During the past few years the Survey has received from persons interested in gold mining in North Carolina, numerous inquiries concerning the mining and metallurgical methods which have proven most successful in operating gold mines in this and other South Appalachian regions. In response to these inquiries, an investigation was undertaken of this subject in 1895, by Mr. H. B. C. ISTitze, of the Survey, and Mr. H. A. J. "Wilkens, a mining expert of Baltimore, who visited during that year the more important mining regions in ISTorth Carolina and other Southern States. A preliminary report of their examinations was read at the Atlanta meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers (October, 1895), and was published in the Transactions of the Institute for that year.
In the present publication that paper has been partly reproduced, but it has been largely rewritten, elaborated and brought down to the end of 1896. No attempt has been made to describe all of the mines or even to present detailed descriptions of all of the more important mining regions to be found in North Carolina and adjacent States. Only such mining and metallurgical methods practiced in this and the other States are here described as it is believed will be found useful in a study of the best methods for use in the development of the ISTorth Carolina gold fields. This report may be regarded as being in a measure supplemental to Bulletin 3 (Gold Deposits of ISTorth Carolina), published by the Survey in 1896, which described with more detail the gold-mining regions in this State.
The descriptions given in the report are based almost wholly upon the personal examinations of Messrs. Nitze and Wilkens. They have, however, made use of data relating to the different mining regions to be found in Mr. Geo. F. Becker's valuable " Reconnoissance of the Gold Fields of the Southern Appalachians," and the reports by the several State Geological Surveys, the sources of information being indicated in each case by footnotes. Persons desiring to consult other publications
