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OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 279 
ton-rods, bars for wire drawing, &c.—would bear the cost of transportation, and would not mate- 
rially increase the cost of production. 
I have shown that the ores are of excellent quality—a practical proof of this is presented in the 
fact that all the castings, hollow ware, &c. are made from the metal, as it comes from the high fur- 
nace—there being not a single air furnace or cupola for the purpose in the State; and I have 
already stated that the brown ore iron is puddled from the pig. 
All the ores lie side by side in great abundance, together with lime, fire-stone, and fire-clay of 
good quality. The labor is as cheap, if not cheaper than elsewhere, so that it is not easy to see 
what elements of success are wanting. 
Extraction oF GoLp FROM THE OREs. 
The gangue in which the precious metal is contained, in South Carolina, consists of: 1. Com- 
pact quartz and hornstone; 2. 'Talcose slates ; 3. Oxide of iron, sometimes in striated cubic crys- 
tals, derived from pyrites; 4. Iron pynites. 
There is but little known of the processes used in working gold eeea the United States, beyond 
the immediate vicinity of the mines. ‘They are, in general, very rude, and perhaps for this reason, 
have excited but little attention, and have received less improvement. With a view of supplying this 
deficiency I have prepared sketches of the principal implements in actual use, in the hope of direct- 
ing the attention of the ingenious inventors of machinery to the subject. The value of gold is so 
great that a very slight diminution of the waste would soon repay an immense cost in the ma- 
chinery producing the saving. It is proper, however, to state that the loss is quite as much due to 
rude construction and bad management, as to any inherent defect in the machines used. 
In deposit mines no grinding is resorted to: the gold is collected by separating it from the gravel, 
&c. The grains are larger than in the gold from the veins, probably because the finer particles 
have been carried away by the water. The simplest instrument in use for separating the gold 
is the common frying-pan, without handle. It is filled with the gravel, sand, &c. containing the 
gold, placed in water, and, by a pecniliar circular and alternating motion, the gravel, &c. is thrown 
out, whilst the precious metal sinks to the bottom, by its greater specific gravity ; and this is con- 
tinued till all but the gold passes off. Excepting in very rich deposits, this method is not practiced 
to any extent. But as a means of testing the richness of a deposit, or the value of an ore, in the 
hands of a skilful manipulator, there is no test more reliable than that furnished by this simple 
instrument; and hence it is always in the hands of the gold-miner, whether he would trace up a 
vein, or know its value, when found. 
Next to this, in simplicity, is the common rocker, 
(Fig. 41.) A portion of the auriferous matter, with 
some water, is placed in this, with one or two pounds 
of mercury; the machine is rocked backwards and 
forwards, until it is supposed that all the gold is taken 
by the mereury, when the other materials are thrown 
off, by a peculiar motion, not easily described, leaving 
the amalgam in the rocker, The amalgam is strain- 
