Kinahan — On Irish Metal Mining. 313 



In the Mineral Channel sonth of the Ballygahan portion of the 

 lode there were Standing veins of coppery ore ; but as these were 

 followed westward they joined into the South lode of Ballymur- 

 tagh. These coppery lodes for the most part are worked out. 



In the county immediately north of Ballymurtagh and Bally- 

 gahan there are a great many small veins of sulphur-ore, with a 

 few of lead. Yarious trials have been made on the sulphur-ore 

 lodes, none of which are of good promise ; but some of the lead 

 lodes seem to have been worked by the " Old Men." 



Westward of Ballymurtagh, in Upper Ballygahan, Killeagh, 

 and Ballymoneen there are various traces and small veins, on 

 which numerous trials have been made without success, looking 

 for the continuation of the mineral channel in the strikes of the 

 Ballymurtagh lodes, as the Ballymurtagh lodes, seem to become 

 poor, as if they approach a left-hand heave ; the trials seemingly 

 ought to have been made more to the south, in the townland of 

 Ballinapark. 



Farther south-west are the South West Ovoca, or Knock- 

 namohill Mines, including the portions of the Channel in Bally- 

 moneen, Ballinapark, and Knocknamohill. Here there also seems 

 to be both North and South lodes. The gossan, or iron back of 

 the first was extensively worked in the Chamney times ; and in 

 late years a large " parcel," of ore, was raised to the east, in 

 Ballymoneen (" Hodgeson's shaft"). The ore was rich, giving 

 75 units of iron ; but when worked the iron was " cold short." 

 Mr. W. E. Adeney, Analytical Chemist, Eoyal College ©f Science, 

 who has lately analysed the ore, states : — " The fact of its going 

 cold short was due to the phosphoric acid ; but by the method of 

 Gilchrist now employed, phosphoric acid is no detriment ; on the 

 contrary, in ores that contain little silica, as this one does, phos- 

 phoric acid is an advantage, and, I think, this ore might be tried 

 by Gilchrist's method with great success." 



In these townlands the lode under its iron back (gossan) does 

 not appear to have been broken, and the nature of the minerals is 

 unknown, A shallow level, apparently to drain the Iron Mining, 

 was driven up northward from the mearing of Ballinapark. The 

 •Channel and lode to the westward is cut off in Knocknamohill by 

 &, fault. 



The south lode appears to have been unknown to the " Old 



