THE GREE NSB OR O PAT RIOT J
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PRECIOUS
WIS OFGUILFORD COIIHTY
Ever since the Revolutionary war
North Carolina has been a consider
able producer of precious metals. Of
the $45,565,433.00 gold production
credited to the Southern states from
the years 1799 to 1895, inclusive, North
Carolina, with the crudest of gold
saving methods, furnished $21,778,472.
The discovery of gold in California
followed by the Civil war, caused a
falling off inthe gold production of
North Carolina and put a top to all
mining operations in the South. Since
that timer there have been periods of
revival and depression, but no genu
ine revival until recently, when new,
cheap, and effective methods for the
extraction of gold and other metals
from pyrites ores came into successful
' use. -' ' : 1 f '
A recent report of the Xabor . Com
missioner of I North Carolina ; states
there are two hundred and seven
known 4 gold mines in North Carolina,
of which forty are in operation, and
twenty- of which are gold producers
and have deposited gold at the U. S.
Mint at Charlotte; N. C, during the
past year. Also that the wages paid
miners was from sixty cents to $50
per day. The deepest mine in North
Carolina is "Gold Hill' over eight
hundred feet deep.
The recent advance in copper has
stimulated . prospecting. New copper
prospects are being discovered and
some of the old known copper mines
are being reopened and operated.
Professor Holmes, State Geologist of
North Carolina,'. recently states that
the grey copper mines of Granville
and Person counties, are being suc
cessfully operated, and that a smelter
will be built at the mines to, treaties
more; economically than by shipment
. to a New Jersey smelter as they are
now doing profitably.
;Two parallel gold and silver, and
copper bearing mining belts or forma
tions traverse Guilford county, Jn a
northeast by southwest course, the
. course of one running west and the
other east of the city of Greensboro,
making it a central. point for mining
supplies, and an advantageous loca
tion for a custommill or smelter for
extraction of precious metals from
the various valuable ores of Guilford
and adjacent counties which these
ore belts traverse. -
The defined width of the " Central
Syenite," or so-called "Granite belt"
is from fifteen to twenty five miles.
Including the adjoining " Huronian
Slates " they are from twenty to fifty
miles wide. The granite belt really
also contains considerable chlorite and
hornblende, pyroxene 'and epidate are
abundant, together- with magnetite.
The mines are not uniformly distrib
uted in this area. At the northeast in
Guilford county they occur near the
southeast edge of belt and near the
Huronian schists. ! . . ' .
- The quartz and slate ores of this
, igneous formation are almost always
-auriferous (gold bearing) and -sometimes
cupriferous (copper bearing).
They rarely -contain much lead, zinc,
or nickel. The silver present is usu
ally alloyed with the gold. Arsenic
and antimony are not common, and
the ores are only refractory below
water level (forty to sixty feet below
surface) as the sulphiirets make them
so. I
The veins occur-in the syenite or in
contact with the granite and adjoin
ing slate formations. The vein fis
sures range from- a-few inches to
many feet in width sixty feet wide
in some instances. The chief filling of
the vein fissures is quartz (and some
slate) carrying gold and auriferous sul
phurets of iron and copper. Thepay
ores of these veins range in value from
$2.00 or $3.00 to $100.00 per ton in
gold and silver, and many of these
properties can be secured at reason
ably low prices. Among the older
mines of Guilford county lying from
six to twelve miles southland south
west from Greensboro, that were pre
vious to the Civil war or at one time
successfully operated for gold and
copper, are "The North Carolina or
Fentress Mine," "The Hodgin Hill,"
"The Fisher and Millis Hill Mine,"
"TheGardner Hill Mine," "The Mc
Culloch 01-North State Mine," "The
Lindsay Mine," V The Deep River
Mine," "The Guilford Mine," " The
Twin Mine;" and some twelve to
twenty miles north and east, "The
Melvin Min6" and "The Gibson Hill
Mine." These mines were worked to
depths varying from fifty to three
hundred and fifty feet, the quartz
veins varying in width from one foot
to twelve feet or more. They produced
free milling gold ores running from
$2.00 to $100.00 per ton or more, and
even a better average grade of iron
pyrites gold ores from which they
t were unable to extract the gold with
the methods then known and used.
