330 CENTRAL MINERAL REGION OF TEXAS. 



if it had all been understanding^ applied. The amount actually expended in 

 unnecessary work in one investigation would have given a fair knowledge of 

 the economic value of a vast area, had it been used in a different manner. 

 That this is not idle talk, but hard business sense, is proved by the fact that 

 the writer has already bee.n able in several instances to predict accurately the 

 results of explorations in advance of the work, simply from his familiarity 

 with the geologic structure, as outlined in the first part of this Report. 



Having, it is believed, given such a statement of the geologic history as 

 will enable interested parties to determine from personal observations what 

 conditions exist in given localitities, it will be the object of this part of the 

 Report to treat the subject from the economic standpoint. For this purpose 

 main headings, grouping together the resources of each class, will be used, 

 the individual substances being arranged alphabetically under the different 

 heads. 



I. PRECIOUS METALS. 



The Central Mineral Region has not taken a position among the producers 

 of the precious metals, and there are now no mines for which any claim is 

 made that marketable gold or silver ore can be taken in profitable quantity. 



Nevertheless, there have been numerous workings in various districts, and 

 several parties are still at work upon what they seem to regard as fair "pros- 

 pects." There can be no doubt that specimens and even small working lots 

 of gold and silver ores have been taken from certain localities, and the geo- 

 logical structure and the nature of the rocks in some districts are at least not 

 indicative of the absence of these metals. But this is far from saying that 

 such ores are abundant or workable with profit. All the facts known to the 

 writer are embodied in the special report on each metal below. 



1. GOLD. 



There are several possible sources of gold in this region, and much care has 

 therefore been taken to secure fair tests of the different materials. Wherever 

 there has been reason to suspect the presence of this metal, and in many cases 

 where its absence has been almost certain, samples have been taken and assays 

 of the different kinds have been freely made. 



The rocks which would be most liable to carry gold are: 



1. The various dykes, veins, and masses of quartz which lie in the courses 

 of the several uplifts. 



2. The veinstones of different character which fill numerous fissures, es- 

 pecially those bearing north, northwest, and between north and northeast. 



3. The streaks and pockets of pyrite and other metallic minerals which 



