lead down from the high mountains, lying a. short distance to the east;. and it is found, not only in the beds of the streams and in the adjacent bottoms; but also on the bluffs,. sixty or. seventy feet high 1 Now the Atlanta, Knoxville & Northern R. R. (254) GILMER COUNTY 255: The total area of the works does not exceed fifty acres. Much, of it, however, has been worked over, many times, with profit. The bed-rock is overlaid with earth and gravel, from two to six feet in depth. The overburden, in most cases, has been removed. Fig. 19 Diagram Showing the Present Condition of the White Path Placer Mine, Gilmer County, . Georgia. by hand, and washed in sluice-boxes and rockers, and the gold col-lected, without the use of mercury. Much of the fine gold, by this process, must have been carried away with the t'ailings. This may still be reclaimed, if a more economical mode of working should be adopted. It seems likely, that the remaining unworked area of the placer, which is profitable, is quite limited. Yet, the finding of a valuable deposit, a few years ago,. i.n. the construction .o.f the. MaLi-- GILllfER COUNTY etta & North Georgia R. R., shows that the placer, although known and worked, for more than half a century, has not, yet, been thoroughly prospected. Much time, and a considerable amount of money, has been spent, from time to time, in trying to locate the source of the gold, which has supplied the placer; but, so far, all efforts have been unsuccessful; not even a trace of a vein seems to have been discovered. The nugget character of the gold, together with the pocket-like form of the quartz, in the vicinity, indicates, that the gold, probably, never existed in well defined, continuous veins, but in pockets or shoots, which have been cut away, by the action of the running water, and their auriferous contents, distributed among the water-worn gravel, along the streams below. The geological formations of the locality consist of mica-schists, slate, gneisses and marble, having a prevailing southeastern dip. The former is frequently much folded and fractured, and contains many quartz veins, of limited extent, running either parallel with the strata, or cutting them, at various angles. These veins are often expanded into large pockets, which evidently become contracted, again, into mere stringers, or disappear entirely. The water-worn quartz bowlders, found along the streams, are commonly of a dark color, and occasionally quite massive, weighing many tons. Associated with the mica-schist, in places, are considerable deposits of limonite. This is especially true, of what is known as the "Dry Hollow," where many valuable nuggets have been found. The water supply at the mines, at present, is limited; but, if necessity should demand, Turnip Town creek could be utilized, which, would furnish ample water, with sufficient fall, for all necessary purposes. A mining company, a few years ago, attempted to supply this mine, and, also, the mine on the adjoining property, with GILMER COUNTY 257 water from this source; but, after spending several thousand dollars, and becoming financially embarrassed, the project was finally abandoned. The number of miners, employed at the White Path mine, is quite variable. At the time of our visit, last summer, 1 which is the most favorable season, for mining, only about half a dozen were at work. The miner secures the right of mining, from the owner of the property, by paying a certain percentage of the gold, for the privilege, which leaves him, on an average, not over half a pennyweight per day, for his labor. The system of mining, as carried on here, consists of removing the earth and gravel from its natural bed, by means of pick and shovel, and washing it, in sluice-boxes, 2 where the gold is caught on riffles, without the aid of mercury. THE HOLT PROPERTY This property, which lies immediately south of the White Path mine, has been worked, as a placer, to a limited extent, along Little Turnip Town creek. The gold, found here, is usually coarse, and resembles very closely that, found on the adjoining property. It occurs in a narrow gorge, which has been cut through the hill, by the rapidly flowing stream, and also in a wide expanse of bottom, below, at the junction of Big and Little Turnip Town creeks. A considerable amount of money was expended, a few years ago, in 1 Summer of 1895. 2 See Plate I. GILMER COUNTY constructing a long ditch, and making other necessary preparations, to put in a hydraulic plant, for working this bottom; but the work was never completed. It is questionable, whether the bottom really contains a sufficient amount of gold to justify the necessary destruction of its valuable farming land. THE WHITAKER PROPERTY This property, lot 236, Iotlt district, is located about two miles due west of the White Path mine. Gold occurs here, in a small placer, that is said to have produced, from time to time, several hundred pennyweights. The works, which cover an area of less than an acre, are located along a small stream, in the upper end of a narrow valley, shut in by steep hills, on either side, and extending back to the Ellijay river, about half a mile below. The gravel, overlying the bed-rock throughout the entire valley, contains more or less gold; and, if the statements, corn:erning the richness of the deposits, can be relied on, there can be no question, but that there still remains, here, a number of acres, that could be worked with profit. The overburden varies, from two to eight feet, in thickness. The branch, on which the deposit is located, is small, although it furnishes sufficient water, throughout the greater part of the year, for sluice-washing. The source of the gold is not known. However, its roughened exterior indicates, that it originated, from the breaking down of auriferous quartz veins, near by. Two or three small quartz veins, containing a considerable amount of pyrite, were seen outcropping along the north hillside. Those veins, although they do not carry free gold, that can be detected GILJWER COUNTY 2 59 by the unaided eye, are probably auriferous. At any rate, their general appearance, together with their close proximity to the .placer deposit, would seem to warrant such a conclusion. THE TURKEY PEN MINE This is a small surface-working, covering only a fraction of an acre, on lot I 45, 7th district. Gold occurs, here, in the residual earth, on a gradually sloping hillside; also in the narrow hollow below. The surface, in places, is said to have been quite rich, and to have paid well for working; although it had to be carried some distance, in order to obtain water for washing. On the hillside, above the surface workings, some prospecting, consisting of an open cut and a short tunnel, has been done; but the auriferous vein, which supplied the gold, seems not to have been located. The rocks, exposed in the cut, are mica-schist and hornblende-gneiss, the latter being, probably, an intrusive mass or dike. They have their usual southeastern dip, and are cut at various angles, by small, white -quartz veins. THE CARTICAY MINE This mine, consisting of both placer and vein working, is located on the right bank of Carticay river, on lot IJ9, 6th district, about six miles east of Ellijay. The greater part of the placer-workings, 260 GILMER COUNTY which cover a number of acres, was done so many years ago, that the area is now overgrown, in places, by trees ?f considerable size. The early returns are said to have been quite profitable, and to have yielded many pennyweights of fine gold. Only a few nuggets, the largest valued at twenty-five dollars, are reported to have been found. The source of the placer gold appears to be an auriferous quartz vein, cutting the mica-schist and granite, at the upper end of the placer. One of these veins, discovered a few years ago, was thought, at the time, to be a very important find. Subsequent developments, however, proved its wealth, as far as developed, to be in a mere pocket of small dimensions, that was soon exhausted. A tunnel was afterwards driven, along the strike of the vein, for about fifty feet; and a number of tons of ore were taken out, and milled on a small ten-stamp testing-mill, erected near by; but no reliable information could be ascertained, concerning the result of the test. At the time of our visit, the pit, where the rich pocket was struck, and also the tunnel, leading off from it, was so filled with water, that it was found impossible, either to examine the vein, or to obtain specimens of the ore. The extent of the prospecting has been quite limited, and of such a superficial character, as to give no correct idea of the value of the ore-body. In order to obtain reliable information, concerning the gold-bearing veins on this property, there must be a further outlay of money, in sinking shafts and driving tunnels, at lower levels. The country-rock, consisting mainly of mica-schist, is much folded and broken, and is impregnated,.in places, by large veins of coarsegrained granite (pegmatite), which were injected, while yet in a plastic state, into their present position, during the folding and breaking of the country-rock. The gold-bearing vein appears, to be intimately GILMER COUNTY associated with the pegmatite, if not enclosed, entirely, within it. Further observations, however, are necessary, in order to verify the latter suggestion. The paying portion of the placer is now supposed to be practically exhausted; and, consequently, the value of the property must depend, chiefly, on the character of the auriferous vein, yet to be located. The water supply, for mining purposes, is abundant. Both the river and a small stream, running through the upper end of the placer, could be utilized, if necessary. The latter has considerable fall, and has been used, to some extent, in hydraulic mining. A limited amount of placer-mining has been done, in the same district, on the Reese, the Johnson and the Smith properties, but they have now ceas~d to produce gold, in paying quantities. CHAPTER XXI FANNIN COUNTY BY S. W. McCALLIE, AssiSTAI>T GEOLOGIST The only locality, where gold has been. found, of economic importance, in Fannin county, is in the 7th distnct, on lots 285, J2I ana 3 22. Gold was discovered, here, in the gravel deposits of Noontootly creek and its tributaries, prior to the late war. The deposits have since been worked, from time to time, yielding, it is claimed, many thousand pennyweights of gold. The entire area of the works covers only a few acres. Much of the creek bottom, which, in places, is more than a hundred yards, in width, seems never to have been thoroughly prospected. It is quite likely, that there still remains, here, valuable, unworked gravel-beds. This, however, can be easily determined, to a considerable degree of certainty, by judiciously sinking a number of inexpensive test-pits, at various points, in the creek-bottom. The earth and gravel, overlying the bed-rock, varies from two to six feet, in thickness. The abundance of water, together with sufficient fall for hydraulicking, reduces the expense of placer-mining, here, to a minimum. (z6z) FANN!N COUNTY LOT 321, 7TH DISTRICT On lot J2I, three pits, from fifteen to twenty feet, in depth, besides a number of open cuts, have been made, with a view of locating the gold-bearing vein which has supplied the placer. At the time of our visit, these openings were all so filled with water or earth, that it was impossible, to make a satisfa,ctory examination of the veins, prospected, with the exception of a small vein, only a few inches wide, in an open cut, well up the hillside. This vein consists of iron-stained quartz, dipping with the mica-schists, the country-rock, at a high angle, to the southeast. It frequently shows free gold; but its true richness is revealed, only when it is crushed in a mortar and panned. The decomposed mica-schist, immediately surrounding the quartz vein, carries gold, making the entire ore-body about a foot in width. It is mere guesswork, to attempt to give any correct idea of the value of this vein, from the limited exposure. Nevertheless, the prospect is encouraging; and it certainly warrants a more thorough exploration. Near by, other veins, similar in character, are reported to occur. One or two of these have, in time, been prospected. Yet, for reasons above stated, their size, and the character of the ore, which they carry, could not be ascertained, with any degree of accuracy. The surface of the hillside, about the outcropping of the vein, and also the hollows, below, in places, are said to carry a sufficient amount of gold, to pay for working. These auriferous deposits are located in a rugged and mountainous section, and have apparently no connection, whatever, with any other deposits, in this part of the State. The country-rock and the vein material, however, re- FANNIN COUNTY semble that, found in the gold-bearing belt, lying further south, which indicates both a synchronous and a common origin. At a number of other places, within the county, gold is reported to have been found, in limited quantities. One mile west of Blue Ridge, on a small stream, flowing into Sugar Creek, some placerworking was dope, a few years ago; and a number of pennyweights of gold were taken out; but the overburden, which had to be removed, mainly by hand, was so great, that the work proved -unprofitable, and it was finally abandoned. CHAPTER XXII LUMPKIN COUNTY BY W. S. YEATES, STATE GEOLOGIST I GENERAL REMARKS When we consider, that, in the latter part of the first half of this .c;entury, Lumpkin county was one of the most important gold counties in the Union, so important, in fact, that the Federal Government thought the demands of the industry, in this and the neighboring counties, sufficient to establish a branch mint at its county-seat, we may well wonder, why its hills and streams have been, for years, .almost deserted by the miner; for, "in the forties," thousands of gold miners, scattered along the streams of North Georgia, were enthu:siastically engaged in the crude methods of gold mining, which then obtained. The little country cross-roads, known as Auraria, in the southern part of Lumpkin county, then boasted of its hundreds of inhabitants ; and a bank, two newspapers, and numbers .of retail stores catered to the wants of this industrious town. Now, the place is barely a shadow of its former self. Decay has settled, like a pall, on the few houses, left to tell the tale of I When field-work was begun on this county, I expected to be able to complete it, without aid; but the work was so frequently interrupted, by urgent calls to administrative duties in Atlanta, that I found it necessary, to assign a portion of the field-work to my Assistant, Mr. McCallie; though, in most cases, I have personally visited the properties examined by him. (265) z66 LUJIIPKIN COUNTY its by-gone activity. A post-office in a small country store; one or two other small stores, which, with the first, supply the necessities of life for the immediate neighborhood; and, probably, half a dozen small dwellings, with a number of untenanted houses, too far decayed for human use, is all, that is left of lively N uckollsville of "the forties." The name of the place was changed to Auraria, through the influence of Senator John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, who then owned the Calhoun Gold mine, near-by. The oldest inhabitants tell us, that the primary cause of the desertion of the gold mines was the wonderful stories of great discoveries in California, in I 849. This is doubtless true, in a considerable degree; but, after nearly twenty years of active work, is it not true, that the gravel deposits were beginning to show considerably less profit, than formerly? The investigations, detailed in this bulletin, show, that comparatively little of the auriferous gravel deposits remain intact, and that many of them have been worked over, as often as. three times, by the crude methods formerly employed. Comparatively little vein-mining was carried on, in those days ; for it is easier and more profitable, to work the surface deposits, than to follow the vein down deep in the earth, especially when the veins are of low grade ; and it is highly probable, that this had its influence on the average miner. In a statistical table of the gold production of the South, compiled by Mr. Stuart W. Cramer, and published in the Report of the Director of the Mint for I Sgz, the amount of gold produced in Georgia, from the year of its discovery to I 8gz inclusive, is estimated to be $I S,goz,z6o, of which $q, I80,500 was produced prior to I 880. It is safe to say, that much the greater part of this was taken from the gravel deposits; and a large proportion of it, from Lumpkin county. Again, in an article on Lumpkin county, page 393. LUMPKIN COUNTY WHITE's STATISTICS OF GEORGIA, published in I 849, is the following, on the gold production of this county:-" From the best information I possess, the amount obtained from I829 to I838 was r6,ooo,ooo dwts., and, from that time until now, 4,ooo,ooo, every year diminishing, notwithstanding the great improvements in machinery and increased practical knowledge." This estimate places the gold production of Lumpkin county, alone, at 2o,ooo,ooo dwts., during the first twenty years of the industry. While I am not prepared to say, that this estimate is founded on fact, and while it seems unreasonable, in this day; yet it should be taken into account, that, doubtless, much information, which was to be had, at the time, when the mines were being actively worked, has been lost sight of,. in the long lapse of time. For instance, it was much easier, then, with the data fresh before one, to approximate the amount of gold, which went directly into the fine arts, than it is now, with practically no data, on which to base an estimate. If the larger part of the above estimates be credited to the auriferous gravel, the exhausting of these deposits would have a decided tendency to decrease the yield. From the statement above quoted, it will be seen,. that, even as far back as I 849, and probably earlier, it was observed, that the production of gold was " every year diminishing" ; and it is plain, that, even then, the gravel placers were beginning to show signs of exhaustion. However rich some gold veins have proved to be ; yet the finding of new placer areas is always the signal for a rush to the new fields. The great gold excitements, that, from time to time, have convulsed the world, were over wonderfully rich discoveries in gravel deposits. The discovery of the immense gold nuggets in Australia and California caused stampedes to the gold fields of those noted gold-producing countries. It is not at all unlikely, that the .268 LU1l:fPKIN COUNTY .immense golden treasures of the ancients were obtained almost entirely from the nuggets and gold dust, found in the old river beds -of Asia. But the accessible auriferous gravel deposits of the world are, now, nearly exhausted ; and man is forced to turn his attention to mining the gold veins, with their greater difficulties, to be overcome. This is just the condition, that confronts us in Lumpkin county ; and it .accounts, to a large extent, for the comparatively little work, that has been done in this county, for so long a period. Even now, the miners sluice down the auriferous saprolites from the hillsides, and save what they can, even though, in many cases, it is attended by loss of the greater part of the gold. The mining people of the -county appreciate the fact, that the veins are richer, especially below water-level; but, because the saprolite can be mined at the minimum of expense, and because they have not the means for putting up expensive modern plants, however desirable, they continue the practice -of flooding from reservoirs. An instance of the loss, attending this, .is referred to, in some detail, in the description of the Preacher .mine, beyond. The statistics, collected and published annually by the Director -of the Mint, show, that there was a considerable spurt, in the gold production of Georgia, in the year 1882, jumping from $125,000, in 1881, to $312,500 the following year; and then decreasing, with -only one exception, until 1891, when it was as low as $80,622. By far the greater part of this increased activity was in Lumpkin county, 1 where many mines were being extensively worked, at that time. It is the general opinion, in the county, as far as I have heard it expressed, that bad judgment and incompetent manage- 1 See table, p. 318. LUlffPKIN COUNTY ment, and even dishonesty, had much to do with the falling off of the industry, from I 882 ; but work on some of the properties was discontinued, because the free-milling ores, at waterlevel, gave place to the sulphide ores ; and these would not yield enough gold on the plates, to pay for working. It is probably true, also, that the failure of some of the low-grade ores, to yield a sufficient return, caused them to be abandoned. Though it has been only a few years since then; yet it was not possible to work low-grade ores with such profit, as it is to-day, with the many recent improvements in processes; nor can it be said, that the problem is yet completely solved; for some inexpensive process, for recovering the gold from the extensive low-grade saprolite deposits, must be substituted for the present wasteful method of flooding these deposits through sluice-boxes into the mills. One good result of the increased activity, in 1882, was, that a considerable number of excellent stamp-mills were erected, and most of these are in very good condition, now; some, however, are in IJeed of new mill-houses and general repairing. At present, there are, in the county, twenty-two stamp-mills, carrying 440 stamps, and one Huntington, and one horizontal Griffin mill. Of these, twelve sta~p-mills, with 240 stamps, and the Huntington mill are in active operation. While some work was being done, at quite a number of mines, during the past summer and fall; I yet, none of the properties were being worked, up to their full capacity. In studying the mines of Lumpkin county, one is impressed with the fact, that so little development has been done ; for not a mine in the county shows sufficient development, to rank it much beyond a good prospect. The reason for this has been indicated, above. However, I have frequently heard western mining men,. I J8q6. :270 LUMPKIN COUNTY visiting the section, say, that, if these prospects were in the Western States, money, for development, could be secured, in any amount, without the least trouble. DAHLONEGA This town, the county-seat of Lumpkin, is still the most impor.tant mining town in Georgia. The name is a corruption of the Indian name, TAU-LAU-NE-KA, meaning yellow money. Dahlonega is delightfully located, in the southern part of the county, on a low, flat ridge, in the midst of the foot-hills of the Blue Ridge mountains, which lie from I 2 to I 5 miles to the north. It has an agreeable and healthful climate ; and, in summer, it is quite a resort, for people, who are driven from the cities, by the intense heat. Dahlonega may be reached by hack from Gainesville on the South,ern Railway, which, by the shortest route, is twenty-one miles dis~nt; or, from Ellijay on the Atlanta, Knoxville & Northern R. R., by the same means, over a distance of about 30 miles. Good teams .are to be had at both places, at reasonable hire. The regular daily mail-hacks from Gainesville are usually patronized; but many per.sons prefer to hire special teams from the livery stables. Surveys have recently been made for a railroad, to run, from either Gainesville or Lula, on the Southern Railroad, to Dahlonega; and it is probable, that this road will be built, in the near future, for the use of steam or electric locomotion. The branch of the United States Mint, which was established at _Dahlonega in I838, continued in active operation, until the breaking out of the civil war, in I 86 I. After the war, the Mint, buildings LUhfPKIN COUNTY 27I .and grounds were given, by the Federal Government, to the trustees of the North Georgia Agricultural College, which is still a flourishing school. During the lifetime of the Mint at Dahlonega, $6,Io6,567 were coined, principally in quarter- and half-eagles, the greatest amount, coined in any single year, being $582,782.50, in I843. PORTER SPRINGS PORTER SPRINGS, quite a famous health resort, is located at the Joot of Cedar mountain, amid most picturesque scenery. During the summer, when the hotel is open for guests, an excellent line of hacks conveys passengers from Gainesville to the Springs. It receives liberal patronage from the wealthier class of citizens. HISTORY OF GOLD MINING IN LUMPKIN COUNTY It is claimed by the people of Lumpkin county, that the first :gold, discovered in Georgia, was found, early in the year I 828, on the property, now so well known as the Calhoun mine, by Mr. Benjamin Parks, who, when I saw and conversed with him, in the early summer of I894, had reached the advanced age of 94 years. The story of the discovery, as related by Mr. Parks to Mr. P. J. Moran of the Atlanta Constitution, is, by courtesy of this gentleman, taken from one of his interesting papers on Lumpkin county, published in the Constitution in I 894, and re-published, as follows : - LUMPKiN COUNTY "The gold," he mused; "yes, I will come to that. It was just by accident, that I came across it ; the site is now that of the Calhoun mine. I was deer-hunting, one day, when I kicked up something, that caught my eye. I examined it, and decided, that it was gold. The place belonged to Rev. Mr. Obarr, who, though a preacher, was a hard man, and very desperate. I went to him, and told him, that I thought I could find gold on his place, if he would give me a lease of it. He laughed, as though he did not believe me, and consented. So, a lease for forty years was written out, the consideration of which was, that I was to give him' one-fourth of the gold mined. I took into partnership a friend, in whom I had confidence. I went over to the spot, with a pan, and turning over some earth, it looked like the yellow of an egg. It was more than my eyes could believe. "The news got abroad, and such excitement you never saw. It seemed, within a few days, as if the whole world must have heard of it; for men came from every State, I had ever heard of. They came afoot, on horseback, and in wagons, acting more like cr.azy men than anything else. All the way, from where Dahlonega now stands, to Nuckollsville, there were men panning out of the branches, and making holes in the hillsides. "The saddest man, in the county, was Preacher Obarr, from whom I had leased the land. He thought the lease was a joke; but now he found out, that it was in earnest. One day, he came to me, and said :- "' Mr. Parks, I want your lease.' " ' But I will not sell it to you,' I replied. " 'Why not?' he asked. "'Well,' I answered, 'even if I were willing, it is now out of my LUNPiaN COUNTY 273 power; for I have taken a partner, and I know he would never consent to it. I have given him my word, and I will keep it.' " 'You will suffer for this, yet,' said Obarr, menacingly, as he went away. "Two weeks later, I saw a party, of two women and fwo men, approaching. I knew it was Obarr's family, intent upon trouble. Knowing Obarr's fondness for litigation, I warned my men to hold their own, but to take no offensive step. "'Mr. Parks,' were Obarr's first words, 'I want that mine.' "'If you were to pay me ten times its value,' I replied, 'I would not sell it to you.' "'vVell, the longest pole will knock off the persimmon,' he said, threateningly. "At that moment, Mrs. Obarr broke the sluice-gates, to let out the water. A laborer was in the ditch, and the woman threw rocks in the water, in order to splash him. Failing to make him aggressive, she burst into tears; when her son advanced, to attack him. I caught him by the collar, and flung him back. Then the party went off, swore out warrants against us, and had us all arrested. All this was done, for intimidation ; but it failed to work; and the next thing, I heard, was, that Obarr had sold the place to Judge Underwood, who, in turn, sold it to Senator John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina ; and then I lost a fortune. " How was that?" "Senator Calhoun wanted to buy my lease; and I sold it for what I thought was a good price. The very first month after the sale, he took out 24,000 pennyweights of gold, and then I was inclined to be as mad with him, as Obarr had been with me. But that is the peculiarity of gold-mining. You will go, day after day, exhausting your means and your strength, until you give it up. 274 LUMPKIN COUNTY Then the first man, who touches the spot, finds the gold, the first opening he makes. It is just like gambling- all luck." This old man firmly believed, that he was the first discoverer of gold in Georgia; but, since there is a strong claim made, that the first gold discovered was on Duke's creek in White county, in I 829, it probably will never be settled, which is correct. However, in Lumpkin county, at least, the Calhoun property is undoubtedly the first place, on which gold was discovered, by the white man. with this discovery, men went excitedly to work on the auriferous gravel deposits ; and, as has been shown above, great activity prevailed, until these deposits ceased to be so profitable, as formerly. Then attention was given to mining the veins, principally by opencut work and stoping, though, here and there, vertical shafts were sunk arid tunnels were run. Many of the old tunnels, which are to be seen, on the various properties, are now lost to history. Enquiry of men, who have worked the properties for years, fails to reveal the identity of those, who did this early work. While activity ceased, to a large extent, toward the close of the second decade of the discovery ; still, all work was not stopped, even during the civil war. One of the most active an::l enthusiastic spirits of the flush times, was Dr. M. F. Stephenson, an amateur geologist and mineralogist, full of energy and the belief, that Georgia was one of the richest mineral States in the Union. All honor to this good man t While, in the light of the advances, that have been made in mineralogy and geology, since his day, one may smile incredulously, at some of the extravagant statements, made in his contribution to the mineralogy and geology of Georgia; I yet the amount of real good. done by this pioneer, can never be estimated ; and his name should be revered, and his memory, forever cherished, by Georgians. I The Geology and Mineralogy of Georgia; by M. F. Stephenson. LUMPKIN COUNTY 275 When, in I 849, the miners, from the various mines in the country around Dahlonega, gathered, to take action on the project of deserting the mines in Georgia, and going in a body to the new fields in California, this earnest believer in Georgia's great mineral wealth mounted the court-house steps in Dahlonega, and, addressing a crowd of about 200 miners, plead with them, not to allow their heads to be turned by the stories of the wondrous discoveries in California, but to stick to the Georgia fields, with their abundant promise of a great future. Pointing to Findley Ridge, which lay about half a mile to the South, he exclaimed:- "Why go to California? In that ridge lies more gold, than man ever dreamt of. There's millions in it." This last sentence was caught up by the miners, and taken with them to California, where, for years, it was a by-word among them. It remained to Mark Twain, who heard it in common use, in one of the mining-camps of California, to broadcast it over creation, by placing it in the mouth of his enthusiastic character, Col. Mulberry Sellers. TOPOGRAPHY The northern and northwestern boundary line of Lumpkin county is the crest of the Blue Ridge, and the county is made up of the foot-hills of these mountains with their intervening valleys. Black, High Tower, Grassy, Sassafras and Blood mountains are among the highest peaks on its northern border, the last named having an altitude of 4,486 feet above sea-level. Other mountains are Campbell, Long, Cedar, Findley Ridge, the Three Sisters, Turkey Hill, and numerous unnamed ridges, varying from I,6oo to 3,000 feet 276 LUMPKIN COUNTY above sea-level. Of these, Findley Ridge, lying half a mile south of Dahlonega, and extending northeast and southwest, for a distance of about three miles, is, to mining men, of the greatest interest; for, along its sides, lie the Capps, the Bowen, the Fish Trap, the Crown Mountain, the Columbia, the Stanley, the Preacher, the Bast and the Findley gold mines. The county is well watered, all the valleys being supplied with streams of greater or less pretentions. The great artery of the county is the Chestatee river, which rises in the Blue Ridge, and flows south through the eastern part of Lumpkin, and between Forsyth and Hall, until it empties into the Chattahoochee river. Its chief tributaries are Tessantee, Yahoola and Cane creeks, the last two flowing, the one by the northeast, and the other, by the southwest, end of Findley Ridge. Probably no stream in Georgia has greater local reputation, as a gold-mining stream, than the Yahoola. Along its banks, lie the Findley, the Lockhart, the Singleton, the Tahloneka, the Hand, the Yahoola and the Mary Henry gold mines; and the tailings from their mills have been, for many years, emptied into this stream, with a considerable quantity of auriferous sulphides, which passed over the amalgamated plates, without giving up their gold content. Much of this debris has been carried into the Chestatee river, during flood times; and considerable of the gold, thus borne along, has been recovered from this stream by dredges, which have been worked with flattering success. In the northwestern part of the county rises the Etowah river, which, also, flows south through Lumpkin, continuing on through Dawson, Cherokee, Bartow and other counties, till it unites with the Oostanaula at Rome, to form the Coosa. An important economic feature, in the topography of the county, lies in the fact, ~hat the source of water-supply, for working the LUMPKIN COUNTY 277 gold mines, is the Blue Ridge on the northern border, while the mines themselves are in the southern, or lowest, part of the county, thus giving a fall of from 1 ,ooo to I, 500 feet, in a direct line, of from fifteen to twenty miles. I do not mean to suggest, that it would be at all practicable, :in such a mountainous country, to bring a mining-ditch over a direct line. There are already in the county several very satisfactory ditches, which supply the various mines with water, the principal one being that, known as the Hand Ditch. As a rule, these ditches have furnished abundant water, for operating the mines; but, during the past summer,' which has been the driest known to the inhabitants, for forty or fifty years, the tax on the volume of water, supplied by the mountain streams, has been much too great; and a number of the mines were forced to shut down, for lack of water. In planning the ditches now existing, it has not been found necessary to go to so great an altitude, for the source of water-supply, as was mentioned above. The hills and mountains of the county are covered with an abundance of pine, chestnut, hickory, oak etc., sufficient to supply all demands for fuel, both for mining and domestic consumption, for many years to come. Much of this is virgin forest. A good view of the timber, which covers the surrounding country, may be had, from any one of the higher ridges in the county; and the dense foliage, which stretches out, below, to the horizon, contributes no small part to the beauty of the scene. The scenery, which one observes along the ridges, valleys and streams, adds greatly to the pleasure of travel through the country. One of the most striking features is Cane Creek falls, on a pretty drive of two and a half miles from Dahlonega. At this point, Cane creek dashes over a huge mass of hornblende-schist, down I 189f>. 278 LUMPKIN COUNTY thirty or forty feet, frothing and sparkling, till the waters eddy off in the stream below.' GEOLOGY OF THE GOLD DEPOSITS The difficulties, attending an attempt to study the geology of the gold deposits of this county, are greatly augmented, by the fact, that the unaltered rocks are usually buried below many feet of saprolite ; and, that, only in rare instances, has work been done in the mines, sufficient to place unaltered material within reach of the geologist. With the exception of the hornblende rocks, the dumps are almost barren. It is true, that, occasionally, unaltered gneiss or mica-schist is to be found ; but it is impossible, at the present time, to get anything like a complete series of tl).e unaltered rocks. Hence, reliance must be placed, to a large extent, on what it is possible to get, from a study of the saprolites. It is this, that renders the work, at this stage of development of the mines, very difficult, and not altogether satisfactory. Moreover, the demand for the economic information, contained in this bulletin, is so urgent, that I am compelled, for the present, to subordinate careful laboratory study of the rock material, to the economic necessities, trusting, that, later on, I may be permitted to properly present these scientific details, which may shed additional light on the subject. 2 The principal rocks of this county are gneisses and schists. They have been generally referred to the Archcean. In the valleys, these rocks are covered with four or five feet of alluvium and detrital 1 See Plate XX. 2 See p. 319. LUMPKIN COUNTY 279 wash from the hillsides. Where exposed, they are decomposed, from the surface down, in varying depths, to a hundred feet or more, this material having been very aptly termed "saprolite," by Dr. Becker.1 Besides these rocks, there are to be seen quartzose slates, granites and massive quartz in veins. The gneisses and schists are intimately related, often shading from the one form to the other, in the same mass. Indeed, as observed by Dr. Becker,2 the schist is "immediately recognizable, as derived from gneiss." They are divisible into two classes, those containing mica, and those containing hornblende, as an essential constituent. THE ORDINARY GNEISSES AND MICA-SCHISTS These are, by far, the most abundant rocks in the county. In places, the gneiss predominates ; though gneissoid mica-schists more generally abound. Outcrops of a highly feldspathic gneiss are of frequent occurrence, along what are known as the upper and middle Gainesville roads, for a distance of six or eight miles from Dahlonega, beginning east of Yahoola creek 3 and south of the Chestatee river. It seems to be the predominant country-rock of that section of the county. Muscovite and biotite are the prevailing micas, though hydrous micas are characteristic of some of the schists, as will be seen, further on. In the saprolite condition of these rocks, the feldspar and mica have been subjected to surface alteration, the iron oxides, set free from the micas, imparting, usually, brilliant tints of red, yellow, 1 Loc. cit., P 3+ 2 Op. cit., p. IS. 3 The Hand mine is an exception to this. 280 LU1lPKIN COUNTY gray etc., to the mass. The gneissic and schistose structure of these saprolites is, as a rule, quite as distinct, as before alteration. Many of the mica-schists are garnetiferous ; and, in the gold district, the garnets often contain gold. Some of the schists enclose more or less well-defined quartz veins, some of which are auriferous, the schists themselves sometimes containing gold; others contain thin ribbon veins and lenses of auriferous quartz, both much distorted, the whole mass constituting an ore-body; still other schists, in belts, are auriferous, even though no quartz may be present. This is explained by Dr. Becker, as resulting, probably, from the passing away of the quartz in solution, leaving the gold behind.' These rocks are almost barren of well crystallized minerals. The disintegrated debris shows the following accessory minerals:- Gold, garnet, kyanite, magnetite, ilmenite, pyrite and chalcopyrite. Most of these are to be found, also, in the veins of the district, besides which the occurrence of allanite, apatite, chalcocite, malachite, limonite, hematite, pyrrhotite, siderite, tetradymite, tourmaline, chlorite, galena and pyromorphite has been noted, from time to time. THE YELLOW A~D BLACK BELTS When one visits, for the first time, the mines around Dahlonega, he hears, with some confusion, much talk about the "Yellow" and the " Black " belts ; and he soon finds, that great stress is laid on these, by the miners, as gold-producers. The schists of the "Yellow Belt" contain gold throughout, they say; while, as a rule, I Op. cit., p. 44 LUJ11PKJN COUNTY 28 I the veins only, of the "Black Belt" are gold-bearing. These names apply to certain yellow and nearly black schistose saprolites, which are to be found at a number of the mines, along Findley Ridge. They alternate with each other, forming a seri"es, which strikes, as a rule, N. 50 to 70 W., across the ridge, and dips, usually, from 35 to 50 to the northeast, the trend of the belts being about N. 70 E. There are at least two of the yellow belts and three of the black belts, varying from forty to three hundred and fifty feet wide. This series lies south of, and adjacent to, the large dike of hornblendeschist, mentioned elsewhere in this report; and it constitutes the crest of Findley Ridge. In one instance, at least, I was able to identify the material of the so-called yellow belt, as the saprolite of a pearl-gray hydromicaschist, which I found in a shallow shaft, in the bottom of the open cut of the Bast mine, on Findley Ridge, where it was easily traceable, from the completely altered to the unaltered material. As to the "Black Belt," a quartzose slate, underlying its saprolite in the Findley mine, seems to be the unaltered material. It contains considerable dark-green chlorite, of a species, not yet determined. This slate constituted the largest part of a dump-pile, which had been taken from an eighty-foot shaft, at the bottom of the open cut, which was sunk through the black slates, to a considerable distance, in the underlying quartzose schists. The saprolite of "THE BLACK BELT " is striking!y different, in appearance, from that of the "Yellow belt." The former has a decidedly slaty cleavage, and is colored by manganese and iron oxides, the brownish-black predominant color being characteristic. In tunnels, where the tints are brought out, by the condition of moisture, they sometimes present great beauty, being banded and flecked with rose, white, delicate blue, dark brown, buff and golden '.. 