I>.VANX0STI1AS1» PUBLISHER & IMPORTER University of California • Berkeley £>e PROSPECTING THE GROUND. (S nitrnpnitii mmm <3>i ( ^u^et of GoM- California. ) ^«<*^ :PHmAD EI-J»HIA : HENRY" GAR.EY BlAXRJD &Co. SIO Walnut St . NDERGROUND TREASURES: How and Where to Find Them. A KEY FOR THE READY DETERMINATION OF ALL THE USEFUL MINERALS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. BY JAMES ORTON, A.M., Late Professor of Natural History in Vassar College, N. Y. ; Cor. Mem. of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and of the Lyceum of Natural History, New York; Author of " The Andes and the Amazon," etc. A NEW EDITION WITH ADDITIONS. ILLUSTRATED. % PHILADELPHIA: HENRY CAREY BAIRD & CO., jdustrial publishers, booksellers and importers, 810 Walnut Street. 1881. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by WORTHINGTON, DUSTIN & CO., In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. Copyright : HENRY CAREY BAIRD & CO. 1881. ens ^ ~W7) Table of Contents. CHAPTER I. PAGE. Introduction.— Money in the Rocks— The Underground Wealth of our Country — Valuable Minerals Disguised — How Great Fortunes are Missed— Number of Minerals in the United States — Object of this Work and How to Use it — The Best Mineral Regions, 9 CHAPTER II. DlRRCTIONS FOR DETERMINING SPECIMENS BY THE KEY. — How to Test Minerals with the Simplest Means — Prospecting with a Jack-knife and Common Sense — Use of the Key — How to Tell Pyrites from Gold, and Quartz from Diamond — All the Useful Minerals Grouped According to Hardness and Color, 15 CHAPTER III. Descriptive List of Useful Minerals.— The Gems- Pre- cious Metals— Valuable Ores and Useful Minerals of the United States from Agate to Zinc — Their Distinguishing Characters, Uses and Localities — A Mineralogy for Miners —Agate — Alum— Amethyst— Anthracite— Antimony Ore— Asbestus — Asphaltum — Azurite— Baryta — Bituminous Coal — Blende— Bog Iron Ore— Brittle Silver Ore— Brown Coal— Calamine— Cannel Coal— Cam elian— Celestine— Cerussite— Chromic Iron — Cinnabar — Cobalt Pyrites — Copper — Copper Glance — Copper Nickel — Copper Pyrites — Diamond — Em- ery— Fluor Spar — Franklinite— Galena — Garnet— Gold- Graphite— Gray Copper Ore — Gypsum — Horn Silver — Iron Pyrites— Jasper— Kaolin — Lenticular Iron Ore — Limonite — Magnetic Iron Ore — Magnetic Pyrites — Malachite — Manga- nese Spar— Marble— Mica— Micaceous Iron Ore— Nitre— Oxyd of Manganese — Platinum— Red Copper Qre— Red Hematite — Red Silver Ore — Rensselaerite — Rock Crystal- Rock Salt — Rutile — Serpentine — Silicate of Copper — Silver «— Silver Glance — Smaltine — Smithsonite — Spathic Iron — Specular Iron — Spinel Ruby — Steatite — Strontianite — Sul- phur — Tin Ore — Topaz — Tourmaline — Variegated Copper Ore— Wad— Willemite — Zincite, 20 p, ^ - CHAPTER IV. PAGE. Prospecting for Diamonds, Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead And Iron. — Mineral Riches, how Discovered — Indications — Seaching for Diamonds, and how to Distinguish them — Pay- ing Localities of Gold — " Fool's Gold" — Prospecting for Sil- ver and Copper — Where to Look for Lead and Iron, . . . 81 4r\ CHAPTER V. Assay of Ores. — When an Ore will Pay — Washing for Gold and Platinum — How to Assay Gold in the Simplest Way — To Test any Rock for Gold and Silver— To Find the Purity of Gold — To Detect and Assay Silver Ores — Assay of Copper, Iron, Zinc, Tin and Lead Ores— Ready Method of Testing CHAPTER VI. Mineral Springs.— What are Mineral Springs— General Lo- cation—Gas Springs— Iron Springs— Sulphur Springs— Alum Springs — Epsom Springs — Salt Springs — Warm Springs — Artesian Wells and Oil Wells, and Where to Bore for Them, 105 CHAPTER VII. Artificial Jewelry — How Made and How Detected. — Mock Diamonds — "Paris Brilliants" — The Manufacture of Pastes — False Ruby, Topaz, Sapphire, Emerald and Carne- lian — How to Distinguish True and False Gems— Imitation Pearl and Coral— Artificial Gold— List of Precious Stones, 114 CHAPTER VIII. Discovery of Gold in California, 127 CHAPTER IX. % -tU — ■ — —te> L Inscribed ROSSITER W. RAYMOND, PH. D., UNITED STATES Commissioner of Mining Statistics; EDITOR OF THE ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL; AUTHOR OF "The Mines of the West," etc NOTE. This little work was not written for min- eralogists, but expressly for the landholder, the farmer, the mechanic, the miner, the laborer, even the most unscientific. It is designed to enable such to discover for themselves, minerals and ores of use in the arts, and thus develop the resources and ascertain the value of any particular farm or region. It may save the owner from ruinous bargains, and may reveal a mine of mineral wealth, more sure and more profitable than any bank. fi* i Mi i (2 % Z£r/ of ^^^^ .^-^ Illustrations. i PROSPECTING THE GROUND,. .. .Frontispiece. FAC-SIMILE OF NUGGET OF GOLD, (California,) Illuminated Title Page. PROSPECTING DIAMOND DRILL, 4 o WASHING AURIFEROUS SANDS, 47 % SEARCHING FOR DIAMONDS, 121 THE SAW-MILL OF COLOMA, 129 (The place where Gold was first discovered in California.) $\ h A KEY FOR THE READY DETERMINATION OF ALL THE USEFUL MINERALS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION. MONEY IN THE ROCKS— THE UNDERGROUND WEALTH OF OUR COUNTRY — VALUABLE MINERALS DISGUISED — HOW GREAT FORTUNES ARE MISSED— NUMBER OF MINERALS IN THE UNITED STATES — OBJECT 'OF THIS WORK AND HOW TO USE IT— THE BEST MINERAL REGIONS. INERALS head the list of the sources of our nation's wealth. Gold, iron, coal and marble have not only contributed largely to the enterprise and opulence of America, but at this very moment they exert a com- manding influence in political circles. No one can prophesy the greatness of the commercial power which is sure to rise on their foundations. No other country can boast of such IO UNDERGROUND TREASURES. vast and valuable mineral deposits. Yet our country is not half developed. Treas- ures lie undiscovered in our mountains and under our farms, — gems of "purest ray serene" and still more precious metals. Some will be accidentally brought to light ; but the majority are so disguised that their real nature is not seen. How unpromis- ing are the best ores of iron, zinc and silver and the rarest gems ! Then, again, there is " mimicry " in the mineral king- dom ; worthless stones are often good imi- tations of the valuable, and fortunes have been sunk in mining pyrites for gold, mica for silver and slate for coal. But if we wait for mineralogists to develop our min- eral resources, we must wait a millenium, our country is so vast and scientific labor- ers so few. Fortunately, however, nature has stamped upon each mineral some pecu- liar feature or assemblage of characters which enable any one with average com- mon sense to distinguish those which are of value in the arts. %l OBJECT OF THE WORK. II The object of this work is to point out those distinctions so clearly and in popular language that those who do not claim to be scientific may determine specimens for themselves ; in other words, to furnish a key for the ready determination of all the tiseful minerals within the United States* Two hundred and forty-four mineral species have been found within the bounds of the Union. Of these only one-third are of any use to the practical man. These eighty have certain general charac- ters in common, but always some specific differences. The object is to divide them into groups, as the botanist divides the plants, and then to separate the individuals by some properties or features peculiar to each. Only those minerals are mentioned which are useful : any specimen, therefore, which does not fit any of the descriptions given, may be considered of no special * The useful rocks, as granite, slate, sandstone, water- lime, etc., are not included. By "granite region" is meant one having rocks like New England, and there- fore unlike Western New York or Illinois. #5 12 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. value. By the term " color," is meant the color of a fresh fracture, for the exposed surface often misrepresents the true as- pect. Exact color is not meant, but " red " stands for reddish, "yellow" for yellowish, "white" for a light gray up to the per- * fectly transparent. " Magnetic " means that the specimen disturbs the needle of a compass, or that a magnet will take up fine particles. A mineral is "opaque" if the light will not pass through either the edges or a thin fragment. A "translu- cent " mineral is either clear as crystal or only allows light to pass dimly through a thin portion. " Effervescence " is the bub- bling produced by the escape of a gas, as in soda-water. "Gravity" is the weight compared with that of an equal bulk of water. In the majority of cases the speci- men can be determined without it ; but there may be several doubtful cases which can be settled only by obtaining the grav- ity. This is done by first weighing a frag- ment of the mineral in a small apothecary HOW TO FIND THE GRAVITY. 1 3 or jeweler's balance, reckoning it in grains. Then by a thread suspend it below one of the scales in a tumbler of water, taking care that the specimen is covered with water and does not touch the sides. Sub- tract the weight in grains as it hangs in the water from the first weight, and divide the first weight by the difference : the re- sult is the gravity. Five per cent, should be allowed for impurities. Where exact- ness is not required, the gravity of a specimen may be judged by comparing it with well-known substances. Thus, The gravity of anthracite coal is about 1.5 The gravity of brick is about 1.8 The gravity of clay is about 2.0 The gravity of marble and glass is about 2.5 The gravity of slate is about 2.8 The gravity of cast-iron is about 7.0 The gravity of copper is about 90 The gravity of lead is about 11.0 If the gravity of a mineral is 1.5, a cubic inch of it will weigh about 3-4 ounce ; if 2., 1 oz. ; if 2.5, 1 1-4 oz. ; if 3., 1 1-2 oz. ; if 4., 2 oz. ; if 5, 2 1-2 oz., etc. M O at yn ; THE KEY. 19 B. WILL NOT SCRATCH GLASS. I. OPAQUE. w Harder than white marble.