456 Hubbard — Antimony Mines of Shiu Chow. 



Mr. S. P. Chen became interested in this locality and 

 began digging to find the ore in place. Several prospect 

 pits and a shaft 25 feet deep were made. Ore was f onnd 

 in most of them in float, and still more was fonnd in the 

 stream beds, especially after rainy seasons. Finally, 

 when prospecting had shown the more favorable course 

 to pursue, a horizontal tunnel was directed straight into 

 the hill from a point well up, but believed to be safely 

 below the source of the ores. Before this tunnel was 

 extended 100 feet, it struck the stibnite body in the lime- 

 stone. The ore body is at least 3 or 4 feet thick, seems 

 to be nearly perpendicular, though it probably dips with 

 the rocks, hence 80° to 85° eastward. 



The distribution of the float ore indicates that the vein 

 of ore runs more or less continuously along the top of the 

 limestone beds and below the shales. This contact seems 

 especially favorable for ore deposition. The author sug- 

 gests that the deposits may have been put in place as a 

 vein before the folding occurred, or in part a replacement 

 accumulation in the limestone, and that the less pervious 

 beds of the shales above may have prevented the waters 

 from rising higher and thus localized the deposition of 

 the ore. No igneous rock could be found in the vicinity, 

 and inquiry of the operator and others brought the uni- 

 versal testimony, "No granite; all limestone, shale and 

 sandstone." In the impregnated limestone occur occa- 

 sional little clusters of tiny pyrite crystals. 



Toward the top, the vein is weathered, and the 

 weathered products of stibnite occur. The only primary 

 ore is this sulphide of antimony; the weathered ores are 

 rarely stained more than a tint, confirming the belief in 

 the absence of pyrite. 



Some 12 to 13 miles south to southwest of these works, 

 the float ore has also been found and followed up by the 

 same exploiter, but so far, no primary deposits have been 

 found. These finds are along the same limestone beds, 

 but 7 or 8 miles south of Shiu Chow. 



In its intimate associations, the ore varies from almost 

 pure stibnite to stibnite and calcite gangue with only 

 small per cents of the sulphide. The mixed ore is very 

 pretty, for the calcite is coarse-grained, crystalline, and 

 nearly clear, and is thrust through in every direction by 

 the prismatic crystals of shiny metallic stibnite. The 

 best stibnite ore runs about 65% antimony. Pure stib- 