282 LUMPKIN COUNTY yellow. These schists usually cleave, along parallel planes, into thin slates, and are quite smooth, on the cleavage surface. They are very brittle, because of their decomposed condition, though they are sufficiently impregnated with manganese and iron oxides, to render them somewhat hard. Folds in these slates are not uncommon. An interesting series of anticlines and synclines, with arches not exceeding six feet in height, may be seen in the slates of "the Black belt," in the north tunnel of the Crown Mountain property, with one of the yellow belts overlying it. No bands occurring in the latter, folds are not easily discernible; and, in this particular instance, I do not remember to have noticed any. "THE YELLOW BELT" is also known, among the miners, as the "Soft belt." These yellow decomposed schists are compact, and very soft, crumbling readily between the fingers. The schistose character of these is less easily perceptible, than in "the Black belt"; but the lengthening of the individual grains, in the plane of schistosity, seen on a transverse fracture, would fix their character. The mass is of ochre yellow ; but red, white and, sometimes, black are sprinkled all through it. This material, with its vein content, is easily worked for gold, with the hydraulic giant and the system of flooding from elevated reservoirs. The slates of the " Black belt" are not so easily worked by this method ; but the giant may be used to a limited extent. OTHER MICA-SCHIST SAPROLITES That a number of other varieties of mica-schist are to be found in the mines in Lumpkin county may be expected; but their sapro- LUMPKIN COUNTY lites do not vary sufficiently among themselves, to afford positive differentiation, without proper laboratory study. They vary from normal gray to a brownish gray. These seem to retain their original character, to a more marked degree, than the schists of either the "Yellow" or the "Black belt." It is frequently the case, that the mica still shows the strong pearly lustre, so characteristic of the unaltered material. Some of the masses, like the schists of the "Yellow and Black belts," show little, if any, crumpling; while others are much crumpled and plicated. Of the fo.rmer, is the gray schist, of which much of the unaltered rock was blasted out, at the Chestatee mine, in building the plant for working the bed of the Chestatee river. A good illustration of the latter is the saprolite of the Singleton mine. A fold in these may be seen in Plate XIV, by following the curve indicated by the white feldspathic band. The axis is just beyond the position of the two miners, in the picture. The schists in this mine show as striking crumpling, as any, I have encountered in the county. Where feldspar or quartz bands occur with bands of mica or hornblende, the contortion is distinctly seen, and is, at times, remarkable. The mica of the schists, from the two mines mentioned above, are muscovite and biotite. Quite recently, I have been able to secure unaltered specimens of the schist from the Singleton mine; and it is of the ordinary gray muscovite-biotite variety, totally unlike the unaltered material of the "Yellow" and "Black belts"; although some of the leading miners of the section have confused the mica-schist saprolite from this mine, with that of the "Black belt." However, there are, here and there, in this mine, streaks of chlorite, resulting from the alteration of biotite. LUMPKIN COUNTY THE HORNBLENDE-SCHIST This rock leaves, on alteration, a harsh, friable, brownish-yellow mass, with a multiplicity of joints, slightly oblique to the plane of schistosity, causing the material to break readily into small prismatic blocks, with more or less perfect rhombic cross-sections. These are known, among the natives, as "brick-bat." Referring, on one occasion, to a dump-pile of hornblende-schist, at one of the mines, I asked a miner, what it was called among his fellows. He promptly replied:"Brick-bat gone hard," showing, that even the common miner recognizes the transition of the rock from one condition to the other. Many unaltered specimens of these rocks were examined by me, with the aid of a Browning triplet of ?1l-inch focus. They varied from the finest grained schist, in which neither feldspar nor quartz was visible to the unaided eye, to that, beautifully marked with minute layers of white quartz, more or less discontinuous. All these specimens, under the lens, showed grains of quartz; and the layers, visible to the unaided eye, were composed of very finely granular quartz. I did not observe any diorite in Lumpkin county; yet it has been observed in several localities, in North Georgia. In his Reconnaissance of the Gold Fields of the Southern Appalachians, Dr. Becker states,' that Dr. Hayes has found, in Cobb county, to the southwest of the Franklin mine, "areas of dark diorite some miles in diameter, which pass over into schists, similar to those at Dahlonega and elsewhere." 1 See p. r;. LL'MPKIN COUNTY These sheared hornblende belts vary in "f-"""<' width, from a few inches to half a mile. They are intercalated among the gneisses and mica- ti "-""5"' schists, having, as far as noted, the same schistosity. I observed, that the shearing c: passed directly from the one kind into the . -"5 ble, that these hornblende rocks .are very an- "'"' ~ " ;:Q. 0. cie.nt dikes, which had their positions in the ~ "'<""' : Sc.0...,. uilS country-rock, anterior to the. dynamo-metamorphism, which left them gneissic and schist- N til ~ " ~ :;""s'' '(< ="e "="'C ":=0.... :;"0s' = :r0: u ose, as they are at present. It is not to be expected, that, after passing through such deformation, they would retain their original characteristic outlines; but, that they would be more or less distorted. This distortion "~"' introduces, in part, at least, the element of <..... doubt, which exists, as to their genesis. But, 0 ;.""' as positive proof is still lacking, the word, ;:; "dike," is used, hereafter, tentatively. 0 .=s In the east tunnel of the Crown Mountain u ~ property, half-a-mile south of Dahlonega, two u0.... small masses of altered hornblende-schist are =bD ~ 0 cut through, which I take to be apophyses from the immense dike, which is crossed, in -" :J] -u" coming up the mountain from Dahlonega. In the excellent report of Dr. Becker, so often referred to, and quoted, by me, in this report. LUMPKIN COUNTY 30I surrounding formation ";I but, in later works, he considered simi Jar deposits in California, to be what Prof. Rogers had, before, called veins of injection. Prof. Ebenezer Emmons, State Geolo gist of North Carolina before the civil war, regarded the gold in the impregnated slates as sediment, contemporaneous with the slates. He observed, however, that the quartz deposits were real veins, conforming with the slates only approximately. In I 8 59, Mr. 0. M. Lieber gave it as his opinion, that the gold was contemporaneous with the rocks, but that it took the form of segregations, at a later time. Prof. Herman Credner took the position in I 867, that the auriferous quartz deposits in the schists of the Southern Appalachians were beds, and that "true veins" had ncr existence in this section. Prof. W. C. Kerr, long time State Geologist of North Carolina, after the civil war, wrote, in I875, as follows:-"Many of these quartz veins are in reality beds, as they coincide, in dip. and strike, with the stratification, whilst an equally great number run in every conceivable direction, and dip just as irregularly" .2 Mr. J. A. Phillips, in I 884, referred to these deposits as segregated veins, using this term as the equivalent of bedded veins, and expressing a doubt, as to whether there was any difference between these and so-called "true" veins, except as to position. But, as far back as I 836, Prof. William B. Rogers, State Geologist of Vir- ginia (I 835-' 42), indicated that the auriferous quartz veins of that State were "true veins of injection," observing, that, while the dip and strike of the veins generally conformed to those of the enclosing strata ; yet, the conformity was far from exact. With the advance made in geology, in late years, the views of 1 Reconnaissance of tile Gold Fields of tlze Southern Appa!acilians, by George F. Becker, p. 35-Sixteenth Annual Report of the Director. U.S. Geol. Sur. 2 Geology of North Carolina, Vol. I, 1875. p. 285. 302 LUMPKIN COUNTY the best geologists, on this subject, seem to accord with those of Prof. Rogers. Formerly, the schists and gneisses were regarded as metamorphosed sedimentary rocks, and their characteristic markings were considered original lines of stratification ; but it is now certain, that many of them were primarily igneous. By no means, should the gneissic and schistose markings in these rocks be confused with the lines of stratification and bedding, exhibited by sedimentary rocks. Still, this very confusion, which has been so common, has given rise to the idea, that the veins, lying between the supposed strata, were themselves deposited as sediments. Such an idea should have no place in the minds of intelligent geologists and mining men, of the present day. It is now well understood, that the markings in the gneisses and schists have been produced by immense pressure, exerted on the rocks, which has brought about a re-arrangement of their constituent minerals, grouping them in generally parallel lines ; shearing and elongating crystalline masses ; and sometimes changing cleavable feldspathic grains to innumerable individuals, of much smaller dimensions. It is not uncommon, that the metamorphic energy results in chemical, as well as physical changes, producing well crystallized minerals within the schists. In the formation of the veins in question, which includes those, of like character, in this county, it is evident, that the fissuring was done, subsequent to the shearing of the schists; and it is reasonable, that they should have fractured easiest, along the plane of least cohesion, which is the plane of schistosity. It is not at all surprising, that the fractures did not continue along straight lines, but that, while continuing generally along the plane of easiest cleavage, they broke obliquely across the schistosity, again resuming the direction of easiest cleavage. This would indicate a lateral LUMPKIN COUNTY stress, oblique to the plane of pressure, which had produced the shearing ; resulting in a dislocation of the walls of the fissure and the production of pipes, more or less flat and irregular, with contracted spaces between the walls, which, in places, would rest against each other. The filling in of these spaces by hot water solutions of silica, gold etc. from below, gr<.tdually deposited on the walls, would produce "chimneys" connected by narrower por tions, thinning out, and at times disappearing entirely. A g-ood illustration of this was seen by me at the Singleton mine. Again, because of the fracturing obliquely across the schists, the irregularities of fissure produce more or less irregular lenses, which are at times of considerable size. This is well shown at the Mary Henry mine, where, when one of the large lenses has been stoped out, another will be found, by following the small connecting vein. Veins of this character often contain considerable mica, all through the quartz. Some of this may have crumbled from the enclosing schists, and fallen into the vein, while forming; but probably, in most cases, it has been caused by the many small, attendant fissures, made when the mass was fractured. Excellent illustration of this is, also, to be seen at the Mary Henry mine. Besides the more or less disjointed auriferous veins in mica-schist, called stringer leads, by Dr. Becker,' there occur in the schists Well Defined Veins, some of which are auriferous, while others, if so at all, are of very low grade. Whether or not either class of these veins is younger, than the broken and discontinuous quartz veins of the stringer leads or the auriferous mica-schists, I have not sufficient evidence to establish; but I have no idea, that the coarse, massive, barren veins are contemporaneous with the auriferous vems. I hope to get satisfactory evidence of this, later on. 1 Loc. cit., p. 3oc. LUMPKIN COl.JNl} Frequently, have I been asked two questions, which are closely akin, and to which I here endeavor to give a brief answer. One of these is " Do you think, these veins are true fissure veins ? "; and the other, "Do you think the veins will increase in size, as you go downward on them?". The first question has been answered, in the foregoing discussion, if we are to understand the term, "true fissure vein," to apply to a fissure in the rocks, resulting from dynamic stress, originating below the solid crust of the earth, which has, later, been filled by continued deposition, from time to time, of mineral matter, from hot water solutions, which, successively filled, and receded from, the fissures, in obedience to subsequent dynamic movements. I believe the auriferous veins of this belt to have been formed in this way. The second question cannot be so satisfactorily answered. While it naturally suggests itself to us, that the many small veins of a stringer lead should come together in one large vein, deeper down in the earth, still, no case has come under my observation, in Lumpkin county, that would assist in a confirmation of this conjecture. As bearing on these questions, I can do no better, than quote so good an authority as Dr. Becker, in his discussion, on the auriferous veins in the South:- I "The question of the persistency of the veins in depth is one, which, in my opinion, need cause no uneasiness. For reasons, stated elsewhere in this report, it is believed, that the veins date chiefly from a pre-Cambrian period; and, if so, the present croppings are far below the original ones. If mining could be carried to an unlimited depth, it is probable, that the fissures would be found to grow smaller; for the greater the pressure of the superincumbent I Op. cit., pp. 42 and 43 ---------------------~------------ - - - - - - - - - - LUfofPKIN COUNTY mass, the greater must have been the tendency to close openings, formed under catastrophic conditions; but the total depth of fissures measured from the original surface is most likely of the same order, as their length, several miles in many cases, while no mine has ever reached a depth of one mile. In sinking, it should not be forgotten, that veins may imbricate in a vertical as well as in a horizontal direction, and that cross-cutting is, therefore, a very es-sential feature of development. "It has been held, that the precipitation of gold took place mostly near the original surface; I but, if the veins of the Southern Appalachians are, as they seem to me, of pre-Cambrian age, this cannot be strictly true ; nor does it seem to me, that the mining: operations of the last thirty years point to such a conclusion. Doubtless some veins grow poorer in depth, while some grow richer. These variations, within accessible limits of depth, are controlled, for the most part, by circumstances, similar to those, which bring about variations in tenor, from point to point, on the strike of the vems. "An idea is very prevalent, among mine owners, that veins may be expected, as a rule, to grow stronger and richer with depth. This is an hypothesis, based on hope, and with no justification m general experience." In regard to the belts of Auriferous ilfica-sclzists, which contain little, if any, quartz, and those, which are in themselves richer than the quartz veins contained, little need be said, further, than to reaffirm, that the theory, suggested by Dr. Becker,2 that the gold in these schists, occurring in particles, at times of considerable size, has been left, as a result of the leaching out of the quartz, in which it was originally contained, is the most satisfactory, yet put I Murchison, Siluria. 4\h ed., I867, p. 459 2 Loc. cit., p. 28o. 306 LUflfPKIN COUiVTY forward. The schists of the so-called Yellow belt along Findley Ridge belong to this class, as they are richer in gold, than the included veins. ln auriferous districts, the Graz1el Beds are usually the first deposits, to give evidence of their auriferous character. Along with the pebbles, the sand and the clay, is found gold, in the form of nuggets, 1 grains and dust. In this county, the gold grains vary from fine to very coarse, and nuggets are said to have been found, weighing as much as 300 pennyweights. A considerable number of nuggets are said to have been found, during the early workings of the deposits, the history of which it is now impossible to get. Comparatively few have been found, since the civil war, as the gravel deposits had been nearly all worked, prior to that event. In the breaking down of the quartz veins, those, that are auriferous, turn loose their gold, in the forms above mentioned ; and it is carried down stream, subject to much greater attrition, than the quartz. When broken away from the parent vein, it is usually very rough, with sharp points and crystalline faces ; and often with quartz clinging to it, and even enclosed in it; but it soon looses these and is often brightly polished by the attrition. Such are the State Museum nuggets from the Hamby Mountain mine in \Vhite county, before referred to. CHARACTER OF THE ORE Tlze C!taracter of tlte Ore in the veins varies in a number of particulars, not only in contrasting one vein with another, but also, the material of a vein with other material from the same vein, both in 1 This name is g:ven to large masses of gold and ot'1er precious metals, found in nature, free, or nearly free, from the vein-stone. LUllfPA'IN COUli/TY the value, and in the general appearance of the ore. The quartz of the veins varies from milk-white to transparent, sometimes slightly smoky, and from coarse-massive to fine-saccharoidal, crystals being of rare occurrence. Below water-level, the quartz contains the sulphides, pyrite and pyrrhotite (two forms of iron sulphide), chalcopyrite (an iron-copper sulphide), galena (lead sulphide) and sphalerite (zinc sulphide) ; other minerals are free gold, pyromorphite (lead chloro-phosphate), chlorite (a dark-green hydrous mica), garnet, malachite (a hydrous copper carbonate) from the alteration of chalcopyrite, and sericite, a damourite variety of muscovite, the most common of all the micas. Of the sulphides, only the pyrite is in any abundance, the chalcopyrite occurring sparsely, and the pyrrhotite, galena and sphalerite being rare, especially the last. The pyromorphite occurs in seams, as green coats on the quartz, sometimes presenting minute hexagonal crystals with the unit pyramid, thoroughly typical of this species. In the veins of the Singleton mine, the occurrence of these green coats is quite common; and Capt. John \V. \Veaver, a ve"ry intelligent and skillful miner, who has been in charge of the mine, for several years, told me, that the finding of these coats was always the forerunner of a good strike of gold, in this mine. Of the remaining minerals, garnet and sericite are quite common, and chlorite, somewhat so; but malachite is rare. Arsenopyrite, allanite, apatite, calcite, ilmenite, siderite, tetradymite and tourmaline are, also, said to occur; but, if so, they are very rare. The pyrite occurs in small irregular masses and in crystals, the only two forms of the latter, observed, being the cube (I oo, i-i) and the ordinary combination of this and the tetrahexahedron (210, i-2), in which the cube face is generally curved, accompanied by the usual resulting striations, those on adjacent faces, at right 308 LUMPKIN COUNTY angles to each other, in accordance with the hemihedrism of the tetrahexahedron. Above water-level, the pyrite has been decomposed, depositing~ on the rough walls of the resulting cavities in the quartz, thin coats. of limonite (a hydrous iron sesqui-oxide) and included free gold~ from the most minute particles to thin crystalline plates, several millimeters across. It is not uncommon, to find a cellular structure in the altered pyrite crystal itself, consisting of very thin plates of hard residual limonite, arranged quite closely together, parallel with the cubic axes, and, generally, equidistant. In other cases, the residual limonite follows no regular order, in its cellular structure, though the interior is frequently partially covered over by minute forms, from botryoidal to stalactitic. It is in this agglomeration, that much of the gold is held in captivity, and is prevented from being washed away, by the flowing and seeping waters,. which find their way through rock crevices and cavities. However, most of the cavities, left by the decomposed pyrite, are merely iron-stained, the limonite offering little or no protection to the released gold. Much of this is washed away; some of the more finely divided gold, into the decomposed porous anJ fissured schists, enclosing the veins, while much the larger part of it is carried, by the waters through fissures and crevices, finding its way into the streams, below, and, ultimately, a lodgment in the gravel deposits. Plates of gold, anchored in the quartz, and extending well into the crystal casts and cavities, left by the pyrite, are not uncommon, in specimens showing free gold. Except in the case of the crystal casts, the cavities in the quartz are exceedingly irregular and jagged, the rock being known as cellular quartz; though, among the miners, it is more commonly called honey- . comb quartz. The structure of these veins, while not so strikingly LUll:fPKIN COUNTY banded, as the characteristic metalliferous quartz vems of the vVestern States, is, nevertheless, distinctly banded in most cases, the bands being arranged parallel with the walls of the vein. A specimen before me, from the Singleton mine, consists of alternating bands of saccharoidal quartz and auriferous sulphides, with very thin seams of sericite, parallelly arranged. The auriferous veins are those, composed of the fine saccharoidal quartz with its included minerals, the large veins, with coarse massive quartz, as before stated, usually being of low grade or absolutely barren. One of these may be seen, in the coarse, jointed blocks, near the ight hand edge of Plate XIV, a view in the open cut of the Singleton mine. Some of the saccharoidal veins have disintegrated to sand, and are locally known as " sand veins". They do not seem to have lost, in any degree, their value, on this acCount; for some of them enjoy fine local reputation, as gold-pro.ducers. As before mentioned, some of the veins, enclosed by the schistose saprolite, are not so rich, as the surrounding schists. This :seems to be a very well established fact ; but, in order to test it, TI1aterial was selected by me, in the north tunnel of the Crown Mountain property, from which assays were made, with the following results:- (a) All auriferous quartz veins, Yellow belt, from both walls, North tunneL _________ 0.01 oz. ($0.21) of gold per ton (b) Schistose saprolite, from the Yellow belt from both walls in the North tunneL _______ 0.10 oz. ($2.07) of gold per ton Here, the schists contain just ten times as much gold, as the ilncluded quartz veins. The particles of gold in these decomposed .-schists are sometimes quite coarse. It is hardly probable, that ithey could have been washed from the veins far into the schists; 310 LUMPKIN COUNTY as a matter of fact, this occurrence supports, in no small degree,. the theory suggested by Dr. Becker, of subsequent solution, and dissipation of the quartz, leaving only the gold in the schists. 1 The nature of the Stringer Leads has been discussed above. The character of the ore varies but little, from that of the well-defined auriferous veins, the quartz being transparent, saccharoidal ; and cellular, stained by limonite above water-level, with free gold, both in the quartz, and in the cavities, but containing auriferous sulphides below water-level. As has been before stated, many of these schistose saprolites contain decomposed garnets in abundance, which are frequently auriferous. The character of the gold in the Gravel Beds has been sufficiently dwelt upon, and nothing further need be said, here, concerning it. IMPROVEMENTS ON THE MINING PROPERTIES As has been before stated, the mining, done in Lumpkin county, has been nearly altogether of a surface character; and the development work, thus far done, would not entitle the best of the mines to be classed as more than good prospects, were they to be judged by this alone ; for such a thing as deep mining has never been attern pted in this county. Reasons for this have been given in another part of this report. That there are a considerable number of good prospects, however, and some good mines, will be seen from the special report on each property, which follows, further on_ While a considerable number of the mining-plants have been kept 1 Lac. cit., p. 280. LUMPKIN COUNTY 311 in good condition, by practically continuous work, confessedly on a small scale, in most cases, however ; yet some of the plants have been allowed to go down, to a surprising extent. These would require some outlay, before they could be put to use. The plants consist, usually, of a water-supply ditch, a reservoir for hydraulicking, pipe-lines with hydraulic giants, and a stamp-mill with its accessories; turbine, cascade and overshot water-wheels, or boilers, pumps and engines, constituting a part of the outfit, according to whether water- or steam-power is used. Following, is a list of the Stamp-mills in active operation, during the summer of r8g6, with a total of 240 stamps:- Findley . Hedwig. Barlow Ralston Lockhart Hand. 40 stamps 40 40 20 20 20 \"ahoola . Preacher Singleton Turkey Hill \Voodwarcl. Murray 20 stamps 10 10 10 5 5 A Huntington roller-mill, also, was in operation at the Betz mine. Ten mills, with a total of 200 stamps, were idle, as follows:- Ivey Calhoun Josephine Fish Trap . Garnet 6o stamps . 40 . 20 20 20 Siloam Lawrence Bast . Stanley Horner 10 stamps . 10 . 10 5 5 The water-supply comes from the higher altitudes, in the northern part of the county, principally through the Hand Ditclt. This ditch supplies nearly all the mines and mills, immediately around Dahlonega; and a branch of it runs to the Barlow mine. This ditch takes its water from the head-waters of Yahoola creek, about seven miles north of Dahlonega; but, on account of the many ridges around which it must travel, its course is so sinuous, JI2 LUMPKIN COUll TY that the water travels twenty miles, before it reaches the Hand mine, where it empties into the creek. At Dahlonega, the Barlow branch begins; and, winding its way down to that mine, it finds an outlet in Cane creek. An independent branch, starting on the west side of Dahlonega, was built by the owners of the Findley mine, in order to convey the water from the Hand ditch to that mme. This branch, which is two or three miles long, belongs to Mr. Christian Wahl, President of the Hand and Barlow United Gold Mines and Hydraulic Works of Georgia. About two miles north of Dahlonega, the water, from the ditch, is conveyed across Yahoola creek, in a 36-inch iron tube, 2, 300 feet long. In addition to this, there are 6,45 5 feet of wooden pipe, of the same kind and size as the above, distributed along the ditch. The main ditch, including the extension to the Findley mine, is said to have cost about $300,000, and the Barlow branch, $2o,ooo additional. This ditch supplies water to a large number of mines and mills, which is bought, at so much per miner's inch. It is one of the most valuable properties in the county. Its construction was begun, during the first part of the year I 8 59, by the Yahoola Gold Mining Company, which was represented by Dr. Benj. Hamilton, of North Carolina, and Dr. M. H. Van Dyke, of New York; but it was not completed, until after the close of the war. The ditch was first brought to \Vimpy's grist-mill on Yahoola creek; the water was then brought across the creek on a trestle, I 50 feet high, and 7IO feet long. Beyond the trestle, the ditch is six feet wide at the top, sloping to five feet at the bottom, and is three feet deep. From the trestle to what is now the Hand mine, but which was then known as the Yahoola mine, a temporary ditch was dug, four feet wide at the top, sloping to three feet at the bottom, and two feet deep. The temporary ditch was finished, in the latter part of LrhVPKIN COUNTY 3I3 I 86 I. After the war, Dr. Van Dyke, who had remained in Dahlonega, all through this period, started up work, and finished the ditch, in full size. It was then known, as the Yahoola ditch; but, soon after it came into the possession of Mr. N.H. Hand, in I872, the name was changed to T!te Hand Ditch, which name it has since borne. A few years since, it was bought by the Hand and Barlow United Gold Mines and Hydraulic \Vorks of Georgia, of which Mr. Christian Wahl, of Milwaukee, wis., is president and principal stockholder. It is still the property of this company. Three smaller ditches are worthy of mention, viz:- T!te Singleton Ditc!t, which supplies water to the Singleton mine; The Cane Greek Ditc!t, which furnishes it to the Ivey mine; and The Mill Creek Ditch, which delivers it, at the Betz mine. These will be described, with the properties, to which they severally belong. COLLATERAL RESOURCES In its Water Resources, Lumpkin, as a mining county, is peculiarly fortunate. In its northeastern corner, rises the Chestatee river, with many tributaries, the principal of which are Yahoola and Cane creeks. These rise in the mountains along the north countyline, and flowing south across the gold belt, empty into the river, within the belt. In the northwest part of the county, the Etowah river has its source in abundant mountain streams, with larger tributaries farther south, the most important of which are Nimblewill, Jones and Mill creeks. These two main streams, with their numerous tributaries, will, without doubt, always suffice, for any demand, that may be made upon them, for mining purposes, with- 314 LU3fPKIN COUNTY out materially affecting other legitimate interests. On the larger streams are numbers of shoals, available for water-power, on a large scale ; and many of the smaller streams can be made to contribute, in a lesser degree, to this end. The abundance of Timber, of both soft and hard woods, for fuel and for the erection of buildings has been discussed in another part of this report,1 and need not be dwelt upon, here. The Soil is rich and productive; and grain, potatoes, grass and fruits can be raised in abundance. The valley lands are of exceptional value for cultivation, though the hillsides, while fertile, with the loam of ages of decaying vegetation, are often too steep, to admit of profitable tillage. The Climate of Lumpkin county is very healthful, and the temperature is remarkably uniform; in summer, never registering very high, and in winter, seldom, near the zero point. It is protected from the severity of the northwest winds of winter, by the Blue Ridge, which rises high on its north and northwest boundaries; and, in summer, the cool south breezes from the sea reach its high altitudes. Mining operations are carried on, all the year round, without danger of severe exposure. Labor for mining purposes can be had, for from So cents to $ r .oo a day, for the ordinary mining hand; while mine superintendents, who have had long experience in the mines, are to be had, for $2.50 a day. The ordinary miners are from both the white and negro races ; but they work peaceably together; and no strikes, boycotts or collusions of any sort have ever been attempted. 1 See page 277. LU3IPKIN COUNTY METHODS OF MINING . 3I 5 In the earlier days of the gold industry in Lumpkin county, the gold pan, the "long-tom" and the gum ''rocker," with the pick and shovel, constituted the miner's outfit; and, even in this day, instances can be cited, where the " tom" and the "rocker" areused by tributers. The old Mexican arrastre was probably the first mill used ; and, later, the wooden-stamp mill. This was succeeded by the present iron-stamp mill, with steel shoes and mortars. In the past, the weight of the stamps has been 4SO pounds, though there is some tendency, now, to increase the weight. Two mills in the county are supplied with 6 so-pound stamps, and one, with 8 so;. the others have 4SO-pound stamps. In the operation of these mills, both water- and steam-power are 111 use. Steam-pumps are used, at some of the mines, for raising water to the reservoirs, located on the hill-tops, for hydraulic mining; less often, for keeping shafts free from water. In mines,. worked on very small capital, hand-pumps have been resorted to, when the water became troublesome ; and, when the column of water became too heavy, to be lifted by hand, shafts, with a good average sulphide ore at their bottom, have been abandoned, because of the inability of the miners, to afford the expense of putting in steam-pumps. vVhere saprolite deposits are being worked by open cut, pipelines are run from the water-supply to the reservoirs, or to hydraulic giants in the cuts. A brief description of this may be of interest. vVhile the reservoir is being filled from the pump-house, men are set to work in the open cut, with picks, to dig out the soft auriferous saprolite, and to break up any large masses of quartz, LU,1!PKIN COUNTY -that may be encountered, leaving the material where the waters -will have free access to it. Generally, two runs, a day, from the reservoirs, are made, at stated hours. When the hour arrives, the workmen leave the cut, stationing themselves along the flume, to prevent its being clogged up by fragments of quartz, and clods, which the water has failed to reduce. One of their number then goes up to the reservoir, and opens the gate, when the water pours out, in torrents, down over the loosened saprolite, mixing with it, till it forms a thick, slimy mud, of the consistency of fresh mortar; this is gradually thinned down, by the rushing waters, and is carried, with the angular blocks of quartz and harder saprolite, through the flume to the mill. During one of these runs, I have seen blocks of saprolite, I 2 x 8 x 5 inches carried, by the torrent, down the slightly slanting cut, with little resistance. To assist in liquefying this flow of mud, a hydraulic giant is, sometimes, placed in the lower part of the cut, so as to play upon it; but this helps only a little; for the water, heavily charged with solid matter, rushes down the flume, through the sluices, and into the ore-bin in the mill, where it deposits the coarser material, such as sand and blocks of saprolite and quartz, while the muddy water, containing a large part of the gold, passes through the racks, out of the mill, and into the nearest stream. The material, which has been left in the ore-bin, is fed, by hand, into the stamp-mill, and the gold is caught on the amalgamated copper plates, which vary, in length, from four to twelve feet. Short riffle-boxes, containing mercury, are placed in connection with these plates, at their lower end, to catch such of the gold, as may pass, with the tailings, over the plates; though it is known to be true, that gold, coated by limonite ("rusty gold") will not amalgamate; and such of it, as is not caught by the riffles, must be lost. One cannot repress astonishment, that so wasteful a system LUMPKIN COUNTY 317 coulo have been in such general use, for so long a time, especially as the ores are, for the most part, of low grade ; though it is argued,. in its favor, that this method of mining the saprolites carries with it the minimum of expense. While some of the gold, liberated, by the disintegration of the auriferous saprolite by the waters, is caught up by the riffles in the sluices, and another part finds lodgment in the ore-pile in the millbouse, still it is said, and it is currently believed, that, from 2 5 to 50 per cent. of it is lost, being held up by the solid matter in the swiftly running waters, eventually passing through the racks of the ore-bin, and out of the mill-bouse, before it is deposited. I am reliably informed, that gold, passing through the Preacher mill, in this way, is found all along the bed of the Tan-yard branch, from the mill to the creek, a distance of one mile. Still, this system of mining is so inexpensive, and brings such fair results, that it is only recently, that steps have been taken, looking toward the saving of more gold. Settling-bins and other devices, for saving the small particles of gold, heretofore lost, are now coming into use ; and it is to be hoped, that some method may soon be devised, that will ultimate in the saving of practically all the gold. without doubt, such a process, with proper economy in handling, would place these ores on the list of superior investment. Among the apparatus, used in mmmg operations in Lumpkin county, is tlze Hydraulic Giant, which is employed principally, and most effectively, on the decomposed auriferous mica-schists, and, to a limited extent, on such of the gravel deposits, as are still worked. It is believed, that the use of this piece of apparatus, in re-working all the old auriferous gravel beds in the county, would pay JI8 LUftfPKIN COUNTY well, even in the case of those, that have been worked over by the old, crude methods, two or three times. T!te Hydraulic Graz,el-elevator has, lately, been used very successfully, in mining gravel beds, which have no natural drainage ; and it is still in use, where such condition exists. In the Chestatee river, Steam Dn:dge-boats have been used, during the last several years, with abundant success, in recovering sedimentary gold, from the bed of the stream. The auriferous sand, pebbles and bowlders are taken from the bottom of the river by the dredge-buckets, which are emptied into a line of sluices, sixty to seventy feet long, charged with mercury, through which the auriferous material is washed. MINT STATISTICS OF LUMPKIN COUNTY The following statistics of the gold production of Lumpkin county, r 880-9 5 inclusive, are from reports and estimates, as given in the annual reports of the Director of the Mint:- r8t>o r88r rt\82 r883 1884 r885 . r886 1887 r888 r889 . .$ 96,88o 88,ooo 22),000 !22,500 89,500 79,876 60,000 47.500 43,27 5 42,246 Forwarded. .$ 894.777 LUMPA7N COUNTY 1890 . 1891 . 1892 . 1893 . 1894 . 1s95 . Brought forward . Total. . $ 894,777 40,652 40,450 41,666 36,493 33,551 $1,129,780 The only year within this period, in which any considerable activity was shown, is indicated in the list above. From my personal examination of its various gold properties, there seems to be no reason, why the gold production of this county should not be made to far exceed any yield, in this list. ADDENDUM Since writing that part of this report, which relates to the general geology of the gold belt of Lumpkin county, a number of rocks, collected by me, in the field, have been submitted to microscopic study; and I am indebted to my assistant, Dr. Thomas L. Watson, for the report, which follows, below. From a megascopic study, I had believed the hornblende-schists to be epidiorite; and this accounts for its being mentioned as "Diorite", on Plate XV, the error being discovered, after the plates were printed. 