* Black: 11, 35, 47. (2) Brown : 66, 75. (3) Red: 44,53.75- (4) Yellow : 26, 44. (5) Green: 45. (6) Gray: 35,66. (7) White: 6,9, II. It Softer than white marble. 4, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 24, 34,37,49,51,55,56,76. 12, 14, 21. 21,23,41, 55. 12, 33, 56. 60, 61. 5,24,31,34,36,49,56,63, 69. 36, 40, 56, 62. (1) Black: II. (2) Brown: 9, II, 65, 66. (3) Red: 9, 11, 18,53,78. (4) Yellow: 9, 11, 15, 29, 47, 78. (5) Green: 29,45, 65, 70. (6) Blue : 8, 18, 29, 47. (7) Gray: 19,47,65,66. (8) White : 18, 47. (9) Mottled or Banded : 47 TRANSLUCENT. 55- 48. 36, 55- 48, 71. 48, 60, 61. 37, 69. 2. * That is, they are not so easily cut with a knife ; they do not necessarily scratch marble. ^k CHAPTER III. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF USEFUL MINERALS. THE GEMS — PRECIOUS METALS — VALUABLE ORES AND USEFUL MINERALS OF THE UNITED STATES FROM AGATE TO ZINC — THEIR DISTINGUISHING CHAR- ACTERS, USES AND LOCALITIES — A MINERALOGY FOR MINERS. i. — Agate. HIS stone is a mixture of several kinds of quartz, mainly the white, red, brown and black, disposed in layers or clouds. The layers are zigzag, circular or in straight bands (onyx). Occurs in irregular rounded mas- ses ; not very translucent ; not altered by heat or acids ; cannot be cut with a knife nor split into plates ; takes a high polish ; lustre glassy ; gravity 2.5. Value. — Used for jewelry and orna- mental work, mortars, vases, knife-handles, ^r AGATE — ALUM. 21 burnishers, etc. The colors are deepened by boiling in oil and then in sulphuric acid. Localities. — Found in granite and trap regions, generally by the shores of rivers, lakes and the sea ; as, north-west shore of Lake Superior ; Missouri, Colum- bia, Colorado and Connecticut Rivers ; Crescent City, Cal. ; Hancock County, Ga. ; near Tampa Bay, Fla. ; Fulton, Penn. ; Yellowstone Lake, Wy.* 2. — Alum. Occurs in mealy or solid crusts, often fibrous ; dissolves in water ; tastes sweet- ish-astringent ; melts and froths up when heated. Value. — Extensively used in dyeing and calico-printing, candle-making, dress- ing skins, clarifying liquors and in phar- macy. Localities. — Found incrusting and im- pregnating dark slaty rocks, with yellow * Only the best known localities in the United States are given. For these we are indebted mainly to Pro- fessor Dana's great work on Mineralogy. 22 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. streaks. Cape Sable, Md. ; Cleveland County, N. C. ; coal slates on Ohio River, and in caves in Sevier, De Kalb, Coffee and Franklin Counties, Tenn. ; also Esme- ralda and Storey Counties, Nev. 3 — Amethyst. Same as Rock Crystal, but colored pur- ple or bluish violet. Generally in clustered crystals. Value. — When clear and finely colored, it is a favorite gem. Localities — Usually found with agate. Keweenaw Point, Pic Bay and Gargontwa on Lake Superior ; Bristol, R. I ; Surry, N. H. ; East Bradford, Aston, Chester, Thornbury, Edgemont, Sadsbury, Bir- mingham, Middletown and Providence, Penn. ; Greensboro, N. C. 4. — Anthracite. Occurs massive ; compact ; high lustre ; brittle ; breaks with a curved surface ; will not scratch marble ; burns, but not readily, with a pale blue flame and little smoke ; ANTHRACITE ANTIMONY. 23 will not form coke by roasting ; gravity 1.4 to 1.8. Value. — Used for fuel and sometimes cut into inkstands, etc. Localities. — Found in beds between slates and sandstones, and east of the Al- leghany range only, as Eastern Pennsylva- nia ; Portsmouth, R. I. ; Mansfield, Mass. ; North Carolina. No workable beds will be found in New York. The rocks in anthracite regions are tilt- ed, bent and broken, never level to any great extent. Impressions of leaves are good indications. 5. — Antimony Ore. Occurs fibrous or granular ; color lead gray, often tarnished ; shining lustre, brit- tle ; but thin pieces can be cut off with a knife ; melts in a candle, at a high heat passing off in vapor ; gravity 4.5. Value. — The source of the antimony of commerce, containing seventy per cent. Localities. — Found associated with Silver, Spathic Iron, Blende, Baryta and 24 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Quartz. Carmel, Me. ; Lyme, N. H. ; Sol- dier's Delight, Md. ; Aurora, Nev. ; San Amedio Canon and Tulare County, Cal. 6 — Asbestus. Occurs finely fibrous, flax-like ; flexible, not elastic ; silky lustre, sometimes green- ish ; gravity 3. Value. — Used for lining safes and steam-packing, and for making incombus- tible cloth, lamp-wicks, etc. Localities. — Found in granite-regions east of the Alleghanies ; often with Serpen- tine. Brighton, Dedham, Newbury, Pel- ham and Sheffield, Mass. ; Milford, West Farms, Winchester and Wilton, Conn. ; Chester, Mt. Holly and Cavendish, Vt. ; Patterson, Phillipstown, Monroe and Sta- ten Island, N. Y. ; Brunswick, N. J. ; East Nottingham, Goshen and Aston, Penn ; Bare Hills and Cooptown, Md. j Barnet's Mills, Va. 7. — ASPHALTUM. Occurs massive ; brittle ; breaking with high lustre like hardened tar, and with ASPHALTUM AZURITE. 2$ curved surface ; melts and burns readily with flame and smoke ; gravity 1.2, some- times floats on water. Value. — Used for cements and var- nishes. Localities. — Found generally near the surface. Near the coast of Santa Barbara, Cal. ; West Virginia, twenty miles south of Parkersburg. 8. — Azurite. Occurs in crystals and masses with glassy lustre, or earthy and dull ; brittle ; crackles and blackens, and finally fuses by heat ; dissolves with effervescence in nitric acid ; gravity 3.5. Value. — A valuable ore of copper, con- taining sixty per cent. Localities. — Found chiefly in lead and copper mines. Perkiomen lead mine, Corn- wall, Phoenixville and Nicholson's Gap, Pa ; near New Brunswick, N. J. ; near Mineral Point, Wis. ; Polk County, Tenn. ; Calaveras and Mariposa Counties, Cal. ; near Virginia City, Mont. 26 underground treasures. 9. — Baryta, or Heavy Spar. Occurs in crystals, plates and masses ; powder white ; brittle ; crackles when strongly heated ; not dissolved in acids ; easily distinguished by its weight ; gravity 4.5, or twice as heavy as Gypsum. Value. — Used extensively as white paint and in pottery. Localities. — Found in mining dis- tricts, often with lead, copper and iron ores, and in limestone. Piermont, N. H. ; Hat- field, Southampton and Leverett, Mass. ; Cheshire and Berlin, Conn. ; Pillar Point, Rossie, Carlisle, Scoharie, De Kalb, Gouv- erneur, N. Y. ; Fauquier and Buckingham Counties, Va. ; Union, Gaston and Orange Counties, N. C. ; near Paris, and in An- derson, Fayette, Mercer and Owen Coun- ties, Ky. ; on Brown's Creek and Hays- boro, Tenn. ; Bainbridge, O. ; Scales Mound, 111. ; Prince Vein, Lake Superior ; Mine-a-Barton, Mo.; near Fort Wallace, N. M. ; Ingo County, Cal. bituminous coal. 2? 10. — Bituminous Coal. Occurs in masses, beds or seams ; softer and duller than Anthracite; often a bright pitchy lustre ; brittle, showing a slaty or jointed structure rather than curved sur- face ; powder black ; burns readily with yellow flame ; by roasting forms coke ; gravity 1.5 or less. % Value. — Used for fuel and the produc- tion of gas, coke, carbolic acid and aniline. Localities. — Found west of Harris- burg, Pa., in rocks (slates and sandstones) less disturbed than in the Anthracite re- gion. Western Pennsylvania ; South-east Ohio ; West Virginia ; Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee to Tuscaloosa ; North-west Kentucky; Illinois; Iowa; Missouri; Kan- sas; Arkansas; Northern Texas ; Central Michigan ; Owyhee County, Idaho ; Deer Lodge and Gallatin Counties and sixty miles north-east of Bannock. Mont. 11. — Blende. Occurs in crystals and masses ; waxy lustre, but not always very apparent ; usual 28 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. color, rosin-yellow to dark brown ; brittle ; the powder, which is whitish to reddish- brown, dissolves in muriatic acid giving off the odor of rotten eggs ; by roasting gives off sulphur-fumes ; infusible alone, but on charcoal at a high heat gives off white fumes ; gravity 4. Value. — An ore of zinc (containing sixty-six per cent.) and a source of white vitriol. Often worked for its Silver and Gold. Localities. — Found with lead and oth- er ores. Lubec and Bingham, Me. , Eaton, Warren and Shelburne, N. H. ; Sterling, Southampton and Hatfield, Mass. ; Brook- field, Berlin, Roxbury and Monroe, Conn. ; near Wurtzboro', Cooper's Falls, Mineral Point, Fowler, Ancram, Clinton and Spra- ker's Basin, N. Y. ; Wheatley and Perkio- men lead-mines, Schuylkill, Shannonville and Friedensville, Pa. ; Austin's lead-mine, Va. ; Haysboro', Brown's Creek and Polk Counties, Tenn. ; Prince Vein, Mich. ; Dubuque, la. ; Warsaw, Rosiclare and Ga- BOG IRON ORE. 29 lena, 111. ; Shullsburg, Wis. ; Stillwater, Minn. 12. — Bog Iron Ore. Occurs in masses or beds, looking much like hard brown earth ; loose or porous and earthy, rather than compact and nodular ; powder yellowish-brown ; when strongly heated becomes black and mag- netic ; gravity nearly 4. An earthy yel- low variety is called Yellow Ochre. Value. — An important ore, yielding thirty-five per cent. Localities. — Found in low, marshy grounds; widely distributed. Lebanon, N. H.; Berkshire and Plymouth Counties, Mass. ; Columbia, St. Lawrence, Franklin and Jefferson Counties, N. Y. ; New Lim- erick, Katahdin, Newfield, Shapleigh, Ar- gyle, Clinton, Williamsburg and Lebanon, Me. ; Darien and Martin Counties, Ind. ; Monmouth County, N. J. ; Somerset and Worcester Counties, Md. ; Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, etc. cr^- & 30 underground treasures. 