72 The Apatite Deposits of Canada. 



and has been abandoned in turn, not from any failure in the 

 supply, but because the mineral could be got with less trouble 

 and cost at a new opening on the surface near by. 



These conditions are scarcelychanged when miners, without capi- 

 tal, and unprovided with machinery for hoisting or for pumping, 

 are engaged, as has often been the case, to extract the mineral 

 at a fixed price per ton. These, haying no interest in the future 

 of the mine, will work where they can get the material with the 

 least expenditure of time and labor, and often will quit the 

 opening for some one which is more advantageous. The yery 

 abundance and the yalue of the mineral mined has thus led to 

 its careless, wasteful, and unskilful exploitation. It is the 

 working of these causes, in the way just explained, which has 

 thrown undeseryed discredit on this mining industry, and more 

 eyen than the injudicious schemes of speculators and stock- 

 jobbers, has retarded its legitimate growth. 



It is evident that the proper development of these deposits 

 will require regular and scientific mining in place of the crude 

 plan of open pits and trenches, which, from causes already 

 explained, has hitherto, with few exceptions, been followed. As 

 a basis for calculation in mining, it becomes necessary to establish 

 some data as to the production and the value of the apatite- 

 layers which we have described. The specific gravity of the 

 mineral, as deduced from many specimens of massive Canadian 

 apatite, is from 3.14 to 3.24. If we assume 3.20, this will give 

 for the weight of a cubic foot of apatite almost exactly 200 

 pounds. A fathom of ground, carrying a bed or vein of apatite 

 one foot in thickness, will thus contain thirty-six cubic feet, or 

 7200 pounds of apatite ; equal to a little over three and one-fifth 

 tons of 2240 pounds each. Allowing the fractional portion 

 equal to nearly seven per cent., for loss in mining (it will be 

 noted that coarse and finely-broken apatite are equally merchant- 

 able . we shall have as the net product of a layer of apatite for 

 a fathom of ground mined, three gross tons for each foot in 

 thickness. 



The apatite of these deposits is generally greenish in color, 

 often clear sea-green, but more rarely reddish brown in tint. 

 The massive varieties are sometimes coarsely crystalline and 

 cleavable, but sometimes finely granular, The veins often yield 

 crystals of large size. 



