DISTRIBUTION OF GOLD MINES IN NORTH CAROLINA. 69
are the Mills property and Hancock mines in Burke; Cane creek, Bracket-town, Huntsville and Vein Mountain in McDowell, and Golden Valley in Rutherford county.
The Mills place is fully described elsewhere (p. 95), and will serve as a type for the other mines of the district. Petty mining is almost constantly in progress in the above counties, as well as in certain parts of Cleveland and Polk counties to the south.
Of the quartz-mines, those worthy of mention are the Idler, Elwood and Vein Mountain.
The Idler (Alta or Monarch) mine is situated about 5 miles north of Rutherfordton, in Rutherford county. As many as 13 parallel quartz-veins have been explored here within a distance of \ mile. The country is gneiss, striking about 1ST. 60° W., and dipping 25° to 30° X.E. The veins strike 1ST. 65° E. The vein-matter is quartz, containing sulphurets (pyrite and some chalcopyrite). The Alta vein has been explored to the depth of 105 feet; its thickness is from 10 to 22 inches; the ore is stated to yield $10 per ton. The mine has been worked in a desultory way, but is now under water.
The Elwood mine is 1^ miles southwest of the Idler. The character of the country and of the veins is similar to that of the Idler. The ore is reported to yield $5 in free gold. The mine was last operated in 1893.
The Vein Mountain mine is situated in McDowell county on the Second Broad river. A series of as many as 33 parallel auriferous quartz-veins crosses Vein mountain in a belt not over \ of a mile wide. The principal and largest one of these is the Xichols, which has been prospected in four shafts within a distance of 1200 feet, the deepest one being 117 feet. The strike of the vein is IS". 80° E., and the dip 75° X.AV. Its thickness is reported to vary from a few inches to 3 feet. The quartz is mineralized with pyrite, galena, blende and chalcopyrite. The value of the ores varies from $2.50 to $70 per ton. There is a 10-stamp mill on the property, but it has never been operated on any regular output.
At Brackettown, 5 miles northeast of Vein mountain, an expensive shaft has been sunk to a depth of 126 feet, on a parallel series of several narrow (1 to 6-inch) quartz-veins, with the fallacious hope that these would come together in depth. It is needless to say that these small veins will not justify working alone unless the intervening country (gneiss) is found to contain auriferous sulphurets of sufficient richness to make large bodies of low-grade ores.
An isolated belt of gold-bearing rocks has been mentioned m Henderson county, ~N. C. (see p. 20). The only mine situated here is the Boylston, 12 miles west of Hendersonville. The country-rocks are