13. — Brittle Silver Ore. Occurs in crystals and masses ; metallic lustre; tarnishes yellow, gray and finally black ; easily cut or broken ; when heated gives off fumes of sulphur and antimony, affording a button of silver ; dissolved in nitric acid, it silvers copper placed in it ; gravity 6. Value. — A rich ore of silver, contain- ing over sixty per cent. Localities. — Found in veins with other silver ores, in Nevada and Idaho. 14. — Brown Coal. Occurs like Bituminous Coal, but usu- ally brownish-black with less lustre, and often showing a woody or slaty structure ; powder always brown ; contains fossil plants ; gravity between 1.2 and 1.5. Value. — Inferior to No. 10. Makes no coke. Can be used in the manufacture of alum. Localities. — Found in thin veins or elliptical masses, never in extensive layers like Pennsylvania coal. Near Richmond, CALAMINE CANNEL COAL. 31 h Va. ; Deep River, N. C. ; Michigan, Mis- souri, Texas ; Evanston, Utah ; Coal Creek and Bellmonte, Col. ; Boreman, Dearborn River and Greenhorn Gulch, Mont. 15. — Calamine. Occurs in crystals and masses ; glossy- lustre ; harder than marble ; brittle ; heat- ed it swells up, becomes opaque and emits a green light ; dissolves, when powdered, in hot sulphuric acid without effervescence ; gravity 3.4. Value. — An ore of zinc yielding from forty to sixty per cent. Localities. — Found in limestone rock with other ores. Friedensville, Perkiomen, Phcenixville, Lancaster and Selin's Grove, Pa. ; Austin's Mines in Wythe County, Va. ; Claiborne County, Tenn. ; Jefferson County, Mo. 16. — Cannel Coal. Occurs in compact masses ; dull lustre ; brittle, breaking with a curved surface ; ■X ~ ifrU UNDERGROUND TREASURES. burns readily but does not melt ; does not soil the fingers ; gravity about 1.2. Value. — Used for fuel and for making gas, oil and ornaments. Localities, — Found in the Mississippi Valley ; Kentucky ; Lick, Ohio ; Illinois ; Moniteau County, Mo. ; Kenawha County, Va. ; Beaver County, Pa. 17. — Carnelian. Occurs in masses or pebbles ; at first grayish, but by exposure to the sun be- comes uniform flesh, red or brown, never striped, — although Carnelian may form one of the bands of an Agate ; brittle, break- ing with a curved surface; very hard; takes a fine polish ; glassy or resinous lus- tre ; gravity 2.6. Value. — Used for jewelry. When of two layers, white and red, ( properly called sardonyx,) it is used for cameos. Localities. — Same as Agate. iS. — Celestine. Occurs crystallized, fibrous and massive ; color white, often faint bluish ; glassy lus- ?* CELESTINE — CERUSSITE. 33 fe tre ; very brittle ; under the blow-pipe crackles and melts, tinging the flame red ; does not dissolve in acids ; gravity 4. Value. — The source of nitrate of stron- tia, used in fire-works. Localities. — Found in limestone, gyp- sum and sandstone. Rossie, Schoharie, Chaumont Bay, Depauville and Stark, N. Y. ; Frankstown, Pa. ; Strontian and Put-in-Bay Islands, Lake Erie; near Nash- ville, Tenn. ; Fort Dodge, Iowa. 19. — Cerussite. Occurs in crystals, in powder or masses ; glassy lustre ; brittle ; dissolves in nitric acid with effervescence ; heated strongly on charcoal crackles and fuses, giving a globule of lead ; gravity 6.4. Value. — A rich ore of lead yielding seventy-five per cent. Localities. — Found in lead mines. Southampton, Mass. ; Perkiomen, Phoenix- ville, Charlestown and Schuylkill, Pa. ; Wythe County, Va. ; Washington Mine, N. C. ; Valle's Diggings, Mine-la-Motte $T* 34 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. and Mine-a-Burton, Mo. ; Davies and Rock Counties, 111. ; Blue Mounds, Wis. ; Ingo County, Cal. 20. — Chromic Iron. Occurs in compact masses ; powder dark brown ; small pieces sometimes attracted by the magnet ; brittle, breaking with un- even surface ; with borax melts into a green globule ; not acted upon by acids ; little lustre ; gravity 4.4. Value. — Used in making the chrome pigments. Localities. — Found in Serpentine. Bare Hills, Cooptown and north part of Cecil County, Md. ; Nottingham, W. Go- shen, Williston, Fulton, Mineral Hill, Texas and Unionville, Pa. ; Jay, New Fane, Westfield and Troy, Vt. ; Chester and Blanford, Mass. ; Loudon County, Va. ; Yancy County, N. C. ; North Almaden, New Idria and Coloma, Cal. 21. — Cinnabar. Occurs in granular or earthy masses ; resembles iron-rust, but is a yellowish-red ; CINNABAR COBALT. 35 fe powder scarlet ; easily cut with a knife ; thrown on red-hot iron, evaporates, giving off odor of sulphur ; rubbed on copper, " silvers " it ; gravity 9, or about as heavy as Copper. Value. — The source of mercury (con- taining eighty-four per cent.) and vermilion. Localities. — Found in slate and lime- stone rocks. Centreville, Coulterville, New Idria and New Almaden, and Lake and San Luis Obispo Counties, California ; Idaho. 22. — Cobalt Pyrites. Occurs crystallized and massive ; does not scratch glass easily; metallic lustre: tarnish, copper-red ; powder, blackish- gray ; brittle ; heated on charcoal gives off sulphur fumes ; heated with borax gives a blue glass ; gravity 5. Value. — An ore of cobalt, yielding twenty per cent. Localities. — Usually found in slate or granite rocks with Copper Pyrites, Min^ eral Hill, Md. ; Mine-la-Motte, Mq. $-^r 36 underground treasures. 23. — Copper. Occurs in irregular masses ; metallic lustre ; can be cut with a knife ; mallea- ble ; ductile ; fusible ; gravity 8.S. Value. — A source of copper and silver. Localities. — Most abundant in the trap and " freestone " regions. New Bruns- wick, Somerville, Schuyler's and Fleming- ton, N. J. ; Whately, Mass. ; Cornwall and Shannonville, Pa. ; Polk County, Tenn. ; Keweenaw Point, Lake Superior ; Calave- ras, Amador and Santa Barbara Counties, Cal. ; on Gila River, Ariz. 24. — Copper Glance. Occurs crystallized and massive ; color, blackish lead-gray, often tarnished blue or green ; nearly as hard as marble ; brittle ; a splinter will melt in a candle, giving off the odor of sulphur ; dissolved in nitric acid, it will coat a knife-blade with copper ; metallic lustre; gravity 5.5. Value. — An ore of copper, yielding seventy-five per cent. Localities. — Found at copper-mines. NICKEL PYRITES. 37 Simsbury, Bristol and Cheshire, Conn. ; Schuyler's Mines, N. J. ; Orange County, Va. ; near Newmarket, Md. ; Lake Su- perior copper-region ; La Paz, Arizona ; Washoe, Humboldt, Nye and Churchill Counties, Nev. 25. — Copper Nickel. Occurs in masses ; metallic lustre ; color pale copper-red ; tarnishes gray to black ; powder pale brownish-black ; brittle ; on charcoal melts giving the odor of garlic ; becomes green in nitric acid ; gravity 7.5. Value. — An ore of nickel (containing forty-four per cent.) and arsenic. Localities. — Found in granite regions. Chatham, Conn. 26. — Copper Pyrites. Occurs in crystals and masses ; color brass-yellow ; tarnishes green ; metallic lustre when freshly broken ; can be cut with a knife ; brittle ; powder greenish black ; on charcoal melts giving off sul- phur fumes ; dissolves in nitric acid, mak- ing a green liquid ; gravity 4.2. 38 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Value. — If of a fine yellow hue, it is a valuable copper ore (yielding from twelve to forty per cent.) and source of blue vitriol. Localities. — Found in mountainous or granite regions with other ores. Lubec and Dexter, Me. ; Franconia, Unity, War- ren, Eaton, Lyme, Haverhill and Shel- burne, N. H. ; Corinth, Waterbury and Strafford, Vt. ; Southampton, Turner's Falls, Hatfield and Sterling, Mass. ; Bris- tol and Middletown, Conn. ; Ancram, Rossie, Wurtzboro' and Ellenville, N. Y. ; Phcenixville and Pottstown, Pa. ; Bare Hills, Catoctin Mountains, near Newmar- ket and Finksbury, Md. ; Phoenix and Wal- ton Mines, Va. ; Greensboro, Charlotte and Phoenix Mines, N. C. ; Hiwassee Mines, Tenn ; Cherokee, Rabun and Habersham Counties, Ga. ; Presque Island, Lake Su- perior ; Mineral Point, Wis. ; Union, Key- stone, Empire and other mines, Calaveras County, La Victoire and Haskell claims in Mariposa County, Amador and Plumas Counties, Cal. ; near Virginia City, Mont. DIAMOND — EMERY. 41 27. — Diamond. Occurs in crystals and irregular angular masses ; cannot be scratched by any other mineral or the file ; brilliant lustre ; feels cold to the touch ; when rubbed on the sleeve exhibits electricity for hours ; retains the breath but a short time ; often tinged yellow, red, or green ; gravity 3.5. Value. — Used for jewelry, lenses and for cutting glass. • Localities. — Found in gold-regions, in river-washings of sand and pebbles ; usually with coarse gold, but deeper down. Rutherford, Cabarras, Franklin and Lin- coln Counties, N. C. ; Hall County, Ga. ; Manchester, Va. ; Cherokee Ravine, N. San Juan, French Canal, Forrest Hill, Placer- ville and Fiddletown, Cal. 28. — Emery. Occurs in granular masses, sometimes with bluish crystals ; looks like fine grained iron ore ; breaks with uneven surface ; scratches quartz easily ; very tough ; brit- tle ; gravity 4. ^ 42 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Value. — Used extensively as a cutting and polishing material. Localities. — Found generally in lime- stone or granite with Magnetic Iron Ore. Chester, Mass. ; Newlin and Unionville, Penn. ; Macon and Guilford Counties, N. C. 29. — Fluor Spar. Occurs in« square crystals and in mass- es ; glassy lustre ; powder white ; brittle ; crackles when heated and then shines in the dark ; does not effervesce with acids ; is not scratched by marble ; gravity 3. Value. — Used as flux in glass and iron works. Localities. — Found in limestone, gran- ite, slate, etc., often at lead-mines. Blue Hill Bay, Me.; Westmoreland, N. H.; Putney, Vt. ; Southampton, Mass. ; Trum- bull, Plymouth, Middletown and Williman- tic, Conn. ; Muscolonge Lake, Rossie and Johnsburg, N. Y. ; near Franklin, N. J. ; near Woodstock and Shepardstown, Va. ; Smith County, Tenn. ; Mercer County, THE MINERALS TREATED. 