101 



In close proximity to the Lindale Moor is the Whitriggs Mine, 

 and to this the same remarks apply. There is nothing to indicate 

 with certainty the presence of ore. The search is made by driving 

 a heading across the apparent run of deposits, which is N.W. and 

 S.E., so that if there be ore it can scarcely be missed. Yet in 

 driving these headings, cases have arisen in which ore has been 

 discovered in veins of from only two to six inches wide, and there- 

 fore neglected ; and then perhaps years afterwards, when further 

 exploration has been made, large masses of ore have been found 

 on one or other side of the original drift, and have been missed 

 simply by a few feet. 



The Whitriggs Mine, and the runs of ore in connection there- 

 with, and which cover many hundred acres, are still in working, 

 and hitherto no bottom has been found to the ore. The only 

 pecuUarity of the mine is that the ore is found nearest to the 

 surface at the N.W., and deepest at the S.E. 



Leaving Whitriggs, we traverse to the S.W. a country in which 

 the occurrence of ore is very irregular, and the mineral itself of 

 little value, until we reach a place called Mousell, where we come 

 upon one of the most remarkable phenomena of the district. Here 

 the ore is apparently of a different formation, and is found in the 

 limestone rock in holes of the form of a half-globe, with the 

 convex side downwards, and these pots are covered simply with 

 sand, and what is called "pinnel," and with other gravelly matter. 

 In most cases the limestone surrounding these pots is on every 

 side perfectly free from any stain of ore. The Mousell district is 

 small, being only about two hundred acres in extent, and yet has 

 produced ore to the amount of several millions of tons. Large 

 quantities have been found so near the surface that, when some 

 five to fifteen feet of gravel has been removed, the ore has been 

 extracted by open quarrying. 



In direct line from Mousell we come to the great mines 

 of the district — Park and Roanhead. The slate rock makes 

 a sharp turn, throwing in a kind of wedge between Mousell 

 and Park. Round the edge of this point indications of iron ore 

 exist universally ; and in one point there is a great mass of hme- 



