72 COEUNDUM IN THE UNITED STATES. [bull. 180. 
NORTH CAROLINA. 
While corundum has been known to occur in quantity in this 
State for over thirty years, emery has until recently only been known 
from one locality, and here the quantity was not apparently sufficient 
to be worthy of any development. This deposit has been described 
by Genth 1 as occurring at the McChristian place, 7 miles south of 
Friendship, Guilford County. 
During the past few. years emery has been found in Macon County 
in what appears to be considerable quantity. Nothing definite can 
be stated regarding the rock in which it occurs, as it is greatly decom- 
posed as far as it has been exposed by the excavations. It does have, 
however, very much the appearance of a decomposed basic magne- 
sian rock. There are a number of small outcrops of this saprolitic 
rock about 5 miles southwest of Franklin, the county seat, and emery 
in varying quantity occurs at all of them. 
These outcrops, as far as could be judged, are isolated and in no 
way connected with one another. They are lenticular in form and 
but a few hundred feet wide, the longer axis being sometimes two or 
three times this. While the general direction of the strike of these 
outcrops is nearly the same, they are not in even an approximate line 
as regards one another. For nearly 15 miles south of these and fol- 
lowing the valley of the Little Tennessee River small isolated outcrops 
of peridotite are numerous. The country rock through which these 
have forced their way is a hornblende-gneiss. 
Considerable mining was done two years ago by Dr. JI. 8. Lucas, 
of Franklin, at the Fairview mine near North Skeener Gap, about a 
hundred tons of ore having been taken out and cleaned. The vein 
has been tapped at intervals for a distance of nearly 200 feet, good 
emery being encountered at each opening. All the work done was 
near the summit of Fairview Knob. 
One mile N. 25° W. of the Fairview mine, on the southwest slopes 
of Dobson Mountain, another opening has been made for emery in an 
outcrop of the same rock on the land of J. A. Waldroop. A vein of 
emery ore was uncovered here that was 15 feet wide. No mining has 
been done here, all the work being in the nature of prospecting. 
Emery has been found in similar outcrops on the lands of William 
Mann, three-fourths of a mile south, and of James Ledford, one and 
one-fourth miles S. 30° E. of the Fairview mine. 
Preliminary fire tests were made upon the cleaned product of this 
ore, which proved it to be well adapted for use in the manufacture of 
the vitrified wheel. 
METHODS OF MINING CORUNDUM, 
In considering the methods used in mining corundum, it must be 
borne in mind that up to the present time it has been obtained in quan- 
Bull. U. S. Geo!. Survey No. 7i. 1891, )>. 30. 