In some of these mines they also pro
duced a cobbed or selected yellow sul
phide-of copper ore and concentrates
yielding from 15 per cent, to 30 per
cenx. 01 copper, rnis was accom
plished with crude crushers such as
"the Chilian mill", and "wooden
stamps," and -the old " Cornish Bud
die for concentrating. It is difficult
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RECOGNIZING THE DEMAND. FOR MODERN HOMES,
WE HAVE ERECTED Fl
N HANDSOME MODEL RESI-
N
EACH ONE CONTAINS EVERY CONVENIENCE,
AMD
YOU
HOUSES.
ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO INSPECT THESE
PRICES ARE MODERATE AND TERMS LIBERAL.
SUMMIT AV
GREEWSBOROj
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to accurately estimate the yield of
these Guilford- county mines in gold
and copper, but from best data obtain
able, I think I am safe in putting the
value of their production at between
one and two million dollars.
The quartz and slate ores of these
belts are decomposed (oxidized), and
easily and cheaply mined to water
level, -an average depth Of fifty feet
from surface, above which the gold is
in its native states viz.: Free milling
and readily saved by quicksilver. Be
low. the1 water level, the ores are
harder, -and the precious metals are
in mechanical or chemical combina
tion with iron and sulphur, requiring
different treatment. While we have
plenty of water in our mines, yet in
North Carolina I know of none - that
would be called very wet mines in the
West, or objectionable on that ac
count. .
The true veins of these ore belts are
regular well defined and continuous,
lenticular and alternating in thickness
both in length and depth, but perma
nent in depth and values, as shown by
present or previous development. In
some veins, the pyrites lenticular ore
formations, alternate as depth is
gained, in their iron and copper con
tents. The iron pyrites dumps at
mines previously worked for copper
are evidence of this.
Mining operations in Guilford coun
ty, either in re-opening old mines, or
in new prospects frequently being dis
covered and opened, offer inducements
for the profitable investment of cap
ital to practical mining men both
in operating mines or mills, or a cus
tom ore reduction works at Greens
boro, whose eight railroad connections
could convey various varieties of iron
and copper pyrites, - gold, lead and
zinc ores and coal or coke fuel to this
point frortt their known locations In
Guilford and adjacent counties in the
central mining belts of North Caro
lina. Mining and milling operations in
North Carolina can be carried on for
one-half (fifty per cent.) of the cost
of operating In the average Western
mining districts. A mild climate per
mits work the year round. The coun
try is well watered and timbered.
Water supply at each mine, and wood
fuejl averages $1.00 per cord deliv
ered at mine. Labor, cheap, abundant
and efficient, at prices ranging from
sixty cents to $1.50 per day. Location
neax railroad depots and within easy
reach of mining supply and machine
works, as well as of principal cities of
the North and East; and mines located
in a settled, law-abiding section of our
country where all investors or settlers
are; warmly welcomed and protected.
"Vyith veins carrying ores of a gold
value of from $5.00 to $50.00 and even
$100.00 per ton, some of which ores
can! be concentrated four or five to
one, by crushing and washing out the
quartz and slate, it would seem to
only require capital and mining ex
perience in developing these forma
tions and in adapting the new cheap
method of chlorination, cyanide,
electro-cyanide, smelting, etc., to the
treatment of the pyrites ores to make
this county and section a larger and
more; profitable producer of precious
metals than ever. By these new meth
ods refractory, ores can be treated and
as high as 95 per cent.! of their value
of precious metal extracted at little
greater cost per ton than ordinary
stamp milling of free milling surface
ores, which has previously cost $1.00
to $2.00 per ton. The lack of capital,
experience in mining, and unsuccess
ful trial of new and unproven patent
processes for the saving of , goldj as
well as unscrupulous promoters, have
been a great drawback to legitimate
mining in the South. As an instance
of what legitimate mining backed by
capita and experience is now doing
in Southern gold fields,1 1 will cite j the
"Hoile Mine," near the border of
North and South Carolina, where with
a large; vein of iron pyrites gold ore
that only averages between $3.00 and
$4.00 per ton in gold, they last year,
with an adequate milling and concen
trating plant, and with the chlorina
tion method of treatment of concen
trates, netted the owners over $100,
000.00. j I
Edward W. Iton.
Edward W. Lyon, M. El,
GREENSBORO, N. C.
LOCK BOX 73,
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MINING AND INVESTMENTS.
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Mines Examined and Reported on. Specialty
Gold, Silver, and Copper Properties- H ! j
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Twenty years' experience in Southern and West
ern Mining Districts.
CONTRACTOR IP 'BUILDER
OFFICE, 302 ELM STR
VI. P. BUILDING, UP-S
GREENSBORO, N.
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