320 LUMPKIN COUNTY A PRELIMINARY PETROGRAPHIC REPORT ON SOME METAMORPHIC ROCKS IN AND AROUND DAHLONEGA, LUMPKIN COUNTY, GEORGIA BY TH0~1AS L. WATSON, AssiSTANT GEOLOGIST The rocks, examined, comprise thirteen specimens, which were, in great part, collected by the State Geologist, Prof. W. S. Yeates, during the season of r8g6, and recently submitted to me for a microscopic examination. The notes, which follow, represent, at best, a brief examination; and the names, given to the various rocks, must be regarded as more or less tentative, until a thorough petrographic examination and chemical analyses can be made, when definite classification and grouping may be permanently effected. The specimens studied, are, almost without exception, characterized, first, by a great paucity of feldspar, which, with one or two exceptions, is entirely absent; second, by the essential minerals being hornblende or mica, or both, with quartz; and, third, by the structure being prevailingly schistose. The above features place the rocks among the crystalline schists; but what they were originally, whether metamorphosed sediments or eruptives, sufficient evidence has not been brought forward to determine, from the microscopic study given them. However, from the field evidence, it is believed, that systematic and thorough study will prove, that a portion of them, at least, represent phases of some of the basic eruptives, such as diorite, etc. The material has been more or less badly weathered, a feature, which has rendered its study very much less satisfactory, than it LD~VPKIN COUKTY 32I would have been, otherwise. The extent, to which rock decay from atmospheric agencies has been carried forward, among the old crystalline rocks of Georgia, renders it exceedingly difficult, and in most cases, almost impossible, to obtain perfectly fresh specimens for study. I have grouped all the rocks under the general heading, schists, which must be accepted in its relative sense only, since all the rocks in the region are laminated. A further division is, into basic and acid schists. It, at once, becomes apparent, that the division into basic and acid schists cannot be absolutely fixed, until chemical analyses are made; hence, it may be found, that some changes will be necessary, after a thorough chemical study of them has been completed. Furthermore, the rocks are all characterized by an abundance of free quartz. In most cases, it has been impossible to say, how much of this mineral is primary, and how much, secondary. However, it is fairly certain, that, in some of the sections, two generations of quartz were recognized, which would determine a part of it, as being formed, subsequent to the deformation of the rock, and, therefore, secondary in origin. In nearly every case, the quartz is distinctly granular, and shows no tendency toward orientation, whatsoever; and, so far as can be made out, no cataclastic structure is shown. Just how far the above may be taken as evidence, pointing to the secondary origin of this constituent, cannot, at present, be stated. The region, in which the specimens were collected, is a part of one of the oldest crystalline rock areas, found in the State. The relative age of this area, and the deformations, throug-h which it has passed, render the rocks of doubtful and unknown origin. 322 LUft:!PKIN COUNTY SCHISTS Acm RocKs No. D. Locality - The bottom of the So-foot shaft in the Findley mine. QuARTZ ScHIST. - Megascopically, this is a very compact, finegrained, quartzitic rock, dark-gray in color, and containing thin layers of biotite, chlorite and garnets. These layers are very irregular, in some cases, reaching a considerable thickness, and assuming, more or less, the form of lenticular masses. The rock is finely laminated, which, when viewed in other directions, appears perfectly massive, closely resembling a quartzite. Quartz, biotite, garnet and pyrite are clearly visible to the unaided eye. Microscopically, the rock has a granular structure, with the mineral constituents all allotriomorphic. The following minerals have been recognized, in order of their abundance : - Quartz, biotite, garnet and pyrite. The main mass of the rock is made up of interlocking quartz grains. The garnets occur (I) segregated into layers, intimately associated with the mica, which forms the darkcolored, thin bands running through the rock; and (2) distributed through the ground mass of quartz, as large and irregular crystals, very much distorted, due, presumably, to the intense pressure, to which the rock has been subjected. The mica has suffered considerable alteration - in fact, the greater part of it - into a reddish-brown product, taken to be chlorite. The rock represents the so-called "black belt" along the Findley Ridge, the weathered product of which is a slightly rusty-colored siliceous sand, through which can be seen, distributed more or less LUMPKIN COUNTY abundantly, folia of mica. Judging from the decayed product, the "'black belt" varies considerably, according to locality, in mineral composition. The weathered product is often a mottled clay, the .coloring of which, in some localities, is largely due to manganese. BAsic RocKs Under this heading, I have grouped all those rocks, whose mm~ral composition is made up, in large part, of one or more of the ferro-magnesian silicates. In the majority of them, however, there is, apparently, an abnormally large percentage of quartz. No. 2. Locality - The flume cut, Singleton mine. HoRNBLENDE-MicA ScHIST. - Megascopically, this is a highly schistose rock, made up of alternating white and black bands. The white layers consist almost wholly of quartz, while the dark-colored bands are composed of a copper-colored mica and green hornblende. A microscopic examination shows the rock to consist essentially -of green hornblende, mica and quartz. A large amount of secondary calcite is present, with a slight sprinkling of small, irregular grains of magnetite and epidote. The hornblende has suffered more ..or less alteration to chlorite. The hornblende occurs in deformed crystals, often, in part, prismatic ; while the mica is prevailingly made up of fibrous, prismatic shreds. The two are very intimately associated, and are orientated in the direction of their longer diameters. An original granular structure is indicated for the rock, with an induced secondary banded or schistose structure, whereby a segregation of the basic minerals into bands has taken place. The rock has been badly altered, consisting largely in the horn-blende having changed to calcite, the latter occurring pseudomorphic after the hornblende. The polysynthetic twinning and Newton's -colors, along the cleavage cracks, in some of the calcite crystals, .are very characteristic. 324 LUllfPKIN COUNTY No. 3 Locality - The hanging wall in the Sing-leton cut, Singleton mine. BronTE-EPIDOTE ScHIST. - Megascopically, this is a compact, fine~grained and finely laminated rock, of a light-gray color. Biotite, muscovite and a few scattering garnets are the only minerals, that can be definitely identified, by the unaided eye. Under the microscope, the rock is shown to be composed, essentially, of mica, epidote and quartz. A large quantity, of what is taken to be mag-netite, is found scattered throughout the section, in the form of small and elongated crystals. The mica plates are drawn out in the direction of their longer diameters, and are approximately parallel with each other. The alteration, in some cases, of the mica to chlorite, is noticed. The quartz occurs as distinct grains, without definite crystal outline. A rather large quantity of epidote is seen, which occurs in somewhat large crystals of indefinite shape. The pleochroism, which varies from a very light, delicate green to a decided bright, brownish-yellow, is very marked. This mineral is, in part, associated with the mica, and is not infrequently seen, drawn out, in the same direction, and parallel to the mica plates. No garnets are visible in the thin section; but they can be seen, sparingly distributed throug-h the hand specimen. No. 4 Locality- The dump-pile of the Moore and Cannon cut, Singleton mine. QuARTZ AMPHIBOLITE (Hornblcndc-Sdtist).-This is a rather coarsegrained, dark-colored, speckled rock, with a decided schistose structure, when viewed from one side. Otherwise, it appears to be perfectly massive. Hornblende, quartz and pyrite are discernible, megascopically; the pyrite, however, only in occasional small particles. Microscopically, the rock is composed principally of common green hornblende, quartz and epidote, with some pyrite and calcite. The hornblende is mostly prismatic and fibrous in outline, although allotriomorphic grains occur, in which both cleavages are well developed. The epidote occurs i.n irregular small grains, scattered through the interlocking quartz grains. No.8. Locality- The Knight cut, Hand mine. GARNETIFEROUS MICA (Biotite) ScHIST.- Megascopically, this is a very finely laminated, light-gray colored, homogeneous rock, in which mica and garnets are the only visible minerals. Microscopical examination shows the rock to be composed, essentially, of biotite, quartz and garnet. Magnetite and epidote occur, as accessory minerals. The quartz shows a decided tendency to orientation, in one direction. The biotite occurs in unusually long and drawn-out shreds, arranged parallel to one another, in the direction of their longer diameters. The alteration, to a certain extent, of the biotite to chlorite, is noticed. No. IO. Locality- Middle Gainesville road, on the south side of Findley Ridge, Lumpkin county. HoRNBLDIDE-MicA (Biotite) ScHIST. - Megascopically, the rock is fine-grained and decidedly dark-gray in color, with a marked schistose structure. Quartz, mica, hornblende and some calcite are recognizable. A microscopic_,tudy indicates the presence of the essential minerals, quartz, hornblende and mica; and, as secondary minerals, resulting from alteration, calcite and chlorite. Also, a large quantity of accessory magnetite occurs, in irregularly defined grains, of rather large size. The mica is more abundant, in the rock, than the hornblende, and is present mostly in the form of some- 326 LUMPKIN COUNTY what short prismatic plates, scattered throughout the section, without any apparent orientation. The hornblende forms large and distinct grains, without definite crystal outline, but having, generally, the two cleavages well developed. Quartz is the most abundant mineral in the rock, occurring in distinctly granular masses. It can be stated, with a reasonable degree of certainty, that the original structure of the rock was granular, since there is. but slight tendency towards segregation of the minerals into layers, which is only recognizable in the hand specimen. No. I 3 Locality- Lot I,os I, Dahlonega; ridge south of the Hand mind. AMPHIBOLITE (Hornblende-Sclzist).- The hand specimen reveals a fine-grained, homogeneous rock, of a dark color, with a decided greenish cast. The structure shows it to be a finely banded schist. The early weathering is into long, prismatic blocks. Microscopically, the rock is composed, essentially, of common green hornblende, with a considerable sprinkling of quartz, which has not been definitely identified, as primary or secondary. Epidote is scattered through the rock, in small, irregular-shaped grains. Considerably more than half of the rock-mass is made up of hornblende, which occurs as allotriomorphic grains and fibrous, prismatic crystals, grouped more or less together in an interlocking manner. The pleochroism is very marked, showing the usual absorption, a- yellow, b- greenish yellow, c- bluish green. The maximum extinction angle of a number of pieces, measured against the prismatic cleavage, was from I 8 - 20. No orientation of the hornblende crystals could be made out. The epidote is intimately associated with the hornblende, generally filling the interstitial spaces. The quartz is distributed throughout the rock mass, as irregular grains. LUMPKIN COlJNTY No. 27. Locality- An exposure along the road, at the Hand mme. MICA (Muscovite-Biotite) ScHIST. - Megascopically, the rock is medium-grained, very light-colored, and rather finely banded. Quartz, muscovite and biotite are visible. Microscopically, the rock consists essentially of quartz, biotite and muscovite. Some feldspar, more or less altered, with numerous small grains of epidote, are found scattered through the section. The two micas are intimately associated, and are present, in about equal proportions. Both are drawn out into long, narrow strips, which are grouped into layers, arranged in the direction of their longer diameters. The greater part of the rock is made up of quartz, which forms irregular-shaped grains. No. 28. Locality- The Hand mine. AMPHIBOLITE (Hornblende-Sc!tist).- Megascopically, this is a finegrained, schistose rock, of a very dark color, with a slightly greenish cast. The specimen has been very badly weathered, indicated, chiefly, in its highly pitted surface, with the cavities partially filled with bright-colored sesqui-oxide of iron. When studied, in thin section, it is seen to be composed of the essential minerals, common green hornblende, which makes up the greater bulk of the rock, and quartz. Large quantities of magnetite, with indefinite crystal outline, and some epidote, are present in the section. The magnetite has, in some cases, been decomposed into the hydrous sesqui-oxide of iron. The hornblende consists of irregularly shaped crystals, with distinct cleavage, and a fibrous, prismatic form, showing definite orientation. Both forms of the hornblende show absorption. A large number of the hornblende crystals gave a medium extinction angle of I 4, measured against the prismatic cleavage. The quartz is LUMPKIN COUNTY distributed through the hornblende, in the form of indefinitely shaped crystals. No. 31. Locality- The Hand Mine. QuARTZ AMPHIBOLITE (Hornblende-Scltist). -- Megascopically, this is an exceedingly finely laminated and compact aphanitic rock, of a dark-gray color, in which none of the minerals can be definitely identified. A microscopic study reveals an admixture of very fine-grain hornblende and quartz, through which are distributed irregularly shaped masses of magnetite. A large proportion of the magnetites are very much exaggerated in elongation, in one direction. A few scattered grains of epidote were identified. More than half of the rock-mass is composed of hornblende, which occurs in the form of minute deformed grains and prismatic crystals, with orientation quite distinct. No. 33. Locality- The dump-pile of the Moore and Cannon cut, Singleton mine. QuARTZ AMPHIBOLITE (Hornblende-Scltist).--Macroscopically, this is a very compact, dark-colored, schistose rock. The dark hornblende layers alternate, with those of the light-colored quartz. The specimen is badly weathered, principally in the way of minute spots of bright-colored sesqui-oxide of iron, imparting the appearance of a pitted and speckled condition to the rock. In thin section, the rock is shown to be made up principally of green hornblende, which constitutes more than one-half of the entire rock, and through which are distributed irregular grains of magnetite and layers of interlocking grains of quartz. A slight sprinkling of feldspar, with small crystals of epidote, was observed. The hornblende occurs, chiefly, in the form of long-drawn-out, prismatic fibres, orientated in one direction. Also, allotriomorphic LCJ!PA"IJ\" COUKTY grains are frequent, with good cleavage development. The absorption for the hornblende is very strong. The spots of iron stain, mentioned above, are apparently due to the oxidation of the magnetite. The quartz forms a mosaic of interlocking grains, arranged in layers, which alternate with the hornblende. No clew is offered, suggesting what the original rock may have been; but probably, it represents a phase of one of the basic eruptives, such as diorite or, possibly, diabase. No. E. Locality- Tunnel, E- H, I Singleton mine. AMPHIBOLITE (Hornblendc-.Sclzist).- Megascopically, a very compact, homogeneous, coarse-grained rock, very dark in color, and having a decided greenish cast, A strong tendency towards a schistose structure is shown in one direction. In others, the rock appears to be distinctly massive. Hornblende, quartz and pyrite can be identified. Microscopically, the rock is composed essentially of common green hornblende and quartz, with some pyrite and magnetite, and a considerable quantity of secondary calcite. Also, a few grains of plagioclase feldspar were observed. The hornblende is present, mostly in the form of irregular prismatic masses, without cleavage. However, the irregular, granular form is not uncommon, with one of the cleavages more strongly developed, than the other. It is strongly pleochroic. A very marked feature of the hornblende is its alteration. Evidently, its original form was granular ; but it has, subsequentl)".taltered to the fibrous, prismatic form, in which the cleavage is mostly destroyed. The crystals are further characterized, by not being continuous, ?ut rather in disconnected, shredded masses. The shredded fragments are distributed through large, irregular-shaped crystals of calcite, I See fig. 29. 330 LUMPKIN COUNTY wh-ich preserves, to a marked degree, the outline of the hornblende crystal, from which the calcite is a derived, secondary product. This alteration has advanced to such a degree, that, in some cases, almost the entire hornblende crystal has been changed, only a few shreds of the hornblende being left distributed through the calcite. It is estimated, that at least 5 per cent. of the rock is calcite. The quartz forms a mosaic of interlocking grains, distributed, in part, through the other minerals. No. F. Locality- Bed of the stream, adjacent to the Dahlonega and Hand mine road, near the Hand mill. QuARTZ AMPHIBOLITE (Hornblende-Sclzist).- This is a homogeneous, coarse, granular, dark-colored rock, with some white material, regularly scattered through the mass. Hornblende, some mica, quartz and calcite are recognizable, megascopically. The microscope reveals the presence of common green hornblende, mica, quartz, plagioclase feldspar, epidote, pyrite, magnetite and considerable secondary calcite. The hornblende occurs in the form of fibrous prismatic crystals, which, for the most part, are interlocking. The absorption is fairly strong. The hornblende, in this specimen, as in No. E., has been changed, in part, to calcite, which now fills the spaces, once occupied by the hornblende. The feldspar is not, by any means, so abundant, as would be expected. It occurs in irregular grains, more or less rounded, with the zonal structure but meager!y developed. Some grains are sufficiently characterized, however, to enable them to be identified as plagioclase. The quartz occurs as irregular interlocking grains. While the specimen is badly altered, indications are, that it is a phase of a once existing diorite. The rock shows a marked schistosity in the field. LUMPKIN COUNTY 331 THE CROWN MOUNTAIN PROPERTY The highest point of Findley Ridge, which is near its center, half-a-mile due south from the court-house in Dahlonega, is known as Crown Mountain. The northern part of the Fish Trap mine, that part, which has been worked for the gold contained in its saprolite and quartz veins, lies well down the mountain's south side; but most of the mountain is included in lot 947, I 2tlt district. This lot, with 948, immediately north of it, 989, diagonally adjacent on the southeast, a ten-acre strip from the west side of 987, and one acre from the southeast corner of 986, comprise what is known as THE CROWN MouNTAIN PROPERTY, owned by Judge vV. w. Murray, of the United States Court of Land. Claims, whose residence is Huntingdon, Tenn. Crown Mountain has an altitude of 275 feet above the public square in Dahlonega, and 250 feet above a well-known spring at its base. Its altitude above sea-level is I, 754 feet. It consists prin- cipally of the mica-schists of the so-called Yellow and Black belts; but the schists, of what is known as the Fish Trap belt, form a part of its southern side, and the large dike of hornblende-schist, discussed in another part of this report, I forms the greater part of its northern side. The dip of the schistosity of all these is from 30 to 50, usually to the northeast. On the broad oval top of the mountain are to be found small, well-worn bowlders and pebbles; and, covering its sides, a bed of clay, described further on. The mountain is well timbered with chestnut, oak and pine, the two former being in much the greater abundance. Some little prospecting for gold appears to have been done upon I Seep. 286. / 332 LU31PJ.7N COUNTY the Crown Mountain property, years ago, before Judge Murray became its owner ; for, about half-way up the northwest side of the mountain, is what is left of a few old shallow inclines and prospect holes; and, near the top, on the south side, a 30-foot incline was run down on a vein in the "South Black belt," which is said to have yielded good results. The most of the work, however, seems to have been done on a large white quartz vein on the northwest side, which is said to have proved of low grade. As a gold prospect, the property had little reputation, before Judge Murray began prospecting it, in a systematic way, some two or three years ago. Its real value, probably, has not been shown, even by the work, done by this gentleman; for it has been confined to the top of the mountain, no tunnel having, as yet, been driven, down near its base, to expose the character of the deposits deeper down; though Judge Murray has this in view. Under his direction, three tunnels, over 200 feet long, with drifts, have been excavated, one each, into the north, south and east sides of the mountain, at varying elevations near the top, for the purpose of ascertaining the auriferous character of the schistose saprolites and the veins encountered. These tunnels are known, respectively, as the East, South and North Tunnels. In addition to these, a few prospecting pits have been dug, here and there, and a shallow incline has been sunk on a small, but rich, vein near the north tunnel. 333 THE TUK~ELS I The entrance to the EAST TuNNEL is along the roadside, on the east flank of that part of Crown Mountain, which rises above the FIG. 22 top of the ridge, and is about eighty feet below the apex of the mountain, and on a level with the crest of that part of the ridge, lying east of it. It is driven 165 feet, in a direction, S. 6 5 W., through a deposit of trans- ported clay and the underlying decom- posed mica- and hornblende-schists of the "Yellow belt"; from this point, running directly west, for thirty feet, into the slates of the " Black belt", when it turns sharply towards the south, running S. 5 \V., for 2 5 feet; then S. 40 'vV., for 24 feet, which, with drift B, makes a total of 270 feet. Fig. 22 is a linear representation of the length and direction of this tunnel, reduced to scale. The entrance to the SouTH TuNNEL Linear View of the East Tunnel, Crown Mountain Gold Property. Length x oh is about 65 yards, S. 45 \V., from that of the east tunnel, and about 4 5 feet above the latter, in elevation. It is driven, at an average angle of N. 20 \V., through the deposit of clay, a belt of the yellow decomposed schists, and into a belt I For convenience of description, I have designated the tunnecs, with their drifts, by the letters A, B and C, as may be seen by reference to figs. 22, 23 and 2.1. 334 LUMPKIN COUNTY of the black slates, a total of 2 I 3 feet. At the point of contact between the clay and the yellow schistose saprolite, a drift r has been excavated, in a general direction of about S. 70 vV., for a total_ distance of 68 feet, through the clay and the yellow schists, and into a belt of the black slates, known, locally, as the "Soutlt Black Belt", that, lying at the other end of the main tunnel, being distinguished, as the " North Black Belt". FJG. 23 s Linear Yiew of the South Tunnel, Crown Mountain Gold Property. Dotted Lines Indicate the Part Now Filled. Length x oh In the rear end of the main tunnel, a few feet within the north black belt, and 164 feet from the entrance to the tunnel, is a second drift, 2 which has a general direction of S. 6o0 W., for a 1 Marked B, fig. 23. 2 Marked C, fig. 23. LUMPKIN COUNTY 335 distance of about I 28 feet, of which approximately 70 feet have been filled up with refuse. This drift runs from the north black belt back into the saprolite of the yellow belt. At a distance of fifteen feet beyond the first bend in drift C, an incline 2 5 feet in length has been sunk on a large quartz vein, lying between the yellow and black belts, and dipping with them to the northeast. FIG. 24 '','''''"'' '' Linear View of the North Tunnel, Crown Mountain Gold Property. Dotted Lines Indicate the Part now Filled. Length x oh The total number of feet driven in this tunnel is about 4 I o. Fig. 23 is a linear view of this tunnel, reduced to scale, except as to width, which, as is the case with the other tunnels, is three feet. From the entrance to the South tunnel to the entrance of the NoRTH TuNNEL, in a line, N. 30 W., is a distance of about I60 yards ; and the elevation of the latter above the former is about 5 336 LWfPKIN COUNTY feet. The total number of feet driven in this tunnel, including its two lateral drifts and an approximation of I oo feet of the main tunnel, which is filled with refuse, is 486 feet, of which 2 35 feet constitute the main tunnel. Drift B, running generally west, I is I 55 feet long, while drift C runs 97 feet almost due southeast. As in the other tunnels, the clay forms the outside part; but, instead of the yellow schists, as in the other tunnels, a decomposed apophysis from the large hornblende dike, farther down the north side, lies in contact with the clay ; it was evidently exposed at this point, when the clay was deposited. THE ROCKS AND ORES The rocks, cut by the three tunnels and their drifts, are typical of Findley Ridge; and, as such, their occurrence will be described somewhat in detail, notwithstanding they have been generically described, in another division of this chapter. A section along the south wall of the east tunnel, indicated in fig. 2 I, by the letter A, is represented in fig. 2 5, showing the relative positions and extent of the various rocks, cut in this tunnel. The TRANSPORTED CLAY lies unconformably on a former surface of the mountain, as indicated by the lines of contact with the underlying rocks in the three tunnels, the lines converging toward the apex of the mountain, though the usual irregularities of a hillside, resulting from rain sculpture, are, here, quite as pronounced as elsewhere. The thickness of the deposit, cut by the three tunnels, I See fig. 2-1. LUllfPKIN COUNTY 337 is as follows :-East tunnel, 56 feet ; south tunnel. 48 feet; north tunnel, 50 feet. " ~ ~ 1: <1) >< <1) -5 c: 2 :;":;' r.un "'"u ~ ~ f:Q. ";Q""'" As has been stated, before, neither vems nor pebbles were seen in the clay ; nor were shells, wood or other organic remains observed- only the scant stratum of small angular quartz fragments near the contact with the schists, mentioned before. As has been stated, that part of the clay, lying next to the schists, is of a bright yellow, overlaid by the brownish-red clay, into which it gradually merges. The <1) >,..C: o"c:~ deposit is compact and apparently homogeneous; and, with the exception of the stratum of angular "::! ~ :i"":i'' quartz fragments, is without lines of stratification. 0 u "" " "0'. UJ ' .... b u ~ There is no material difference in the character of this clay, as it occurs in each of the three tunnels ; .{ ~ 0 N its thickness is practically the same, presumably, i[...~. bought this property, also, since r8]6. L0~1IPKLV COUNTY one night, out of the court-house door, by a drunken man; and,. falling on the sharp corner of the steps. he was injured internally, so that he died, in a few hours. The feature of this incident, of interest at the present time, is, that the coroner of the county levied on the dead man's property, to pay the costs of the inquest. So, the half interest belonging to Mr. Henly's estate, was sold by the sheriff, and, by him, was deeded to \Villiam Martin, May I 2th, I 8 55 From Mr. Grady, his half interest passed to Mr. Martin, in August, I857 From Col. W. P. Price, his wife and other heirs of Mr. Martin, the lot was bought by Harry B. Neal of Virginia, except the farming interest in four acres around the mineral spring, a mortgage being filed, on the day of the sale, Sept. 29th, I 877, to secure deferred payments to Col. and Mrs. Price and her sister, Mrs. Fannie K. Harris. After working the mine for some time, as has been before related, Mr. Neal, in February, I879, sold the lot to Mr. Samuel E. Griscom of Philadelphia, except the farming interest, above mentioned, the sale being subject to the mortgage in favor of Col. Price and others. This mortgage was foreclosed in July following; and the sheriff deeded the lot, except the farming interest in the four acres around the spring, to Col. Price, his wife and Mrs. Harris, her sister. What further title Mr. Griscom had to the lot, the records do not show; but the title must be good; as "Samuel E. Griscom, by his attorney in fact, \V. P. Price," sold the lot, except the four acres, in June, I 8go, to Mr. George M. Stanley of Michigan, who deeded the entire lot to his wife Mr~. Mary L. Stanley, the present owner, in November, I 89 5, Col. Price having deeded the farming interests in the four acres to Mr. Stanley,. in April, I 894. LC'Ml'A"l1Y CCC.\'TY THE BAST MINE Looking southeast from the neighborhood of the public square in Dahlonega, the attention is arrested by a large open cut, running along the north side of Findley Ridge, near its top. This cut is on the east side of lot I,OJj, I2tlt district, its east end stopping abruptly, about the middle of the north and south lot-line, between this and the Findley mine lot, No. I ,048. This cut constitutes what is known as the Bast mine, named for 1\fr. Emanuel Bast, of Ashland, Penn., one of it former owners and operators. The cut is 650 feet long by about 60 feet wide. Its south \vall is about fifty feet high, and its north wall, about twenty feet, in the present condition of the cut; though, in places, the original bottom is said to be covered, by about twenty feet of debris. Along its longitudinal axis, the cut has a direction, N. 76 E., approximately the trend of the belts. In fact, the cut has been made by excavating the yellow belt, nearly to the point, where the saprolitic condition gives place to the unaltered schist. Still, a portion of the yellow saprolite remains in place, dipping under the large dike, and averaging, probably, fifteen feet thick. The north wall, in the west end of the cut, presents an excellent exposure of the hornblende-schist, the most of it, in an almost completely altered condition, but the remainder, showing all stages of alteration. About midway of the north wall of the cut, a drain was cut through the hard, unaltered hornblende-schist, through which the ore could be flooded to the mill. The large dump-pile, resulting, furnishes, in abundance, all the variations of this rock, from the holocrystalline to the aphanitic schist. Third in the series of these belts, as they lie in this cut, is a belt --of the black slates, which forms the south wall of the cut, and dips LCJIPKIN COUNTY under the belt of yellow schists. The strike of these slates, taken in the east end of the cut, was N. 65 vV., and their dip 55 to the northeast. The strike of the hornblende-schists is N. 8o0 vV., and their dip, 45 to the northeast. Lying between the yellow and blacl.:: belts, is an auriferous quartz vein, known as the " Big Sand Vein." The trend of this vein is N. 50 to 60 E., which approximates that of the yellow and black belts. The ore from this vein is said to have yielded $I r.oo or $I 2.00 of gold per ton. In the west end of the cut, the vein is about fifteen feet wide; but, at the point, where my sample for assay was taken, I 50 feet east, it is only two feet wide. Beyond this, in an eastward, direction, it is covered by the weathered material, which has fallen in, from the walls; but, near the drain cut, where it is twenty feet under this soft material, it is said to be eight feet wide. Only a few feet from this vein, was another, in the yellow belt. A prospect shaft, about ten feet deep, has recently been driven through the unaltered schists, along the clip of this vein. The hard schists, which surround the vein, are pearl-gray, and consist, chiefly, of a hydrous mica, the species of which has not yet been determined. These schists, which, as I have before stated, are, evidently, in part, at least, the unaltered material of the yellow belts, arc, by no means, so quartzose, in character, as the underlying slates of the black belt, at the Findley mine. The vein, which is of hard, white quartz, containing considerable of the hydromica-schist, in layers longitudinal with the vein, is about eighteen inches thick; and it clips with the slates about 40 to the northeast, striking northwesterly. The ore, taken from the shaft, is highly pyritiferous; and I saw quite a number of specimens, which showed liberal quantities of free gold in plates, with the pyrite. This seems, j66 though, to have been local; as the sample for assay, taken by me, only a few feet below, proved to be of low grade. In the east end of the cut, a vein has been followed by a tunnel, sixty feet long, into the Findley mine lot, adjoining; and, just op- posite, on the other side of the cut, is another tunnel, running 100 feet, in a southwest direction, on the Bast lot. These tunnels have been abandoned, for some time ; and they were not in condition for examination, at the time of my survey of the mine. Two samples, taken by me, were assayed, yielding the following results:- No. L ___ -----------------0.090 oz. ($I .86) of gold per ton 2 _____________ --- -----0.095 ($ 1.96) " No. I was taken from the vein in the yellow belt, at the bottom -of the prospecting shaft. It was composed of quartz and hydro- mica-schist, impregnated with considerable pyrite. No. 2 was taken from the "big sand vein", at the bottom of the cut, about a hundred and .fifty feet from its west end, and only a few feet from the shaft in the yellow belt. The. sample was taken from about twenty-five feet of the vein, exposed. The material was saccha- roidal quartz, more or less cellular, and stained by iron sesqui-oxide, resulting from the decomposition of pyrite, some of which still re- mained, unaltered. Good specimens of botryoidal pyrolusite were taken from this vein, in getting this sample for assay, it being a secondary mineral, resulting from the alteration of the black slates. On top of the ridge, about sixty feet from the open cut, is the remnant of the old reservoir, used for hydraulicking the soft, de- cayed auriferous schists, from the cut to the mill, which is located below the cut, about midway up the ridge. \Vater, taken from the Findley ditch, was pumped from the mill, through a pipe-line, to the reservoir, from which it was conveyed, by various trenches, to LUMPliJN COUJ\7Y different parts of the cut, as needed. The reservOir 1s sixty feet long, forty feet wide, and four feet deep; but it is now in a very dilapidated condition; and, for further use, it would require rebuilding. The mill-house, while well built, of good, strong timber is badly decayed, for five or six feet from the ground; and considerable rebuilding will be required, to place it in proper condition. The mill is a 10-stamp Hall mill, the stamps weighing 450 pounds, each; but it is in bad shape, and considerable repairing would be necessary. An So H.P. horizontal engine is in good condition, and well mounted, on a substantial brick foundation. Two large tubular boilers, with wood furnaces, are enclosed in a brick encasement on the back and sides, fitted to the square iron front. These walls are nine feet high ; the rear wall is ten feet long, and the side walls, fifteen feet; all are in good condition. On the hillside, just back of the mill, is an old drying oven, built immediately after the war by a man, by the name of Moyer, superintendent of the Consolidated Gold Mining Co. of Georgia. It is built of stone, and is ten feet high, eleven feet wide, and eleven feet deep. The furnace opening, in front, at the bottom, is two feet high and four feet wide. The ore receptacle, or oven, is funnelshaped, from the top of the masonry to the furnace, seven feet, wide, at the top, and three-and-a-half feet, at the bottom, which is not now in place, but which consisted of an iron plate; this receptacle is made of riveted three-sixteenths-of-an-inch, boiler iron. A smoke-stack, of the same material, runs from the furnace through the center of this oven, and is perforated to the top of the structure. The smoke-stack originally extended ten feet above the top of the oven; but the exterior part now lies on the ground, in front of the furnace. I present, in plate XVIII, a view of this old drying oven, L0111PKIN COCXTY which was called a roaster by the operators, and which, on information at first received, I designated as a "roasting furnace". Lot I o 35, I 2th district, was originally granted by the State to Thomas H. Attaway, at the time of the division and distribution of the Cherokee country of North Georgia, in 1832. The first deed to this lot, of record in the court-house at Dahlonega, is a quitclaim deed, dated January 22nd, r86r, from James J. l\lcCroan to Elisha Keen, for one twelfth of the lot; and, on March 22nd, following, Jacob Lewis gave to Keen a warranty deed to one eighth of the lot. In June of the same year, Isaiah Attaway and wife conveyed, by warranty deed, an undivided fourth of the lot to Keen; and, a few days later, Keen sold I 8 7:J acres of the lot to Augustus F. Franklin. McCroan, Lewis and Isaiah Attaway were heirs of Thomas Attaway. In November, I877, Franklin deeded an undivided half of the lot to Mr. \Vm. J. \:Vorley, who, in September of the fol- lowing year, sold it to Mr. Emanuel Bast, the Attaway heirs, on the same clay, selling to Mr. Bast, by their attorney in fact, Mr. \Villiam J. Worley, the other undivided half. In July, 1879, Mr. Bast sold the property to The Pennsylvania National Gold !\lining Company of Georgia, with all improvements, water-rights etc., this company being succeeded in June, I 8So, by tha Consolidated Gold Mining Co. of Georgia, of which Mr. Bast vvas president. This company had also bought the Ivey mine ; and it operated the two, simultaneously. In June, I886, the Bast lot, with the 20-stamp mill and all appliances and appurtenances, was sold by the sheriff to the Frank W. Hall Merchandise Co. of Dahlonega, to satisfy a judgment of Court, in favor of that company against The Consolidated Gold Mining Co. of Georgia. In the latter part of the same month, a half interest in the lot was duly conveyed to Mr. Frank vV. Hall; and in October, I S8g, the other half was conveyed to him. In February, I Sgo, Mr. Hall deeded the -entire lot, the mill etc. to LUMPKiN COUNTY The Dahlonega Co., Limited; and in March, 1893, these were sold by the sheriff, and deeded to Mr. Hall by Capt. John W. Weaver, Receiver for the Dahlonega Co., Limited. Mr. Hall has, since, been the owner of the property. A part of the history of this mine has peculiar interest, in that it shows one of t'he numerous nefarious schemes, which have been perpetrated by adventurers, coming into Georgia, and which have militated against the development of the gold deposits of the State. In r 889, a man, representing, as Managing Director, an English syndicate, styled THE DAHLONEGA Co., LIMITED, purchased through Mr. Frank W. Hall, of Dahlonega, agent for the owners, the Ivey, the Lockhart, the Fish Trap and the Bast mines, for the sum of _$40,000 (the Lockhart, at that time, including the Singleton mine), upon condition, required by the Managing Director, that the owners should deed the first three properties, as named above, to The Dahlonega Co., Limited, and that the Bast mine should be deeded to the person or persons, thereafter to be named by him. After consulting counsel, as to the legality of such action, the owners of the four properties agreed to the condition ; and $40,000 spot cash was paid them, he leading the syndicate to believe, that the entire amount was used, in the purchase of the Ivey, the Lockhart and the Fish Trap mines. He then represented to his associates, that, while he had been able to secure these valuable properties for $40,000; still, Mr. Hall had, remaining, the Bast mine, which the Managing Di rector said, was one of the most valuable in the State, and for which the owner positively declined to take less than $40,000. He colored the subject so adroitly, that his co-directors issued, and turned over to him, at his suggestion, $40,000 in debenture bonds, secured by a mortgage on the four mining properties, in order that he might purchase the Bast mine for the syndicate. He then transferred the bonds to his brother, living in London, and directed Mr. lUMPKIN COUII7TY Hall to have a deed to the Bast mine made to The Dahlonega Co., Limited. The syndicate having provided additional funds, for the development and systematic working of the mines, the Managing Director selected Mr. A. B. Linder mann of Philadelphia, as General Superintendent of the mines, with headquarters at Dahlonega. Mr. Lindermann, having put several of the mines in good shape, began to work some of them; the Singleton, he leased to a man who, it is said, made considerable money, by working the placer deposits of this mine. Immediately after the promoter, who subsequently became Managing Director, had purchased the mines, he made a contract with The Frank \V. Hall Merchandise Co., to put the Cane Creek ditch, belonging to the Ivey mine, and the Singleton ditch, in good repair; and he ran up additional accounts, at their commissary. Not being able to get a settlement with him, The Frank W. Hall Merchandise Co. brought suit, in the early part of r8g2, against The Dahlonega Co., Limited, in the Superior Court of Lumpkin county, by which the syndicate learned, for the first time, of the double dealing of its Managing Director. The chagrin of the syndicate, at this discovery, resulted in a resolve to defeat his plans, at any cost. They made Mr. Hall their agent, and instructed him to acknowledge judgment, and to have the several properties sold by the sheriff, and to ~ettle the obligations, incurred by the Managing Director, with the Frank W. Hall Merchandise Co. and other concerns in Dahlonega. Things having taken this shape, the brother of the Managing Director, to whom the latter had transferred the debenture bonds, brought suit, in the United States Circuit Court in Atlanta, to foreclose the mortgage on the several properties, which had been given, to secure payment of the bonds. As soon as action was begun, the Superior Court of Lumpkin county appointed Capt. John W. Weaver, of Dahlonega, Receiver. Capt. LUMPK!N COUNTY 37I Weaver held this position, for about two years, until the properties were sold, by order of the Court, at public outcry, before the Courthouse in Dahlonega, March 7th, I 893. Mr. Hall purchased the properties and paid off the expense indebtedness ; and the attorney for the brother of the Managing Director gave notice, at the sale, that the properties were subject to the debenture bonds. In November, 1895, a decision was rendered, in the United States Circuit Court in Atlanta, declaring, that the mortgage, to secure the bonds, was not valid, thereby releasing the several properties from any claim, on account of the bonds. Criminal proceedings were instituted in England against the late Managing Director of The Dahlonega Co., Limited, whereupon, it is said, he fled to some one of the South American countries, where he has, since, resided. Mr. Hall, to whom I am indebted for the facts, as narrated above, is, still, owner of these mining properties. That they were involved in this ugly transaction does not, of course, discredit, in the least, their value as mining properties. ' THE FINDLEY MINE At the northeast end of Findley Ridge, are two very extensive cuts, in what is known as the Findley mine. This mine includes 1 In this connection, it may be of interest to know, that, in July, 1897, that part of the Lockhart property, known as the Singleton mine, was sold, for $z3,ooo, to Mr. John B. Atkinson of E:ulington, Ky., and others, who have since organized, as The Tahloneka Mining Co.; and that this com pany is now making extensive preparations, for operating the property, with modern equipment and methods. 