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Crystalline. —A rock, the structure of which has been altered into an aggre¬ 
gation of small crystals. 
Cube Ore. —Pliarmacosiderite. Arseniate of iron, olive green, and occurs in 
cubes. 
Cupriferous.—C ontaining copper. 
Cut. — T o drive to or across a lode. 
Cutters. —Joints or cracks which cut across the strike of the lode or country. 
Dam. —A barrier to keep back air or water. 
Damp. —Q-ases in a mine, as choke damp, which extinguishes a flame, and 
fire damp, which explodes when brought in contact with a naked light. 
Dan.—A tub or truck without wheels, but on runners. 
Day. —That part of a mine where daylight penetrates. 
Dead Ground. — T hat part of the lode where there is no ore. 
Dead Work. —The development of a mine when no ore is being raised. 
Deads. —Refuse from a mine not containing ore. 
Dean. —End of a drive. 
Debris. —Loose pieces of stone or decomposed rock. 
Deceminated. — Scattered through a substance. 
Decrepitate. — To crackle and fly to pieces when heated. 
Dendrite. — A moss-like appearance, occurring on the surface of fissures 
and joints in rocks. 
Denudation. — The wearing away of rocks by the action of the weather or 
streams. 
Derrick. -A pulley fixed on a scaffolding over a shaft, the kibble or cage 
being drawn up by a horse or a winding engine. 
Detritus. — Accumulations arising from the disintegration of rocks. 
Devil’s Dice. — Cubes of brown iron ore, pseudomorphs of pyrites found in 
alluvial workings. 
Dial. —A form of compass used in surveying mines. 
Diaphanous. — The power possessed by a substance to transmitting light. 
Diluvium. —As opposed to alluvium ; used to denote deposits formed by 
powerful aqueous agencies, as floods, Ac. 
Diorite. —An intrusive rock often called greenstone. 
Dip. —The inclination of the strata or lode from the horizontal. 
Dirt. — The auriferous gravel, wash, or pay dirt. 
Disk. — The projecting plate on a stamp shaft caught by the cam. 
Dish. — An iron pan used for washing dirt in. 
Disintegration. — The breaking up of solid matter. 
Divining Rod.— A “ Y ” shaped hazel rod, by the aid of which some persons 
profess to be able to tell where minerals and water lie below the surface by 
a process of divination. * 
Dolerite. —A variety of basalt, called also bluestone. 
Dolly. — To break up quartz with a piece of wood shod with iron in order to 
be able to wash out the gofd. 
Dolomite. — M agnesian limestone. 
Donk.—C layey or earthy matter found in cross veins. 
Dowsing Rod.—A “ V ” shaped twig used for finding water or mineral. 
Dress. — To sort ore. 
Drift. —Loose alluvial deposit. A level or drive in a mine. 
