METALS AND THEIR ORES. 43 



with those in the east part of the town. There are other cross cuts in the No. i mine 

 confirming the truth of the continuity oft he vein, and, by inference, its probable extent 

 indefinitely in both directions. At present a large body of ore is in sight near the 

 twenty fathoms level, and it is being rapidly brought to the surface. The good ore 

 occupies a width of from four to six feet. Quite recently Capt. Bennett has discovered 

 along the foot wall a vein of silver-lead, referred to above. This is more extensive 

 and persistent at the twenty than at the ten fathoms level, being often ten inches in 

 width, with the quartz gangue included. Zinc blende or blackjack had been noticed 

 before as an occasional product, but it is now found to accompany the galena, the 

 latter increasing with the depth. The discovery is of great importance, as it may 

 lead to the development of silver mining along the mountain. The copper vein 

 is composed of grayish-white quartz, much harder than the greenish schists adjacent. 

 Similar veins occur in the other mining properties on the range, some of which may 

 be the continuation of this. The map shows at least six parallel veins upon this 

 property. One is characterized by the grayish-white quartz present ; another exhibits 

 more of a slaty aspect, as at No. 2 ; a third is a mass of pyrrhotite. The others are 

 intermediate in character between the first two mentioned. The third is known as the 

 mundic vein, and has been followed for more than a mile along the east foot of the 

 mountains. It is slightly cupreous, and may prove to be richly so at a considerable 

 depth, if it resembles similar veins in other metalliferous districts. The amount of ore 

 produced from the No. i shaft previous to 1874 is thought to have amounted to 300 tons. 

 Much more than that has been taken out since ; but I understand the aim has been to 

 develop the mine, to learn the extent of the veins, rather than to raise a large amount 

 of ore. A road has been built to connect both the shafts with the mill, a mile and 

 a half distant. 



At the No. 2 shaft the adit is now 90 feet long, and the veins at the surface over- 

 head have been extensively uncovered. A mos.t interesting feature is the existence of 

 a small cross vein, cutting the strata two feet wide where thickest, and uncovered for 

 eighty feet up the mountain. It contains more copper than the regular vein. Possibly 

 it may extend to join a vein about 170 feet further up the mountain, and but slightly 

 exploited. This and the galena vein on top of the mountain are the only cross veins 

 yet discovered, but as time progresses others will be discovered much larger and more 

 important than these. From these, we may conclude that these copper beds are 

 properly fissure lodes, though so commonly conformable to the stratification, and 

 therefore more highly esteemed. At one visit I saw about 150 tons of dressed ore near 

 the mouth of the adit thought to average 6 per cent, of copper present. It was found 

 that this ore would roast much more quickly than that occurring in the Vermont mines, 

 as at Vershire and Strafford. They differ also in containing an excess of silica rather 

 than iron. For similar reasons, one accustomed to estimate the percentage of copper 

 in the Vermont ores will be inclined to undervalue the worth of the New Hampshire 

 product. 



Concentration of Ores. It may be well to anticipate the proper order 