372 LUMPKIN COUNTY lots I,047, I,o48 and I,o87, I2th district, 1,048 adjoining the Bast lot, which lies west of it. Probably, no mine in the county enjoys a better reputation, than the Findley mine; but comparatively little work has been done on it, for several years. Still, the work, done, has placed it in a state of development, that is equalled, in not more than three or four other mines in the county. In a large open cut, near the top of the ridge, the yellow and black schists have been taken out, to the point, where the saprolitic condition of the black slates begins to change to the hard, unaltered underlying quartzoe slates. These contain considerable quantities of an undetermined dark-green chlorite, arranged parallelly along the plane of schistosity. A shaft was sunk, during the civil war, a hundred feet in the top of the hill, the lower half extending through the hard chloritic quartzose schists. After the war, the shaft was sunk twentyfour feet lower; and the dump, from this last work, in the large open cut on the top of the ridge, affords excellent specimens of the unaltered quartzose schists. At no place, can one get a better idea of the character of the black slates, than in this large approxi- mately square cut in the Findley mine. The northeast wall shows the overlying yellow belt, about twenty-five feet thick from the surface, and about forty feet of the black belt, to the bottom of the wall. These all dip, at about 3 5 to the northeast, and have a northwesterly strike. There are two very prominent auriferous quartz veins in the cut, one of which, the "dead-horse" vein, is intercalated between the black slates, and dips, with them, to the northeast. The other is in an almost vertical position, dipping slightly to the northwest, and having a northeasterly trend. This vein, which varies from one to twelve feet in width, contains considerable galena in places; and it has produced some very handsome specimens of free gold in quartz, two of which, showing dark- LUiVPKIN COUNTY 373 green hornblende, as an associate of the gold, are on exhibition in the State Museum. The quartz of the "dead-horse" vein is more finely granular, shows more oxidation of the pyrite, and contains much more of the mica-schist inclusions throughout; in fact, it is typical of the "stringer lead". In addition to these, there are two other veins, which were covered by debris, at the time of my examination of the property, but which have been examined, since, by my assistant, Dr. Watson, who describes them, as follows:Vein No. 3 lies adjacent and parallel to the "dead-horse" vein. "The two veins are quite similar in appearance, and are some twenty paces apart. The former vein will probably average from one to four feet in width, and is composed of quartz, which is more or less stained from the pyrite decay. Vein No. 4 is about forty paces from Vein No. 3, near the southeast end of the cut, and from the character of the material, from which the vein is made up, is known as the "cement" vein. At the time of my visit, the vein was almost entirely covered with debris, which renders a definite and accurate description impossible. However, the vein apparently consists of two branches, partially exposed along the face of the cut, the material of which is a soft, highly-colored ferruginous mass. The original rock, from which this material was derived, cannot be recognized from the decayed product." The work, which has given the greatest reputation to this mine, has been the excavation of an incline, on a remarkably rich shoot in a vein, a little south of the upper cut. Large quantities of very rich free gold specimens have been taken from this incline, which has been stoped, for 350 feet. It is stated on good authority, that this shaft has yielded about $300,000, of which $zoo,ooo was taken out before the war. The work is more fully described, beyond. The last work done on this shoot was about five years ago; and, as 374 LUMPKIN COUNTY a consequence, the incline was not in such condition, that I could examine the vein or take samples for assay. Some of the most beautiful specimens of free gold in quartz, which have been produced by this county, have been taken from this shaft. Below water-level, the ore of this mine is an auriferous sulphide quartz. Material, selected, from the several veins in the upper cut, by Dr. Thomas L. Watson, Assistant Geologist, and assayed by him, in the laboratory of the Survey, gave the following results :- No. I ---- - - - - - - - - __ Q,40 ozs. (S 8.26) of gold per ton " 2 --- ._________ o.so ( 10.33) " " " " " 3------------- 0.45 " ( 930) " " 4---- -- ------- .o.ss " ( I I. 36) " " 5- -- ------- ____ 1.10 " ( 22.73) " " " Nos. I and 2 were taken from the vertical vein; the former, from the middle of the exposed part of the vein, along its trend, to the top of the wall on the west, and the latter, from the middle, to the bottom of the open cut. No. 3 was from the "dead-hor5e" vein ; No.4, from the adjacent parallel vein; and No.5, from the "cement vein''. Farther down the end of the ridge is the other large cut, worked, some years ago. This cut begins at the bottom of the ridge. A tunnel extends, along the trend of the vertical vein, from the upper to the lower cut. On top of the ridge, is a reservoir about I 50 feet long, I 5 feet wide and 6 feet deep, from which water is delivered, by ditches and iron pipes, to various parts of the open cuts, for making the flood-runs of saprolite from the cuts to the mill, and for operating the hydraulic giants. On lot 1,087, across the creek, is a large vein, known as the LlJfifPKIN COUNTY 375 Evans vein, which is said to average $I 5 per ton, but which has not been worked, because of its sulphide character. At the foot of the ridge, by the creek, on lot I ,087, are the mill and pump houses. The former contains a 40-stamp mill, with 450pound stamps, and all necessary appurtenances; while the latter contains a large pump, used for pumping water to the reservoir, on top of the ridge. Twenty of the stamps are practically new. The mill is driven by water, from a dam across Yahoola creek, seventeen feet high, a 32-inch Leffel turbine wheel, furnishing 6o H.P., being used. when last rebuilt, the mill-house was planned, so as to admit of the introduction of a concentrating plant, for handling the sulphide ores. The pump was put up, new, by Mr. Wahl, the owner of the property, during the summer of I 895, at a cost of over $8,ooo. The water is taken from the Findley ditch, something more than half way up the ridge, and is conducted to the large pump at the mill, through heavy iron pipes. The pump consists of eight cylinders, four of which are motor, and four, pumping cylinders. The water is supplied to the motor- and pumping-cylinders under equal pressure, thereby practically balancing the pressure on the discharge side, up the ridge to the point, where the ditch is located. The water, which is supplied to the motor-cylinders, is released at the proper point, actuating the pistons, in the same general way, as would steam or other power. The resulting power, applied directly, elevates the column of water to the reservoir, at the top of the ridge. The water, discharged from the motor-cylinders, is used, as battery-water in the mill. The history of this property, as a gold mine, dates from a comparatively recent period. Lot I,048, on which nearly all the mining operations have been conducted, was granted by the State to Talbot Davison, of Jones county, who sold it to James A. Paxson, LUMPKIN COUNTY December, 1833. The deed given by Davison, to Paxson, was lost, and was never recorded. The first instrument of record is a powerof-attorney, given by Horace Lawrence to James A. Paxson in January, 1834, to sell an undivided fourth of the lot. In December, 1843, Lawrence, through Paxson, deeded this fourth, and Paxson, another undivided fourth, to Lemuel Dwelle of Augusta, Ga., this, and other property mortgaged, to revert to Paxson, on the payment of a note for $549.00. In March, 1852, William Martin, Administrator of the estate of Richard G. Dunlap, sold an undivided fourth of this lot to Charles M. McJunkin, a wood-hauler; and, in May, following, McJunkin purchased another fourth from Bartley McGee. The court records do not show, from whom Dunlap and McGee got their titles to the property; and this led to subsequent litigation, when it was ascertained, that the lot had something more than a nominal value. While it would seem from the above, that deeds to an undivided half of the lot were held by Dwelle, and to the other undivided half, by McJunkin; still, I am reliably informed, that Paxson had mortgaged an undivided fourth of the lot to Mr. Germain T. Dortic of Augusta, Ga., to secure a note. While this transaction is not recorded in the office of the Superior Court Clerk of Lumpkin county; yet, there is recorded a power-of-attorney, given by Dortic, to Paxson, June 16th, I 8 59, showing, that Paxson recognized Dortic as the owner of an undivided fourth of the lot. McJunkin, after having cut the wood from the property, sold his undivided half of the lot to James Jefferson Findley, in February, I 8 58. The deed, as recorded, does not mention the consideration in this transfer; but the statement is generally accepted, that it was an old horse, that had seen better days. Findley immediately sold a fourth interest in the lot to Boling W. Field; and, soon after- LUNPKIN COUNTY 377 wards, he secured the services of Charles Duncan, conceded to be one of the best prospectors in the section, to prospect the lo-t for gold. Duncan soon found a vein, with a small, but remarkably rich, shoot, which has since become famous, as "The Findley Shoot". It soon became known, in the neighborhood, that marvelous quantities of gold were being taken from lot I ,048; and Mr. Harrison W. Riley bargained with Capt. John Huff, that, if he would go, at once, to Augusta, and secure a lease of the half interest, held by Mr. Dwelle, and the fourth interest, held by Mr. Dortic, he would give Huff a half interest in the lease. Mr. Huff pushed through the country on horseback, as fast as possible, and secured the lease, on a royalty. By agreement, the shoot was yvorked jointly, by Messrs. Riley, Huff, Findley and Alex. Nix, for three or four months, all work ceasing, on their reaching waterlevel. The rich shoot in the vein was only from four to six inches wide, and from I~ to 2 inches thick ; but it was so rich, that masses of gold, as large as a man's thumb, were not uncommon in the quartz. It is said, that the gold was carried away at night in a water-bucket. Mr. Huff, whose veracity I cannot doubt, told me, that he weighed a piece of the ore, and found its weight to be I lb. I I ozs. He then beat it up, in a mortar, and found the weight of the resulting gold to be I I ounces. The gold in this shoot was in pockets, and these were found, only now and then. The incline shaft made was four by six feet, sufficiently large to permit three men to work, at the same time. Just before work was stopped, Paxson, who had allowed his note to remain unpaid, for fifteen years, having learned, that large quantities of gold were being taken from the lot, paid the note, held by Dwelle, on June I 6th, I 8 59, and secured a power-of-attorney from Dortic, on the same day. He then brought suit against the mine LUMPKIN COU/\7Y operators, to recover the royalties, leases etc. Having hunted up Mr. Davison, the original drawee of the lot, he induced him, to give him, August I oth, I 8 58, a new deed to the property, to take the place of the one, that was lost 2 5 years before. Paxson, then, sold the entire lot, in June, I 86 3, to The Stephenson Gold Mining Co. ; and, about a month later, he deeded, as attorney for Dortic, the undivided fourth, which he had, previously, included in his deed to the company. In the meantime, Findley had sold the other fourth, belonging to him, to Field, in February, I 8 59 The suit, brought by Paxson, remained in court, all during the civil war; and it was compromised in I866, Paxson getting the royalties, which he had already consumed in litigation. On July gth, I 866, The Stephenson Gold Mining Co. sold the lot to Dr. Benjamin Hamilton, who, in turn, sold it to The Dahlonega Mining Co., a month later. In October of the same year, Mr. Field, still claiming the half, which had come through McJunkin, sold it back to Findley. Since that time, this claim seems to have been quieted, as it does not again appear in the history of the lot. I am informed, by a disinterested party, that, in I 869, when Mr. W. A. Ives bought the lot from The Dahlonega Mining Co., he employed Judge Geo. D. Rice, a prominent lawyer in the State, to clear the title to this and other properties; and, that this accounts for the Findley claim's not having been put forward, since. Dr. M. F. Stephenson, who organized The Stephenson Gold Mining Co., was its Manager. The last work, done on the shoot before the war, was stopped, it is said, by impure air in the shaft, which was then about 2 50 feet deep, on the incline. Dr. Stephenson, in beginning his work, decided to sink a shaft at the top of the hill, north of the shoot, until it was opposite the lower end of the incline, and then to drive a tunnel to strike the shoot. He sunk his shaft a hundred feet deep, and then drove LU!lfPKil\1 COUNTY 379 his tunnel, in a southeast direction, for about fifty or sixty feet, when he was forced to stop, on account of the scarcity of labor and the high price of powder, it being then worth $2.00 a pound. \Vork done, some time after the war by other parties, which is described, further on, proved that Dr. Stephenson, as he predicted, had ceased work, at only five or six feet from the shoot; but, that his tunnel, continued, entered the incline about the same distance above its bottom. The Dahlonega Mining Co., who bought the property from Dr. Benjamin Hamilton in I866, consisted of Mr. Wm. A. Ives, of New Haven, Conn., a gentleman by the name of Rider, from New York City, and a number of other friends of Mr. Ives, who resided in the North. Beyond preparatory work, nothing of any consequence was done, by this company, on the Findley mine. The most important operation was the running of a long tunnel, starting from a point near the middle of the hill, now the location of the lower cut, to strike the rich shoot at the bottom of the incline, a distance of about 500 feet from the point, where the tunnel was begun. After driving 300 feet, the project was abandoned by Mr. Amory Dexter, the Superintendent of the mine, on account of his having encountered a belt of very hard rock, and because of some dispute over the title. In June, I 869, The Dahlonega Mining Co. sold the property to Mr. William A. Ives, its President. The company had leased this and the Lockhart mines to Messrs. Crisson and Huff, in I 868 ; and their lease was continued under Mr. Ives. They confined their operations to the Lockhart property, until after the re- tirement of Mr. Huff, when Mr. Crisson, in the spring of I 87 I, removed the Lockhart 24-stamp mill to the Findley mine; and, having substituted new stamps for those, that were badly worn, he began mining operations on that property. In the spring of I 875, LCLVPKIN COUNTY Mr. Crisson secured an option on the two mines; and, the Findley lots 1,047, 1,048 and 1,087, he sold to Mr. James Farmer, Trustee for N. H. Hand, Price Bros. and James Farmer, for $30,000. Mr. Farmer, as Trustee, sold the property, July, 1878, to The Findley Gold Mining Co., of New York City, for $60,000. It was sold at sheriff's sale, in January, 188 5, and was bid in, by Mr. George L. Nichols, for Mr. Spencer Trask and others. During the time, when the property was under option to Mr. Crisson, Mr. N.H. Hand, who was interested with the former in the option, began to develop the property, so as to place it on the market. Mr. F. W. Hall was placed in charge of the work. He began, at once, to ascertain the most feasible way of ventilating the incline, and working the rich shoot. After securing valuable information from Dr. Stephenson, he decided to drive a tunnel from the Dexter tunnel to the bottom of the Stephenson shaft, and, after cleaning the debris from the shaft, to continue the Stephenson tunnel, to the shoot. He started his tunnel, about twenty feet from the end of the Dexter tunnel, in a belt of schist, much softer than that, in which the latter tunnel ended. The last blast, in the Hall tunnel, broke through into the Stephenson shaft, and a stream of water began to flow out; for the shaft was filled with water, earth, brush etc. After the flow of water had subsided, examination proved, that the bottom of the Stephenson shaft was four or five feet below that of the Hall tunnel. After the Stephenson tunnel and shaft had been cleaned out, work was resumed, where Dr. Stephenson left off ; and, as has been before stated, five or six feet put them inside the Findley incline, about the same distance above its bottom.. Mr. Hall tells me, that about $3,000, in handsome free gold specimens, was taken out, and that a great deal more was left in place, the object of the work being, as before stated, to develop LUMPKIN COUNTY the mine for sale. With these superb specimens, Mr. Hand induced Mr. James Farmer to come from Cleveland, Ohio, to examine the property. Not to be deceived, Mr. Farmer went into the shaft himself, and took from the vein, with a chisel, a gold miner's pan full of the quartz containing free gold. Having brought it out of the shaft himself, the gold was beat out by him in a mortar; and, being weighed, it was ascertained, that 546 dwts. of gold was the result. The sale was made, at once, Mr. Hand taking a third interest. Mr. W. B. Price, son-in-law of Mr. Farmer, and a banker in Cleveland, came down, to take charge of the mine himself. He worked the shoot, for a year or more, with great success, while the pocket lasted, after which Mr. Farmer, as I have before said, sold the property to The Findley Gold Mining Co., for $6o,ooo. A young man, a relative of a stockholder in this company, was sent down from New York, as superintendent. He was fresh from the mining school, and unwilling to take suggestions from the miners, experienced in the local conditions. He was not able to find the shoot, which had been lost; and, ultimately, he abandoned the work. He continued working in the open cuts; but, after about two years, work wa stopped. Soon after this, Mr. George L. Nichols, Jr., Trustee, leased the mine to Mr. R. B. King. Mr. King, at once, went to work, to carry out certain conditions of the lease, in the way of repairs ; and, then, he began mining the vein, and the rich shoot was almost immediately found. For certain reasons, the owners directed their attorney in Dahlonega, to have the lease cancelled; but, as Mr. King had faithfully complied with the conditions of the lease, the attorney informed them, that there was no ground, on which he could proceed. The lessee continued to mine the shoot, I am told, with unvarying. success; when, just before his year's lease expired, he lost the shoot intentionally; LUAfPKlN COUNTY and he ever afterwards claimed, that he could find it again, at any time, so I am reliably informed. The Findley Gold Mining Co. continued to own, but not to mine, the property, until January, I885, when it was sold to Geo. L. Nichols, Jr., Trustee, at Sheriff's sale, to satisfy a claim of $5.soo, held by Mr. Spencer Trask and others. Mr. Nichols, who was a relative, was acting for Mr. Trask, in the purchase. Five years later, in April, 18go, Mr. Nichols sold the property to Mr. Thomas J. Cheney, who purchased it for The Trefoil Gold Mining Co., of St. Louis, Mo., of which he was President. This company repaired the mill ; and, changing the elevation of it, put in a set of concentrators, which, however, proved to be a failure. It is said, that they did some work in a long tunnel, the character of which I was unable to learn. Just a year later, the property was mortgaged to Mr. Robt. T. Stillwell, who, in July, following, sold it, through Mr. vVm. A. Charters, attorney, of Dahlonega, to Mr. Christian Wahl, of Milwaukee, Wis., its present owner. Since Mr. Wahl has owned the property, Capt. H. D. Ingersoll has been its manager, and, for the past year or two, its lessee. While no extensive work seems to have been done; yet the work on it has been constant; and, as stated, in the beginning of this report, the property is one of the best developed in the county. During the time, when the property was being worked, under Mr. James Farmer, Trustee, and while Mr. N. H. Hand was, still, General Manager, a mill, known as the Little Findley mill, was erected on the northwest side of the ridge, well up towards its top, for use in milling the ore, brought by flume from the large cut, on top of the ridge. This cut had been started by Mr. W. R. Crisson, who was Superintendent of the mine, under Mr. Farmer. This mill was a 10-stamp Hall mill, which had been moved from the Lawrence mine in Dahlonega; it was run by steam. When The Findley IUMPKIN COUNTY Gold Mining Co. came into possession, they enlarged the mill to 20-stamps, and increased the steam power, and put in pumps, to raise water from the Findley ditch, near by, to the top of the ridge, for use in working the upper cut. They, also, replaced the 24stamp-mill, with the present 40-stamp milL The lower cut was begun, by Mr. W. R. Crisson, when he moved the 24-stamp mill from the Lockhart to this mine. The cut was, subsequently, worked by those following him. The veins, in this cut, were not in condition for examination, at the time of my visit, being covered by debris; but I am informed, that there are two large veins in the cut, which yield good returns. THE LOCKHART MINE As at present constituted, this property consists of that part of lots I,oso and I,o85, lying sout!t and west of Yalzoola creek, and tlze wlzole o; I,o86, all in t!te I 2tlz distn'ct. The original Lockhart lot is I,o86 , at times, the other lots, with I ,084, have been known, as the Singleton lots; and, when the several lots, with other properties, were purchased by The Dahlonega Co., Limited, the Singleton lots were induded, under the title, "The Lockhart Mines." The Lockhart lot, I ,086, however, was, for a long time, included in the several transfers, only as a 99-year lease, which had been given by Eliel Lockhart to James A. Paxson, in June, I 866, Lockhart, in the instrument recorded, acknowledging Paxson to be the owner of an undivided fifth of the lot. Paxson transferred this lease to The Stephenson Gold Mining Co., in I 862, when he sold, as agent, a number of other properties to this company. From that time, the lUMPKiN COUNTY lease was regularly transferred, with the sale of other lots, until I ,o86 was attached by the sheriff of Lumpkin county, and sold, as the property of The Singleton Gold Mining Co., September 4th, I884, to Samuel E. Griscom. By Mr. Griscom, the lot was deeded to Mr. Frank W. Hall, who sold it, including the Singleton lots, to The Dahlonega Co., Limited. Its subsequent ownership is the same, as that of the Bast mine, already given. In November, I 868, the sheriff of the county sold to Eliel Lockhart the fifth interest in the lot, belonging to James A. Paxson, to satisfy two judgments of the Court against Paxson; and, on the same day, Paxson, as well as the sheriff, deeded this fraction to Lockhart. Lot I,086 was originally granted, by the State, to the orphans of Henry Sturgis, of Lincoln county. February Ist, I843, an undivided fifth of the lot was sold by ValentineWeathers to Elizabeth Paxson; and, in December, following, it was sold by her to Lemuel Dwelle, of Augusta. On the same day, a bond-for-title was given by Dwelle to James A. Paxson; and a warranty deed was given by him to Paxson, June I6th, I859 In March, I849, A. M. Sturgis, administrator of the estate of John Sturgis, deceased, deeded the entire lot to Eliel Lockhart. Subsequent transfers of the lot have been given above. The other lot of the present Lockhart property, on which mining operations have been carried on, is I ,08 5, adjoining I ,o86 on the north. The Hamilton cut, on I ,086, lies by the side of tunnel No. I, which was driven, along the lot-line, on I ,08 5. From this tunnel, as is elsewhere more fully described, the I 2-foot vein was worked. Only a little distance further toward the northwest, are the East and West Crisson cuts. Quite near the line, separating the two lots, is the present Lockhart mill, on lot I ,08 5. This lot, which was, for a long time, known as the Brand lot, LUMPKIN COUNTY 38 5 was granted by the State to Thomas Brand, of Walton county. In December, I854, it was deeded by Brand to Harrison W. Riley, -who sold it, in February, I 862, to Germain T. Dortic, President of The Stephenson Gold Mining Co. This company sold it, July gth, r 866, to Benjamin Hamilton, who, in turn, sold a third of it to The Dahlonega Mining Co., and a half of it to The Hamilton Gold Min-ing Co., both deeds dated, August 7th, I866. In September, I867, -that part, lying west of Yahoola creek, the part, in which the mines -lie, was mortgaged and leased to The Dahlonega Mining- Co., who operated it, for two years, when it was deeded by The Hamilton Gold Mining Co., to William A. Ives. To appreciate this transfer, it is necessary for me to say, that Mr. Ives was the principal owner of the stock in the two companies, above mentioned. As the promoter -of these enterprises, he had interested some of his friends, in the North, on representations made by Dr. Hamilton, to such an .extent, that they took stock in the companies formed by Mr. Ives. Finding, in I 869, that the titles to some of the properties were beclouded; and, not being willing, that his friends should suffer, thereby, he bought, from them, all the properties. He immediately -set :about, to clear the titles of all these properties, employing Judge George D. Rice, as counsel, as has been before told in this -report. After clearing the titles, he disposed of his various properties. This lot he sold, with others, and the lease on I,o86, making up the Lockhart and Singleton properties, to Mr. William R. Crisson, who, iri November, I875, sold them to Mr. N. H. Hand, Trustee. In January, I878, Mr. Hand, as trustee, sold the two properties, including the lease to I,o86, to Mr. Thomas H. White for The Singleton Gold Mining Co., of which he is said to have been President; and, about a month later, he transferred them to the company. From this point, the transfers of these lots are the .-same, as those of lot I ,086. LUMPKIN COUNTY When Mr. N. H. Hand purchased the Lockhart and the Singleton mining properties, in the latter part of 1875, he consolidated them, selling the two, as just stated, through Mr. Thomas H. White, to The Singleton Gold Mining Co., in which Mr. Hand was a stockholder. They consisted, jointly, of lots I,050, I,o84, I,085, aud tlzat part of I,05I, lying soutlz and east of Yalzoola creek, with the gg-year lease of I,o86, all in tlze I 2tlz district. They were not again separated, until Mr. F. W. Hall of Dahlonega, their present owner, did so, in 1893, dividing them, not by lot-lines, but by Yahoola creek, so that all that part, lying south and west of the creek, except I,o5I, should be the Lockhart Mining property, consisting of all of lot I,o86, ne1trly all of lot I,050, and nearly lzalf of lot I,085. The mining operations are seen, principally, in several large open cuts and tunnels, mu,ch of the work having been done, years ago. The first gold mining, done on the property, was in the early days of gold mining in the State, on the auriferous gravels of lot I ,086, along Tan-yard branch, which flows between the Findley and Lockhart ridges, emptying into Yahoola creek, on this lot. Considerable gold-bearing gravel was in place, then, running as high as I oo feet, on the slope of Findley Ridge, and about thirty feet on the Lockhart ridge. At the extreme end of Findley Ridge, the gravel may still be seen, in the neighborhood of I 50 feet above the bed of Yahoola creek. Very early in the history of the mining operations in the county, a man, by the name of John Ballou, worked, for a short time, a vein, located about what is now the \Vest Crisson cut, I on lot I ,08 5. He took out not more than I oo tons of ore, which he milled, on a rude WOOden 3-stamp mill, which was located near the present Lockhart dam. Later on, probably about I86o, a wooden s-stamp mill was erected, by Dr. M. F. I No.4, in fig. 26. LUMPKIN COl/NTY Stephenson, on the Tan-yard branch, near its juncture with the Yahoola, about I 50 yards south of the present mill, the motor being an overshot wheel. His prospecting was on the surface of the Lockhart hill; and the free-milling ores, worked by him, are said to have been very profitable. About I 86 3, a wooden I 2-stamp mill, with three batteries, was erected, just south of the present dam, by The Stephenson Gold Mining Co., of Augusta, who were, then, the owners of the property. This mill was run by an undershot wheel, with water from the creek. The work, done by this company is reported to have been attended with good results. In the spring of I862, Mr. W. R. Crisson became the superintendent of the company ; and he began surface mining, by flooding the soft auriferous saprolites, with water from the reservoir, which has, since, become the common method of working these ores. Mr. Crisson worked the mine for two years, when he entered the Confederate army, placing an old man, Mr. Jeremiah Payne, in his place, Mr. Payne being beyond the age limit, for army service. Work was continued by him, until the fall of I865. In August, I866, the property was sold by The Stephenson Gold Mining Co. to Dr. Benjamin Hamilton, who, on the same day, deeded it, partly, to The Hamilton Gold Mining Co. and partly to The Dahlonega Mining Co., in both of which Mr. Wm. A. Ives, of New Haven, Conn., was the leading spirit. Mr. Crisson, as superintendent for The Stephenson Gold Mining Co., began work, on the heavy outcropping of a quartz vein, near the top of the hill, which is now known as Tlte I 2-joot Vein. A considerable opening in the side of the hill, known as Tlte Hamilton Cut, 1 was made by Messrs. Crisson and Payne, stripping the vein and taking out the ore. A ditch, about a mile long, brought water 1 No.2, on the sketch-map, fig. 26. LUMPKIN COUNTY to the top of the hill, from a point on the Tan-yard branch, about a hundred yards beyond the middle Gainesville road. The water was used, to convey the ore through a flume, from the cut, to a bin at the foot of the hill, and to run the slates to a dump, by changing the position of the flume. The ore was carted to the mill, which was the one, erected by The Stephenson Co., in I 863, having wooden rods and stamps, the latter protected by cast-iron shoes, .and a special device, in the nature of two 8-foot riffle-boxes, charged with mercury, for extracting the gold. The work by Messrs. Crisson and Payne was entirely open-cut work, except a little stoping, which was done on the vein, by Mr. Payne, just before the property was sold to the Hamilton and Dahlonega companies. These companies began work, on an extensive scale, with Mr. H. Dwight Stanley, a nephew of Mr. Ives, as superintendent. A 24-stamp, cast-iron mill, with 750-pound stamps, was erected. This was the first iron mill ever put up, in this section of the country, and the first mill, that was equi.pped with amalgamated copper plates, for the extraction of gold from the pulp. Work was begun, by driving a tunnel, on lot 1,085, directly west from a point in the face of the hill, a few feet north of the Hamilton cut, till it encountered the I 2-foot vein. The ore was then stoped out, on either side, along the trend of the vein, for a distance of about 75 feet, in all, the miners having reached, what they supposed was the end of the vein on the north side, and the cut, on the south side. Pillars.were left in the stope, here and there, as a support. Overhead, the vein was stoped, for about 25 feet, and below the floor of the tunnel, for a distance of about 35 feet, this being twelve feet below waterlevel. A hand-pump was employed to keep the mine free from water. Both in the open cut, and where it was worked in the tunnel, the vein is said to have been twelve feet thick. Three pros- LUMPKIN COUNTY pecting tunnels were started, by these companies, at the bottom of the east side of the ridge, about 200 feet apart, the most southern, which we may designate as No. 2, being a few feet north of the present mill, and the most northern, No. 4, having since become a part of the West Crisson cut. After two years of active operations, the companies, operated by Mr. lves, stopped mining, and made a contract with Mr. vV. R. Crisson, to deliver, at their mill, 700 tons of ore from the Hamilton cut, at $I. 50 per ton. Subsequently, in the spring of I 868, the companies leased the mine, for an indefinite period, to Messrs. Crisson and Huff, for a royalty of a third of all the gold mined, the lessees, to keep the mill in good repair, and the mine in good shape. Mr. Huff retired from the business, about December I st, I 870, selling his interests to Mr. Crisson. After their mining operations began, Messrs. Crisson and Huff worked the Hamilton cut, for only three or four months, transferring their work to the Findley Ridge cut, where they mined with good results, for over two years, some of the ore being worth $5.00 per ton, but the whole, including some of the schist, averaging about $3.00. In working this ore, the semidecomposed schists were dug out with the pick, till the ore was well exposed, when the schists were flooded to the dump, and the ore, to the mill. On discontinuing work on the Findley Ridge cut, the work of building a reservoir, on top of the Lockhart ridge, and a ditch, to supply it with water, was immediately begun, the water being taken from the Tan-yard branch, at a point about 75 yards west of the middle Gainesville road. As soon as these were completed, work was begun on the vVest Crisson cut,' Mr. Huff retiring from the partnership, at this time. At first, the ore was of very low grade; 1 No.4, on the sketch-map, fig. 26. 390 LUJJfPKfN COUNTY but, on going lower down, it proved better. The vein was covered with debris, so that I could not examine it; but Mr. E. E. Crisson, son of the lessee, informed me, that its strike was northwest and its dip, about 50 to the northeast. Work was begun on a ridge of hard, cellular, iron-stained quartz, outcropping at the top of the hill, and extending about 2 5 feet down its side, as a transverse lens, in the vein, its length being about twenty feet. On either side of the lens, the vein tapered to thin ribbons, which disappeared in the schists. Mr. Crisson informed me, that the foot-wall side of the lens was much the richer, the whole vein averaging, probably, $3.00 per ton on the mill. The cut was opened and worked, nearly to the bottom of the hill, the ore changing, about half way down the hill, from a free-milling to a sulphide quartz, containing large quantities of pyrite. In the free-milling ore, considerable sulphur, in loose, minute crystals, with their angles generally rounded, as if partially fused, were found in the casts of pyrite crystals, resulting from the reduction of the sulphur in the pyrite. This is an occurrence, which cannot be said to be rare in Georgia. It has been mentioned by Mr. McCallie, in another part of this bulletin ; and there are, in the State Museum, handsome specimens of the alteration, collected by me, in Haralson county, near Temple, on the Southern Railway. This cut was worked, for nearly two years; but it was finally abandoned, by Mr. Crisson, because of his inability to work the sulphides with profit. On discontinuing work on this cut, a small test cut was made, on the west side of the Findley Ridge cut; but this was soon stopped, as the quartz was too low in gold. \Vork was then begun on the East Crisson cut, ' which lies immediately east of, and quite close to, the \Vest Crisson cut. 1 No. 3. on the sketch-map. fig. 26. LUMPKIN COUNTY 391 After the retirement of Mr. Huff from the firm, Mr. Crisson removed the pillars, which had been left in the stope in tunnel No. I, by the companies under Mr. Ives's management; and, in doing this, he discovered, that there were several other veins back of, and nearly parallel with, the I 2-foot vein. This work is said to have been very profitable. Mr. E. E. Crisson, son of the lessee, is authority for the statement, that 2, I oo dwts. of retorted gold resulted from a clean-up, after one week's run. He says, that this was not an unusual thing. Mr. Crisson continued work, as lessee of the property, till I873, paying, it is said, thousands of dollars, as royalty to the owners of the property. Having, by this time, about exhausted the saprolite area in the Lockhart mine, he moved the mill over to the Findley mine, which had been included in his lease from Mr. Ives, continuing work there, until I874, when the two mines were sold, through Mr. Crisson, to different companies. They have not, since then, been owned by the same company. The parties, to whom the Lockhart was sold, organized, as The Singleton Gold Mining Co. This company developed the water-power; erected a 20-stamp mill; and began to work the I 2-foot vein, below the level of the tunnel, sinking the 55-foot vertical shaft in the mill-house. At this depth, they drifted, to strike the vein on its dip. It is said, that the vein was found, in this drift, to be equal, in size and yield, to that exposed in the tunnel. Drifts, on either side, were then run, along the trend of the vein, for about 50 feet; and the ore was then stoped out, to the old stope above, which had been abandoned by the two companies, working under Mr. Ives. This work seems to have been profitable; but, with increasing depth, the free-milling ore gave place to the unaltered sulphides, pyrite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite, and less of the gold was caught on the amalgamated 392 LU.MPKIN COUNTY plates. Had the north drift along the vein been worked far enough, the rich shoot, known as "The I 2-foot Arm" should have been encountered. This, however, was not done by the Singleton company; but the present lessees are drifting toward it. During my several visits to the mine, this part of the vein was under water; and, notwithstanding several attempts were made to free it, in order that I might examine it and take samples, I was not successful in getting an opportunity to examine the vein. Mr. W. R. Crandall, M. E., a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and a man, whom I consider reliable, made an examination of the property, after my visits, taking samples from this vein, along the drifts above mentioned. I have permission tQ. present, here, the results of his assays, as follows:- No. 2 ______________ o.s6 oz. ($I 1.20) of gold per ton " 3-------------- I .08 " ( $21.60) " " " 4-- - ------- ---- o. 52 " ($10.40) " " " " 5--------------0.80 " ($I6.oo) " " No. 2 was taken from the middle of the vein, in the left drift,. thirty feet from the shaft tunnel; No. 4, from the middle of the vein, in the same drift, forty feet from the shaft tunnel; No. 5, from the breast, in the same drift, where work is now going on; while No. 3 was taken from the vein, next to the hanging wall, in the right drift, thirty feet from the shaft tunnel, at the point, nearest the rich "I 2-foot arm". As has been stated above, I was not able, at the time of my visit,. to get into the shaft and tunnel, so as to examine the I 2-foot vein; but I have been able to secure half a dozen large pieces of ore, aggregating 2 50 pounds, taken from different parts of the vein in the right drift, at a point I 40 feet from the entrance at the shaft tunnel. This ore was not selected from the vein, with a view to- LUMPKIN COUNTY 393 its use as assay material; but, as average specimens, for exhibition. I have taken, as a sampl~, for assay, these six specimens, which are in appearance typical of the material, taken from this vein. When making the ore collection for the Georgia State Exhibit at the Atlanta Exposition, in I895, two large specimens of ore were taken, by me, from the West Crisson cut, where they had been lying for a long time, exposed in the bottom of the cut. These weighed from I oo to I 50 pounds each. Not being able to get fresh material from this cut, I sacrificed the smaller of the two pieces, in order to get an assay of material from this cut. while it is not what I should like, as a sample, yet, the results are suggestive. The samples taken, as above stated, were assayed in the laboratory of the Geological Survey, by Dr. Thos. L. Watson, with the following results:- No. 1 ____ ---- __ - ___ 3.00 ozs. ($62.oi) of gold per ton 2 ______________ 0.20 " ( 4-13) " " " No. I, from the right drift of the I 2-foot vein, was rather coarsely crystalline schist, the prevailing mica being a dark- green chlorite. Garnets, the size of a filbert, were in some abundance throughout the mass, and pyrite and pyrrhotite were present in moderate quantity. No. 2, from the West Crisson cut, was a sulphide-quartz ore, considerably stained by partial decomposition of the pyrite. As has been stated above, Mr. Crisson had abandoned hydraulicking, in the Findley Ridge cut, because the ore was getting too hard, to be worked by this method. Several short tunnels were driven, at intervals, in this cut, and the ore-shoots were found to continue downward; one, known as "The Blackmer Arm," proving unusually rich. Later on, in 1882-'83, a long tunnel was driven under this cut, a little to the east of it, beginning at the foot of the hill, in order to lay bare all the shoots, at greater depth. 