102 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI StUDIES 



Stripping is used. Hydraulic methods of concentration have been 

 tried, but have been unsuccessful because sufficient water has 

 not been available to remove the clay and other materials. It has 

 been reported that a steam shovel has been unsuccessfully tried, 

 but the writer has not learned at what place. In some of the old- 

 est workings, as those near Potosi and Old Mines, the debris 

 thrown back by the early lead miners is now being thoroly 

 searched for barite. 



Preparation of the barite. — The miner usually spreads the 

 freshly mined barite out on some boards or the ground. Here it 

 is allowed to dry for a few hours to a few days. During this 

 process, the very plastic clay shrinks and cracks to such an ex- 

 tent as to be easily loosened from the barite. The barite is then 

 put in a rattler and given a thoro shaking. This removes the 

 clay and also screens the barite so that the small material, usually 

 that which will pass thru a hole one inch in diameter, is separated 

 from the coarser pieces. 



When the barite has quartz or limonite (or rarely pyrite) 

 adhering to it, they are removed by hand with the aid of a small 

 hatchet-like tool. Too much quartz and limonite adhering to the 

 barite renders mining unprofitable. 



After cleaning the barite, it is placed in stock piles until it 

 can be hauled away. Since the teams usually belong to farmers, 

 this is when the farmer is relieved of his regular duties, altho 

 some men haul the year around. Thousands of tons accumulate 

 in the summer at the local merchants' places of business, especi- 

 ally at the country stores, where they take the barite in exchange 

 for other commodities. The barite is hauled to the railroad in 

 the slack seasons, as noted above. In winter, the roads are very 

 bad and only small loads can be hauled. In one locality, the 

 writer counted twelve nearly parallel roads, the result of attempts 

 on the part of drivers to avoid the deep mud. 



The price for digging and hauling varies according to the 

 distance from the railroads. Near Potosi, the miners were get- 

 ting $4.00 a ton on company land, while on Hazel Creek, with 

 about a 25-mile haul, the owner received from $1.50 to $1.75 per 

 ton, the remainder going to the hauler. The rate for hauling 

 from Richwoods to De Soto is $3.00 to $3.50 a ton. When the 