43 *H h Ky. ; Gallatin County, along the Ohio, 111. Castle Dome District, Ariz. 30. — Franklinite. Occurs crystallized and in masses ; gen- erally made of coarse grains ; brittle ; pow- der dark reddish-brown ; heated with soda turns bluish-green ; dissolves in muriatic acid ; gravity 5. Value. — An ore of zinc. Localities. — Found in limestone with Garnet and Zincite. Hamburg and Stir- ling Hill, N. J. 31. — Galena. Occurs in crystals and masses ; brilliant lustre ; brittle ; easily broken ; powder, when finely rubbed is black ; can be cut with a knife ; heated it gives off sulphur and melts ; dissolves in nitric acid leaving a white powder at the bottom ; gravity 7.5 — or a little heavier than cast-iron. Value. — The main source of lead (yield- ing eighty per cent), and also smelted for the silver it contains. Used also in glaz- ing stone-ware. ^TQ 44 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Localities. — Generally found in lime- stone with Iron Pyrites, zinc-ore, etc. That found in slate is richest in silver. Abounds in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wis- consin and Arkansas ; Rossie, Wurtzboro, Ancram, Macomb and Ellenville, N. Y. ; Lubec, Blue Hill Bay, Bingham and Par- sonsville, Me. ; Eaton, Shelburne, Haver- ill, Warren and Bath, N. H. ; Thetford, Vt. ; Southampton, Leverett and Sterling, Mass. ; Middletown and Roxbury, Conn. ; Phcenixville, Charlestown, Schuylkill, Pe- quea Valley and Shannonville, Pa. ; Aus- tin's and Walton's Mines, Va. ; Cabarras County, N. C. ; Brown's Creek and Hays- boro, Tenn. ; Chocolate River, Mich. ; Ingo County, Cal. ; on Walker's River and Steamboat Springs, Nev. ; Castle Dome and Eureka, Ariz. ; Clear Creek County, Col. ; Virginia City and Red Bluff Lode, Mont. ; Cache Valley, Utah. 32. — Garnet. Occurs in crystals with four-sided faces; often nearly round ; deep red, which grows h THE MINERALS TREATED. 45 darker by heat ; rarely yellow ; also in brown masses ; melts at a high heat ; brit- tle ; not scratched by a knife ; glassy lus- tre ; gravity 4. Value. — The clear deep red and yellow varieties are used for jewelry ; the massive brown is ground for "emery." Localities. — Found in slate and gran- ite rocks. Bethel, Parsonsfield, PhirJps- burg, Windham, Brunswick and Ranford, Me. Hanover, Franconia, Haverhill, Warren, Unity, Lisbon and Grafton, N. H. ; New Fane, Cabot and Cavendish, Vt. ; Carlisle, Boxborough, Brookfield, Brim- field, Newbury, Bedford, Chesterfield and Barre, Mass. ; Reading, Monroe, Haddam and Middletown, Conn. ; Rogers' Rock, Crown Point, Willsboro, Middletown, Am- ity, and near Yonkers, N. Y. ; Franklin, N. J. ; Pennsbury, Warwick, Aston, Knauertown, Chester, Leiperville and Min- eral Hill, Pa. ; Dickson's Quarry, Del. ; Hope Valley, Cal. ; near Virginia City, on Yellowstone and Madison Rivers, Mont. IS 46 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. 33.— Gold. Occurs in scales, grains and nuggets, or disseminated through cellular quartz ; me- tallic lustre ; without tarnish ; can be cut and hammered into thin plates ; not dis- solved by nitric acid ; gravity 19, when pure and of a rich gold yellow color. The pale or brass yellow specimens are much lighter, the gravity being as low as 13. A grayish yellow gold, occurring in small, flat grains has a gravity of about 16. Localities. — Found in veins of quartz running through greenish or grayish slates, the quartz at the surface being generally full of cavities and rusted, and the slates below the surface often containing little cubic crystals of Iron Pyrites : also in the valleys traversed by mountain-streams and in the river sands and gravel below. Iron and Copper Pyrites, Galena and Blende frequently contain gold. Masses of quartz and pyrites from the gold-regions, which make no show of gold, sometimes pay well ; the value of such specimens can be THE MINERALS TREATED. 49 & determined only by an assayer. Eastern range of Appalachians, as Habersham, Rabun, Clark, Hall, Lumpkin and Lincoln Counties, Ga. ; Abbeville, Chesterfield, Union, Lancaster and Pickens Counties, S. C. ; Montgomery, Cabarras, Mechlen- burg, Burke and Lincoln Counties, N. C. ; Spotsylvania, Buckingham, Fauquier, Staf- ford, Culpepper, Orange, Goochland and Louisa Counties, Va. ; Dedham, Mass. ; Bridgewater, Vt. ; Canaan and Lisbon, N. H. ; on Sandy River and Madrid, Me. Numberless points along the higher Rocky Mountains and western slope of Sierra Nevada, as near Santa Fe, Cerillos and Avo, New Mex. ; San Francisco, Wauba and Yuma District, Ariz ; between Long's Peak and Pike's Peak, Col. ; Comstock Lode, Nev. ; Owyhee, Boise and Flint Dis- tricts and Poorman Lode, Idaho ; Emigrant and Alder Gulches, Red Bluff and near Jefferson River, Mont. ; Josephine District, Powder, Burnt, and John Day Rivers, west- ern slope of Cascade Mountains, and 50 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. southern coast, Oregon ; Tulare, Fresno, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras, El Do- rado, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Sierra, Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou Amador and Del Norte Counties, Cal. Rare in the coal- regions and Mississippi Valley. 34. — Graphite. Occurs in foliated, scaly and granular masses ; can be cut into thin slices, which are flexible, but not elastic ; impressible by the nail ; feels greasy ; leaves a shining trace on paper ; metallic lustre ; not al- tered by heat or acids ; gravity 2. Value. — Used for pencils, polishing, glazing, for making steel, crucibles, over- coming friction, etc. Localities. — Found in granite, slate and limestone rocks. Sturbridge, North Brookfield, Brimfield, Hinsdale and Worth- ington, Mass. ; Cornwall and Ashford, Conn. ; Brandon, Vt. ; Woodstock, Me. ; Goshen, Hillsboro and Keene, N. H. ; Ti- conderoga, Fishkill, Roger's Rock, Johns- burg, Fort Ann, Amity, Rossie and Alex- THE MINERALS TREATED. 51 andria, N. Y. ; Franklin and Lockwood, N. J. ; Southampton and Buck's County, Penn. ; on the Gunpowder, Md. ; Albe- marle County, Va. ; Wake, N. C. ; Tiger River and Spartanburgh, S. C. ; Sonora, Cal. (The soft black slate, often mistaken for Graphite, leaves a coaly trace on paper not a shining streak.) 35. — Gray Copper Ore. Occurs in crystallized or granular masses ; metallic lustre ; color between steel-gray and iron-black ; brittle ; the powder dissolved in nitric acid makes a brownish green solution ; melts at a red heat ; gravity 5. Value. — An ore of copper, (contain- ing thirty-three per cent.) and silver, of which Nevada specimens have sixteen per cent. Localities. — Found with gold, silver and lead. Kellogg Mines, Ark. ; Mariposa and Shasta Counties, Cal. ; Sheba and De Soto Mines, and near Austin, Nev. ; Heint- zelman and Santa Rita Mines, Arizona. £g 52 underground treasures. 36. — Gypsum. Occurs in plates, fibres coarse and fine, and massive; pearly or glistening; pow- der white, which if heated and mixed with water, turns hard; does not dissolve in sulphuric acid ; may be scratched by the nail ; gravity 2.3. Value. — Used for stucco, manure, glaz- ing, statuary, manufacture of glass, etc. A variety, called Satin Spar, worked into necklace beads and other ornaments, is finely fibrous and compact, taking a polish (though easily scratched,) and then resem- bles pearl or opal. Localities. — Found with marl or clay, limestone and salt. Camillus, Manlius, Stark and Lockport, N. Y. ; on the St. Mary's and Patuxent, Md. ; Washington County and Lynchburg, Va. ; Charleston, S C. ; Poland, Ottawa and Canfield, O. ; Davidson and Summer Counties, Tenn. ; Grand Rapids and Sagenaw Bay, Mich. ; Des Moines River, Iowa; Walker Lake and Six Mile Canon, Nev. ; Fort Dodge. Op*- THE MINERALS TREATED. 53 37. — Horn Silver. Occurs in crystals, wax-like masses, or in crusts ; when scratched shows a shin- ing streak ; becomes brown on exposure ; quite soft, easily cut ; a small piece placed on zinc and moistened, swells up, turns black and shows metallic silver on being pressed with a knife ; dissolves in harts- horn ; gravity 5.5. Value. — An ore of silver, yielding sev- enty per cent. Localities. — Found in slate with other silver ores. Lake Superior Mining Re- gion ; Austin and Comstock Lode, Nev. ; Willow Springs and San Francisco dis- tricts, Eldorado Canon, Ariz. ; Poorman Mine, Idaho. 38. — Iron Pyrites. Occurs in masses and square crystals ; splendent lustre ; color, bronze-yellow ; brittle ; strikes fire with steel ; heated it gives off sulphur fumes ; powder brownish ; gravity 5. Value. — Affords sulphur, copperas and 54 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. alum. When found outside of the coal region, it often contains gold and silver. Localities. — Found in all kinds of rocks. Bingham, Corinna, Farmington, Waterville, Brooksville, Peru and Jewett's Island, Me. ; Shelburne, Unity and War- ren, N. H. ; Baltimore, Hartford and Shoreham, Vt. ; Heath, Hubbardston and Hawley, Mass. ; Roxbury, Monroe, Or- ange, Milford, Middletown, Stafford, Col- chester, Ashford, Tolland and Union, Conn. ; Rossie, Malone, Phillips, Johns- burgh, Canton, Chester, Warwick and Franklin, Putnam and Orange Counties, N. Y. ; Chester, Knauertown, Cornwall and Pottstown, Pa. ; Greensboro', N. C. ; Mercer County, Ky. ; Bainbridge, O. ; Galena at Marsden's Diggings, 111. ; on Sugar Creek, Ind. ; mines of Colorado and California. 39. — Jasper. Occurs in masses, either in veins or as rounded stones ; dull lustre, yet takes a high polish ; breaks with a curved surface ; THE MINERALS TREATED. 