394 LUMPKIN COUNTY For a distance of I so feet, where work ceased, the tunnel exposed nothing but low-grade ore. From time to time, since then, other lessees have extended this tunnel, until it is now about Sso feet long, shoots of good ore having been found, at a distance of 3SO feet from the entrance, though "the Blackmer arm" has not yet been reached. Along the 200 feet of good, average ore, the vein is from 4 to 6 feet thick ; and it is said to yield on the mill, from $3.00 to ss.oo per ton. The ore, along the level of the tunnel, contains sulphides, in greater or less quantity, and the assay of Mr. Crandall's, which follows, would indicate that all the gold is not caught in the plates : - No. I ______________ 0.72 oz. ($14.40) of gold per ton This assay is an average of ore, taken from the stope between this tunnel and the Stumon-Bell tunnel, above. Most of the ore from the lower tunnel has been milled; but the tunnel can be extended 6so feet further, to the south line of the lot, exposing a considerable quantity of ore; and deeper mining can be done, along the entire length of the vein. The Findley Ridge cut begins at the top of Findley Ridge, at the east and west lot-line, b~tween I ,o86 and the Findley Mine lot, I,087, about ISO feet from the southwest corner-post of the lot, on which it is located. This cut has a direction, N. 27 E., for between I, I oo and I, 200 feet, ending at the bottom of the. ridge, near the Tan-yard branch. The trend of the cut is practically along the strike of the black slates, and diagonally across this black-slate belt. At the head of the cut, the slates strike N. 40 E., and dip S0 to the southeast. Lower down in the cut, the dip was measured 60 to the southeast. This cut was washed out, by water from a reservoir, about I oo feet from the cut, and almost on a level with the head of the cut. Its location is along the Findley ditch. LUlffPKIN COUNTY 395 The dimensions of the reservoir are roo feet long, by I 2 feet wide, by 8 feet deep. At its widest point, the cut is about 70 feet wide, and its greatest depth is about 50 feet. The cut was started by FIG. 26 IOSQ ?-3~ Map of the Lockhart and Singleton Lots. I. Findley Ridge Cut. 2. Hamilton Cut. 3 East Crisson Cut. 4 West Crisson Cut. A. Long Cut through the Singleton Hill, Consisting of the Singleton and the Moore and Cannon Cuts. B. Cuts on the Ridge Opposite the Singleton Hill. Mr. F. M. Blackmer; and considerable work was done, after that, by Mr. Joseph D. Reid, Superintendent for Mr. Samuel E. Griscom, LUMPKIN COUNTY of Philadelphia, the owner. Not far from the head of the cut, and northwest of it, a tunnel was driven, 6 or 7 years ago, along a large quartz vein, for about 75 yards. This vein outcrops, on the surface, in large white blocks; and it is 7 or 8 feet thick. Its trend is N. 3 E., and it dips 35 to the southeast. By far the greatest amount of work in the Findley Ridge cut, was done by Mr. W. R. Crisson, as .has been before related. At the time of my visit, no work had been done in the cut, for several years, and the vein was covered with debris; so that I was not able to see the vein, at the bottom of the cut, tho_ugh a number of small veins were to be seen on the east wall, with about the same strike and dip, as the main vein. On the west side of the long cut, not quite half way up the ridge, is a small triangular-shaped cut, covering not more than I o,ooo square feet, and averaging, in depth, about I 5 feet, which is said to have been a test cut, made by Messrs. Crisson and Huff. Just above this, is to be seen the remnant of an old reservoir, which was used for working this and the lower part of the main cut. The schists, at the juncture of the two cuts, strike N. 5 \V., and dip 30 to the northeast. On the south side of the triangular cut, is an apophysis of decomposed hornblende-schist, about I o feet thick, com formable with the micaslates, and having the same schistosity and dip, as has been before mentioned. On the north wall of this cut, is a large lens, in a very much broken quartz vein, around which the slates are arched, the arches being about four feet high, and about I 5 or 20 feet long. This is at the juncture of the black, and the underlying yellow, decomposed schists. At a point, just northwest of this quartz lens, in another black belt, the slates strike N. I 8 E., and dip, at an angle of 40, to the southeast. About I 00 feet from the Tan-yard branch, is the 5so-foot tunnel, LUMPKIN COUNTY 397 a little east of the Findley Ridge cut. About half way up the cut, is another tunnel, lying west of the first. This tunnel is about I 50 feet long, and cuts the five-foot vein, at a point, between the bottom of the open cut and the long tunnel, below. This tunnel was started by Mr. Reid, and was used, for some time, as a flume-way, while mining in the cut. It was afterwards filled to a great extent; but it was re-opened by Messrs. Stumon and Bell, sub-lessees from Mr. W. G. McNelley, their tunnel changing direction, by veering to the east. From this tunnel, Messrs. Stumon and Bell stoped the vein overhead, for about I 5 feet, and for some distance down, until the upward stope from the lower tunnel was encountered. The length of the stope, along the Stumon and Bell tunnel, is about 75 feet; while, in the lower tunnel, it is I oo feet. This vein lies between the schists. Its strike, as shown in the Stumon and Bell tunnel, is north and south, and its qip, 45 to the east. The work on the stope in the lower tunnel was done by W. G. McNelley, who took it up, where it had been left off by Mr. W. W. Crisson and his partner, Mr. Elliott, who drove the tunnel to the point, where the large stope begins. Mr. Jos. D. Reid, as superintendent for Mr. Griscom, had driven the lower tunnel about 82 feet, when Mr. E. E. Crisson, Mine Superintendent for The Dahlonega Co., Limited, drove it some distance, after which it was driven by Messrs. Crisson and Elliott to the stope, as above stated. About a year after the purchase of the property at sheriff's sale, by Mr. F. W. Hall, it was leased by Mr. W. G. McNelley, who began work in the lower tunnel, as before related, sub-leasing a working privilege to Messrs. Stumon and Bell, whose work was confined to the upper tunnel. The schists in the upper tunnel were badly decomposed, while, in the lower tunnel, they consisted of folia of practically unaltered, LUMPKIN COUNTY dark-green chlorite, in saccharoidal quartz, and of a light, greenishgray hydrous mica, varying in different parts of the tunnel, the chlorite-schists and the hydro-mica schists appearing to be in different belts, following much the same order, as the so-called black and yellow belts in the saprolite. The dip of these slates was the same, as in the upper tunnel. The large stope is well timbered and lagged; and the vein, as seen along the sides of the stope, is beautifully banded, the quartz being interlaminated with slate, the bands of the former varying from one half inch to four inches, averaging about two and a half inches. This is a characteristic stringer ve,in. It was from this stope, that Crandall's assay No. I, quoted by me, was taken. The lower tunnel has a general direction north and south, varying, here and there, as it follows the vein. The first appearance of the vein is about fifty feet from the entrance; but it disappears, for a short distance, a little further on. It soon appears, however, very much spread out, the quartz bands being smaller and very much separated by schist layers. A few feet further, the tunnel has been stoped, a little on either side, along the vein; and, on the east side, at a point I 5 feet above the vein, it consists mostly of quartz. From this point, the vein is, all along the side of the tunnel, about five feet wide, the quartz being more abundant, though much broken, with thin leaves of chlorite between the small blocks. The large stope, begun by Mr. McNelley, begins, at a point 475 feet from the mouth of the tunnel. In the latter part of the year I 88g, this mine was sold to The Dahlonega Co., Limited. An interesting story, which forms a part of the history of the mine, is related, in the description of the Bast mme. The Dahlonega Co., Limited, rebuilt the mill; but no mining was done. The property was bought at court sale, in the early LCJJ:!PKIN COUNTY 399 part of I 893, by Mr. F. W. Hall of Dahlonega, as has been stated in another part of this report.1 Since that time, it has been leased by various parties, who have mined, in a small way, only. From time to time, many concerns have operated on this property, some of which are not now in existence, while others were small lessees, who kept no regular account of their production. For this reason, it would be difficult, to even approximate the production of the property, during its past history. I am informed, however, that, during the first six months of I 89 5, when a record was kept, the lessees produced 3,23 I dwts. of gold, valued at $2,700, the ore coming from the long tunnel under the cut, and having a highly sulphide character. No attempt was made by the lessees to save the gold in the sulphides, the ore being run through a 20-stamp mill, and the gold, that was caught on the amalgamated plates, being all, that was saved. This ore is said to have averaged nearly $5 .oo per ton on the mill. Tlze Mill, on this property, is a 20-stamp mill, of the Hall type, with stamps, weighing 450 lbs. each. It is operated, by waterpower, from a dam across Yahoola creek, a canal, 2 50 yards long, with a short 6-foot wooden tube, at the lower end of the canal, conveying the water to the mill. This dam was renewed in February, I 8g6. The 5s-foot shaft, in the mill-house, is equipped with a geared hoist, run by a belt from a counter-shaft. A 7-inch pump is also used, both the geared hoist and the pump being operated by water-power. The motor, for running the mill, pump and hoist is a Rodney Hunt three-anda-half-foot turbine wheel, of 75 H. P. The mill and its appurtenances are housed in a building, which is in very good condition. 1 See page 371. 400 LUMPKIN COUNTY THE SINGLETON MINE The Singleton mmmg property, as it is at present constituted, consists of nearly all of lot I,084, and about lzalf, eaclt, of I,05I and I,o85. The original Singleton lot was I,084; while 1,05 I was known as the Moore lot. The principal mining has been done on the Singleton hill, in two open cuts, which, though now running, one into the other, are divided by the north and south lot-line, between I ,o 5I and I ,084. So far as I have been able to learn, the first mining done on lot I ,084 was between I 840 and I 8 50, by Dr. Joseph J. Singleton, the first Superintendent of the branch mint at Dahlonega. It is said, that some prospect work had been done, before; but Dr. Singleton's work consisted, at first, of mining the veins, by tunnels and incline-shafts from the top of the hill. He, also, did some work, on the ridge, northeast of the hill, on what seems to be a continuation of the veins, running through the Singleton hill. Later on, Dr. Singleton started the open cut, on the northeast end of the hill. The mill, erected by him, was a wooden I 2stamp mill, run by an undershot wheel, with water from a dam across Yahoola creek. This mill stood between the northeast end of the hill and the ridge opposite, at the point indicated in fig. 27. Dr. Singleton died in I852; and work, for the time being, ceased on that end of the hill and on the ridge opposite. At the time he was working the mine, Col. R. H. Moore and Mr. John Cannon were working the same veins, on the other end of the hill, on lot I ,o 5 I, using the same mining methods, as were used by Dr. Singleton. Their mill was a wooden 4-stamp mill, which stood down at the creek, just opposite the open cut, in the southwest end of the hill. Nothing more than "gouging" was done on this property, from the LUMPKIN COUNTY 40I time it was worked by Messrs. Moore and Kennon, until I 860. The Moore and Kennon cut was, for a short time, after this, called the Boston mine; and Mr. Walter B. Smith, who owned an undivided two-thirds of the lot, was its Manager. A new wooden 8-stamp mill was put up, in place of the old Moore and Kennon mill ; but operations were soon stopped, by the beginning of the war, in I 86 I. Nothing of any consequence had been done on the Singleton end of the hill, until I866, when Mr. John Huff did some prospecting for Mr. William A. Ives, President of The Dahlonega Mining Co., who had become the owners of the property. In the meantime, in I86o, the heirs of Dr. Singleton had sold an undivided two-thirds of the lot to Mr. A. M. Eastman, who, subsequently, sold it to Dr. Benjamin Hamilton, the other third having been sold, by Mr. David T. Singleton, to Mr. Harrison W. Riley, in January, 1856. After the close of the civil war, Mr. W. R. Crisson began work in the Moore and Kennon cut, and continued for some time, flooding the ore from the cut to a bin, and then carting it to the Lockhart mill, where the gold was extracted. About the same time, Mr. F. M. Blackmer was working on the Singleton cut, at the other end of the hill, employing the same methods of mining, as were being used by Mr. Crisson. He enlarged the cut, considerably. After Mr. Blackmer stopped, Mr. Joseph Reid began work, in the cut, and opened it, to within.a short distance of the Moore and Kennon cut. Mr. Reid worked, for about three years; but, after his work ceased, the property lay idle, for a number of years. His method of working was the same as that of Mr. Crisson, namely, excavating the material with a pick, and flooding it from the cut, though Mr. Reid ran his material through a flume, direct to the Singleton mill, instead of to a bin. This old mill was removed to the Ralston mine, in I 889. Subsequent to the work, done by Mr. Reid, the Singleton 402 LUMPKIN COUNTY was consolidated with the Lockhart property, and was sold to The Singleton Gold Mining Co. ; and, in I 88g, the two were sold, as the Lockhart property, to The Dahlonega Co., Limited. In 1893, the several properties, as has been, before, related, were bought at sheriff's sale, by Mr. Frank W. Hall, who separated the properties, as stated in another part of this report, so that the Singleton property should consist of that part, 1ying north and east of Yahoola creek. At the time of my visit to the property, the Singleton hill had been extensively cut, longitudinally, by excavations, which had been dug deeper at either end of the hill, the saprolite extending further down on the ends, than at the center of the hill. At these ends, the cuts were about sixty or seventy feet deep, on the southeast side; but, between the cuts, was a mass of semi-decomposed schists, too hard to be worked by flooding or by the giant. I The schists in this cut were, of themselves, very slightly, if at all, auriferous; but three distinct veins extend the entire length of the hill, and appear on the ridge, about a hundred yards northeast of, and opposite, the Singleton cut, where work had been done on two small open cuts, extending north to the line of the Tahloneka lot, the veins continuing on into this lot. In appearance, the decomposed schists are gray, and totally unlike the schists of the so-called yellow and black belts. Bands, of a dark-green chlorite, resulting from the alteration of biotite, and others, of a highly feldspathic gneissoid granite, occur, here and there, among the mica-schist bands. Alongside of vein No. I, I lies the southeastern border of a dike, which forms the northwest half of the hill. Through this, an open cut, about 350 feet long, with a direction, N. 45 W., was made, in June, I8g6, from the Singleton cut, down to the north edge of the hill, for a 1 See figs. 27 and 28. LUMPKIN COUNTY flume-way to the mill. This cut shows the dike to be almost solid hornblende-schist, though, near the point of contact with the mica- FIG. 27 Sketch of a Horizontal Projection of the Singleton Hill. A. The Singleton Cut. B. Semi-decomposed Mica-schists between the Two Cuts, only partly Removed. C. The Moore and Kennon Cut. D. Rock-pile. E. Mouth of Projected Tunnel. F. Hornblende-schist. G. Site of Old Mill. H. Shaft on Vein No. r. I. Shaft on Vein No. 2. K. Mica-schist. M. Site of Mill. R. Reservoir. S. Flume-cut. 404 LUMPKIN COUNTY schists, there are included a few narrow bands of decomposed mica-schist. On the west side of the hill, between its base and the creek, is a bed, consisting of several acres of auriferous gravel, which was mined, to some extent, by a Philadelphia company, who leased the property from The Dahlonega Co., Limited. This deposit extends up the hill, for fifteen or twenty feet, the creek seeming to have shifted downward. FIG. 28 Sketch of a Vertical Transverse Section through the Rocks, at the West End of the Singleton Cut. A. Floor of the Cut. B. Semi-decomposed Micaceous Schists, between the Singleton and the Moore and Kennon Cuts. C. Hornblendeschists. T. Entrance to Tunnel. r, 2 and 3. Auriferous Veins. The veins, in the Singleton cut, were being worked by Capt. Weaver, at the time of my visit; but no work was being done, at the other end of the hill, nor on the ridge opposite the Singleton cut. A tunnel had been run from the Singleton to the Moore and Kennon cut, along the contact between the hornblende- and the mica-schists. Fig. 27 is a sketch of the horizontal projection of the hill. Vein No. I, at the bottom of the cut and the entrance to the tunnel, was eight inches wide. Eight feet southeast, was Vein LUMPKIN COUNTY 405 No. 2, which had the same width, and was parallel with the first, along the floor of the cut. Vein No. 3, about twenty feet further southeast, is a stringer vein, composed of small lenses and ribbons of quartz, with the mica lying in between, the entire width of the vein being about two feet. About fifty feet east of the tunnel entrance, on the northeast side of the flume cut, an incline had been driven down on vein No. I ; and, at the bottom of the incline, which was about twenty-five feet deep, the vein was three feet wide, and included some mica-schist. The vein is imbricated in the front part of th'is incline. This condition caused it to be lost, on one occasion, and work on it was stopped. Capt. Weaver subsequently found it, only eighteen inches south of where the former work had ceased. Here and there, this vein is quite rich in free gold. Above the entrance to the incline, just referred to, and a few feet further towards the northwest, some ore, very rich in free gold, was taken out, during the period, in which I was examining the property, a short incline, about parallel with the one below, being sunk on the vem. Here, the vein warps slightly from its vertical position, the top part dipping, at a smaller angle, to the southeast. At the top of the lower incline, the vein pinches out; but it again appears in the upper one, where it is, from two to three feet wide, on the floor; but it again disappears, on the roof of this incline. The vein includes, here much crumpled, partially decomposed gneiss, which is gold-bearing. The quartz is very cellular, and is stained dark-brown, by iron-oxide, which sometimes coats it. Between the upper and lower incline, is another, which was opened many years ago, and which has long been completely filled. About ten or twelve feet from the entrance to the tunnel, a shaft, eighteen feet deep, was sunk on vein No. I, during the period, covered by my examination; and it was found, that the two 8-inch veins, Nos. I 406 LUMPKIN COUNTY and 2, had come within a few inches of each other, I at that depth, though they were eight feet apart, at the bottom of the open cut. At a point in the flume-cut, indicated in fig. 27, by the letter E, Capt. Weaver had begun to drive a tunnel through the hard hornblende- FIG. 29 Sketch of a Vertical Transverse Section through the Schists in the \Vest End of the Singleton Cut, Showing the General Position of Veins Nos. I and 2, from the Floor of the Cut to the Depth of Shaft H, r8 Feet. A. The Veins. B. Mica-schist. C. Hornblende-schist. schist, which he supposed would end, about fifty feet below this shaft. The dotted line, E - H, in fig. 27, represents this unfinished tunnel! A second shaft, he had sunk ten feet deep, about thirty feet further east, on vein No. 2. This vein, at a depth of ten feet, had widened, till it was two feet thick. The quartz, at this depth, I See figs. 28 and 29 2 Since the Tahloneka Mining Co. has been operating this property, they have completed this tunnel, and sunk the shaft to the bottom of the tunnel. I am informed, that the veins separate, come together for the second time, and again separate. LUMPKIN COUNTY was white, and of low grade. At the time of my examination of the property, Capt. Weaver was working the three veins, by blasting, excavating with the pick, and washing, by flood runs from the reservoir, through the flume to the mill. He mined and milled the decomposed mica-schist, along with the vein matter, though the schists contained very little gold. The ore in the veins consists, generally, of a saccharoidal quartz, containing pyrite, pyromorphite and galena, with considerable free gold, in places. Where more than a foot wide, considerable mica-schist is included. The pyrite is the most abundant of the minerals mentioned; though the ore cannot, so far, be said to be highly pyritiferous. The pyromorphite occurs in crusts, on which, frequently, can be seen small crystals, of the usual modified hexagonal type ; and the galena, in occasional dark clouds and lines through the quartz, though at times, small cleavage masses are discernible. Now and then, a small mass of chalcopyrite is to be seen. In the parts of the veins, above the floor of the cut, the pyrite is decomposed, and the quartz is very cellular, and much stained by the resulting limonite. It is in this kind of quartz, that the free gold is most abundant. Samples for assay were taken by me, from all three veins,' in the Singleton cut. These yielded results as follows : - No. I------------------ -----035 oz. ($ 7-23) of gold per ton " 2--- ------------------- --2-40 " ($4g.6I) " " " " " 4 ------ ------ ------- ... .o.g5 " ($Ig.64) " " " " " 5------ ------------ -- - _0.20 " ($ 4- I 3) " " " " 6 ____________ ---------- _1.45 " ($29-97) " " " " No. I was taken from vein No. 2, along the vein, near the entrance to the old tunnel, and from the bottom of shaft I, ten feet See fig. 27 LUMPKIN COUNTY below the floor of the cut. The quartz, from near the tunnel, was cellular and iron-stained; while that from the shaft, was massive, white, and of acknowledged low grade. No. 2 was taken from vein No. I, along the vein, near the entrance to the tunnel, and from the upper and lower inclines, beyond the flume-cut. It was from the upper incline, that so much free gold ore was taken, while I was examining the property. The ore ef this sample was mostly cellular, iron-stained quartz. Sample No. 4 was taken from the bottom of shaft H, where veins Nos. I and 2 come together. The ore contained the undecomposed sulphides, pyrite and galena, the latter very sparsely. No. 5 was taken from vein No. 3, in the west end of the cut. This ore consisted of mica-schist and quartz stringers, both of which are said to be auriferous. No. 6 was taken from the same vein, in the Moore and Kennon cut, at the other end of the hill. The ore, taken from the upper incline, was so rich in free gold, that I took a sam pie of selected material for assay. \Vhile much of the quartz in this sample showed free gold, much of it did not, my object being to get a fair sample of the richest ore, and not merely those specimens, which showed much free gold. All the quartz was cellular, iron-stained, saccharoidal, and very friable. The material was sampled by me in the laboratory. A part of the sample was turned over to The N. P. Pratt Chemical Laboratory, for assay, and another part, to Messrs. George P. Good & Co., Mining Engineers and Metallurgists, of Atlanta. Each assayed the ore in duplicate. The Pratt Laboratory obtained results, as follows:- No. 3 Original sample ___ I2.675 oz. ($261.99) of gold per ton " Duplicate--------- I2.7J5 " ($264.06) " " " LUMPKIN COUNTY 409 Messrs. Good & Co. reported the following, as their results:- No. 3 Original sample----I3.050 oz. ($269.74) of gold per ton " " Duplicate------~--I2.9IO " ($266.85) " " " " During the litigation, in which The Dahlonega Co., Limited, owners of this and other mines, was engaged, Capt. John W. \Veaver, as receiver, operated the Singleton mine, his receivership extending from May, I89I, to March, I893 He produced during this time, with only a few hands, $6,3 I 1.49 When the properties were sold, he leased the Singleton mine, from Mr. Hall, on condition, that any mining operations should be, for the development of the property. Under this restraint, I am reliably informed, that Capt. Weaver has produced, during the last two-and-a-half years, $7,000, at an expense of $30.00 per week. Notwithstanding the restrictions, some sub-lessees from Capt Weaver, during the time, covered by my several visits to the property, mined from fifteen to eighteen tons of the ore in the cuts, adjoining the Tahloneka lot; and these yielded a return, on the mill, of 364 dwts. The placer area of the Singleton mine lies on lot I,05 I, northwest of the lower end of the large cut, indicated on the map.1 About two thirds of it hal> been mined; but subsequent submergence, from time to time, has completely obliterated all evidence of work, except at those higher points, near the foot of the hill. It is believed, that the part, which was formerly worked, by the crude methods of that day, will pay for re-working. The water from the reservoir on top of the hill, is available for working this deposit, with hydraulic giants. The hydraulic elevator would be required in mining the lower parts of the placer. In I890, The Dahlonega Co., Limited, transferred a Io-stamp mill, of the Hall pattern, with stamps weighing 450 pounds each, 1 See fig. 26. 4IO LUMPKIN COUNTY from the Bast to the Singleton mine, and erected the present millhouse, which is in good condition, and sufficiently large, to accommodate ten more stamps. A Leffel cascade water-wheel, with a diameter of 26 inches, and of 30 H.P. capacity, is the motor, which supplies the driving power for the mill. The device for saving the gold consists of two 4-foot amalgamated copper plates, with sand-boxes at the foot of the plates, leading into two riffle-boxes, 4 feet long by I 8 inches wide, which, in turn, empty into two "quick-traps"; at the end of these is a long riffle-box, running the width of the mill-house, 28 feet. Another riffle-box, 36 feet long, at the end of this, and on the outside of the house, is the last of the series. From this, the battery water and tailings, together with the water, which passes through the racks of the ore-bin, empty into the creek. All the boxes are charged with mercury. Behind the batteries, on the side, next to the hill, is a sufficient ore-bin, from which the mill is fed by hand. One side of the bin consists of a vertical rack, through which the flume-water, used, to bring the ore from the cut, flows out of the mill-house. The ditch, which supplies the Singleton mme with water, was dug by Mr. W. R. Crisson, in I 867, under a charter to The Crisson Water-power and Mining Co., of Dahlonega. The source of water supply is the headwaters of Ward's creek and its branches. The ditch was originally dug three feet wide at the top, two feet wide at the bottom, and eighteen inches deep. It was enlarged, by The Dahlonega Co., Limited, to four feet wide, at the top, three feet at the bottom, and two feet deep. It brings its water, sixteen miles, to a reservoir on top of the Singleton hill, a few feet above the top of the Singleton cut, though, on an air-line, the head of the ditch is not more than five miles from the mine. The ditch LUMPKIN COUNTY 4I I delivers about roo miner's-inches of water. 1 It is said, by a competent engineer, that, if the ditch and flumes are enlarged, Ward's creek will supply 200 miner's inches, which will furnish go H.P. Lot I,084 was granted by the State to John Molton, Jr., of Marion county. It was deeded by John T. Molton, to Terrell and Montfort, in May, I837 About a month and a half later, in June, David Montfort and David Terrell sold an undivided half of the lot to Joseph J. Singleton, and the other half was sold to him by Terrell, in November, I84r. In January, 1856, about four years after the death of Dr. Singleton, David T. Singleton, one of his heirs, sold a third interest in the lot to Harrison vV. Riley. In January, I859, the administrators of Dr. Singleton deeded this and other lots to A.M. Wallace and David T. Singleton. An undivided two-thirds of this lot, besides sundry other lots, were, by these persons, deeded to Arthur M. Eastman, March, I86o. In February, I 862, Harrison W. Riley sold his undivided third of the lot to Germain T. Dortic, President of the Stephenson Gold Mining Co.; and, in June, I863, this company bought the other two-thirds, with other lots, from Benjamin Hamilton. His ownership, at this time, is not apparent in the county records; but in July, 1866, this two-thirds of I ,084 with other lots, was deeded to Hamilton, by Arthur M. Eastman, and, in August following, Hamilton deeded them to The Dahlonega Mining Co. From this point, the ownership of this lot is the same, as that of I ,o 50 before given. The other lot, I ,o 5I, on which mining has been done, formerly known as the Moore lot, was granted by the State, in the lottery of the Cherokee country, in I832, to John Collins, of Columbia county, who sold it, in December, I853, to Robert H. Moore, for many years one of the most prominent mining men in the county, and, 1 Equal to r,20o gallons, per mmute. 4I2 LUMPKIN COUNTY during the civil war, a Colonel in the Confederate army. In July, I 8 54, Mr. Moore sold the lot to Charles I. Kane, Simeon M. Johnson and Isaac H. Smith. In August, following, Mr. Johnson sold his undivided third to Robert L. and Fulton Cutting. In July, I 860, a quit-claim deed was given, by Robert H. Moore to Walter B. Smith, to all right, title and interest in lot I ,o 5I. In September, I 860, Charles I. Kane gave to Walter B. Smith a quit-claim deed to his interest in the property. A mortgage, to two thirds of the lot, was given by Mr. Smith to Harrison W. Riley, in April, I 86 I ; but that interest was afterwards sold, by the sheriff, to Mr. Riley, as the result of a suit of Evan "Wilde against Walter B. Smith, Oct. Ist, I86I. In December, following, an undivided third of the lot was sold, by the sheriff, as the property of Walter B. Smith to James M. Whelchel, to satisfy a judgment of the Court, in the suit of John Whelchel against Walter B. Smith. There is no record of any transfer of this third, by James M. Whelchel, or by any one, representing him, since that time; and it is probable, that the judgment, if satisfied, at all, was satisfied in some other way. In May, I 862, Wm. S. Roberts, President of The Augusta and Dahlonega Mining Co., purchased the two thirds interest in the lot, belonging to Mr. Riley; and on the 3rd day of the next month, he purchased the same interest, at sheriff's sale, in the case of Harrison W. Riley against Walter B. Smith. The undivided third, belonging to the Messrs. Cutting, was sold by them to Benjamin Hamilton, July 27th, I866; and, about ten days later, this and the two thirds, belonging to The Augusta and Dahlonega Mining Co., were sold to The Dahlonega Mining Co., warranty deeds being given, in both cases. In June, I 86g, this lot was purchased from The Dahlonega Mining Co., by Wm. A. Ives. From this time, the ownership of lot I ,o 5 I is the same as that, of I ,08 5, already given, except, that, LUMPKIN COUNTY from the time of sale of the properties, by William R. Crisson to N. H. Hand, only that part of lot 1,05 1, lying east of Yahoola creek was conveyed; as Mr. Hand had previously bought, from Mr. Ives, that part of the lot, lying west of the creek, for a mill-site. The Singleton property still belongs to Mr. F. W. Hall of Dahlonega. I Since it has been owned by Mr. Hall, it has been under lease to Capt. John W. Weaver, the former receiver of the property, while in litigation. Mr. Weaver worked it for expenses, during the litigation; and he has done much work, as lessee, since then, paying a royalty to Mr. Hall. THE T AHLONEKA MINE This property, consisting of lot I,o83, I 2th district, and known, until recently, as THE GowDY LoT, lies adjacent to the Singleton lot, I ,084, on the north. The veins of the Singleton mine, which have been worked, on the ridge opposite the Singleton hill, extend into the Tahloneka lot. Notwithstanding this, little work has been done, on this lot; and that has been entirely of a prospecting character. A shallow shaft was sunk, some years ago, by Mr. Joseph D. Reid; and some other work of a similar nature, was done. Occupying the position it does, in the trend of the veins of the I As is stated in a preceding foot-note, this property was sold, in 189 7, to Messrs. Jno. B. Atkinson and others, who have, since, formed them- selves into The Tahloneka Mining Co., of Earlington, Ky., and have made large preparations for aggressive work, making use of modern methods and machinery. 4I4 LUMPKIN COUNTY Singleton, and in the heart of the gold belt, it is somewhat surprising, that this lot has received so little attention.' The Baker lot, I ,082, is, now, a part of the Tahloneka property. Lot I,083 was granted by the State to Alexander McDuffy of Hall county. On May 13th, 1833, an undivided half was sold, by Thomas Holland and James Gowdy, to Jonathan Jewitt, conveyance being by a warranty deed. A mortgage, to this and other lots, was given by Holland and Gowdy to Paul Rosignol, in September, 1833. In August, 1838, James Gowdy sold an undivided half of the lot to David Haliburton. In June, 1841, the sheriff of Lumpkin county sold to Charles S. Hamilton, a resident of Vermont, the half belonging to J ewitt, to satisfy a judgment of Court, in favor of Maurice Gould & Co., against Jonathan Jewitt. This half was again sold, by the sheriff, in May, I 88 I, to H. H. Quillian, for unpaid taxes for the year I 880; but it seems to have been redeemed by Mr. Hamilton, as the entire lot was next sold, Oct. I sth, I 886, to Mr. w. P. Price, by Commissioners, appointed by the Superior Court of Lumpkin county, to sell the lot, in order to make a division between Allen L. Pease, administrator of the estate of Charles S. Hamilton, deceased, and Mrs. E. A. Gowdy, widow of James Gowdy. By Mr. Price, it was conveyed, by war- ' Since my field-work was finished, in the fall of 1896, this lot has passed through the hands of several parties; and it is now owned by The Tahloneka Mining Co. It was bought by Judge W. W. Murray, soon after my field-work closed; and he began extensive prospecting. He sunk the Reid shaft much deeper, and did other work of investigation and development. The Tahloneka Mining Co. has continued this work; and it is making preparations to work the mine, in connection with the Singleton mine, adjoining. The two mines are, now, under the name of the Tahloneka Gold mines. A large specimen of the ore from this mine, showing free gold, was donated to the Georgia State Museum, in July, 1897; and it is now on exhibition in the Museum collection. LUMPKIN COUNTY ranty deed, to G. W. Lindsey, September, I888, who likewise conveyed it, Sept. I 3th, I 893, to N. C. Lindsey, its present owner. THE HAND MINE This mine is located on lots 999 and I ,oJ 2, I 2tlt district, all the mining having been done on the latter, the open cuts covering, probably, as much as six acres. With the exception of the Barlow mine, no mine in the county has been so extensively worked, for its saprolite and the included vein material; but the work has been confined entirely to surface mining. The most extensive cut, which really consists of a number of adjacent cuts, the partition walls of which have been taken away, is Tlte Hand Cut, in which lie the Knight and Antonio veins. It is said, that the mills on this lot have been running continuously, for thirty years; and this may be readily believed, when one views the vast cuts, from which the saprolite has been excavated. T!te Griswold Cut lies well up on top of the hill, in the northeast corner of I,032, not far from the Yahoola cut, on 1,052. In this cut, is what is known as The Griswold Vein, which lies near the east and west lot-line, between 1,031 and 1,032, and quite close to the northeast corner of the latter. The part, which has been worked is a lenticular mass of quartz, about fifty feet long, twenty feet thick, and of unknown width, work not having progressd far enough, to determine its width. Along the wall of the cut, the vein, at either end of the lens, narrows to one or two feet. A 20-foot incline, at an angle of 60 towards the north, was sunk several years ago, under the direction of Capt. H. D. Ingersoll, General Manager LUMPKIN COUNTY of the mines of the company, now owning the property. This incline failed to reach the lower end of the lens. At that time, water from the reservoir was constantly coming into the incline ; and the ore being of a sulphide character, not enough gold was saved on the plates, to justify continuation of the work, with the much larger percentage of gold going off with the sulphides in the tailings. The incline was, therefore, abandbned. I am informed, that the last assay of this ore, made by the company's assayer, yielded a return of $6.oo per ton. The shaft was filled with water, at the time of my visit to the property ; and I was not able to take material for assay from this vein, though sufficient of it was exposed, along the more elevated inside wall of the shaft, for purposes of description. The material, here, was a cellular quartz, much stained by iron-oxide, resulting from the decomposition of the pyrite. Lamin~ of mica were included in the quartz, parallel with the trend of the vein. It was quite evident, from the character of the material at the top of the incline, that, lower down, the vein was of a highly sulphide character. The saprolite and included quartz from this cut had been worked, by flooding from the reservoir above, and with the hydraulic giant, the material being run through a flume to the mill. Vein No. I is near the bottom of the hill, not more than a hundred yards from the mill. It has been recently discovered and opened to view, by Capt. Ingersoll. The cut, thus far made, in working this vein, is about a hundred feet long by sixty feet wide by forty feet deep. The work has been done with the hydraulic giant, in "piping", and in washing down, to the mill, the ore, which has been broken into small blocks by the miners. The vein, as well as the soft decomposed schists is greatly contorted, as viewed along the wall, normal to the trend of the vein. As a result of this disturbance, the quartz occurs in irregular, discontinuous masses, evi- LUMPKIN COUNTY 417 dently twisted out of their original position. The trend of the vein is N. ro0 E., and its dip, 65 to the southeast. The quartz is banded, parallel witlt the trend of the vein, and is slightly stained by iron-oxide, resulting from the decay of the pyrite, which is present in small occasional masses, varying from the size of a small bean to r Yz by 2 inches. Very little mica occurs in the quartz, and then, it is arranged in lines, parallel with the vein ; but, as at present exposed, "horses" of mica-schist, irregular in outline, and as long as six or eight feet, by two or three feet wide, occur in the vem. Tlte Pruitt Vein has been exposed at two points - in the bottom of an open cut, where it has been worked along its trend, and at a _point a little west of this cut, higher up on the vein. No exposure was to be seen in the cut, as the vein had been covered by debris, since it was last worked; but the exposure, a few feet west of the cut, 'Vas very good; and I took a sample across the entire vein. The trend of the vein is north and south; while its dip is 45 to the east. Its thickness is twenty feet, with bands of mica-schist included in the quartz. The quartz is curiously banded, par- allel with the trend of the vein, a narrow band of yellow, transpa- rent, glassy-looking quartz, alternating with a white, porous, finely saccharoidal quartz, which is still further divided by exceedingly thin lamin<:e of mica, barely perceptible, at first glance. These bands vary, generally, from a sixteenth to a half-inch in thickness, the bands of white, porous quartz being uniformly wider, than the other. The quartz is sometimes cellular, and is generally stained by iron oxide; and considerable pyrite, in masses, the size of those mentioned, above, in the description of Vein No. r, occurs through- out the vein. It is sufficiently pyritiferous, to be classed as a sul- phide ore. Like all the other veins, observed on this lot, the Pruitt 4I8 LUfifFKIN COUNTY is composed of large quartz lenses, connected by much narrower quartz bands. The length of the lens, from which my sample was taken, and which I have here attempted to describe, was about fifty feet. About I 50 yards west of the Hand mill, and in full view from the road to the mine, is The Knight Cut, now included in the immense excavation, known as The Hand Cut. At the rear of the Knight cut, hardly more than fifty yards from the road, is a large quartz lens, known as The Knight Vein, which has been worked, for many years, from time to time. This lens is about 200 feet long, and twenty feet thick, along its shortest axis, the length of the longer lateral axis not being known. Like Vein No. I, this lens includes irregular "horses" of mica-schist, longitudinal with the trend of the vein. In the bottom of the cut, the exposed surface of the vein is but little lower than the road. On the north wall of the cut, at the farther end of the lens, the vein separates into four. veins, from 8 inches to two or three feet in width. These veins have been cut, in another part of the lot, and have been worked, in connection with ~he surrounding schistose saprolite, in what is known as the Jackson cut. The trend of the vein, as shown in the Knight cut, is N. 65 E., and its dip, unusually steep, is 80 to the southeast. Like the other veins observed on the lot, it is intercalated in the mica-schists. The character of the ore is identical with that of the Pruitt vein, on the hill above. I took an assay sample from across this quartz lens, in the bottom of the cut, at a point, where it was I 5 feet wide, a "horse" of mica-schist, five feet wide, being omitted. A shaft in the Knight cut was sunk eighty feet deep, some time ago, at the end of the lens, next to the road ; but it is now filled. Here, is still a large wooden overshot wheel, which was used to run LUAfPKIN COUNTY the pump, that kept the shaft free from water.