DISTRIBCTIOX OF GOLD MIXES IS THE SOUTH APPALACHIAN REGION. 83
In 1887 a large amount of money was spent in developing the mine and in erecting a 20-stamp mill (Eraser and Chalmers), with 8 Frue vanners. A double-compartment inclined shaft was sunk to a depth of 180 feet. The ore was milled at the rate of 4 tons per stamp head. But little free gold was saved, the loss in the sulphurets being great, and after a short run the work was abandoned as unprofitable.
In December, 1895, Capt. A. Thies, of the Haile mine, S. C, made a thorough examination of this property, which resulted in reworking the mine and the erection of a chlorination plant.
The outcrop of the main vein, on which the 186-foot shaft is sunk, is exposed for 600 feet west of the shaft. The width of the ore-body is stated to be 6 feet. The ore in sight stands practically from the 186foot level to the surface, and is developed by east and west drifts.
Later, a three-compartment vertical shaft was located south of the inclined shaft and sunk to a depth of 118 feet. It cut the ore-body at 10.") feet and had not passed through it at 118. The ore is hard, white quartz, heavily sulphuretted.
In the original exploratory work done by Capt. Thies, S tons of ore, including a large amount of hanging wall slates broken from the east drift of the inclined shaft, were milled and vielded 55 dwts. free gold and i ton of concentrates. Later, 143 tons of ore from the east drift of the same shaft were milled, realizing 500 dwts. free gold, and 7 tons of concentrates, assaying $602 per ton. The percentage of sulphurets (iron pyrites) in the ore varies from 5 to 7 per cent.
There are over 2 acres of old tailing dumps, 8 feet deep, which material assays from $7 to $8 per ton.
Towards the end of 1806, the mill was increased to 10 stamps with 10 Frue vanners, and a 5-foot Huntington mill, with 2 Triumph concentrators were added. The milling capacity is 1^ tons per stamp per day, and 12 tons per day in the Huntington mill.
Besides the above equipment, 2 reverberatory roasting furnaces, 50x9 feet hearth, and a chlorination plant with two 2-ton barrels, niters, etc., were built.
MIXES IX* 1IERIWEATHER COt'XTV.
The only mine of importance is the Wilkes, situated in the extreme northwest corner of the county. It is stated to have produced $50,000 from 1873 to 1878, during which years the vein (composed of quartz lenses 8 to 10 inches thick) was mined to a depth of 130 feet. The ore, consisting of quartz, with about 3 feet of the adjoining wall-rock, mills about $4 per ton.
In the spring of 1S95 the mine was opened and operations conducted on a limited scale by ]\fr. John Cross.
