94 JOURNAL OF THE 



and shipped. As most of the mines lie from 20 to 30 miles 

 from rail, the haulage aeross country is costly. A railroad now 

 being surveyed down the Toe River, between Mitchell and 

 Yancey counties, will give an outlet north via the East Tennes- 

 see, Virginia & Georgia Railroad, and south via the Richmond 

 & Danville (Western North Carolina Division), or the Charles- 

 ton, Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad, now building. I approach 

 the subject of the yield of cut mica from block mica with some 

 hesitation. Cut mica is the only product of a mica mine that 

 is sold on a commercial scale. It determines the value of the 

 mine. So much depends on the quality of the blocks and of the 

 rough sheets, whether they are stained, or cloudy, or flawey, or 

 striated, so much depends on the skill of the scriber, and other 

 local conditions that what is here said is to be taken as applica- 

 ble to average conditions. 



On the average, therefore, 100 pounds of block mica should 

 yield from 10 pounds to 12 pounds of cut mica. Instances are 

 not unknown where the yield has fallen to 5 per eent. ; it has 

 risen at some mines to 33 per cent., and once to 75 per cent. 

 This last yield is very far above the average, and has been ob- 

 tained only once, so far as I know. With the general average 

 of block mica a 12 per cent, yield in cut mica is considered a 

 fair return. These 12 pounds will vary in value according to 

 the quality and size of the patterns, the highest price being $4 

 per pound, the average price being not far from $1.75. 



A 12 per cent, yield with these figures will give an average 

 value of $21 per 100 pounds of block mica, or $420 per ton of 

 2,000 pounds. That the business has been profitable may be 

 realized bv remembering as stated already in this article, that 

 in 1880 there was invested in North Carolina mica mines 86,900, 

 and the value of their product was $61,675. As was remarked 

 then, I cannot say whether these figures are correct or not. One 

 may be allowed one's own opinion, and some would say it is too 

 good to be true. It has been stated that in the Carolinas the 

 mica is more apt to have a twisted structure and to be stained 

 or cloudy than the New Hampshire mica. This could be known 