55 not attacked by acids ; is scratched by Rock Crystal ; gravity 2.5. Value. — Used for mosaics and other ornaments when compact, fine-grained and bright color. Localities. — Found everywhere. Su- gar Loaf Mountain and Machiasport, Me. ; Saugus, Mass. ; Castleton and Colchester, Vt. ; Bloomingrove, N. Y. ; Murphy's, Col. ; Red Bluff, Mont. 40. — Kaolin. Occurs in beds ; it is a fine, white clay, plastic when wet ; when dry is scaly or compact ; can be crumbled in the fingers and feels gritty ; adheres to the tongue ; does not dissolve in acids. Value. — Used for the finest porcelain and for adulterating candy. Localities. — Found generally with iron-ore and fire-clay. Common on the eastern slope of the Alleghanies ; Bran- ford, Vt. ; Beekman, Athol, Johnsburgh and Mclntyre, N. Y. ; Perth Amboy, N. J. ; Reading, Tamaqua and New Gar- 56 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. den, Perm.; Mt. Savage, Md. ; Richmond, Va. ; Newcastle and Wilmington, Del. ; Edgefield, S. C. ; near Augusta, Ga. ; Jacksonville, Ala. 41. — Lenticular Iron Ore. Occurs in beds or masses, consisting of minute flattened grains ; little lustre ; gen- erally soils the fingers ; breathed upon has a clayey odor ; color, brownish-red, pow- der more red ; dissolves in strong muri- atic acid with some effervescence ; brittle ; gravity 4. Value. — An ore of iron yielding thirty- three per cent. Generally mixed with other ores at the furnace. Localities. — Found in sandstone. Wayne, Madison, Oneida and Herkimer Counties, N. Y. ; Marietta O. 42. — Limonite, or Brown Hematite. Occurs in masses, with smooth rounded surfaces and fibrous structure ; sometimes as hollow nodules, which are velvety-black inside ; its powder when rubbed is yellow- ish-brown ; when strongly heated turns Sfe THE MINERALS TREATED. $? black ; scratches glass feebly ; brittle ; dissolves in hot aqua-regia ; gravity 4. Value. — A common ore of pig-iron, containing sixty per cent. ; used also for polishing buttons, etc. Localities. — Found in heavy beds with mica-slate, quartz, limestone, etc. Salisbury and Kent, Conn. ; Amenia, Fishkill, Dover and Beekman, N. Y. ; Richmond and Lenox, Mass. ; Pittsfield, Putney, Bennington and Ripton, Vt. ; Hamburgh, N. J. ; Pikeland and White Marsh, Penn. ; Marquette, Mich. ; Mako- quata River, Iowa ; Iron Mountains, Stow and Green Counties, Mo. ; Centerville, Ala. ; near Raleigh and Smithfield, N. C. ; on Coal Creek, Col. ; and in coal areas generally. 43. — Magnetic Iron Ore. Occurs in granular masses, coarse or fine ; attracted by the magnet, or affect- ing the compass-needle; powder black*; brittle ; dissolves in muriatic acid ; grav- ity 5. $8 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Value. — An important ore, yielding sixty-five per cent. Localities. — Found in granite, slate and limestone rocks. Warren, Essex, Clin- ton, Saratoga, Herkimer, Orange and Put- nam Counties, N. Y. ; Raymond and Mar- shall's Island, Me. ; Franconia, Jackson, Winchester, Lisbon, Swanzey and Unity, N. H. ; Bridgewater, Chittenden, Marl- boro, Rochester, Troy and Bethel, Vt. ; Cambealon, R. I. ; Hawley and Bernard- ston, Mass. ; Haddam, Conn. ; Goshen, Webb's Mine, Cornwall and White Marsh, Penn. ; Hamburg, N. J. ; Scott's Mills and Deer Creek, Md. ; Mitchell and Mad- ison Counties, N. C. ; Spartanburg, S. C. ; Laclede and Crawford Counties, Mo.; Sierra County, (Gold Valley,) Plumas, Tulare, Mariposa, Placer and El Dorado Counties, Cal. 44. — Magnetic Pyrites. Occurs massive ; brittle ; deep orange- yellow ; powder grayish-black ; metallic lustre ; tarnishes easily ; slightly attracts THE MINERALS TREATED. 59 the compass-needle ; melts at a high heat, giving off sulphur-fumes ; gravity 4.5. Value. — Affords sulphur, copperas and nickel. Localities. — Found in granite regions, often with copper and iron ores. Stafford, Corinth and Shrewsbury, Vt. ; Trumbull and Monroe, Conn. ; Port Henry, Diana and Orange County, N. Y. ; Hurdstown, N. J. ; Gap Mine, Lancaster County, Pa. ; Ducktown Mines, Tenn. 45. — Malachite. Occurs in incrustations with smooth sur- face and fibrous ; powder paler green than the mineral ; brittle ; by heat crackles and turns black ; effervesces in acids ; takes a fine polish, showing bands or rings ; gravity 4. Value. — Used for jewelry and inlaid work. Localities. — Found in copper and lead mines. Cheshire, Conn. ; Brunswick and Schuyler's Mines, N. J. ; Morgantown, Cornwall, near Nicholson's Gap, Perkio- X ^o 1h 60 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. men and Phoenixville Lead Mines, Pa. ; Pe- tapsco Mines, Md. ; Davidson County N. C. ; Polk County, Tenn. ; Left Hand River and Mineral Point, Wis. ; Falls of St. Croix, Minn. ; Jefferson County and Mine la Motte, Mo. ; Calaveras County, Cal. ; Big Williams' Fork, Ariz.; Wild Cat Canon and near Virginia City, Mont. 46. — Manganese Spar. Occurs in masses ; glassy lustre ; color flesh or rose-red ; becomes black on ex- posure ; tough ; melted with borax gives a violet-blue color; gravity 3.5. Value. — Used in glazing stone-ware. Localities. — Found in granite regions, often with iron-ore. Blue Hill Bay, Me. ; Cummington, Warwick and Plainfield, Mass. ; Irasburg and Coventry, Vt. ; Win- chester, and Hinsdale, N. H. ; Cumber- land, R. I. ; Franklin and Hamburg, N. J. 47. — Marble. Occurs coarse and fine granular; fre- quently veined or mottled ; brittle ; can be cut with a knife ; takes a polish ; efferves- THE MINERALS TREATED. 6 1 ces with acids ; reduced to quicklime by heat ; a gray variety contains stems and joints of worm-like fossils; gravity 2.5. Localities. — Brandon, Rutland, Dor- set, Shoreham, Pittsford, Middlebury, Fair- haven, Cavendish, Lowell, Troy and Sud- bury, Vt. ; West Stockbridge, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lanesboro, New Ash- ford, Sheffield, New Marlboro, Adams, Cheshire and Stoneham, Mass. ; Clinton, Essex, Dutchess, Onondaga, Putnam, St. Lawrence, Warren and Westchester, Counties, N. Y. ; Smithfield, R. I. ; New Haven, Milford, Conn.; near Philadelphia, N. J. ; Texas and Hagerstown, Md. ; Lan- caster County, Pa. ; Jefferson and Gene- vieve Counties, Mo ; Knox and Sevier Counties, Tenn. ; Joliet, 111. ; Cherokee and Macon Counties, N. C. ; Marquette, Mich. ; near Deep River and on the Mich- igamig and Menominee Rivers, Wis. 48. — Mica. Occurs in masses, which can be split into very thin, elastic leaves ; pearly lus- 62 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. tre ; at a high heat becomes opaque ; gravity 3. Value. — Used for doors of stoves, etc. Localities. — Found in granite regions. Buckfield, Freeport and Oxford, Me. ; Ac- worth, Grafton and Alstead, N. H. ; Ches- terfield, Barre, Mendon, South Royalston, Brimfield, Goshen and Russell, Mass. ; Monroe, Haddam and Middletown, Conn.; Warwick, Edenville, Edwards, Monroe and Greenfield, N. Y. ; Pennsbury, Thorn- bury, Unionville, Middletown and Chest- nut Hill, Pa. ; Jones' Falls, Md. 49. — Micaceous Iron Ore. Resembles Specular Iron Ore, but con- sists of thin shining scales or leaves ; powder dark red ; a thin flake is trans- lucent, showing red light ; feels somewhat slippery. Value. — Used as an ore of iron and for polishing. Localities. — Hawley, Mass. ; Pier- mont, N. H. ; Ticonderoga, N. Y. ; War- wick, Penn. ; Loudon County, Va. &■*> the minerals treated. 63 50. — Nitre. Occurs in thin crusts, delicate needles, or disseminated through the loose earth in caves ; glossy lustre ; brittle ; cool, saline taste ; crackles and burns brightly on live coals ; a little harder than Gypsum. Value. — Used in the manufacture of gunpowder, fulminating powders, nitric acid, etc. Localities. — Marion County, Ky. ; White County, Tenn. ; near Rosiclare, 111. ; Silver Peak, Nev. 51. — Oxyd of Manganese. Occurs in masses and little columns, often with small rounded surfaces ; one ore is soft enough to be impressed by the nail, and soils ; the other will scratch glass faintly ; heated with borax, makes a violet glass ; dissolves in hot muriatic acid, giv- ing forth a yellowish-green gas ; gravity 4 to 5. Value. — Used for bleaching and for obtaining oxygen. Localities. — Found in granite regions, 64 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. often with iron-ore. Brandon, Benning- ton, Monkton, Irasburg and Chittenden, Vt. ; Hillsdale, Westmoreland and West- chester, N. H.; Plainfield, West Stock- bridge and Conway, Mass. ; Salisbury and Kent, Conn. ; Montgomery County, Md. ; Lake Superior Mining Region ; Dubuque, Iowa ; Deep Diggings, Mo. ; Red Island, Cal. ; Martinsburg, N. Y. 52.— Platinum. Occurs in grains or lumps ; metallic, silvery lustre ; can be hammered out ; heavier and harder than silver; not dis- solved in nitric acid; gravity 17. Value. — Nearly equal to Gold. Used for making chemical and philosophical ap- paratus, for coating copper, brass, etc. Localities. — Found in river-gravel with Gold. Rutherford County, N. C. ; Klamath region, Cape Blanco, on Salmon River, South Fork of Trinity, Butte, Hon- cut, Canon and Wood's Creeks, and on Middle Fork of American River, Cal.; at Gold Flat, Nev. THE MINERALS TREATED. 6$ 53. — Red Copper Ore. Occurs in crystals and masses ; cochi- neal-red ; powder brownish-red ; nearly opaque ; brittle ; dissolves in nitric acid ; heated on charcoal yields a globule of copper ; gravity 6. Value. — Affords copper, (sixty per cent.,) and blue vitriol. Localities. — Found in trap regions with other copper ores. Schuyler's, Som- erville, New Brunswick and Flemington Mines, N. J. ; Cornwall, Pa. ; Ladenton, N. Y. ; Lake Superior Region. Not abundant. 