- Just behind this wheel, is the entrance to an old tunnel, that was driven, 200 feet, by Capt. Ingersoll, some time ago, under Tlze Old Hand Cut, across the strike of the schists. A vein, ten feet thick, was cut, at the mouth of the tunnel ; another, six feet thick, thirteen and a half feet further; a third, eight and a half feet thick, ten feet further; a two-and-a-half-foot-vein, thirty-four feet further; and a fifth, twenty feet thick, was cut, twenty-five-and-a-half feet from the last. This was Tlze Antonio Vein. There is a good exposure of this vein, along the irregular floor of the Old Hand cut, about sixty feet above the surface of the Knight vein in the bottom of the Knight cut. This exposure consisted of a lenticular mass of quartz, trending transversely across the cut, its trend being N. 80 'vV., and its dip, 40 to the southeast. Along the floor of the cut, it was twelve feet thick, while in the tunnel below, as above stated, it was 20 feet. The most of this vein consisted of a massive, translucent, gray quartz, very little stained by iron oxide, and containing no pyrite, or other visible sulphide; though, here and there, a few cavities, stained by iron oxide, and resulting from the alteration of pyrite, were observed. Next to the foot-wall of the vein, the quartz was, for about two feet, of the banded kind, which has been observed in the Knight and Pruitt veins; but the white bands were much wider, being, in some cases, as much as an inch or more in width. On the west wall of the cut, the vein was about two feet wide. An assay sample from this vein, was taken by me, across its thickest part, exposed in the cut. The several samples, which I took, have been submitted to assay, in the laboratory of the Geological Survey, by Dr. Thomas L. Watson, Assistant Geologist, with the following results:- 420 LUMPKIN COUNTY No. r________________ A trace only of gold per ton " 2-------------- 0.250 oz.($ 5I7)" " " 3--------------- 0.275 " (s s.68) " " " 4--------- ----- 0.575 " ($I I.88) " " " " " " " " No. I was taken from Vein No. I, all along the exposed part of the vein for IOO feet. The character of the sample was the same, as that of the ore from this vein, described above. As has been stated before, this is the only vein now being worked, on the property; and the mill results are sufficiently encouraging, to justify a continuation of work. The above result of assay was, therefore, a surprise. The assay was first made, in duplicate, on an assay-ton of ore, with the same result from each. Two assay-tons were then used, without change of result; and then four assay-tons, with the same result. No.2 is from the Pruitt vein; No. 3, from the Antonio vein; and No. 4, from the Knight vein. The method of taking, and the character of the ore, of each, are described above. Lot 999, belonging to the Hand mine, has been prospected to some extent, the principal work being the excavation of a long, narrow open cut, across the strike of the schists, by Capt. Ingersoll, in order to see the character of any veins, that might be cut. But none of the material from this lot has been milled. Tlze Hand Mill is located on lot I ,o 5I. It consists of twenty stamps, weighing 450 pounds each, with motor power from a 26inch Wilder turbine wheel, developing 30 H. P., the water for which is furnished by the creek, through a canal, from a dam on lot I ,o 52. This canal conveys the water to both the Hand and the Yahoola mills. This mill is the type of the Hall patent, devised by Mr. Hall, when Superintendent of The Yahoola River and Cane Creek Hydraulic Hose Mining Co. LUJV/PKIN COUNTY 421 The history of this mine is full of interest; but it can be but briefly dwelt upon, in this report. Lot I,032 was granted by the State to John Aiken, of Pike county. It was sold by Aiken, through his attorney, William Ezzard, in June, I833, to James Milhorn, who, on the same day, transferred two-thirds of the lot to Reuben Cone and William Ezzard, both of Atlanta, then Marthasville. In September, I835, James Milhorn deeded I 3 73' acres of the lot to Mathias Milhorn, who, in August, I 836, transferred this third to william Ezzard. In December, I 853, William Ezzard made a conditional deed of all this lot, to George R. Hazwell; but the conditions were probably not fulfilled; for, in December, I 873, William Ezzard and Julius A. Hayden, Harriet Eliza Hayden and Sarah S. Ezzard, heirs-at-law of Reuben Cone, sold all of I,032 to Nathan H. Hand, who transferred it to THE HAND AND BARLOW UNITED GOLD MINES AND HYDRAULIC WoRKS OF GEORGIA, in July, I 890, this company being the present owners of the property, with their general office at IOO, Prospect Ave., Milwaukee, Wise. About the year I845, a man, whose name was Knight, began working for gold in that part of the lot, which has since been known, as the Knight cut. To what extent his operations were carried, I was not able to learn; but, in I 846, while at work in a tunnel, which was driven into the east wall of the cut, on a vein parallel with the Knight vein, the roof caved in, and he was killed. Work on the lot was continued by various persons, in a small way, from the time of Knight's death, till Dr. Van Dyke arrived in Dahlonega, in the fall of I 8 58, privilege to work the lot being leased from Judge Ezzard, of Atlanta. While I,032 seemed to be the lot, on which The Yahoola River and Cane Creek Hydraulic Hose Mining Co., of which Dr. M. H. Van Dyke was General Manager, had determined 422 LUfifPKIN COUNTY to do their principal mining; yet they were able, only to lease the lot. Dr. Van Dyke erected a wooden 8-stamp mill, near the road, at the mouth of the Knight cut, to be run, with water from the ditch. ,The ditch-water he brought, in a box, down hill, from terminus of the ditch, on the east side of the creek, at an altitude of 2 50 feet above its surface, to a trestle, which he built up, I 28 feet high, from the banks of the creek, below. Across this trestle, he carried the water, which entered the temporary ditch, described elsewhere in this report,' at an altitude I 22 feet lower, than the ditch, on the east side of the creek. Both the mill and the ditch were completed, a short while before the civil war began; and operations were carried on; from that time to some time after the war had begun. The condition of affairs brought about by the war, however, finally compelled Dr. Van Dyke to cease work, which he did about I863, when it became necessary for his superintendent, Mr. Amory Dexter, to enlist for service in the war. From this time, nothing was done, until after the close of the war, in I865. Dr. Van Dyke was still connected with the company. In October, I865, Mr. Harvey King was made Treasurer and Clerk; and the directors made arrangements with Mr. King, who was a man of considerable means, that he should advance money for mining purposes, the company to repay all these advances, certain stock in the treasury of the company being held as security for Mr. King. The company worked other properties besides this lot, doing considerable placer work on the Todd lot, No. 930, and on the Parker lot adjoining, along the public road from Dahlonega to Auraria. Under the management of Messrs. Van Dyke and King, immediately after the war, the wooden box, leading down to and across the trestle, from the ditch, on the east side, was taken out, and 1 Seep. 312. LU.MPKIN COUNTY 423 36-inch riveted pipe of boiler-iron was substituted for it. The pipe, after crossing the trestle, was carried up the hill, to a point opposite so the ditch on the east side, with an elevation of nearly 2 feet above the creek, thus forming a U-tube. From this point, a new ditch was dug to lot I,032, the same size as the ditch beyond the creek, viz., six feet across at the top, five feet at the bottom and three feet deep. Considerable money was spent, in the extensive preparations for mining and in the mining itself, amounting, in October, I 867, to nearly $40,000. Mr. N. H. Hand was, at this time, elected to succeed Mr. King, as Treasurer, the latter having voluntarily resigned; and he was appointed General Superintendent and Agent of the company, at a Directors' meeting, two weeks later. The Directors made arrangements with Mr. Hand, similar to those, which they had made with Mr. King, as to advances of funds, for mining operations. In November, I 868, the tall trestle, upon which the ditch-water was brought across the Yahoola, had so far decayed, that it could not be further used, unless expensive repairs were undertaken. Mr. Hand had induced Mr. F. W. Hall to come to Dahlonega ; and he was made Superintendent of the milling and mining operations, and, a short time thereafter, he was elected Clerk of the company. In the early part of I86g, Mr. Hall removed the trestle, and remodeled the iron pipe U-tube, bringing it down, along the surface of the hill, on the east side of the creek, to about 20 feet above the bank of the stream. He then carried the tube across the creek, on well-built stone piers, about twenty feet high. The tube was then carried up the slope of the hill, on the west side of so the creek, to the head of the ditch, an altitude of about 2 feet above the surface of the stream. While the boiler-iron of the pipes, high up on the hillsides, was only 3-I6 of an inch thick, it was found necessary, to double the thickness, for the pipes lower down, LUMPA7N COUNTY so as to withstand the pressure of the water. This, a distinguished engineer, of Boston, insisted, the pipes would not do; but, for nearly thirty years, they have done so, causing no trouble, whatever. Mr. Hand, on assuming the management of the company's properties, tore down the old wooden stamp-mill, built by Dr. Van Dyke, before the war, and erected an iron 20-stamp mill, having 6so-pound stamps. This mill was erected, on the branch, just west of the site of the dwelling-house, now standing, and about I so yards southwest of the present mill. It was erected, during the winter of I867-'68, work on it having been begun, in November. It was of a western pattern, with high discharge, wide mortars and inside amalgamated plates, in addition to those, below each battery. The mill, being completed, mining operations were begun, in the old Knight cut, mining the ore dry, and carrying it in a car over a tram-way. It was soon ascertained, that, owing to the high discharge and the inside width of the mortars, not enough ore could be handled to make the work profitable. It was then, that Mr. Hall was employed to take charge, under Mr. Hand, of all the operations, with instructions from the company, to make extensive experiments, in order to ascertain, what changes could be made in the mill, to adapt it to the class of ores, they were handling. Mr. Hall increased the height of the dies, thereby lowering the discharge ; placed the screens back near the stamps ; removed the inside amalgamated plates ; and, by further experiments, produced the mill, now patented as the F. W. Hall gold-mill. After these changes, much better results followed. A greater percentage of gold was saved by the old mill, than by the remodeled mill; but the capacity was as I to 4 ; and the yield from the latter was much greater. Contemporaneous with the changing of the mill, was the substitution of the hydraulic method of transpor- L[lAfPKIN COUNTY tation, for the tram-car. Another excellent device was added to the mill, which aided greatly in saving the ore. It is known, as a "jack-plate." The ore coming through the flume into the orebin, was caught on a perforated iron-plate, placed horizontally in a wooden sluice-box, about I4 inches high, midway between its top and its bottom. Below the plate, the box converged to a short and narrow mouth, the sides of which were on a level with the iron plate. This emptied into another box, about six feet wide, by I 4 feet long, by I z inches high, across which 10-inch boards, set up on edge, were placed equidistance apart, forming four or five compartments, in which to catch the sand and gold, which had been washed, by the water, through the perforated plate. The water passed off, after having left its coarse ore, sand and other solid matter on the perforated plate and in the sand-box. The washed ore wf water is gathered from them, though more could be, if all the water was put on the ditch, and kept on it. The size of the ditch is variable. At the rock cuts, where there has been no enlarge- ment by caving and cleaning, it is 3Yz feet wide at the top, 2 Yz feet at the bottom, and 2 Yz feet deep. In the earth cuttings, where there is no rock, it is from 3 Yz to 5Yz feet at the top, from 3 to 3 Yz at the bottom, and from 2 to 2 Yz feet deep. In its present con- -dition, its capacity is sufficient, to carry not more than 200 miner'sinches of water; but, by enlarging the flumes and narrow parts in the rock, and by a thorough cleaning, it could be made to carry 6oo miner's-inches. Mr. B. M. Hall, C. & M. E., of Atlanta, to whose report, on this property, I am indebted, for the data, just given, estimates, that, to enlarge and extend this ditch, so as to furnish 6oo miner's-inches of water, as far as the Gordon, Ralston and other mines in that vicinity, including the Hedwig mines, would cost not more than from $20,000 to $30,000. -sulphides appeared in the ores, and that repeated assays of the sulphides -show a value of $3o.oo, $38.oo and $4o.oo per ton, according to depth. He .adds:- "We are now working a force of 30 men, and work is going on, .day and night. All pumping out the drift-water, hoisting ore, etc. is done by machinery, for which water is used as the driving-power. The mine has been paying handsomely, these three years of regular operation, .although only having a mill capacity of 35 to 40 tons per 24 hours; and, so far, the best ore-bodies have been kept intact." LUMPKIN COUNTY THE MCINTOSH LOT This lot, No. 386, I 2th district, adjoins the Betz mine lot, 387r on the south; and a part of it is in the trend of the auriferous belt of the Betz mine. No regular mining has been done on the property, because it has not, at present, the necessary water facilities. However, water could be brought to it, from the Mill Creek ditch. The surface mica-schist saprolite is said to pan gold, almost anywhere; and, recently, some prospecting work has been done, in the nature of a test-cut, about 2 5 by 50 feet in area, following the dip of the decomposed mica-schists, to a depth of about 20 feet. The strike of the schists is N. 30 E., and their dip is quite uniformly 30 to the southeast. No quartz veins, of any consequence, were seen in this cut; but all the saprolite is said to pan considerable gold. I took a sample of this auriferous saprolite, for assay, from several points on the sides and bottom of the cut, including an insignificant quartz vein. It yielded the following result:- No. I----- __________ 0.03 oz. ($0.62) of gold per ton A small trench, run across the strike of the schists, just beyond_ this cut, exposes two or three small quartz veins. The strike and dip of the schists, cut by this trench, are the same as those in the open cut. Just west of the cut, across a small drain, a short trench was dug, some time ago, on a white massive quartz vein, which was I 8 inches thick in places. I was told, that this vein yielded very little gold. I was informed by Dr. I. W. Waddell, of Dahlonega, who was. in charge of the property, that some mill-tests of the saprolite from the cut, made for him, on the Huntington mill at the Betz mine, were very satisfactory, 5 tons of the saprolite yielding, on the mill,_ LUMPKIN COUNTY 23 dwts. I I grs. of gold. This lot occupies a good position in the auriferous belt; and it should be more thoroughly prospected. Lot 386 and the adjacent lot, 387, with several others in Lumpkin county, are owned by Mr. H. M. Mcintosh, of Albany, Georgia. THE WELLS MINE I This mine IS located, half-a-mile southwest of Auraria, on lot I,2IJ, I 2th district. An auriferous vein, on it, was first worked by a man, by the name of Wells, who owned the lot. He did considerable work on the vein, milling the ore, on a small stamp-mill, which stood, by a branch, not far from the mine. Subsequently, the present IO-stamp mill was erected; but it was operated, for a short time, only. At the time of Mr. McCallie's visit, the mine was not in operation ; and the works, having fallen in, he was unable to make an examination of the vein, or take samples for assay. But, previous to this, when, for a short time, the mine was being operated by Mr. E. W. Coleman, I made an examination of the shaft and vein, where he was at work. The shaft was an incline along the vein, which was intercalated in the schists, its dip being about 40 to the southeast. The depth of the shaft, along the incline, was about 40 feet. A few feet below the surface, levels were run along the vein, for a short distance, and the ore was taken out. The vein was probably twelve inches thick, on an average. The ore was a sulphide-quartz ore, containing considerable chalcopyrite, and showing, occasionally, small plates of free gold. The vein has I Field-work, in part, by S. W. McCallie, Assistant Geologist. LUMPKIN COUNTY been worked at other points, along its outcrop, for a distance, it is said, of 700 feet. The Mill, which was operated by steam, is much in need of repairs. The building is in bad condition, and the boiler and stamps need repairing. This property is owned by Mr. Daniel Howell, of Auraria, Georgia. THE JOSEPHINE MINE The property, now known as THE JosEPHINE MINE, consists of lots 526, 595 and I2I5, I2tlz district, and lots I7, I8, 48, 49 and 82, IJth district, north half. It was formerly known, as the Auraria mine, and was worked by The Auraria Mining Co., with Mr. John W. Hutchinson, Superintendent. Probably, no mine in the county has been so productive, as a gravel placer, as the Josephine. One mile of the Etowah river, which has never been dredged, flows through it, along which the gravel-placer yield has been rich. The McCluskey branch, however, seems to have been more productive, as a rich placer. About a quarter of a mile of this branch flows through the property. A large amount of placer work was done along these two streams, in "the forties." Some years ago, a man by the name of Westbrook found a nugget on the McCluskey branch, which is said to have weighed 300 dwts. Before the civil war, Mr. John Lilly, with a negro slave, I was informed, took I ,o 50 dwts. of gold from an area of auriferous gravel, eight by ten feet square. Mr. Howell, father of Mr. Daniel Howell, who lives in Auraria, found, just in the bend of the Etowah river, on this property, while working the placer, quite a number of LUMPKIN COUNTY 48 5 nuggets of considerable size, the largest weighing I 27 dwts. Work was begun on the gravel of these lots, soon after I 840, and it was worked by Messrs. Howell, John Lilly, Westbrook, Hall and Guyton. Mr. J. E. Wood, of Auraria, formerly owned lot 595, 12th district, and lot I 7, I 3th district. Mrs. Hendricks was a former owner of lots 48, 49 and 82, 13th district. Messrs. Hussey & Howell, The Auraria Mining Co. and Messrs. John F. Bigbee & Co. have also owned this property, the last named company still owning it. When owned by The Auraria Mining Co., it was known as the Auraria Mine. Since it has been owned by Messrs. Bigbee & Co., several nuggets, weighing from 8 to 27 dwts., have been found on the property. It is said, that this mine has been the largest producer of nuggets in Lumpkin county. Besides the gravel placers, the auriferous saprolite has been worked, to some extent. A large open cut was begun about 1878, on one of the hillsides, not far from the mill. Considerable work was done, in milling the decomposed schists, with their included quartz veins, from this cut. In addition, a tunnel, I 85 feet long, was driven from the rear of the open cut, under the hill. A cross tunnel was run out from this, and several stopes were made along the vein. One of these stopes, 87 feet long, came out at the top of the hill. The rocks, shown in the open cut, are mica- and hornblendeschists, a considerable dike of the latter appearing near the top of the hill, on the south side of the cut. On the hill, near the dwelling-house, in which Mr. Bigbee resides, an incline was run down for fifty feet. This, as well as the tunnel mentioned above, had caved in; and neither was in condition for examination, or for the taking of specimens for assay. Nor was the cut in proper shape; for the soft decomposed schists had fallen into it, from long disuse. At the time of my visit, no work had been done on the property, for 486 LUMPKIN COUNTY some time, except on lot 49, where a very rich strike of gold was recently made, by two or three men, claimed to be trespassers, near the line of an adjacent lot. These men were boldly aggressive, and taking the matter into court, they have managed to have this part of the property tied up, for the present. The work, done by these men, consisted in running an incline on a six-inch vein, and stoping it, eight or ten feet, along the trend of the vein. Levels, on each side, were also run. On the same lot, on another vein, a 45-foot incline was sunk, some time ago, on an eight-inch vein, which is said to have milled $I 2.00 per ton. A 20-stamp mill, with stamps weighing 450 pounds each, was erected about I 880, by The Auraria Mining Co. The property has been practically idle, now, for quite a while; and the mill is somewhat out of repair. The auriferous belts which have evidently fed the placers, trend across the hills, which rise high above the river banks. The river would afford a fine water-power, if advantage were taken of it; and, with a pump, of sufficient capacity, water could be elevated to a reservoir, on top of some one of the high hills, thus giving the means for hydraulicking the auriferous gravel and saprolite. Otherwise, a water-supply ditch would be needed, on the property. An extension of the Mill Creek ditch could, at a small expense, be made to bring water to it. Fine drainage can be secured. It is said, that the surface of the hills and hollows pan well. Messrs. John F. Bigbee & Co., of Auraria, Georgia, as stated above, are the present owners of this mining property. The mine bears the christian name of Mrs. Bigbee. LUMPKIN COUNTY THE NORRELL MINE Across lots 736 and 805, I2th district, lies an auriferous micaschist belt, containing 32 small veins, varying in thickness from that of an ordinary lead pencil to fourteen inches. This belt is .about 1 50 feet wide, and is said to be gold-bearing, from one side to the other, the decomposed schists, as well as the quartz veins, being more or less auriferous. This belt was worked on lot 736, many years ago, by its owner, a man, whose name was John Norrell; since this time, it has been known as THE NoRRELL MINE. The principal topographic features -of lot 736, consist of two oblong hills side by side with the longer axis, north and south. One of these occupies the east side, and the other, the central part of the lot. The remaining part is occupied by a third parallel hill, the most of which lies on lot 735, which adjoins this lot on the west. On the top of the east hill, the .eastern foot of which rests on lot 805, is a reservoir of 500,000 gallons capacity. From this fact, the hill is known as The Reservoir Hill. About 1885, Mr. Norrell ran an incline on some stringer veins -on the west side of the reservoir hill, 70 feet deep, along the indine, which was sunk directly to the east. The strike of the veins was N. 60 E., with a dip of about 35 to the southeast. A con:siderable amount of gold is said to have been taken from this stope, resulting, I am informed, in the sale of the property, by Mr. Norrell, very soon thereafter, for several thousand dollars. In the early part -of 1893, Mr. D. 0. Stewart, who had purchased the lot, sold a half of it to Messrs. Paul & Gullatt, of Atlanta. The lot was worked by these three gentlemen, as a company, for a few months, when LUMPKIN COUNTY Messrs. Paul & Gullatt sold their half interest to Mr. H. L. Woodward, of Atlanta. Messrs. Stewart & Woodward then mined this belt in the latter part of 1893, making an open cut in lot 736, which was originally about seventy feet long, and from thirty to sixty feet wide. The decomposed schists have since fallen in, to such an extent, that the cut is now hardly longer than forty feet. Messrs. Stewart & Woodward worked the property for about a year and a. half. In addition to the belt, above described, there is another,. which passes through the northern part of the hills. On the northwest side of the central hill, near its top, Messrs. Stewart, Paul & Gullatt, sunk an incline shaft, forty feet, in direction due south, on a vein, whose trend was north and south. From this incline, a wagon-load of the ore was taken, by Mr. D. Morrison,. of Atlanta, now the owner of lot 736, in order to test the quality of the ore, before purchasing. This was milled on the mill of the Hightower mine, by Mr. Otto C. Scupin, now manager of the Betz mine; and I am informed by Mr. Morrison, that this sample, which he took, from the top to the bottom of the incline, yielded $9.4S per ton. In the ravine, below the southeast part of the Reservoir hill, considerable mining work was done by Messrs. Stewart, Paul & Gullatt, and Messrs. Stewart & Woodward, with what results, I did not learn. The quartz, from the veins in these belts, varies from a friable, saccharoidal, to a hard, vitreous quartz. Very fair specimens of free gold have been found on the lot, one or two of which, I have seen. I was informed by Mr. Morrison, that about 1870, Mr.. B. Roper found, at the bottom of Reservoir Hill, on lot So 5, a "pocket" of rich gold ore, which yielded $q,ooo. Lot 736 is owned by Mr. D. Morrison of Atlanta, who has options on lots 804, 805 and 1,210, the first and last diagonally adja- LUMPKIN COUNTY cent, and the other lying in between these two, on the east of 736. Nos. 804 and 805 are owned by Mr. B. Roper, of Atlanta, and No. 1,210, by Mrs. Norrell, widow of the former owner of 736 and 1,210. There is no reservoir water on 736; but 804 and So 5 are supplied with it, from Town creek. Lot 736 is three quarters of a mile southeast of Auraria, and about the same distance from the Chestatee river, which flows northeast of this lot. The auriferous schists of this property are in the trend of the Turkey Hill, Calhoun and Chestatee mines, which lie on the east side of the Chestatee river. Only a little further away, than the Chestatee, flows the Etowah river, west of this lot. THE TURKEY HILL MINE All the lots in Lumpkin county, which have been described have been 40-acre lots, lying north and west of the Chestatee river, and belonging to the original Cherokee country, which, in 1832, was surveyed and subdivided by the State into lots, and these were distributed to certain classes of its citizens, by lottery. The Turkey Hill property consists of a 250-acre lot, No. I6J, and the greater part of a fractional lot, I69, in the I Ith district, originally a part of Hall county. The fractional lot lies along the east bank of the Chestatee river. This part of the river, it is said, has never been dredged; and, from the rich returns, which have been had from the dredge-boat work, it would, in all probability, prove of great value for dredging. It is estimated, that there are about 490 LUMPKIN COUNTY thirty acres of auriferous gravel on the property, which have never been worked. About ten or twelve acres of the gravel beds have been worked over, once, and about one acre, twice. Where work has been done, on the gravel placers, near the mouth of the Van Dyke tunnel, there are piles of pebbles, remarkable for their sharp angles, which are very slightly rounded, showing, that the material was brought, only a short distance, and was well covered with $and etc., before the water had much time to act upon it. THE TuRKEY HILL MINE is located on one of the high ridges, in the southern part of Lumpkin county, south of a similar ridge, on which the Calhoun mine is located, the two properties adjoining. All the work on the Turkey Hill mine, has been done on the south side of this ridge; whereas, most of the work on the Calhoun mine has been on the north side of the adjacent ridge. The hill, on which the mine is located, gets its name from the abundance of wild turkeys, that were formerly to be found on the ridge, it being, still, very good hunting-ground for this species of game. The hill is made up of micaand hornblende-schists. I did not observe any of the latter, high up on the hill; but there are two dikes, near the base of the hill, on the south side, near the mill, to which I have before referred, in another part of this report. Adjacent to these dikes, are two veins on the east side of lot I63. One of these, the more northerly, is a 3-foot quartz vein, with a trend, N. 55 E., and its dip, with the schists, at an angle of 60 to the southeast. A small prospect opening had been made on this vein, at a point, about 2 50 yards from the center of the north and south lot-lines on the east. The vein consists of saccharoidal quartz, more or less marked with parallel lines of limonite, resulting from the decomposition of some iron-bearing mineral, which, while apparently pyrite, I was not able to positively identify. The stain-lines are parallel with the trend LUMPKIN COUNTY 491 of the vein. Lying adjacent to this vein, on the north, is a dike, about fifty yards wide; while, on the south side, is another, about 1 50 yards wide, both referred to, above. On the south border of this dike, lies what is known as The I 2-Foot Vein. The width of this vein, of which I saw a cross-section, was twelve feet, consisting of quartz stringers, intercalated with mica-schist, striking N. 35 E., and dipping 60 to the southeast, the schists of the country-rocks having the same strike and dip. This vein was worked, about fifty years ago; by a man by the name of Reuben Morse. He sunk a shaft, forty feet deep, on a rich shoot; and another shaft, about thirty feet southwest of the first, between fifty and sixty feet deep, on another rich shoot. The ore from these shafts was crushed by four arrastres; and I am informed by Mr. W. T. Bryson, that Morse told him, that this ore averaged from $8 to $I o per ton. The ore was a white, saccharoidal quartz, but little stained, as far as I saw it. The most important work, that has been done on the lot, resulted in an open cut, in the northwest corner of the lot, the cut reaching to the top of the hill, near the east and west lot-lines. This cut exposed five veins, which are about fifteen or twenty feet apart, varying from one to six inches in thickness. These veins are very rich, and show considerable free gold in a porous, saccharoidal quartz, very slightly stained, throughout, to a dirty-cream color, by iron sesqui-oxide. Excellent examples of the free gold m quartz from this mine are on exhibition in the State Museum, in Atlanta, the gift of Mr. James J. Packard, one of the owners of the property. These are very attractive specimens. Besides these five small veins, there are other very thin, ribbon veins. The open cut is about two hundred feet long, by about forty feet wide at the top, and about thirty feet deep. The rocks, exposed by it, consist of gray mica-schists, the saprolite of which, 492 LUMPKIN COUNTY near the top of the cut, varies from red to yellow. At .the bottom of the cut, the mica-schists are only partially decomposed, and are too hard, to be worked by hydraulic mining. The hard schists appear, at from fifteen to thirty feet below the Surface. The gold is said to occur, both in the schistose saprolite and in the quartz veins, running through it, in a ratio, usually of one to one. The hard schists are said to contain gold, in varying quantities. I was informed by Mr. Bryson, who guided me over the property, that, at the top of the cut, the veins were about thirty feet apart; but they are now from fifteen to twenty feet apart, at the bottom of the cut. Just west of this cut, a great deal of gold was obtained, by washing the surface of the hill with a hydraulic giant, for a depth of from one to two feet. About one thousand square feet have been thus worked. Lying west of the upper end of the open cut, is what is known as Tlze Sulplzuret Vein, a small vein, of from four to six inches in thickness, which outcrops lower down the hill. At the point of outcrop, samples taken by the owners, were submitted to Mr. W. R. Crandall, M. E., of Dahlonega; and these yielded . $5.5 7, as a general average of the vein at that point. Another quartz vein, six inches in thickness, passes through the lot, about its center, outcropping on the north side. No work has been done on this vein; but samples, taken, by the owners from the surface, for assay, yielded $3.00 or $4.00 per ton, when assayed by Mr. Crandall. In I867, Dr. M. H. Van Dyke did some prospecting work on this lot, running a tunnel from the bottom of the hill, just east of the mill, for I 50 feet, hoping to strike .the I 2-foot vein. His work was stopped by the hard mica-schists, encountered. The property, at the time of my visit, had been idle, for some time; and it was not in such condition, that I could get suitable samples for assay. LUMPKIN COUNTY 493 Tlze Mill is a IO-stamp mill of. the F. W. Hall patent, with 450pound stamps. It has two 8-foot amalgamated copper plates, and is operated by a horizontal engine, with 10-inch stroke, steam being generated by a 6o-H.P. boiler. In addition to the mill, there is, in the mill-house, a Blake pump, with a 6-inch discharge, elevating the water to the open cut, for use in hydraulicking with the giants. A line, 3,300 feet long, of excellent iron pipe, for this purpose, extends from the mill to the cut, about one thousand feet of which is Leffel solid-iron pipe, the remainder being spiral sheet-iron. A small dam, across the branch at the mill, is in good condition, except that much of the earth filling is washed away. The mill, millbouse, pump, and all other mill appliances, are in excellent condition. A good flume, about 3,200 feet long, extends from the lower end of the cut to the mill, with a fall of 321.2 feet. The cut has a fall, from the upper to the lower end, of about thirty feet. Since the purchase of the property by THE TuRKEY HILL GoLD MINING Co., it has been operated by them, to a limited extent. Messrs. Frank S. and James J. Packard, of Sturgis, Mich., are the two principal owners, in this company. Lot I63, I Ith district, originally Hall, now Lumpkin, county, was conveyed, in March, I837, by Benjamin Wallace to The Pigeon Roost Mining Co., under a warranty deed. It was sold, May Ist, following, by the sheriff, to Allen E. Mathews and Franklin Summerour, at the suit of Elisha Castlebury against The Pigeon Roost Mining Co. On June 6th, I 848, deeds were made by Ann Mathews, widow of Allen E. Mathews, deceased, and Franklin M. Cabot, administrator of the estate of Allen E. Mathews, deceased, the latter deed being to Malachi Burns, for the undivided half of the "mines and minerals" of this lot. In January, I857, "all of I63'' was sold, by the sheriff, to Daniel Neisler, at the suit of Lemuel 494 LUMPKIN COUNTY Bennett against George W. Smith. In June, I866, Franklin Summerour sold the other undivided half of "all mines and minerals of this lot, to Daniel Neisler. On September 6th, I876, the sheriff of Lumpkin county sold, to Samuel Stephens, an "undivided half of all mines and minerals," to satisfy a judgment of the Court, in favor of Henry C. Kellogg against Malachi Burns. In November, I 888, Martha J. Stephens and others gave a quit-claim deed to Henry C. .Kellogg, to "an undivided fourth mineral interest and mining privileges" in this lot; and, in December, I 889, M. M. London, executor of the estate of Daniel Neisler, sold to John T. McLendon all the farming interest, and one undivided half of the mineral interest, in this lot. In the latter part of January, I890, A. L. Keith, administrator of the estate of Samuel Stephens, deeded a fourth mineral interest in lot I63 to John T. McLendon; and, about two weeks thereafter, 0. T. Kellogg sold an undivided fourth of the mineral interest and mining privileges in the lot to McLendon. In February, I 893, Conway B. Thrasher gave a quit-claim deed to Frank B. Pratt to all of I63, known as the Turkey Hill Gold mine; and, about a year after, Pratt sold, to Frank S. Packard and James J. Packard, an undivided half interest in this lot. On May I sth, I894, FrankS. Packard, and James J. Packard deeded all of lot I63 to The Turkey Hill Gold Mining Co., "except and reserving, for F. S. Packard, Jas. J. Packard and Frank B. Pratt, one acre each, where they may select, for agricultural and residence purposes, said reservation not to interfere with the mining interest." This conveyance is by warranty deed. LUMPKIN COUNTY 495 . THE CALHOUN MINE I Hardly so much, of historical interest, attaches itself to any other gold mine in Georgia, as to THE CALHOUN MINE; first, because it is strongly claimed, that the first discovery of gold in Georgia, by the white man, was on this property; and, second, because it was owned for more than forty years, by that illustrious statesman, Hon. John C. Calhoun, United States Senator from South Carolina, and his heirs. A sketch of the discovery of gold, and the purchase of the property by Senator Calhoun, is given on pages 2 71 to 2 74 of this bulletin. The property is located three miles south of Dahlonega, along the southern and eastern banks of the Chestatee river, and consists of two fractional lots, Nos. r64 and r65, of the 250-acre class, amounting to 475 acres, more or less, in the northern part of the I rth district, now in Lumpkin county, but, originally, a part of Hall. At the time of the discovery of gold on the property, it was owned by Rev. Robert Obarr, a Baptist preacher. Mr. Obarr subsequently sold the property to Judge Underwood, who, soon ;;tfterwards, sold it to Senator Calhoun. Shortly after it came into the possession of the latter, Mr. John Parks, nephew of the discoverer of gold on the property, found a remarkably rich ore-shoot, at the point, now known as The Lawrence Cut. . This discovery was made known to Messrs. W. G. Lawrence and Charles Sisson, who secured a lease on the property, for thirty days, during which time, it is stated, on the authority of Col. Robert H. Moore, for many years an officer in the United States branch mint at Dahlonega, that $24,000 in I Field-work by S. W. McCallie, Assistant Geologist. LUMPKIN COUNTY gold was taken from the property. The following is a statement of Col. Moore:- ''I knew the Calhoun lots, when Lawrence and Sisson worked the same; and, of my own knowledge, they had a lease for thirty days; and they actually made $24,ooo in gold, or, at least, they paid rent or royalty at the rate of 25 per cent. This I know from my own personal knowledge. This lease was given by Gen. Hansell, who now lives at Roswell, agent for Calhoun, for only thirty days, until Calhoun could be heard from; and, when heard from, he refused to lease, and the work was stopped. Later, a sonin-law of Calhoun, by the name of Clemson, worked the property, for some time; but I do not know the yield. About this time, I left the county, and know nothing of my own knowledge, only from hearsay; but the history of that lot is well known, and considered by all old miners good. A man by the name of Pasco worked still later, and reported ore worth $4o per peck, or $r6o per bushel. At the expiration of this thirty-day lease, Senator Calhoun's sonin-law, Mr. Thomas G. Clemson, took charge of the property; erected a 4-stamp mill on the Calhoun branch; and worked the mine, for two or three years. From this time, no work was done on the property, until I 847, when Mr. Samuel Pasco secured a lease on it, for a term of five years, and worked many tons of the Calhoun belt, which, it is said, proved very profitable. From this time, the mine was again idle, until 1858, when Mr. John Huff, who is, at present, in charge of the property, did considerable placerwork along the branch- and river-bottoms. From this time, until 1879, when it was purchased by Mr. J. A. Bostwick of New York, under the name of The Calhoun Gold Mining Co., a limited amount of placer-work was done, from time to time. In the meantime, the property had been purchased by Mr. Patrick Calhoun of Atlanta, at the partition sale, for division among the heirs of Senator Calhoun. Mr. Bostwick's purchase was from Mr. Patrick Calhoun. LUMPKIN COUNTY 497 The former immediately began extensive preparations, for working the property, and erected a 40-stamp gold mill; a large Blake duplex pump, with a capacity sufficient to elevate IOO miner's-inches of water 300 feet, to the top of the ridge; and other mining machinery, consisting of iron pipes, a hydraulic giant etc.; they, also, built an extensive dam across the Chestatee river, to supply water for the mill and mine. These improvements cost $40,000. Mr. John Congdon, of New York, was made Superintendent, and Mr. A.]