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40
GOLD MINING IN NOBTH CAROLINA.
solved and recovered separately, after which the residues were smelted in the old-fashioned Scotch open-hearth lead furnace, and the precious metals were recovered from the pig lead by refining in a cupellation furnace.1
During the past twelve years a number~of patent processes have been experimentally tried on the Silver Valley ores in a plant situated at Thomasville, 1ST. C, but it was not until 1895 that a successful process was introduced by Mr. Nininger, of Newark, K". J. It consists of a down-draught jacket furnace, through which the fumes of lead and zinc are carried downward into condensers, where they are met by a spray of water, the liquor being led to vats where the lead oxide is deposited, while the zinc remains in solution and is subsequently precipitated as zinc oxide. The matte, carrying copper, gold and most of the silver, is tapped from the well of the furnace and cast into pigs.
PRODUCTION OF GOLD AND SILVER IN NORTH CAROLINA AND OTHER SOUTHERN STATES.
The following table, compiled from the production reports of the United States Mint, gives an estimate of the gold and silver production of the Southern States down to the present time. The figures represent not only the amounts deposited at the United States Mint and Assay Offices, but also such amounts that were produced and not turned into the mint and of which records could be obtained:
Table I. Estimate of the Production of Gold and Silver in each of the Southern States from 1799 to 1879 and Annually Since.
Year.
Md.
Va.
N. U. $19,659,600
S. C.
Ga.
Ala.
$365,300
Term.
$155,300
Total.
1799-1879
$2,500
$3,091,700
$2,587,000
$14,180,500
$40,042.81 0
1880...
250
11.500
95,000
la.tiOO
120.000
1,000
1.500
244.250
18S1....
Ik
_ 10.000
115.000
40.000
125,000
1,000
1,750
293,250
1882....
><■
f 15,000
215.000
25,000
250,000
3,500
250
509.750
1883....
■
r 7,000
170,000
57,000
200,000
6,000
750
441.250
1884....
■
2.500
160,500
57,500
137.000
5,000
300
363.31 in
1885....
~m
3.500
155,000
43,000
136,000
6,000
300
345.Mill
1886....
iK
4.000
178,000
38,000
153,500
4,0ifl
50l)
379.M0
1887...
loo
14,600
230.000
50.500
110,500
2,500
51-0
409. II10
1888 ...
3.500
7,500
139.500
39,200
104.500
5,600
1,100
300.91KI
1889....
3.500
4,113
150.174
47,085
108.069
2,639
750
31li.33(l
1890....
16,962
6,496
126.397
100,294
101.318
2,170
1,001
354.C3-*
1891...
11.264
6.699
101.477
130.149
80,622
2,245
519
332.975
1892....
1.000
5.002
90,196
123.881
95,251
2.419
1,006
31\755
1893....
114
6.190
70.505
127,991
100,375
6,362
250
311.787
1894 ..
fl?8
7,643
52,927
98,763
99,095
4,092
329
263.827
1895...
501
6.325
69,196
128.303
128,403
4.708
335
337.771
1896....
1.037
4.466
52.056
100,711 $3,810,277
150,085
$16,380,218
6.695 431.230
mi
$167,022
315 (,.«
Total..
847,606
$3,214,234
$21,830,528
$45,881,115
In order to give an idea of the fluctuation from 1799 to 1806, Table Xo. 2 is given. These figures, however, comprise only the actual
1 Milling Magazine, vol. i, 1853, p. 367 ct seq.