54. — Red Hematite. Occurs in compact masses, with round- ed surfaces or kidney -shaped ; fibrous structure ; color brownish-red to iron- black ; but powder invariably red ; when black, the lustre is somewhat metallic, otherwise dull ; brittle ; scratches glass with difficulty ; dissolves slowly in strong muriatic acid; gravity 4.5 to 5. Value. — An ore of iron, yielding from 66 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. thirty-six to fifty per cent. In powder, used as pigment and for polishing metals. Localities. — Found usually in beds with granite or limestone. Aroostook County and Hodgdon, Me. ; Antwerp, Ticonder- oga, Crown Point and Gouverneur, N. Y. Vernon, N. J. ; West Whiteland, Pa. Chatham and Orange Counties, N. C. Marquette, Mich ; Shasta County, Cal. This mineral graduates into a soft, earthy variety, called red ochre, and into a com- pact, slaty variety, called red chalk, which has a clayey odor when breathed on. 55. — Red Silver Ore. Occurs in crystals and .masses ; metal- lic lustre ; brittle ; powder cochineal-red ; easily cut \ at a high heat yields a silver globule ; the powder heated with potash turns black ; gravity 6. Value. — An ore of silver yielding sixty per cent. Localities. — Found at gold and silver mines. Washoe and Austin, Nev. ; Poor- man Lode, Idaho. $£' ** THE MINERALS TREATED. 67 &= 56. — Rensselaerite. Occurs in masses ; wax-like ; a trifle harder than marble ; when fresh can be scratched by the nail ; soapy feel ; takes a polish ; cleavable ; gravity 2.8. Value. — Used as a marble and worked into inkstands, etc. Localities. — Found with steatite, ser- pentine, limestone, etc. Antwerp, Canton, Fowler, De Kalb, Edwards, Russell and Gouverneur, N. Y. 57. — Rock Crystal. Occurs in crystals and masses ; trans- parent ; glassy lustre ; colorless ; tough ; brittle ; not acted upon by acids or heat ; electric by friction ; gravity 2.5. Value. — Cut for ornaments, lenses, etc. Localities. — Common in sandstone, limestone and iron ore. Paris, Me. ; Ben- ton and Bartlett, N. H.; Sharon and Woodstock, Vt. ; Pelham and Chester- field, Mass. ; Ellenville, Little Falls, Wa- tervliet, Fairfield, Midoleville, Fowler, Antwerp, Rossie, Lake George and Pal- 5 68 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. atine, N. Y. ; Minnesota Mine, Lake Su- perior ; Ouachita Spring, Ark. 58. — Rock Salt. Occurs in irregular beds or masses ; brit- tle ; saline taste ; crackles in the fire. Localities. — Found with gypsum, clay and sandstone. Washington County, Va. ; Petit Anse, La. ; Silver Peak, Nev. ; Sal mon River Mountains, Oregon. 59. — Rutile. Occurs in crystals generally; metallic lustre ; powder pale brown ; brittle ; un- changed by heat or acids ; if powdered and fused with potash, then dissolved in muriatic acid, the solution boiled with tin- foil assumes a beautiful violet color ; grav- ity 4. Value. — Used for coloring porcelain and artificial teeth. Localities. — Found in granite and limestone rocks. Warren, Me. ; Merri- mack, and Warren, N. H. ; Bristol, Put- ney and Waterbury, Vt. ; Windsor, Shel- burne, Barre, Conway and Leyden, Mass. ; THE MINERALS TREATED. 69 Monroe, Conn. ; Warwick, Edenville, Am- ity and Kingsbridge, N. Y. ; Sudsbury, West Bradford, Parksburg, Concord and Newlin, Pa. ; Newton, N. J. ; Crowder's and Clubb Mountains, N. C. ; Habersham and Lincoln Counties, Ga. ; Magnet Cave, Ark. 60. — Serpentine. Occurs in masses ; feeble, resinous lus- tre ; color oily green ; powder whitish ; often yellowish gray on the outside; can be cut easily ; takes a fine polish ; becomes reddish by heat; gravity 2.5 — same as Marble. Value.— Worked into mantels, jambs, table-tops, and many other ornaments Localities. — Found as a rock in large masses. Deer Isle, Me. ; Baltimore, Cav- endish, Jay and Troy, Vt. ; Newbury, Blanford, Middlefield and Westfield, Mass.; Newport, R. I. ; near New Haven and Milford, Conn. ; Port Henry, Antwerp, Syracuse, Warwick, Phillipstown, Can- ton, Gouverneur, Johnsburg, Davenport's Neck, New Rochelle and Rye, N. Y. ; £6 JO UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Frankford, Hoboken and Montville, N. J. ; Texas, Pa. ; Cooptown, Md. ; Patterson, N. C. ; Calaveras County, Cal. ; Alder Gulch, Mont. Marble veined with serpen- tine is called verd-antique. 61. — Silicate of Copper. Occurs in incrustations and masses ; color bluish-green ; not fibrous ; surface smooth ; easily cut ; does not effervesce in acid ; blackens by heat ; gravity 2. Value. — An ore of copper, yielding thirty per cent. Localities. — Found with other copper ores. Somerville and Schuyler's, N. J. ; Morgantown and Cornwall, Pa. ; Wolcott- ville, Conn. ; Big Williams' Fork, Ariz. 62. — Silver. Occurs in masses, or strings and threads penetrating rocks and native copper and galena ; metallic lustre ; tarnishes grayish black ; can be cut in slices and hammered out ; dissolved in muriatic acid, it turns black on exposure ; gravity 10 Localities. — Chiefly found with cop- %b THE MINERALS TREATED. J\ per near trap-rocks, and in fine grained galeiia and dark brown blende. Gold contains from one to fifteen per cent. Bridgewater, N. J. ; Davidson and Stanley Counties, N. C. ; Lake Superior Region ; Poorman's Lode, Idaho ; Comstock Lode and Montezuma Ledge, Nev. ; Alpine County and Maris Vein, Cal. ; Clear Creek County, Col. 63. — Silver Glance. Occurs in small lumps, plates and threads ; color dark gray ; cuts like lead ; melts in a candle giving off sulphur fumes ; gravity 7. Value. — The most important ore of sil- ver, containing eighty-seven per cent. Localities. — May be found almost everywhere, except in the coal regions ; associated with other ores, quartz, lime- stone, baryta, etc. Most abundant where mineral veins cross one another. Com- stock Lode, Gold Hill, Reese River, Cortez District and Silver-Sprout Vein, Nev. ; Clear Creek County, Nev. 72 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. 64. — Smaltine. Occurs in crystals and masses ; metallic lustre ; color tin-white to steel-gray ; pow- der dark gray ; brittle ; gives off garlic odor in a candle ; melted with borax makes a deep blue glass ; gravity 6.5 to 7. Value. — An ore of cobalt and arsenic, containing eighteen to seventy per cent. Localities. — Found in veins in granite regions with other ores, Mine la Motte, Mo.; Chatham, Conn. 65 . — Smithsonite. Occurs in masses, often rounded, cov- ered with minute crystals, or honey- combed ; color white, dirty yellow or stone color ; glassy lustre ; brittle ; effervesces in nitric acid ; barely scratches glass ; barely translucent ; gravity 4.4. Value. — Yields fifty per cent, of zinc. Localities. — Found generally in lime- stone with galena and blende. Frieden- ville, Lancaster and Perkiomen, Pa. ; Lin- den and Mineral Points, Wis. ; Lawrence, County, Ark. ; Ewing's Diggings, Minn. THE MINERALS TREATED. 73 66. — Spathic Iron. Occurs in crystals or plates somewhat curving; also (in coal regions) in nodules with concentric layers like an onion ; brit- tle ; color varies from white to yellowish- brown or dark-brown ; strongly heated it blackens and will then attract the compass needle ; the powder effervesces in nitric acid ; melted with borax makes a green or yellow glass ; gravity 3.8. Value. — Yields thirty per cent, of iron, well adapted for steel. Localities. — Found in granite and coal-formations, often with other ores. Plymouth, Vt. ; Sterling, Mass. ; Roxbury, Conn.; Antwerp, Herman and Rossie, N. Y. ; Fentress and Harlem Mines, N. C. ; Coal Regions of Western Pa , Virginia, Eastern Ohio, etc. 67. — Specular Iron Ore. Occurs crystallized and in large masses , high metallic lustre ; color steel-gray or iron-black ; brittle ; opaque except when very thin ; the powder when very fine and 74 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. rubbed on white paper shows red ; the powder dissolves slowly in muriatic acid ; by a strong heat yields a black mass which attracts the needle ; gravity 5. Value. — Yields from fifty to seventy per cent, of iron. Localities. — Found in granite regions. Marquette, Mich.; Pilot Knob and Iron Mountains, Mo. ; St. Lawrence County, N. Y. ; Bartlett, Lisbon and Franconia, N. H. ; Chittenden and Weathersfield, Vt. ; Sauk County, Wis. 68. — Spinel Ruby. Occurs in pyramidal crystals ; glassy lustre ; powder white ; scratches rock- crystal ; by hea: becomes black; gravity 3 5- Value. — A gem ; clear specimens weighing over our carats, are valued at half the price o ' the diamond. Localities. — Found in granular lime- stone and clay. Amity and Gouverneur, N. Y.; Franklin and Byram, N. J.; Bol- ton and Boxborjugh, Mass. THE MINERALS TREATED. 75 69. — Steatite. Occurs in masses, consisting of minute pearly scales or grains ; can be marked by the nail ; hardens by heat ; soapy feel ; gravity 2.5. Value. — Used for fire-stones, tubes, in manufacture of porcelain, etc. Localities. — Found in beds with lime- stone, serpentine and slate. Orr's Island, Me. ; Francestown, Keene, Orford and Pelham, N. H. ; Athens, Cavendish, Marl- boro, Moreton, New Fane, Bradboro, Troy, Waterville, Westfield, Weathersfield and Windham, Vt. ; Middlefield, Lenox and Westfield, Mass. ; Manayunk and Chestnut Hill, Pa. ; Albemarle and Lou- don Counties, Va. ; Staten Island and St. Lawrence County, N. Y. ; Bare Hills, Md. 70.— Strontianite. Occurs in crystals and in fibrous or granular masses ; glassy lustre ; brittle ; thin pieces melt before a blow-pipe tinging the flame red ; effervesces with acids ; gravity 3.6. at 76 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Value. — A source of nitrate of stron- tia used in fire-works. Localities. — Found in limestone. Schoharie, Muscalonge Lake, Chaumont Bay and Theresa, N. Y. 71. — Sulphur. Occurs in crystals, masses and crusts ; brittle ; can be easily cut ; burns with a blue flame and sulphur odor ; gravity 2. Localities. — Found in limestone and gypsum, and around geysers and sulphur springs. Springport, N. Y. ; on the Po- tomac, twenty-five miles above Washing- ton ; Put-in-Bay Island, Lake Erie ; Clear Lake, Cal. ; Santa Barbara County, Col. ; Humboldt County, Nev. 72. — Tin Ore. Occurs in crystals, grains and masses ; high lustre ; powder gray or brownish ; brittle ; will strike fire with steel ; unal- tered by heat or acids ; gravity 7, — being nearly as heavy as lead-ore. Value. — The only ore of tin, containing seventy-nine per cent. No gold-mine ever THE MINERALS TREATED. 