. Reese, of Dahlonega, Assistant Superintendent, of the company, in charge of the mines and mill. These were operated, for about a year, when both the superintendent and assistant superintendent died; and, in November, I 88 5, Mr. Bostwick donated lot I64, with the mill and all other improvements, to The North Georgia Agricultural College, at Dahlonega. Subsequently, in August, I8g2, he made a gift of lot I6S, to the same institution. The trustees of the college leased the mine at once, to Mr. W. R. Crisson, who worked it for two years, they receiving royalties from him, which greatly aided, in paying the expenses of the college. Mr. Crisson's work was stopped, by the carrying away of a large part of the dam, by a tremendous freshet; and, the college having no funds to rebuild it, the mill and mine have remained idle, ever since, except some small operations in the gravel-placers, this being continued to the present time. It is estimated by the trustees of the college, that it will require, from $8,ooo to $I o,ooo, to repair the dam, and put the plant in first-class condition! There is, on the Dunagan lot (I6S), from twenty-five to thirty acres of auriferous gravel, and, on lot I 64, twelve acres of it, no part of which I Since the field-work was done, on this property, it has been sold to Mr. S. M. Wharton, of East Spokane, Wash., who has rebuilt the dam, and is putting the mill and plant in first-class condition, to resume active operations. LUMPKIN COUNTY has yet been worked; and, on the entire property, there is two miles of river-bed, which has never been dredged. In addition to the auriferous gravel on the two Calhoun lots, I was informed, that there were twelve acres of unworked material of the same sort, on the northern part of lot I6g, which belongs to Col. W. P. Price, President of the Board of Trustees of The North Georgia Agricultural College, but which, I was told, goes with the Calhoun property. The gravel on these lots is from three to five or six feet thick. Mr. Huff, who is in charge of the property, and who was working it, on the occasion of my visit there, told me, that, out of a superficial area of 6oo square feet of the gravel, he, with two men, took I So dwts. of gold in one month ; and that, out of a like area of I ,2 50 square feet, he took 360 dwts. of gold, in a little more than a month, all of the latter work being done by the use of a hydraulic giant and a hydraulic elevator. He stated, that, if he had had plenty of water, twice the work could have been accomplished, with the same expense. The entire gravel, worked, will hardly exceed twenty acres. It is highly probable, that the greater part of the old placer work will pay for re-working; while the results, from the new work, are indicated in the statement of Mr. Huff, just quoted. The over-burden varies from ten to fourteen feet. It is necessary to use the hydraulic elevator, in much of the unworked area, along the river. With the mill in operation, pipe-lines could be run, that would supply an abundance of water to any part of the gravel placer. The branches are insignificant, and not sufficient, to afford enough water, for working the placers with the hydraulic giant, to any degree of satisfaction. A pit, being worked,-at the time of Mr. McCallie's visit, most of which covered old work, had produced up to date, I, I oo dwts. of gold, averaging . about $ !.2 5 per square yard of underlying schist. .... LUMPKIN COUNTY 499 The mine was not in condition, to show up the extent and character of the ore-bodies, most of the excavations being partly filled with earth. Little direct information could be secured, concerning the veins. There are, on the property, several large open cuts, and many small cuts and tunnels, which have followed the rich oreshoots, down to the depth of forty or fifty feet, in the hard rock. Most of the work, however, has been in the saprolite. There is one well-defined vein on the property, known as Tlte Peachtree Vein, and two gold-be'aring belts. The Peachtree Vein lies between the schists, dipping, at an angle of about 30, to the southeast. This vein varies from a few inches to three feet in width, and can be traced on the property, for a mile and a half. It consists of a white quartz, containing iron-stained cavities, resulting from the decomposition of pyrite; occasionally, this mineral occurs unaltered. The Lawrence Belt consists of auriferous mica-schists, with a considerable number of small quartz stringers, all through it, varying from one to six inches. This belt is from one hundred to two hundred feet wide, and extends from one side of the property to the other. The gold occurs in the decomposed schists, as well as in ~he small quartz veins. The Parker Hollow Belt is much like the Lawrence, as a stringer-lead. It varies from fifty to sixty feet in width, extending a mile and a half through the property. All the veins and ore-shoots increase in sulphides, with increasing depth. The country-rock consists of a dark-colored mica-schist, containing garnets. It strikes about N. 30 E., and dips, at an angle of from 30 to 45 to the southeast. Figure 37 is a section across the property, showing the Peachtree vein and the two auriferous belts, with their positions in the schists. Two samples of ore were taken by Mr. McCallie from the Peachtree vein, the other ore-bodies not being in condition for sampling. These gave assay-results, as follows:- soo LUMPKIN COUNTY No. r_ ______ -- __ -- I.OIO ozs. ($20.88) of gold per ton " 2-------------0.125 " ( 2.58) " " " " Tlze Mill on this property, which is located on the river, is a 40stamp mill, with 450-pound stamps. It is operated by a large turbine wheel, with a I 2-foot head of water, from the dam, across the Chestatee river. The Blake pump etc., have been described above. The pump, also, is driven by a large turbine wheel. The wood-work about the mill is in need of some repairs. All the machinery seems to be in very fair condition. There is, on the property, in tolerable condition, I, 500 feet of I 2-inch flange-pipe, 6oo feet of 7- and 8-inch sleeve-pipe, and a hydraulic giant. Fig. 37 Section through the Calhoun Property. r. The Lawrence Stringer-Lead. 2. The Parker Hollow Stringer-Lead. 3 The Peachtree Vein. a, b and c. Belts of Mica-schist. It has already been related, how the property came into the possession of Senator Calhoun, in the early part of the third decade. Since then, the transfers of lot I64, as recorded in the Court-house of Lumpkin county, are as follows:- On June 3rd, I879, the lot was sold, for partition, to Patrick Calhoun, at the instance of Margaret M. Calhoun, Sr., John C. Calhoun, Margaret M. Calhoun, Jr., and Patrick Calhoun, as plaintiffs, against John C. Calhoun, Benjamin P. Calhoun, William Lennols Calhoun, Thomas G. Clemson, Gideon Lee, Elizabeth Calhoun, Isabella Lee and Andrew P. Cal- LUMPKIN COUNTY SOl houn, tenants-in-common, as heirs-at-law of the late Hon. John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina. In October, I 879, Patrick Calhoun gave a warranty deed to this lot to The Calhoun Gold Mining Co. On November 2nd, I88S, a quit-claim deed to it was given, by this company, to The North Georgia Agricultural College, the area of this lot being stated, as 229 33' acres. THE CHESTATEE MINE The Chestatee Mining Property consists of lots I44, I45, I46 and I67, I Ith district, and I,04I, I,042, I,092, I,I86 and I,I87, I 2tfz district, all being fractional lots, lying along the Chestatee river, except 146, in the I Ith district, and I ,092, in the I 2th district. The river divides the two districts, the former lying south and east, and the latter, north and west, of it. As has been previously stated, the lots. of the I I th district are 2SO-acre lots, while those of the I 2th so are 40-acre lots. There are, in all, probably between 6 and 700 acres in this property, much of it consisting of a vast expanse of beautiful valley-land, with low ridges encircling it, and the river wending its way through its center. Two or three dredge-boats had been, for some time, having excellent success, recovering gold, by dredging and sluicing gravel, from the bottom of the river, at various places along its course. The Chestatee Mining Co., composed largely of gentlemen of means, from St. Louis, Mo., with Mr. J. D. Thompson, as President, and Mr. W. R. Crandall, as Mining Engineer and General Manager, purchased these lots, and determined to turn the river into a new channel, to be cut through the adjacent bottoms, on the north side; and to work the river-bed for S02 LUMPKIN COUNTY gold, which, they reasonably supposed, would be found, in paying quantities. To carry out this plan, extensive preparations were begun, in 1893. A large, but short, canal was constructed, some of it, by blasting out the hard rock, to bring water, from a dam across the river to two 66-inch Leffel turbine water-wheels. A I 2x24-inch Blake duplex pump, with a capacity of I,ooo gallons per minute, under a pressure of from so to 6o pounds per square inch, was purchased, and mounted in place; as were also a 2S H.P. electric motor, of the C. & C. type, with a so H.P. generator, and a smaller electric motor. All this machinery was new; and good substantial houses were built for its protection, and for other purposes. This pl:~tnt was located at Neisler's ford. One of the turbines was used to actuate the pump, which supplied water, under a 6o-pound pressure, through a g-inch pipe, to the hydraulic giant, and to a portable hydraulic gravel-elevator, devised by Mr. Crandall, and described by him, before a meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers.1 The water is divided at a convenient point, a s-inch pipe supplying the hydraulic elevator, and a 7-inch pipe, the giant. The latter is used, for washing off the over-burden of alluvium from the gravel, in the bottoms lying along the river; and the debris, thus washed off, is taken up by the elevator to a flume above, which conveys and discharges it into the river, below the dam. The other turbine actuated the so H.P. generator, which furnished electricity to the 2S H.P. electric motor, and to the smaller motor, used for pumping water direct from the river, for washing the gravel in sluice-boxes, for the gold. The plant was designed, so as to work, day and night, the 'electric generator furnishing light, as well as power. The water-power is a shoal, with a six- or eight-foot fall. 1 See Trans. Amer. Inst. Min. Eng., Vol. XXVI., 1896, p. 62. LUffifPKIN COUNTY The work of excavating the new channel, for the river, was begun in 1 Sg S ; and the excavation was made about thirty-five feet wide, and as deep, as the underlying hard schists would permit. Its location varies, from so to 200 yards from the north bank of the river, with which it trends, in almost parallel lines. I was informed by Mr. Crandall, that the gold, saved from the gravel taken out, about paid the expenses of excavating. After extending this exca~ vation, so as to expose 400 or sao yards of the river-bed, it was found, that, on account of the water's running quite swiftly, along that section of the river, the bottom consisted of smooth schists, with comparatively little gravel on it. A large amount of money had been spent on the plant; and, when the company learned, that, after all the work and expense, little gold would probably be found, to repay this great outlay, operations were stopped, and the property was sold, for a comparatively small sum, to Mr. Frank W. Hall, of Dahlonega, to whom the company was indebted. There is still a large placer area, that has never been worked. The beds, along the small branches coming down from the hills, are said to be quite rich. It is believed, that considerable gold will be found in the gravel-beds, extending from the river to the foot of the hills, of which there are 200 acres, only thirty having been worked; and that the veins in the ridges, which have not been prospected, will prove to be valuable. Some work was done, years ago, along the small branches, which flow from the hollows on the ridges; and the results are reputed to have been very satisfactory. A pocket, in a small vein, about half way up the ridge, on the south side, worked by James M. Adams, yielded $7 so, the lot belonging, at that time, to Mr. Alexander Whelchel (pronounced Wilkie). There are several old tunnels on the south ridge, worked years ago, in a small way. While operating along the river, Mr. Crandall also did 504 LUMPKIN COUNTY a little prospecting on the south ridge. Near the top, he drove a sltort tunnel, in a southeast direction, to cut an auriferous quartz vein, and followed the vein, by test-pits, along the top and west side of the hill, for a distance of, probably, 400 yards, to a point, where now is to be seen a narrow open cut, on the southwest side of the hill. This cut, on the side of the hill, is in the nature of an approach to a tunnel begun, but carried no further. It is about thirty feet long. The material through which it is cut, consists of a soft, cream-colored, schistose saprolite, the original rock of which is completely decomposed, except, that, along the fracture-lines, are folia of a green chlorite, resembling clinochlore. This mineral has undergone some alteration. The ore-body, exposed by the cut, consists of small quartz stringers in the cream-colored saprolite; these vary from a sixteenth of an inch to four inches in thickness. The ore-body is from five to six feet thick. The stringers and the schists strike N. 6o0 E., and dip, at an angle of 60, to the southeast. About a hundred yards northeast of this opening, along the trend of the vein, between this cut and the Crandall tunnel, is an old incline shaft, said to be fifty feet deep, and to have been worked, fifty years ago. It was filled with caved material, which was covered with leaves, to within six feet of the top. The material, through which it was sunk, was of the same character, as that just described; and the vein was easily seen, on the north and south walls of the shaft, the latter having followed the vein down, along its dip. The strike of the vein was N. I 0 E., and its dip, 70 to the southeast. At this point, the vein was 30 inches thick, and not at all of a stringer character. From one of the walls of the shaft, I took out several large slabs of the partially disintegrated quartz. It was filled with a great many iron-stained cavities (hematite); and, on being broken across, it showed a large quantity of pyrite, disseminated through LUMPKIN COUNTY 505 it, in particles about the size of duck-shot. These specimens, and those on the old dump, at the mouth of the shaft, which were of the same character, proved, that the ore, in its unaltered condition, was, to a large extent, of a sulphide nature. No sample for assay was taken from this point. About I 50 yards northeast of the old shaft, along the trend of the vein towards the Crandall tunnel, was a small, square, prospectpit, on the west side of the hill, which I have designated as Pit No. I. This was only four feet deep. The vein, here exposed, was one foot thick, and the quartz was banded and speckled with pyrite, and of the same character, as that from the old shaft just described, except it was very little decomposed. Some of the particles of pyrite, in the quartz, were entirely decomposed; others, not at all. The vein was intercalated in the schists, and trended due north, dipping at an angle of 50 to the east, while the dip of the schists was 6 5 to the east. A sample for assay was taken from this point, the result of which is given in No. I, below. Several other pits of this kind were examined, along the trend of the vein; but they furnished nothing worthy of note. The last opening, along the vein, in a northeast direction, is T!te Crandall Tunnel. The entrance to this is from the north side of the hill. It is about twenty-five feet long, and is driven, at right angles, to the strike of the decomposed schists, which is N. 25 E., with a dip of 40 to the southeast. The schists, in the rear part of the tunnel, are biotite flasser-schist, the biotite, in part, altered to a dark-green chlorite. At the rear end of the tunnel, a three-foot auriferous quartz vein is encountered, which consists of a finely saccharoidal quartz, containing much pyrite, in which alteration to melanterite has begun. A section across this vein was taken as an assay sample, the result from which will be seen in No. 2, below. so6 LUMPKIN COUNTY Parallel with the general trend of this vein, and adjacent to it, on the northwest, is a dike of hornblende-schist, of from I 50 to 200 yards wide, in all particulars similar to those, passing through, and north of, Dahlonega. Its trend is N. 50 E., and the dip of the schists, 50 to the southeast. The samples, taken, as indicated, were submitted to assay, in the laboratory of the Geological Survey, by Dr. Thomas L. Wat- son, Assistant Geologist, with results, as follows: - No. I ---------------O.I5 oz. ($ 3.IO) of gold per ton " 2--------------0.65 ($I 3-43) " " " " Since Mr. Hall has owned the property, he has built an additional house, at the power-station, and given the buildings two or three coats of paint, for their protection, at the same time adding much to their appearance. THE CAVENDER'S CREEK MINING PROPERTY A large number of lots, occupying a considerable area of the northeast end of the gold belt in Lumpkin county, north and west of the Chestatee river, are owned or controlled by Capt. R. R. Asbury, of Pleasant Retreat, White county, Ga., and gentlemen associated with him in this enterprise. While a little vein mining has been done on a number of these lots; yet, no mines among them have become prominent, so far. A little work was done, some years ago, by Capt. H. D. Ingersoll of Dahlonega, on- one or more of the lots; but his results were not satisfactory, and the work was not prosecuted to any considerable extent; still, the ore from several of the lots shows such good results, when submitted to assay, LUMPKIN COUNTY as will be seen, beyond, that further development may prove this to be a very valuable property. The lots on which the veins have been opened and prospected, in a limited way, including those, on which a little work has been done, are 360, 36I, 373,376, 377,386, 388,389, 390,39I, 400,424, 425, 432, 454, 455 and 458, all in tlze I5tlz distn'ct. The other lots embraced in this property are Nos.3I I,323, 324,J33 334,J44,J46, 347,J48, 392,399, 405, 406, 408, 409, 4I7, 4I8,438,452,453456,469, 470,483,485,492,499,506,507,509, and an undivided half of 40I, 423 and 464, all in the I5th district. All these are 40-acre lots, except five fractional lots, along the river. In addition to these, they own or control, of the Spencer Mill tract, five acres of lot 230, 20 acres of lot 23 I, and five acres each of lots 244 and 245, also in the I5th district. Further, they own the water-rights on all streams between Cavender's creek and the Spencer Mill property, with the right-of-way for a ditch through the intervening lots to the Cavender's Creek property. Some idea of the extent of this property may be had, by referring to the map of a part of the I 5th district,1 showing the lots belonging to these gentlemen, marked with a certain border. In the early days of gold mining in this county, when all the branches and bottoms were worked for the gold in their gravel deposits, the lots, constituting this property, had a good reputation; and even now, some placer work is carried on, from time to time, along the branches. It is said, that these placers have produced $1 so,ooo, taken out by miners, using the long-tom and rockers. No hydraulic mining has ever been done on it. Parts of these placers have been worked over, two or three times, but most of it, only once. About half of the gravel-placer area has not been worked, 1 See map, p. 504. 508 LUMPKIN COUNTY at all. This includes the numerous dry hollows, which have been left untouched, for want of water. On lot 424, only a short distance from Grindle's saw-mill, which stands on the north bank of the creek, four miles east of Dahlonega, is a small cut, where a limited amount of work has been, and is now being, done, on an auriferous vein, known as Tlze Calico Vein, from the fact, that the saprolite of the mica-schists, at this point, is beautifully variegated, a rich pink coloring the kaolin, which is somewhat abundant, being the prevailing color. The vein is about I 2 inches wide, and gives fair results to the miners working it. It is believed, that this vein is a continuation of one of the veins from lots 390 or 39I. It was being worked, in a small way, at the time of my visit. Specimens of hornblende-schist, containing pyrite, said to yield a very small amount of gold, were secured by me from this lot. On lot 39 I, is a small open cut, on a stringer-lead, whicli is ten feet wide on the rear wall of the cut. An incline was sunk, some years ago, on this vein, at an angle of about 35, for a short distance, down; and the vein was stoped from a tunnel, 200 feet long, the stope being forty feet, in a perpendicular direction. This is the only work done on the Cavender's Creek property, except on lot 424, as stated above, and a short prospecting tunnel and stope, on lot 390. The orebody, which was stoped on lot 39I, trends N. 40 E., and dips 65 to the northwest. It consists of quartz stringers, from the thickness of a sheet of paper to five inches thick, at the top, and four feet thick at the bottom of the incline. The quartz is white, saccharoidal, somewhat pitted and brown-stained, from the decomposition of pyrite in small quantities. The mica-schists have the same dip and strike, as the vein. A sample of this ore was taken from this exposure. That part from the bottom of the incline, in LUMPKIN COUNTY addition to being iron-stained and quite cellular, contains a little unaltered pyrite, here and there. The results of assay from this sample are given in No. 3 in my assay-list below. Not long since, Mr. W. R. Crandall, M. E., of Dahlonega, made an examination and report on this property. Further on, I have quoted, from this report, assays, made by Messrs. Crandall and George P. Good & Co., of Atlanta, from samples taken by Mr. Crandall. His sample No. IO was taken from this ore-body. Vein No. I lies about two hundred yards east of Vein No.2, in the northeastern corner of this lot. This vein is twenty-five feet wide, and is composed of large masses of white, iron-stained quartz, intercalated in mica-schist, much of which is cellular, and of good appearance. Only a slight opening has been made in this vein, at this point, which is on the south side of the hill. Its strike is N. 40 E., parallel with Vein No. 2; and it has the same dip. In this ore, there were small quantities of pyrite. An assay sample was taken by me from this exposure, the res!flt of which will be seen in No. 2 of my list of assays, beyond. Mr. Crandall's sample No. 9 was taken at the same point. Scattered over the top of the hill above the vein, I observed a good deal of hornblende-schist. In the trend of this vein, on the opposite side of the hill, near its top, was an opening on a quartz vein, four feet wide, on lot 373, near its southwest corner. The quartz is of the same character, as that at the opening on Vein No. I, just described, though it is more iron-stained, and the iron oxide is hematite, nearly black in color. The vein has the same strike and dip, as at the opening on Vein No. I; and it is, unquestionably, the same vein. The sample for assay, which I took from this point, is No.4, in my assay-list, below. Mr. Crandall's samples Nos. I and 2 were taken from this point. 510 LUMPKIN COUNTY In the northeast corner of lot 390, quite near the corner, is a vein, similar to that on lot 373; and, like it, it has a width of four feet, at the point of exposure; and its strike and dip, and that of the schists, are the same, as those on lot 373 The sample, which was taken by me from this point, is No. 7 of my list of assays, be- low. Mr. Crandall's sample number, from this exposure, is 3 of his sample-list. On lot 389, near the northwest corner, at the top of a hill, are two shallow trenches, about ten feet apart, which expose two veins, respectively, eight inches and fourteen inches in thickness. It is said, that these two veins are the same as the vein on the Jumbo lots, 374 and 375, owned by Judge W. W. Murray and others. My assay sample from this point was taken from both veins, and is numbered 5, in my assay-list, below. Mr. Crandall's numbers are 4 and 5, he having taken a sample from each opening. At the foot of this hill, on lot 390, is a stringer lead, forty feet wide, composed of quartz veins, intercalated with auriferous micaschist. They strike N. 40 E., and dip, at an angle of 60, to the northwest. Sample No. 6 of my assay-list was taken from this point. Mr. Crandall's assay number, for material taken from the same exposure, is number 6 of his sample-list. On the west side of this lot, a tunnel, I 75 feet long, has recently been driven, cutting twelve small stringer-veins, supposed to be the same auriferous lead, as that on the other side of the lot, described above. These stringer-veins vary from five to twelve feet apart, and are from five to fourteen inches thick. The material is a very rich-looking, iron-stained, more or less cellular saccharoidal quartz, with part of the auriferous mica-schist clinging to each side, where the quartz is in contact with the schist. Here and there, it contains some pyrite, unaltered. It is said, that the mica-schist, be- LUMPKIN COUNTY tween the stringers bears considerable gold. I was not able, at the time of my visit, to examine the veins, and take a sample, di- rectly from them; but, there were several small piles of ore, which had been taken out, and dumped near the entrance to the tunnel. From these, I selected, what I judged to be a fair average sample. As will be seen, by a comparison of the lists of assays, made from the samples, taken by Mr. Crandall and myself, there is generally not great variation, between the results of the samples, assayed for the Survey, and those assayed by Messrs. Crandall and Good & Co., except in this particular instance, where one of Mr. Crandall's sam- ples, No. 7, gave him $37. I 5, and Messrs. Good & Co., $36.00; and the other sample, No. 8, to the former, $78.43, and to the latter, $85.70; while the one sample, taken by me, yielded only $5.17. I am unable to explain the discrepancy. The veins on this lot have been cut, at a number of intermediate points, between the tunnel and the cut, at the foot of the hill, in the northeast corner of the lot, on the 40-foot stringer-lead, mentioned above. The samples, taken by me from this property, yielded, on assay, the following results:No. I _______________ o.25 oz. ($ 5. I 7) of gold per ton " 2---------------099 " ($20-46) " " " 3---------------0.20 " ($ 4 I 3) " " " " " 4---------------1.27 " ($26.2 5) " " " " 5---------------0-92 " ($19.02) " " " " " 6 ___ ------------0.80 " ($16.54) " " " " " 7----------- --- 1.07 " ($22. I2) " " " " No. I' corresponding to Crandall's samples, Nos. 7 and 8, was taken from the veins in the tunnel, on the west side of lot 390; No. 2, corresponding to Crandall's No. 9, from Vein No. I, in the northeast corner of lot 39I; No. 3, corresponding to Crandall's 512 LUMPKIN COUNTY No. I o, from vein No. 2, lot 39 I; No. 4, corresponding to Crandall's Nos. I and 2, from the vein, near the southwest corner of lot 373 {the same vein as No. I); No. 5, corresponding to Crandall's Nos. 4 and 5, from the two veins, at the top of the hill on lot 389; No. 6, corresponding to Crandall's No. 6, from the forty-foot stringerlead, at the bottom of the same hill, on lot 390; and No. 7, corre- sponding to Crandall's No. 3, from the four-foot vein, near the northeast corner of this lot. When Mr. Crandall made his examination of the property, sam- ples were taken, as before stated, from the various points, where openings had been made, which, after sampling, were equally divided between Messrs. Crandall and George P. Good & Co., of Atlanta, to be submitted to assay. I am permitted to quote the following, as the results of their assays:- Sample Lots W. W. Crandall Good & Co. L------373-- --I3 dwts. 5 grs. ($13.63)------$ 3.00 2-------" ----II " I5 " ( 12.00)------- 20.00 3-------390----36 " 0 ( 37.15) 36.oo 4 ~---- --389-----44 " 5 -- -- --- " - -- r6 " 6-------390----28 " 0 " ( 4540) -- 25.80 9 " ( 985)-- ---- r.5o 0 " ( 28.90) ------ 56.oo 7---- - - " ----36 " 0 ( 37.15)------ 36.oo 8------- " ----76 " 0 " ( 7843) ----- 8570 9--- --- --39L- -26 " 0 " ( 26.83)------- 10.00 10-. - ---- " . --- 8 " 7 " ( 8. 56)------ 3.6o The Mill on the property is on lot 458, a short distance from Grindle's saw-mill; it is a small five-stamp mill, in good condition. It has, as its motor, an over-shot r6-foot wheel, supplied with water from a ditch, coming from a point, higher up on Cavender's creek. A survey was made, some time ago, by Mr. B. M. Hall, ! I LUMPKIN COUNTY C. & M. E., of Atlanta, for a ditch, to bring water to this property, from Spencer's Mill creek, which should be I6 miles long, and have a grade of four feet to the mile. Water for this ditch can also be had from the Chestatee river, I oo feet above Spencer's mill. If taken from Spencer's Mill creek, from 400 to 6oo miner's-inches of water can be supplied. If taken from the river, 2,000 miner' sinches, or as much more as may be desired, is available. With these improvements, an abundance of water can be had, for mining this and other property. Mr. Hall gave, as an estimate for the construction of this ditch, a sum not exceeding $Io,ooo. Such a ditch would make available a large area of auriferous stringerleads, on the property, where only gravel-placer mining has been possible, in the past. A large part of this property is so situated, with reference to a long narrow hollow, that an excellent site is afforded, for a mill, that could be easily fed from all the openings, discussed above. There are extensive bodies of oak, chestnut, hickory etc., affording all necessary fuel and timber for building, at a minimum cost. THE JUMBO MINE THE JuMBO MINING PROPERTY consists of lots 374 and 375, I 5th district. These lots were formerly known as The Williams Lots. Judge W. W. Murray of Huntingdon, Tenn., owns a ?1) interest in these lots, and friends of his own the remainder. This prospect has been little worked, because there is not sufficient water on the lots, to enable one to operate a hydraulic giant, and no mill on the property, that could be used for crushing the LU31Pf.'EN COUNTY ore, which would be carried to the mill by flume, if the hydraulic method were in use. There seems to be a large amount of lowgrade ore on the lots, in the form of an auriferous saprolite belt, 300 feet, or more, in width. This crosses a low, oval hill, on which was sunk, some years ago, the only shaft, on the property. It is possible, to pan particles of gold from almost any point on this belt. I saw a number of pansful, taken from different points on the belt and panned; and, in almost every case, particles of gold resulted from the panning. Samples of the soft, decomposed micaschist belt gave the following results, when submitted to assay:- No. L- __ - _________ o.oi oz. ($0.21) of gold per ton " 2 _____ -------------0.02 .. ($0-41) " " Bearing in mind, that, by the hydraulic method, this material, which is in great quantity, can be mined and milled for 12 cents per ton, it will be seen, that even these low values will yield good returns, when hydraulicked economically, and with good judgment, if water were brought to the top of this hill, with a sufficient head, to hydraulic these mica-schists. A great desideratum, in this part of the belt, is such a water-supply canal, as the Hand ditch. If the Cavender's Creek ditch, surveyed by Mr. B. M. Hall, should be constructed, the value of the Jumbo prop~rty would be greatly enhanced; for these lots are completely surrounded by the Cavender's Creek property. I The shaft, above mentioned, is on a small quartz vein, which probably averages twelve inches, or more, in thickness. It was originally about thirty-five feet deep; but the sides have caved in, to some extent, covering the vein, at the bottom. Th.e vein, along the wall of the shaft, dips, with the schists, at a steep angle. This ve.in has been traced, by means of a trench, for a distance of prob- I See map of a part of the ISth district, I' 504. LUflfPKIN COUNTY 5I 5 ably a hundred and fifty yards, in a southwest direction. It is in the trend of the two veins, which were prospected, a little, in the northwest corner of lot 389, of the Cavender's Creek property, I which yielded, on assay. $ rg.o2 of gold per ton. In fact, it is conceded, that this vein, on the Cavender's Creek property, is Tlzc Jumbo Vein. I am informed, that there are other veins on the Jumbo lots; but these I did not see, my visit being limited, as to time, and no other occasion offering, of which I could avail myself. There are several small streams on the property, that would have economic value, if extensive operations should be undertaken, on these lots; and there is abundance of oak, hickory and other timber, which would be available, for fuel and other purposes. THE CORA LEE PROPERTY Lot 433, I5tlz district, adjoining lot 424, of the Cavender's Creek property, on the south, has several auriferous veins, which have been prospected, only in a small way. On the largest of these veins, a trench has been dug, twenty-five or thirty feet long, expos:ing a white quartz vein, which, at times, shows particles of free gold. Other small trenches have been dug along this and other vems. From the position of this hill, its veins, without doubt, furnished a part of the gold in the gravel-beds, in the hollows, just below it. It is only a short distance from the 5-Stamp mill on the Cavender's Creek property. *Judge W. W. Murray, of Huntingdon, Tenn., owns an undivided of this lot, and Mr. D. A. Nunn of Brownsville, Tenn., theremainder. It was formerly known as the Satterfield lot. I See map of a part of the ISth district, p. 504. 5 I6 LUMPKIN COUNTY THE GARNET MINE' The Garnet Mining Property consists of lots 330, 33 I, 350 to 359, inclusitN, 378, 379, 403, 404, 439, 442, 450 and 45I, I5tlt district. The company also owns lot 222, outside of the gold belt, in this district. The property, immediately surrounding the mine, is included in the above list of lots, from 330 to 379 The other lots are from a half to three-quarters of a mile distant from this group. Of the group, on which the mine is located, five are fractional lots, lying along the Chestatee river, two of which contain nearly forty acres. The property is located, about seven miles northeast of Dahlonega. The streams, traversing it, were worked extensively, between I 840 and I 8 50, and are said to have been very rich. The first veinmining, done on the property, was commenced, about I 886, by its present owners, whose corporate name is THE GARNET \VATERPOWER & MINING Co., with its principal office, Room 26, 52 Broadway, New York City. At that time, an excellent mining-plant was erected, consisting of a 20-stamp mill, with stamps weighing 4 50 pounds each; a Blake duplex pump, a duplicate of the one at the Calhoun mine; a small dynamo, for furnishing light; two large turbine wheels, one to run the pump, and the other, the mill; and a 40 H.P. engine and boiler; all of which were well housed. A dam across the Chestatee river was used, for furnishing water to the mill, tprough a short canal, under a I 6-foot head of water. The entire power, taken from the river, to operate the mill and dam, was 200 H.P. A reservoir was located on one of the highest hills, about half a mile from the mill, and about a quarter of a mile from the cuts. Water was pumped from the mill to this reservoir, through 1 Field-work, in part, by S. W. McCallie, Assistant GeoloJist. LUllfPKIN COUlv7Y a 12-inch iron pipe, and the ore was sluiced to the mill, through a flume, about }i of a mile long, which began at the outlet of the cut, marked A in figure 38. A hydraulic giant was used, in excavating the cuts. A two-story dwelling, for the superintendent, completed the plant. The reservoir consisted of a circular canal, Fig. 38 N + s OuTLE"T Plan of the Open Cuts of the Garnet Mine. from twelve to fifteen feet wide, five feet deep, and having a length of 450 feet. The details of the lengths and directions of the cuts are given in figure 38. The width of those worked was about forty feet at the top, and from ten to thirty feet deep. The cut, marked E in the diagram, was not worked, it being used merely as an exit for material from cut D. These cuts are the result of extensive working of the garnetiferous mica-schist saprolite, which contains stringers SIS LUMPKIN COUNTY of saccharoidal quartz, varying from an eighth of an inch to twelve inches in thickness. The schists dip at high angles, and strike N. 45 to 55 E. I observed, at the entrance of cut F, on the northwest side, a Is-foot dike of decomposed hornblende-schist. In almost all cases, the cuts have been worked down to the hard, garnetiferous schists, which are only partially decomposed; and, at the time of my first visit, considerable debris had fallen in, covering up the veins, so that they could not be examined. In addition to these cuts, there are, on top of the hill, a series of five or six shafts, which have been sunk, along one of the auriferous stringer-leads, to a depth of forty or fifty feet. Work was continued, for about two years. I am not informed as to why it was stopped; but I was told, that it was generally understood, that the results were satisfactory. In the latter part of I895, work was resumed at this mine, by Mr. McManus, Superintendent, who took considerable material from these shafts, hauling it to a Griffin horizontal mill, which he had just erected, at the time of my visit. A large boiler and engine had been put in place; and he was about to begin the milling of the ore, which he had hauled. This material was a loose, sandy, decomposed, garnetiferous mica-schist, which seemed to contain a good deal of gold, judging from samples, taken promiscuously from the different piles, and panned in my presence. The plan of Mr. McManus was to mill this material, dry, hoping thereby to save a great deal of the fine "flour gold," which floated off, when the hydraulic method was resorted to. The quartz blocks in this material proved to be too hard for the mill; and it is said, that it ran, for only thirty-six hours, when it was found to be unfit for further use. Mr. McManus soon retired from this work, and Mr. H. M. Smith, of Washington, D. C., succeeded him. Operations were continued for only a year, when LlififPKIN COUiVTY 5 Ig work was stopped. At the time of my visit, the flume and other outdoor wood-work were entirely decayed and useless, and the roof of the mill and the flooring were in bad condition. The dam was also in need of repair; but the machinery in the mill-house was in very good condition, as ~as the iron piping to the reservoir. With the exception of about twenty feet, all the I 2-inch pipe, from the reservoir to the cut, had been removed. A sample, taken by Mr. McCallie, from the Negro vein, yielded results, as follows:- No. I ___ . _________ .