66o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



In the absence of these archaeological landmarks, there are 

 other signs scarcely less unmistakable. On exposure to the atmos- 

 phere the feldspar is decomposed, the potash being washed out, 

 and the kaolin left as an insoluble residue. If this be followed 

 up, it is pretty sure to lead to mica, but one can not, of course, 

 predict to what sort of mica. 



In most cases the mining has been decidedly incidental in its 

 character, and has been abandoned as soon as water was reached, 

 or as soon as the yield of mica ceased to be immediately profit- 

 able. Other mines have had quite a history. Perhaps the most 

 famous of the Carolina mines is the Clarissa, near Bakersville. 

 It was opened soon after the Sink-hole, and is said to have pro- 

 duced more mica than all the other mines in the county com- 

 bined. Its output is reckoned up in hundreds of thousands of 

 dollars. The vein is from four to twelve feet thick, with an aver- 

 age of about six. It has been followed to a depth of over three 

 hundred feet. The mine is now idle and full of water, although 

 men who know it say that there is as much mica there as ever. 



With labor at seventy-five cents a day, the primitive methods 

 of mining are the more profitable. Steam drills have been intro- 

 duced in a number of the mines, but have proved less economical 

 than hand drilling. I do not know that the relation is strictly 

 that of cause and effect, but their introduction has generally been 

 followed by the closing of the mine. When the vein stuff has 

 been blown down, it is an easy matter to separate the blocks of 

 mica from the feldspar and quartz. When once obtained they 

 are jealously guarded, for a clear block of mica of good size rep- 

 resents a value of many dollars. Each mine has its strong-room, 

 solidly built of logs and constantly kept under lock and key. 

 These blocks of mica are in the shape of rough hexagonal prisms 

 (monoclinic), and if of any thickness are quite opaque. They 

 vary in color from silver-gray and green to a rich, almost ruby 

 brown. This last is known as " rum " mica, and sometimes com- 

 mands an extra price. 



The mica is seldom prepared for market at the mine itself, but 

 is taken to a conveniently located glass-house. This generally 

 means a transportation of several miles. Frequently the mines 

 are on steep mountain-sides, and are only connected with the out- 

 side world by the roughest sort of trails. In this case the mica 

 is "packed" down the mountain on the backs of men to the 

 wagon-road in the valley below. 



At the glass-house the mica is put into shape for shipment. 

 The blocks vary greatly in size. One from the Wiseman mine, 

 near Spruce Pine, is reported to have been six feet long by three 

 wide. Pieces a yard in diameter have been obtained at the Ray 

 mine, in Yancey County, and similarly large plates have been 