77 paid such profits as the tin mines of Corn- wall. Localities. — Jackson, N. H. ; Temes- cal, Cal. ; Boonville, Idaho ; near Fred- ericktown, Mo. 73. — Topaz. Occurs in crystals ; glassy lustre ; brit- tle ; scratches rock-crystal ; not acted up- on by ordinary heat or acids ; gravity 3.5. Value. — A gem ; the most esteemed are the rose-red and white. Localities. — Found in granite. Trum- bull, Willimantic and Middletown, Conn.; Crowder's Mountain, N. C. ; Thomas's Mountains, Utah. 74. — Tourmaline. Occurs in crystals, usually in long, slen- der three-sided prisms which break easily , glassy lustre ; brittle ; becomes milk-white by heat; scratches rock-crystal and gar- net; gravity 3. Value. — Used for jewelry. Localities. — Found in granite rocks. Paris, Albany and Hebron, Me.; Chester- % ?8 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. field and Goshen, Mass. ; Newlin and Marple, Pa. 75. — Variegated Copper Ore. Occurs in crystals and masses ; metal- lic lustre ; quickly tarnishes ; color be- tween copper-red and light-brown ; pow- der pale grayish-black ; dissolves in nitric acid ; at a high heat melts to a copper globule ; heated on charcoal gives off fumes of sulphur ; gravity 5. Value. — An important ore of copper yielding sixty per cent. Localities. — Found in granite, free- stone, etc., with other ores. Bristol and Cheshire, Conn.; Mahoopeny, Pa.; Cop- oer Mines of N. J. 76. — Wad. Occurs in masses ; earthy and loose ; can be broken by the fingers, and soils ; no lustre ; melted with borax makes a vio- let glass ; feels very light. Value — Used in bleaching and for making smalt. THE MINERALS TREATED. 79 Localities. — Found in low places, gen- erally in the vicinity of slate or iron ore beds. Warren, Vt.; Blue Hill, Hodgdon and Thomaston, Me. ; Columbia and Duchess Counties, Austerlitz, Canaan Centre and Martinsburg, N. Y. ; East Bradford and White Marsh, Pa. ; Mine la Motte, Mo. 77- — WlLLEMITE. Occurs in crystals and masses ; feeble lustre ; brittle ; can hardly be cut with a knife ; sometimes scratches glass ; makes a jelly in muriatic acid ; gravity 4. Value. — Contains seventy per cent, of zinc. Localities. — Found in limestone with zincite. Franklin and Sterling, N. J. 78. — Zincite. Occurs in foliated masses or grains , powder orange-yellow ; brittle ; dissolves in acids without effervescence ; gravity 5-5- Value. — Yields seventy-five per cent, of zinc. 8o UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Localities. — Found in limestone with Franklinite> Garnet, etc. Sterling Hill and Mine Hill, N. J. c^^-^^y. %, 9lr lH CHAPTER IV. PROSPECTING FOR DIAMONDS, GOLD, SIL- VER, COPPER, LEAD AND IRON. MINERAL RICHES, HOW DISCOVERED — INDICATIONS — SEARCHING FOR DIAMONDS, AND HOW TO DISTIN- GUISH THEM — PAYING LOCALITIES OF GOLD — " FOOL'S GOLD" — PROSPECTING FOR SILVER AND COPPER — WHERE TO LOOK FOR LEAD AND IRON. HE mineral riches of a country are frequently discovered by at- tentively observing the fragments brought down by the action of water from the hills into the valleys ; and on tracing these to their several sources, the veins from which they were originally detached, are in many instances found. Water also acts in another way a very im- portant part in the discovery of mineral veins, as by closely examining the faces of the different gullies and ravines, which intersect a country, a ready means is af- forded of ascertaining whether its strata rflr 82 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. are traversed by metalliferous deposits ; and, therefore, in exploring with a view to its mineral productions, no opportunity should be lost of observing the various sections thus naturally laid bare. When fragments of an ore are found on a hill-side, it is very evident that the vein must lie higher up. If the vein is hori- zontal and the fragments are found on the top of the hill, there is no probability of finding much if any of the vein, for gener- ally it has been washed away. Ore-veins, however, are almost always nearly verti- cal ; so that boring is of little use, as it might pass by the richest vein, or, striking it lengthwise, give a too favorable result. As heavy minerals do not drift far, metals are always found near their source. Horizontal beds can be worked at the least cost. Pockets and nodules, or any detached masses of minerals, are soon exhausted. Veins, lodes and beds are most valu- able. 45TQ <^* SEARCHING FOR DIAMONDS. 83 Boring a three-inch hole, which costs about $1 a foot, is a good method of test- ing a mineral vein or bed which lies more or less horizontally. A shaft may be sunk in sandstone for from $6 to $3 per cubic yard ; in slate and gravel, at from $2 to $1. The existence of mineral springs, and the rapid melting of the snow in any local- ity, are no indications of ores. Searching for Diamonds. — Few things are so unpromising and unattrac- tive as gems in their native state. Hence their slow discovery. There is little doubt that diamonds exist in many places as yet unknown, or where their presence is un- suspected. It is very difficult for the un- practiced eye to distinguish them from crystals of quartz or topaz. The color constitutes the main difficulty in detecting their presence. They are of various shades of yellowish brown, green, blue and rose- red, and thus closely resemble the com- mon gravel by which they are surrounded. > 6 84 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Often they are not unlike a lump of gum arabic, neither brilliant nor transparent. The finest, however, are colorless, and ap- pear like rock-crystals. In Brazil, where great numbers of dia- monds, chiefly of small size, have been discovered, the method of searching for them is to wash the sand of certain rivers in a manner precisely similar to that em- ployed in the gold fields, namely, by pros- pecting pans. A shovelful of earth is thrown into the pan, which is then im- mersed in water, and gently moved about. As the washing goes on, the pebbles, dirt and sand are removed, and the pan then contains about a pint of thin mud. Great caution is now observed, and ultimately there remains only a small quantity of sand. The diamonds and particles of gold, if present, sink to the bottom, being heav- ier, and are selected and removed by the practiced fingers of the operator. But how shall the gems be detected by one who has had no experience, and who in a jew- «*n DETECTING DIAMONDS. 85 eler's shop could not separate them from quartz or French paste ? The difficulty can only be overcome by testing such stones as may be suspected to be precious. Let these be tried by the very sure op- eration of attempting to cut with their sharp corners glass, crystal or quartz. When too minute to be held between the finger and thumb, the specimens may be pressed into the end of a stick of hard wood and run along the surface of window glass. A diamond will make its mark, and cause, too, a ready fracture in the line over which it has traveled. It will also easily scratch rock-crystal, as no other crystal will. But a more certain and peculiar charac- teristic of the diamond lies in the form of its crystals. The ruby and topaz will scratch quartz, but no mineral which will scratch quartz has the curved edges of the diamond. In small crystals this peculiar- ity can be seen only by means of a magni- fying glass ; but it is invariably present. 86 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Interrupted, convex or rounded angles, are sure indications of genuineness. Quartz crystal is surrounded by six faces ; the diamond by four. The diamond breaks with difficulty ; and hence a test some- times used is to place the specimen be- tween two hard bodies, as a couple of coins, and force them together with the hands. Such a pressure will crush a particle of quartz, but the diamond will only indent the metal. The value of the diamond is estimated by the carat, which is equal to about four grains, and the value increases rapidly with its weight. If a small, rough dia- mond weigh four grains, its value is about $10 ; if eight grains, $40; if sixteen grains, $640. A cut diamond of one carat is worth from $50 to $100. The imperfections of the diamond, and, in fact, of all cut gems, are made visible by putting them into oil of cassia, when the slightest flaw will be seen. -TJX) VALUATION OF DIAMONDS. 87 A diamond weighing ten carats is "princely;" but not one in ten thousand weighs so much. If a rough diamond resemble a drop of clear spring water, in the middle of which you perceive a strong light ; or if it has a rough coat, so that you can hardly see through it, but white, and as if made rough by art, yet clear of flaws or veins ; or, if the coat be smooth and bright, with a tinct- ure of green in it, — it is a good stone. If it has a milky cast, or a yellowish-green coat, b:ware of it. Rough diamonds with a greenish crust are the most limpid when cut. Diamonds are found in loose pebbly earth, along with gold, a little way below the surface, towards the lower outlet of broad valleys, rather than upon the ridges of the adjoining hills. Searching for Gold. — The paying lo- calities of gold deposits are the slopes of the Rocky and Alleghany Mountains. Gold need not be looked for in the anthra- 88 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. cite and bituminous coal-fields nor in lime- stone rock. It is seldom found in the beds of rivers. The thing itself is the surest indication of its existence. If soil or sand is "washed" as described in Chapter V., and the particles of gold are not heavy enough to remain at the bottom but float away, the bed will not pay. Along streams rather high up among the mountains, and in the gravelly drift covering the slopes of the valley below, are the best prospects. Where the stream meets an obstacle in its path or makes a bend or has deep holes, there we may look for " pockets " of gold. Black or red sands are usually richest. Gold-bearing rock is a slate or granite abounding in rusty look- ing quartz veins, the latter containing iron pyrites or cavities. Almost all iron py- rites and silver ores, may be worked for gold. When the quartz veins are thin and numerous rather than massive, and lie near the surface, they are considered most profitable. Few veins can be worked with H SEARCHING FOR SILVER. 