- 1.40 ozs. ($28.94) of gold per ton. OTHER MINES THE BoLY FIELD MINE is located on lot I,I82, I 2tlz district, on a vein, very rich in free gold. The lot is a fractional lot, along the north bank of the Chestatee river. The vein was discovered about I 840, and was worked, for several years, by its owner, Mr. Boling W. Field, who is said to have become wealthy, from the gold secured from this vein. The ore, it is said, was very much like that of the Findley shoot and the Whim Hill and Battle Branch mines; that is, quartz, richly impregnated with gold, in masses and wire. This vein crosses the Chestatee river. So sure was Dr. M. F. Stephenson, the amateur geologist, before referred to, in this report, that, by turning the channel of the river, he would find the vein, rich in free gold on the bottom, that he interested a wealthy gentleman of Boston, Mass., about the time of the civil war, to the extent of furnishing the money, to make the necessary preparations for the enter- 520 LU.MPKIN COUNTY prise. Unfortunately, however, just as he was ready to begin operations, a heavy freshet swept his plant away; and work was never resumed. Whether any other attempt to mine the property was ever made, after Mr. Field discontinued work, I was not informed. The lot is now a part of the estate of Mr. Weir Boyd, deceased, of Dahlonega. THE JONES MINE, worked years ago, is located on lot 5 I 2, I 5tlz district, on the north side of the Chestatee river, near Bearden's bridge, which is on the Upper Gainesville road, four miles from Dahlonega. I was reliably informed, that, at one time, it was "a great gold producer"; but, of late years, no mining work has been done upon it. THE BuFFINGTON MINE is an old mine, formerly well and favorably known, for the amount of its gold production ; but no work has been done on it, for many years. It is near the Jones mine. THE RuFus C. WooD MINING PROPERTY consists of lots 3 I 2, 3 25, 326, 466, 467, 484, 485, 486, 487, 494, 495, 497, yo, 5II, and lzalj of335, all in tlze I5tlz district. These lots form a compact area and one of them, lot 5I I, adjoins the Jones lot on the east. Cavender's creek flows through this property, emptying into the Chestatee river, from lot 497, which is the only lot, that lies along the river. Auriferous veins, lying along the creek, have been opened and worked, more or less. Mr. Rufus C. Wood, of Dahlonega, is the owner of this property. THE DRY HoLLOW Mnm is located on the 2 so-acre lot, No. I 26, I Itlz distn"ct, the northwest corner lying along the south bank of the Chestatee. Years ago, considerable work was done on this mine. The ore is quartz, containing large quant.ities of auriferous pyrite. No work has been done on the mine, for several years; but it is highly spoken of, by the people of Dahlonega, even though the LUMPKIN COUNTY 52 I owner, who lives in the north, seems not to have the cordial approval of some of them, because a guard is kept on the lot, to prevent any one from visiting the mine. THE OLD CoLUMBIA MrNE is a mining property lying about ~ of a mile south of the Findley mine down near the river. Work was begun here, about I 5 years ago, by THE CoLUMBIA MINING Co., composed of Mr. Alonzo H. Farrar and others, of Kinderhook, N. Y. They built a 20-stamp mill, and put Capt. J. 0. Robertson, now of Canton, Ga., in charge, as Superintendent. The work continued for six or eight months, when it was stopped, for some reason, which I did not learn. The company, having bought lot 988, on Findley Ridge, already described, removed the mill to the site now occupied by the Preacher mill, and began to work this lot. The Superintendent's house and other buildings, on the Old Columbia, are now in bad condition. THE TAN YARD BRANCH PLACER lies along the stream, from which it takes its name, and which rises at the foot of Crown Mountain, on lot 949, and flows, almost east, along the north side of Findley Ridge, through lots 986, 997, I,034, I,049 and I,o86, emptying into Yahoola creek, at the Lockhart mine. Extensive piles of gravel, along its course, tell a part of the story, of the large amount of placer-work done on it. Much of the material has been worked over, a number of times. On account of its location within the town of Dahlonega, probably no other placer in the county has been worked so much. THE SHOCKLEY LoT, 89I, I 2tlt district, joins the I vey lot, 860, on the east. Years ago, the man, from whom it gets its name, mined considerably, in a small way, the richest veins on the property. This is about the extent of the work done on this lot. THE ToDD LoT, No. 930, I 2tlt district, joins the Shockley, on the 522 LUMPKIN COuNTY east. It lies at the foot of Crown Mountain, and IS bounded on the south by the Bowen lot. This lot was once famous, for its valuable gravel placer, which was worked, many years ago, and which is still worked, in a small way, from time to time. ~early all this lot is occupied by the large dike, which flanks Findley Ridge on the northwest; but I observed one or two very narrow belts of mica-schist saprolite intercalated in hornblende-schist; and these are said to be a part of the Barlow belt. This lot is owned by Dr. N. F. Howard, of Dahlonega, and his brother-inlaw, Mr. I. L. Todd. THE BARSHEBA WooDY Lor, No. 725, I2tlz district, is almost surrounded by the Barlow property, lot 748, of the Barlow, adjoining it, on the east; 726, of the Ralston, on the south; and 676, of the Old Gordon lots, on the west. It lies immediately between the Barlow mill and the Barlow cut; and auriferous veins, running through it, are supposed to be the same, as those of the Barlow cut. One of the veins, averaging about eighteen inches in thickness, has been prospected, at a number of places; and I was informed, that it yielded $I o.oo per ton on the mill. Near waterlevel, this vein contains a great deal of pyrite. The shafts do not extend below water-level. On each side of this vein is a stringerlead, the thickness of each being about I 50 feet. This property is owned by the heirs of Mr. Weir Boyd, deceased, of Dahlonega, and the heirs of Mr. Charles Davis, deceased, of Augusta, Ga. THE T AHLONEKA BRANCH PLACER lies along the branch, from which it takes its name. It rises in the north edge of the gold belt, and flows into Cane creek. All along its course, are deep pits and extensive gravel piles, showing the large amount of work, done in the days of extensive gravel-placer mining in the county. This stream was formerly known as vVinfield Branch. A fork of LUMPKIN COUNTY it, known as Bath Branch, is, also, said to have yielded a considerable amount of gold. THE DuNCAN BRANCH PLACER is an old gravel deposit, which lies along the Duncan branch. The stream, which is about a mile long, has a gradual fall, and the placer is well located, for working with the hydraulic giant. Very little work was done, on its upper end, for lack of sufficient water. This placer is said to have been very prolific; and it is still looked upon, as one of the noted gold producers of the county. THE BRIAR PATCH PLACER consists of a number of lots, lying next to the Chestatee river, about the mouth of Ralston branch and of Town creek, the latter stream running through it. The Briar Patch extends from the river to a point, not far from the Barlow property, and consists of several hundred acres. The gravel beds, along its streams, were extensive, reaching well up on the sides of the ridges. The debris shows, that a large amount of work has been done upon it. It is believed, that this is still an excellent placer, and that, if worked with the hydraulic giant and elevator, it would yield well, as much of it has never been worked, on account of being below drainage. It is one of the largest placers in the county. THE RuTHERFORD MINE was a gravel placer, lying along Ralston branch, just above the Briar Patch, and adjoining the Barlow property. The property consists of two 40-acre lots. It was owned by Prof. Williams Rutherford, for many years Professor of Mathematics in the University of Georgia. It was worked before the civil war. THE KEYSTONE MINE lies on Cane creek, below the Barlow mill, not far above the mouth of the creek. The auriferous veins, running through it, were worked, for a while, quite regularly, between LUMPKIN COUNTY -1879 and I883, by Messrs. John W. Stewart, Samuel Stambaugh .and others, organized as The Keystone Co. THE STEGALL PLACER, near AUJaria, was worked by its owner, Mr. John P. Stegall, of Emerson, Ga., for three months, in I 888, water under pressure being used in mining. Mr. Stegall informed me, that he did this work, as much for recreation, as for anything else, and that he found quite a number of gold nuggets, of consider- able size, the largest weighing 32 Yf dwts., and a great many smaller -ones, together with gold in fine grains. He stated, that, for the time, it paid him very handsomely. He also said, that, later on, a deposit was found, from which 5,000 dwts. of gold was taken. Much of the gravel on this property has not yet been mined. In addition to the auriferous gravel, quite a number of gold-bearing veins outcrop on the hillsides. THE BELLE MINE is located about I Yf miles southeast of Auraria. About I 88 I, a 20-stamp mill, operated by water-power, was erected -Dn the property, and the mine and mill were operated, for about .six or eight months. Mr. Leander Smith was its Superintendent. THE HIGHTOWER Mnm is located in the vicinity of the Wells mine. A 20-stamp mill was erected on it, about I 88 I, and it was operated, for a while, by Messrs. Daniel Howell & Co., with Mr. B. W. Davis as Superintendent. Nothing has been done on the property, for several years. THE SALTONSTALL Mum is located near Auraria. In I88I, a new IO-stamp mill, operated by steam-power, was erected by a company irom Lincoln, Nebraska, who began mining the veins on the property, but with what success, I am not informed. The property .has been idle, for a long time. THE WooDs MINE, in the same vicinity, was operated for a while .by Mr. James E. Wood, of Auraria. LUMPKIN COUNTY THE CLEVELAND Mnm, also known as The Baggs Branch Mine, is located on the east side of the Etowah river, just south of the Josephine mine. It was owned by a company from Cleveland,. Ohio, who, about I 8 78, began development work on it. THE DA:\LE MINE is located on the west side of the Etowah river, just below the Josephine mine. Operations were begun on it, by Messrs. Lombard & Imboden, at the time they were operating the Dahlonega mine. Preparations were made to build a mill, to be run by water-power, but work proceeded no further. THE GoLD HILL Mr:\E, which, in I 878, was being operated by its owners, a company from Boston, Mass., is located west of the Etowah river, a mile and a half south of the Battle Branch mine. There are several old cuts and tunnels on the property, which were worked, to only a limited extent. THE ETO\YAH Mnm is located on a property, consisting of lots I I?-I 20, inclusiz.c, I 4I, I 42 and I78, I 5tlt district, lying along the Etowah river, and along the county-line between Lumpkin and Dawson. Mining, in a small way, has been done on this property. THE DREDGE BOATS ON THE CHESTATEE RIVER About sixteen years ago, the first dredge boat was put into the Chestatee river, for the purpose of dredging the bottom and washing the dredgings for gold. Since then, six or eight boats have been operated, with varying results. At present there are three of these boats in the river, only one of which is at work. Of the two not at work, the one which was operated by Messrs. Benham & LUhfPKIN COUNTY Helm~r, stopped work about a month ago.' Up to the time they stopped it is said that they were having great success. As a result .of one week's work, about six weeks ago, at an expense of $ r o8.oo it is said they washed out 650 pennyweights of gold. In the case of the second boat, operated by Messrs. Birch & Ammons, of Kansas City, Mo., about a year ago, it was swept away from its fastenings by a freshet, soon after it began operating, and, colliding with an iron bridge, it was practically ruined. Work of repair has been going on for some time, and it will be ready, soon, to resume work. About three years ago, Mr. H. D. Jaquish, of Chicago, bought a boat, and, with Mr. Thomas Conner, his partner, began operating it, on a section of the river leased from property owners along its banks, recovering the gold in sluices, 75 or So feet long; brought by pontoons alongside the dredge. I am informed by Mr. Jaquish that the work has paid well. 1 August, 1896. CHAPTER XXIII BY \V. S. YEATES, STATE GEOLOGIST STATISTICS OF THE GOLD PRODUCTION OF GEORGIA The following shows the gold production of Georgia, from I880 to I895, inclusive, as given in the reports of the Director of the Mint:- I88o _____________________________________ $I2I,88o I 88 I -- -- - -- . --- - - --- .. - -- -- ---- . - - . - .. - .. -- . - I 2 5, 000 I882-------- --------------------------- 3I2,500 I883------ ---------- --------------------- 2oo,ooo I884 -------------------- --------------- I37,ooo I885------ -------------------------------- I36,5oo I 886 - - - - -- -- -- -- - - -.- - -- - -- -- - - -- -- - --- -- I 53, 500 I 88 7-- - -- . -- ------ --- -- --- - - _- -- - - . - -- .. - I I 5, 500 I888 ____ -- - --- ----------------------- I04,837 I889------- ---------- ____ ---------- _ ---- I08,o69 I 890--- -- . ----- ----.--- ------ ---------- IOI,3 I8 I 89 I . ---- . - . -- . - -- --- - - --- -- - - -- -- ------ 80,622 I892----- ------- ------------- ___ _ 95,25I I893 ------- ------ ------------ ------------ I00,375 I 894---- - .. -- - .. -- .. - -- -- - -- - .. --- --- - - ---- 99,095 I 89 5--- ___ - . ________ .. __ . __________ _ I 28,403 (_927) 528 CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS Having been often asked, since my investigations on the Gold Deposits of Georgia were begun, if gold mining in Georgia would pay, it has occurred to me, that this question might arise in the minds of others, and that it might be generally answered, by giving some conclusions, reached, during the course of these mvestigations. Certain kinds of gold mining in Georgia will not pay; certain other kinds will pay. With the subject thus classified, it may be well to consider those of the first class, so as to eliminate them altogether, before taking up the second class. The first question to be settled, when one is considering a mining investment, is whether or not a sufficient quantity of the mineral or metal sought is present, on the property under consideration, in such condition, as to make the mining of it a source of profit. This may be stated as a business axiom. It is natural, then, for one to suppose, that investors would satisfy themselves on this point, before turning their funds over to a certain class of promoters, to be spent in sumptuous living. But many mine-wrecks in Georgia and other Southern States are due to this cause. Several cases, similar to the one related on page 369 of this bulletin, were disclosed, in the course of my efforts to secure historical facts about the mines; and it really seemed, as if much of the mining, done, had been, in furthering the schemes of the crafty speculator. Akin to this, has been the wanton extravagance and the ignorance of mining, in some of those, who have been sent to the Georgia gold mines, as superintendents and managers of mining properties. Gold mining, under CONCLUSIONS the conditions, cited, does not pay. Again, many of the gold-bearing veins in Georgia, which have produced handsomely, until the free-milling. ore has given place to the sulphides, have been abandoned, because it is not possible, to recover from the latter, on the amalgamated plates of the stamp-mill, anything like the gold values, shown by assay, to be in the ores. Therefore, milling auriferous-sulphide ores on the stamp-mill, and allowing the sulphides to go to waste with the tailings, does not pay. Enlarging on the axiom laid down, one must be sure, that he has an abundance of gold ore, to justify a large outlay in an expensive mining-plant. With the contingencies attending gold mining, wherever undertaken, it is always best, that sufficient ore, to warrant the expenditure, be taken out, or that it be "in sight," before the extraction plant is erected. The latter proposition requires a development of the property, more or less extensive, according to the conditions. This principle has been violated in Georgia, time and again, often resulting in failure. An6ther most important factor, in making gold mining pay, is the employment of a well-trained and competent mining engineer, of strict probity of character, as one of the local officers of the concern, affording him the proper facilities for the performance of his duties. I mention this, here, because the Jack of such an officer has resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars and the failure of many mining enterprises, in this State. Another deterrent, which may be mentioned, in this connection, is a certain class of persons, of unknown antecedents, who, from time to time, have appeared upon the scene of action, in this and other Southern States, calling themselves "mining experts," and hailing vaguely from the Western States, South Africa or some other well known, but distant, gold-mining country. These men manage to get themselves well advertised, by their remarkable assurance and 530 CONCLUSIONS the sensational claims, they make; and, for a while, they thrive on-_ the credulity of some of those, not well informed, as to the character and occurrence of ores. These fellows sometimes claim, that the Lord has blessed them with peculiar and mysterious gifts, by which they can detect valuable ore deposits, hidden many feet below the earth's surface; the claims of others are not so pretentious, though the damage they do is often quite as great. It ~as been my fortune, to come in brief contact with several of these peripatetic '"mining experts," who were temporarily in Georgia, for business. They never become permanent citizens; the reputation, they make, keeps them moving. He, who mines gold on the advice of this class of "experts," will doubtless find, that gold mining does not pay. It must not be inferred, that I, in any way, depreciate that worthy class of mining men, who come from a distance, to enter, or promote, legitimate mining, and whose claims for preferment are put, within the bounds of business principles. But there are conditions, under which gold mining in Georgia will pay. It has been shown, in the preceding pages, that there are many belts of soft, decomposed auriferous mica-schists, containing quartz stringers, which frequently carry considerable gold, making the entire belt a low-grade ore-body, which, when worked intelligently and with proper economy, will yield very fair average returns. While the extravagant method of flooding these ores through a flume, from the open cut to the mill, can be operated at. a cost of, from I 2 to 1 5 cents per ton, including the cost of milling; yet, so much of the gold is lost by this process, unaided by some device, that will recover both the flour-gold, which is carried with thewater through the rack, and the gold, coated by a film of iron oxide, which, for that reason, passes over the plates, that the ore must, as a rule, average considerably more than the cost of extraction, in. CONCLUSIONS 53 r order that it shall pay a fair profit on the investment. But these saprolites offer the advantage of large handling; and I am of the opinion, that, when worked on a large scale, and with proper equipment, for recovering the maximum amount from the assay values. that these belts will pay handsome dividends. This being true. those of the same kind, which show higher assay values, will. yield proportionately higher returns. To be more specific:- It will pay to mine, in large quantities, the soft auriferous schists, which give an average assay value of 50 cents per ton. These schists have undoubtedly been the source of much of the gold of the gravel beds. The auriferous belts are of sufficient thickness, to furnish a large quantity of ore, for a considerable time; but this time is limited, by the depth of the saprolite, which is never more than 12 5 feet, being underlaid by the undecomposed rock, from which it was derived. One of the greatest impediments, that we have had to contend with, in making an economic survey of the gold deposits of Georgia, is the fact, that so little development work has been done by the owners and operators of the properties; and the further fact, that it has been so long, since mining operations ceased, in most of the prospects and mipes, that the veins are covered with earth, which has caved in, on them, rendering it impossible, with the means at our command, to take the necessary samples for assay. This is greatly to be deplored ; for, in such cases, the value of the veins as ore-producers cannot be estimated, except by hear-say evidence. However, it will be seen from the assays, from such veins, as we have been able to sample, that, in many cases, there is a considerable margin beyond the average of some of the best paying mines, now being worked in different parts of the world; while others of the veins, on assay, show high-grade ores. Some 532 CONCLUSIONS of the mines, it has been stated, have reliable records, of producing many remarkably rich pockets. When it is taken into consideration, that gold mining in Georgia, in the past, has been conducted by the old methods of extraction, on free-milling ores, which had, as a rule, lost considerable of their gold, since the decomposition of their sulphides; and that nearly all the gold, contained in the sulphides milled, was lost; and further, that the sulphide ores contain a much higher assay value, which, now, is practically all saved by the chlorination process of extraction, the conclusion is logical, that a bright future, in legitimate gold-mining, awaits this State. There are large numbers of its veins, which yielded excellent returns in gold, until they were abandoned, because of the inability of the operators to cope with the richer, but entirely refractory, sulphide ores. Now, that all the gold, with the exception of a small margin, can be extracted from these, at a small expense, there must be, in the near future, a strong demand for these old abandoned, auriferous-sulphide veins. What is the mining and extraction cost of these sulphide ores ? A statement, as to the cost of mining operations in Georgia, and one, showing the cost, at some one of the low-grade-ore mines, well known as a regular dividend-producer, will probably best answer this question. Wood, as fuel, is to be had, delivered at the mines, in Georgia, for from $ I.2 5 to $I. 50 per cord. Laborers get from So cents to $1.00 per day. The country roads in North Georgia are fairly good, except after long continued rains ; and machinery can be hauled from railroad stations, to the mines, when necessary, with comparatively little expense, hardly any haul being greater than thirty miles, and most of them, less. The official report of The Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Co., for the fiscal year, ending May 3 I st, I 896, gives interesting statistics, as to CONCLUSIONS 533 their operations, some of which I quote, below. Their mines and works are located on Douglas Island, Alaska, where they have such disadvantages to overcome, as a very cold climate; the great distance from the marts of the world; difficulties in obtaining labor; etc. The average value of the ore handled, during the year, is given, as $3.05 per ton; the number of tons mined and milled, 263,670, worth $804,066.73; the total cost of operating, $306,724.51 ; net profit for the year, $497,342.22, within a small fraction of 10 per cent. of their capital stock. A dividend of 9 per cent. was declared, and the remainder was carried over as surplus, for continuing operations. I take bodily from their report the following, as to cost of labor : - "Wages were paid, as follows:Miners_--- ---- ___ - $2.50 per diem, and board and lodging. Laborers ------ -----$2.00 per diem, and board and lodging. Drillmen ------ -----$2.50 in summer, and $3.00 in winter, with bonuses and board and lodging. Indians ___________ .. $2.00 per diem, paid daily. Mill Men:- Concentrators------ $65.00 to $Ioo.oo per month, with board and lodging. Feeders------------ $70.00 to $100.00 per month, with board and lodging. Amalgamators ______ $90.00 to $Ioo.oo per month, with board and lodging. Chlorination Works:- Roasters_ ____ -- ---.$2.50 per diem, with board and lodging. " (Helpers)-- $2.00 per diem, with board and lodging. Floormen .. ---------$2.00 and $2.25 per diem, with board and lodging. 534 CONCLUSIONS Machine Shops: Mechanics_------- _$2.00 to $6.oo per diem, with board and lodging. Blacksmiths.________ .. $4.00, with board and lodging. " (Helpers) __ $2.00, with board and lodging. With all the heavy expense of mining and extraction, still, by careful attention to every detail, and by the handling of large quantities of ore, the total cost of operating was $I. r6 per ton, which includes mining, milling, chlorinating and the general expenses of the company. With the exceptional advantages, which the Georgia mines have, such as easy accessibility, fine climate, in which operations can be carried on, during all seasons of the year ; the excellent natural mining facilities ; the small cost of operating; and other conditions especially favorable to mining operations, I am strongly of the opinion, that there are many gold deposits in Georgia, that can be made to pay better dividends, than those of The Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Co. So far as has been tried, the barrel-chlorination process, as modified by Mr. Adolph Thies, Superintendent of the Haile gold mine in South Carolina, has proved highly successful, in extracting the gold from the sulphides in the ores of this State. The ores, with a few exceptions, are generally uniform in character. I have classified them, as follows : - KINDS OF ORE I. THE PLACER DEPOSITS. a. Auriferous gravel. b. " Saprolite. CONCLUSIONS 535 II. AURIFEROUS QUARTZ VEINS. a. Containing little or no Sulphides, either above or below Waterlevel. b. Containing Sulphides below Water-level, and free-milling, ''honey-comb'' Quartz above Water-level. I. Containing the Sulphides, Pyrite or Chalcopyrite, only. 2. Those containing Galena, Pyromorphite etc. ~III. HARD HYDROMICA SLATES AND GNEISSES, CONTAINING SMALL LENSES AND RIBBONS OF AURIFEROUS QUARTZ. The large quantities of gold nuggets, which have been found in the old gravel-placers, are strong arguments, that the veins, which produced these, may be expected to produce others, from time to time. What is needed is development-work. This cannot be done, without expenditure of money. On several occasions, western miners, visiting the Georgia gold-fields, have remarked to me, in casual conversation, that, if such prospects, as they saw in Georgia, were in the West, money in abundance could be had for their :speedy development. I do not believe, that the Georgia gold mines may be expected to produce bonanzas; and the fortunes, to be made in a day will be exceedingly rare; but there is every reason to believe, that, when properly developed and equipped for exten.sive operations, the gold deposits of Georgia will rank among the .best dividend-producers of the world. INDEX A Black Belts, The, Assay of Samples from,. 343 Bean, T. S., Property, The, . . . . 10o-105 Acid Rocks ..................... . .. 322-323 Beds, The Gravel, in Lumpkin County .. 201-294 Addendum .................. . . .... 319 Bell Property, The, . . . . . . 206-207 Africa, Gold Production of, for 1895 ... 10 Betz Mine, The, . . . . . . . . . . . 478-481 Alaska, Occurrence and History of Gold ---------, Assay of Samples In, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... 22-23 from, . . 480 Allatoona Vein, The, ..................... 218-220 - - - - - - - - - , S e c t i o n through the Ammons Branch Mine, The, .............. 99-100 Schists etc.,.. 479 Amphibolite (Hornblende-schist) .... . Blake Property, The, . 72 .............................. 326, 327-328, 329-330 Blalock Property, The, . . . . . . . . 98 Appalachian Division, The, Occurrence and Biotite-Epidote Schist... 324 History of Gold in, ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25-32 Boly Field 1\Iine, The,.. .519--i>20 Asbury Property, The, . . . . . .... 78-79 Bonner Mine, The,.. . .. 245-248 Asia, Gold Production of, for 1895..... 10 - - - - - - - - , A s s a y of Samples from, Astlnol Company's Property, The, ...... 239-240 ... 247-248 Atkinson Property, The, . . . . . . . . . . .... 72-74 - - - - - - - - , Diagram of,... U6 Auriferous Deposits of Lumpkin County, Bowen Lot, The, . . . . .... 345-346 The, . .. ............... .. . . 298-310 - - - - - - , A s s a y of Samples from,. 345 Austin Mines, The, . . . . . . . . 234 Briar Patch Plaf'er, The,.... 523. Australasia, Gold Production of, for 1895... 10 British Columbia, Occurrence and History Australia, Occurrence and History of Gold in, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-18 Austria-Hungary, Occurrence and History of Gold in, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-13 Avery Mine, The,.... .. . . . .... .. .. 222 of Gold in, . . . ... 20-21 British Guiana, Occurrence and History of Gold in,.. 19 British India, Occurrence and History of Gold in,. 14 B Brogden, Will, Property, The,... 147 Brown Shaft, The, . . . . . . . 126 Baggett's, John, Property,...... . ... 241 Buffington J\Iine, The, .. 520 Bailey Property, The,........ . ..... 209 Burt, Frank, Property, The,. 188. Baker & Sons' Placer Property............ 76-71 Butt Mines, The, .. 59 Barlow Mine, The, . . . . . ... 461-468 - - - - - - - - , A s s a y of Samples from, 464 --------, Section alcmg the Pres- C ton Cut.. 463 --------,Section across the Bar- Calhoun 1\Iine, The,.. . .... 495--i>Ol low Cut... 465 , Assay of SamplPs from, 500 Barsheba Woody Lot, The, . . . . 522 , Section through, ..... 50()- Bartley, H. W., Property, The,.. 97 California, Occurrence and History of Gold Barton Property, The,... 236 in, . . . . . .21-22 Bartow County......... .218-224 Campbell, Ad., Property, ThE',.. 155 Basic Rocks............ . .323-330 Canada, Occurrence and History of Gold Bast Mine, The, ... , . . . . . . .364-371 in, . . 20 - - - - - - - , A s s a y of Samples from,. 366 Capps Mine, The,::. .346-347 Battle Branch Mine, The,..... . ....... 475-478 .-------,Assay of Samples from,. 348 Belle Mine, The,..................... 524 Carticay ~line, The, . . 259-261 Black Belt, The, . . . . . . .281-282 Carroll County . . . . 242-248 Black Belts, The,........ .340-343 Casteel, J. C.. Property, The,. 194 (537) INDEX '(Jasteel, J. C., Property, The, Assay of Ore Danae 1\Iine, The, . . . .. 525 from, . . . 194 Davis J\Iine, The, .. . . . . . . . . .191-192 Cavender's Creek Mining Property, The,51)(h513 Dawson County... . .158-170 ----------------------------,Assay Dean Gold Mines, The, . . . 55 of Samples from, .. 511-512 Dean Property, The, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Charles Property, The,.. . .150-151 Dillard, T. llf., Property, The,.............. 98 Chastain Branch Mine, The, . . . .111-112 Dikes, Granite,.. . . . . . . . ............. 289 ----------------------,Diagram of,. 111 Douglas County . . . . . . . . ............... 237-241 Cherokee County . . . . .174-217 Dredge Boats on the Chestatee River, Cherokee J\Iine, The, . . . .197-198 The, . . . .........525-526 Chestatee llfine, The,.... .501-506 Dry Hollow J\fine, The, ..................520-521 ----------------,Assay of Sampies from, 506 Duncan Branch Placer, The, ............... 523 Chestatee River, The, Dredge-boats on, .525-526 Dunnaway Property, The, . . . . . . . . . .... 232 Chester Prospect, The, . 191 Durgy, T., Property, The, ........ 240-241 Childs Mine, The,. 39 China, Occurrence and History of Gold in, 14 E Church Lot, The, . . .162-163 Edwards, T. G., Property, The,. . .... 105 Clarkson Mine, The, . . . . . .202-203 Eiseman Property, The, . . . . . . . 223 Clay Deposits, Hillside, .. 294-295 Ellsworth Property, The, .. 163-164 Cleveland Mine, The,. 525 Elrod Property, The, . . . . . .136-137 Clopton Property, The,... . . 244 Etowah )fine, The, . . 525 Cobb County . .225-228 Europe, Gold Production of, for 1895 . . . . . 10 Coggins Property, The,. 202 Evans Property, The, . . . 204-206 Collins Property, The, . . . . .. 154 - - - - - - - - - - - , Assay of Samples Columbia Mine, The,....... . .348-351 from, ... 206 ----------------,Assay of Samples from, 350 - - - - - - - - - - - - , Cross-section Conclusions . . . . . ... . .. . . . . . . .528-535 through,. 204 Conley Mine, The, . . 47 Evans, Bright, Property, The, .. . 91-92 Cora Lee Property, The,... 515 Evans, T. D., The Property of, .. . 211 Cox Property, The, . . .... 183, 207-208 Coosa Creek Placer Mine, The, .. 129-131 F Creighton Mine, The, . . . . . .. . . .175-182 Crescent Gold liHue, The,.. . .. 445 Fannin County ........................... 262-264 Crown Mountain Gold Property, The, Faults..................... 296 Sketch of Hornblende Masses of,..... 284 Findley Mine, The, . . . . .371-383 Crown Mountain Property, The, . . .331-344 , Assay of Samples from, ... 374 -------------------- Linear Fish Trap Mine, The, . . . ........... .447-451 View of the East Tunnel, .... 333 Forsyth County ......................... 149-157 -------------------, Linear Fowler & Parks Property, The,...... . . 152 View of the North Tunnel, .. 335 France, Occurrence and History of Gold in,. 13 , Linear Franklin Mine, The,........ . ... 175 View of the South Tunnel, .. 334 Frazier Mine, The,.................... . . . . . 47 , Rocks Free Jim Mine, The, . . . . . . . . . . . . .438-443 and Ores of, . . . . ....... 336-344 Fulton County ............................ 172-173 , Section along the East Tunnel of, ... 337 ------------------,Tunnels of, ......... . Culp Property, The, .. . . ....139335__313966 Currahee Mine, The, ... . 141 G Garnet Mine, The,... . ........... 516-519 , Assay of Sampie from, .. 519 , Plan of Open Cuts of, ... 517 Garnetiferous-J\Iica (Biotite) Schist, ....... 325 D Georgia, Occurrence and History of Gold in,... . ........................ 29-32 Dahlonega ... . ..... 270-271 ----,Statistics of Gold Production of, .. 527 ~ahlonega Gold Belt, The,. ..... 33-35 _____,Total Production of Gold and Sil- .Dahlonega Mint, The, Annual Coinage of ver of, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Gold at, ...................... . . ... 30-31 Georgiana Mine, The, ..................... 212-213 INDEX 539 Germany, Occurrence and History of Gold Gravel Beds of Lumpkin County......... 306-310 in, . . .... . . . . . . 13 Great Britain, Occurrence and History of Glade Mine, The, .. . . . .......... 22(}-221 Gold in, . . . 13 Gilmer County....................... . .. 254-261 Griscom Mine, The,... 361-363 Gneisses, The Ordinary,andMica-schists 271!-280 Gwinnett County . . . . . . . . . . .... 142-148 Gold Deposits, The, Geology of,. . .... 278-279 H --Hill Mine, The, . . . . . . . . . . . . 525 - - Mining, History of, . .271-275 --Production of Georgia, The, Statistics of, . . . . . . . ... 527 Habersham County.. .101-106 , Other Properties in, ... 106 Hadaway, W. H .. PropPrty, The, 228 - - - - - - - - t h e World, for 1895 ... 1(}-12 Hall County. . ...... 132-141 ---------Africa, for 1895... ---------Asia, for 1895.. ---------Australasia, for 1895.. - - - - - - - - - E u r o p e , for 1895. ---------North America, for 10 10 10 10 Harnby 1\Iountain 1\Iine, The,. . . 47 Hamby Placer, The, . . . . . 90 Hamilton J\Iine, The, ..................... 226-227 Hand .1\line, The, . . . . 415-426 - - - - - - - , A s s a y of Samples from, ... 420 1895 . . . . .11-12 Haralson County.. . . 249-253 - - - - - - - - - S o u t h America, for 1895. 11 Harris Property, The, . . . .. 148 Gold, The Occurrence and History of, ....... 7-32 Hart Mine, The, . . . 244-245 ----------,in Alaska.. .22-23 Hedden Placer Mine, The,....... .84-88 -----------Austria-Hun- Henderson Property, The, . . . . . . . ..... 74-75 gary. .12-13 Hedwig '-line, The, . . . ....... 47(}-475 - - - - - - - - - - - Australia . . . .17-18 --------,Section across the Hed- -----------British Colum- wig Cut. 472 bia .2(}-21 --------,Transverse Section of - - - - - - - - - - - B r i t i s h Guiana. 19 - - - - - - - - - - - ' - B r i t i s h India... 14 - - - - - - - - - - - C a l i f o r n i a ..... 21-22 ------------Canada .. 20 -----------China ...... . 14 -------------France .. . 13 - - - - - - - - - - - Germany . . . . 13 - - - - - - - - - - - Georgia... . .. 2\l-BZ the Chicago and Georgia Cut . 473 Hill, Wellborn, Mine, The,.. . .... 122-126 -----------,Assay of Ore from,. 126 Hightower Mine, The, .... 524 Hobbs Mine, The, Hodges Property, The, . .......... 231-232 ... 231 - - - - - - - - - - - G r e a t Britain ... 13 Hollins Mine, The,. . .. 250-252 -- - - - - - - - - - - I ta1Y ~: Holt Property, The, .... Hornblende-Mica Schist . .257-258 . .. 323 ----------- Japan Hornblende-)Iica. (Biotite) Schist ...... 325-3~6 -----------Mexico. 20 Hornblende-schist, The, Discussion of, -----------Nevada... ------------Nicaragua ------------ 0 reg 0 n and Washington. 22 20 Horner )fine, The,. Horse Vein, The, .. 22 House Property, The,. 284-289,343-344 . .446-447 120 . .225-226 ------------Russia 12 Howard, John J., The Property of, .. 224 ------------ SouthAmerica.18-19 Hunt Property, The, - - - - - - - - - - - S o u t h Africa ... 15-16 .. 128 - - - - - - - - - - - S w e d e n . . . .. 13-14 - - - - - - - - - - - The Appalachi- Ivey Mine, The,....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .451-459 an Division .. 25-32 ------,Assay of Samples from, ..... 457 ----------The Rocky Mountain Division.23-25 The Western Jarret Property, The, 39 Coast ........ 16-17 Japan, Occurrence and History of Gold in,. 15 -----------The United Johnson Property, The, ......... . 135 States ...... 21-32 Jones Mine, The,.. 520 Goings, W. M., The Property of, ............ 221 Josephine Mine, The, ...... ,...... . .. 484-486 Goodwin & Little Property, The, ......... 172-173 Jumbo Mine, The,... . ........ 513-515 Gordon Mine, The, ....................... 45\l-461 - - - - - - - - , Assay of Samples from, .. 514 540 .INDEX K Lumpkin County, Gneisses and Mica- Kellogp; Mine, The,. . 209--210 Kemp, J. B., Property, The, .. . . . 227 ------------, Assay of Sam- pies frorn,. 227 Kendrick Property, The, .. . .225-226 Keystone ].trine, The, .. Kinds of Ore. .523-524 535 Kin ::\fori ::\lines, The, ... .1!'58, Kitchen Property, The, . . . .21-l-2l!l , Assay of Sam pI e s from,. . . 215-216 schists, The, in, ... .279-280 , Gravt'l Beds, The, in,.291-294 , Granite Dikes in, . . . ... 289 , History of Gold Mining in, . . ... 271-275 Hornblende-schists in,. .284-289 Hydraulic Giant, The, in,. 317 , Hydraulic Gravel Eleva- tor, The, in, .... 318 , In1provcments on the l\Iining Properties L in,. . 3HHl13 La Belie ~Iine, The,. Larnar 1\Iine, The, ... LaPrade Placer, The,. Latham Property, The, . .192-193 .88- 8\J 104 18&-187 ----------,Assay of Sampit'S Lawrence c\Iine, The, from,. 187 ...... 44B-4H Letter of Transmittal. ~ Little Property, The, . . . .15&-157 Little & Goodwin Property, The, ........ 172-17:1 Lockhart Mine, The, .. . :183-399 ---------, Assay of Sam pIes from, ........392, 393, 394 - - - - - - - - - , ~Iap of the Lockhart & Singleton Lots, 3115 Longstreet Property, The,.. Looper Property, The, .. . .138-1:19 no , Labor in, . . ... 314 , .\Iethods of Mining in,~1f>-318 , Mint Statistics of, . . 818-319 , Nature of the Deposits in,.. . 299-306 ,Other Mica-schist Sapro- lites in,. .282-283 , Quartzose Slates in, ...... 290 , Recent Valley Deposits of,.. . ... 294 , Rocks of J\Iore Recent Origin in,.. . ... 291 . Soil of, . . . . 295-296, 314 ,Stamp-mills in, List of,. :Jll -,Steam Dredge-boats in,. 318 ,Timberin,.. 314 , Topography of, . . . .275-278 Lot :J, 17th District.. .119-120 , "YPllow" and "Black" Lot 20, 9th District . . 127 Belts in,.. . ..... 28()-282 Lot 43, 17th District.. Lot 208, 3rd District . . . . . . . . . . . . .115-116 ,Water Resources of, .... 313 187 Lunrsden Property, The,. .. ... ,.3&- 39 Lot 208, 15th District . 20B ---,Assay of Samples , Assay of Ore from,. 2o:l Lot 321, 7th District.. . .263-264 Taken frotn, . 39 ---,Sketch-map of.. :JS Lots 63, 64 and 81, 15th District . 199 Loud ~Iine, The, .75- 78 M Lurnpkin County, ..... .265-528 --------,Auriferous Deposits )facou PropE-rty, The, .... ............ 194-195 of. .. .... 298-:Jlg --, Cross-sPction --------,Character of the OrP through,. in, . .306-:no ~!alden Property, The,. . 195 .lHl-117 - - - - - - - - , Clay Deposits in, .... 294-295 Mammoth Mine, The,. 140 , Climate of,. 314 ~lap of the Northern Adjoining Corners of , Collateral R