89 profit very far down. As traces of gold may be found almost everywhere, no one should indulge in speculation before calcu- lating the percentage and the cost of ex- traction. Gold-hunting, after all, is a lot- tery with more blanks than prizes. The substances most frequently mis- taken for gold are iron pyrites, copper py- rites and mica. The precious metal is easily distinguished from these by its mal- leability (flattening under the hammer) and its great weight, sinking rapidly in water. Searching for Silver. — This metal is usually found with lead ore and native copper. Slates and sandstones intersected by igneous rocks as trap and porphyry, are good localities. Pure silver is often found in or near iron ores and the dark brown zinc blende. The Colorado silver lodes are porous at the surface and colored more or less red or green. Any rock suspected of containing silver should be powdered and dissolved in nitric acid. *K 90 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. Pour off the liquid and add to it a solu- tion of salt. If a white powder falls to the bottom which upon exposure turns black, there is silver in it. Silver mines increase in value as in depth, whereas gold diminishes as we descend. Searching for Copper. — The copper ores, after exposure, or after being dipped in vinegar, are almost invariably green on the surface. They are most abundant near trap dykes. The pyrites is generally found in lead mines, and in granite and clay-slate. Copper very rarely occurs in the new formations, as along the Atlantic and Gulf borders, and in the Mississippi Valley south of Cairo. Searching for Lead. — Lead is seldom discovered in the surface soil. It is also in vain to look for it in the coal region and along the coast. It must be sought in steep hills, in limestone and slate rocks. A surface cut by frequent ravines or cov- ered by vegetation in lines, indicates min- eral crevices. The galena from the slate SEARCHING FOR IRON. 91 is said to contain more silver than that from the limestone. The purest speci- mens of galena are poorest in silver ; the small veins are richest in the more pre- cious metal A lead vein is thickest in limestone, thinner in sandstone and thin- nest in slate. Searching for Iron. — Any heavy min- eral of a black, brown, red or yellow color may be suspected to be iron. To prove it, dissolve some in oil of vitriol and pour in an infusion of nut-gall or oak-bark ; if it turns black, iron is present. If a ton of rich magnetic ore costs more than $4 at the furnace, good hematite more than $3, and poor ores more than $1.50 or $2, they are too expensive to pay, unless iron is unusually high. Deep mining for iron is not profitable. Generally speaking, a bed of good iron ore, a foot thick, will repay the cost of stripping it of soil, etc., twelve feet thick. Red and yellow earths, called ochres, contain iron. Magnetic ore is easily found by a compass f3r CHAPTER V. ASSAY OF ORES. WHEN AN ORE WILL PAY — WASHING FOR GOLD AND PLATINUM — HOW TO ASSAY GOLD IN THE SIMPLEST WAY — TO TEST ANY ROCK FOR GOLD AND SILVER — TO FIND THE PURITY OF GOLD — TO DETECT AND ASSAY SILVER ORES — ASSAY OF COPPER, IRON, ZINC, TIN AND LEAD ORES — READY METHOD OF TESTING GRAPHITE. NE of the first questions asked after the discovery of a metallic ore, is — " will it pay ? " We pro- pose to state in plain words a method of determining the character and value of the principal ores, so that any in- telligent man, however unscientific, may answer his own question. The chemical analysis or exact assaying of ores is too complicated, and must be left to profes- sional assayers. "Will it pay?" is an important query; for many ores of even precious metals, are PAYING ORES. 93 not "paying." Whether an ore is profit- able depends not so much upon the rela- tive value of the metal as upon the ease of separating it from the rock or "gangue" as it is called. Thus the minimum per- centage of metal, below which the working of the ore ceases to be profitable is — Of Iron, . . .25 per cent. Zinc, ... 20 Lead, ... 20 " Antimony, . . 20 Copper, . . .02 Tin, . . . 01 i Quicksilver, . . 01 " Silver, . . . iVrr Platinum, . . -nroTnr Gold, . . • Too oTTo" That is, an ore of iron which contains less than 25 per cent, of metal will not pay for working ; for the reduction of iron in comparison with copper ore is very dif- ficult. Gold is very easily extracted, and hence some quartz rocks which do not ap- parently contain a particle of gold, pay jfcr 94 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. well, a bushel of rock often yielding half an ounce. Iron occurs in large masses or beds ; but the other metals are scattered in fragments through sand or soil, or exist in veins running through rocks. Washing for Gold and Platinum. — This operation, called "panning," is the oldest and simplest method of extracting the precious metals. At the present time, it furnishes to Russia nearly all the gold produced in that empire. It is based on the principle that substances of different weights may be separated by means of water, — the heaviest going to the bottom first. To examine the bank or bed of a river, suspected to contain gold, fill a milk- pan with the sands and carry it to a tub or pool of quiet water. Dip it under, stirring the mass with one hand or a stick. Then pour off the muddy water, fill with fresh water stirring again, and again pour off the light sand, clay, etc. Scales of gold will sink fast ; mica flakes will take their time. WASHING FOR GOLD. 95 Repeat this process till all the fine parti- cles are washed off; then allow just enough water to enter the pan as will cover the sand. By shaking the pan and gradually lowering the side by which it is held, the light sand will flow off, leaving in the cor- ner a heap of coarse sand. Put in a small quantity of water and turn the pan around so as to create a gentle current, when the precious metal, if there be any, can be easily detected, — the gold by its bright lustre, the platinum by its lead color, and both by their malleability. Particles of gold are of uniform color and are either flat or rounded ; while other yellow grains are angular. Holding the pan in the sun- shine, secure any glittering glassy crystals, and test them for diamonds or rock-crys- tals. A magnet will remove any particles of magnetic iron-ore. Assay of Gold Ore. — Gold may be found in quartz rock, in iron and copper pyrites, and in silver ores. To ascertain if any gold is present in g6 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. quartz, reduce the rock to powder and sift it. A certain quantity, say half a peck, is then washed as above described, till a man- ageable quantity of sand is left. If there is any show of gold, dry the mass and put it in a bowl or glass dish, and add an ounce of quicksilver, stirring the mixture well with a wooden rod. The quicksilver, which will unite with every particle of gold which may be there, is then poured off into a soft leather (chamois) bag. This is squeezed to remove superfluous quicksilver, and a pasty amalgam is left, which is put into an iron vessel and heated red hot. The yel- low powder remaining is mixed with salt- petre and melted, when a button of pure gold will be found in the crucible. Quartz ores should yield $6 to the ton in order to pay. To test pyrites for gold, reduce a given quantity to powder and wash as before ; then roast the residue at a red heat. Upon cooling, add quicksilver and treat as just TESTING FOR GOLD. 97 described. Pyrites should yield $i of gold to the bushel of ore to be profitable. Native silver often contains gold. To separate them, carefully flatten the alloy with a smooth hammer on an anvil, and then boil it in strong nitric acid in a glass flask for about ten minutes. Carefully pour off the acid into a vial, and wash the powder in the flask (which is fine gold) with water and dry. To the liquid in the vial add a solution of common salt. The white powder which falls should be re- moved, washed with water, and fused with powdered chalk or iron filings ; a button of pure silver is the result. Any substance supposed to be or to con- tain gold may be tested by dissolving it powdered in aqua regia and then pouring in a solution of copperas ; if there is gold, the reddish-brown precipitate, by rubbing, assumes a bright metallic lustre. To tell whether a globule of silver has any gold in it, put it on a white porcelain dish and moisten it with a drop of nitric 98 UNDERGROUND TREASURES. acid : if it is pure silver, it will dissolve and retain its white color ; if mixed with gold, it will soon turn gray or black. To test the purity of gold, rub some of it off on a hard black flint slate, and apply to the mark a drop of aqua fortis. If the gold is pure, the yellow streak re- mains unchanged, but if alloyed it partly disappears ; if it is only an imitation of gold, it vanishes altogether. A ready method of rinding the amount of gold in a quartz rock with considerable accuracy, is by taking the specific gravity of the rock (well cleaned) as given on page 13. If the gravity is not over 2.7, it con- tains little or no gold. If it is 3, it very likely is gold-bearing, although pyrites may be present. But if it is over 5, it is undoubtedly auriferous, and if 12, it is very rich in gold. It is generally considered that the sand of any river is worth working for the gold it contains, provided it will yield twenty-four grains to the hundred weight.