iVKED.J  GOLD    VEINS    NEAK    GREAT    EALLS,'   MARYLAND.  131 
the  west  disclosed  a  second  vein,  on  which  a  few  feet  of  drifting  has 
been  done. 
All  the  work  so  far  done  on  this  property  has  been  merely  to  ascer- 
tain the  nature  and  extent  of  the  veins.  It  is  limited  in  depth  by 
water,  and  therefore  does  not  penetrate  to  the  zone  of  unaltered  sul- 
phides below  ground- water  level.  That  the  gold  is  partly  free  and 
partly  in  the  pyrite  is,  however,  certain  from  the  developments  at  the 
Maryland  mine,  which  is  on  a  vein  crossing  this  property.  This  is 
also  in  accord  with  the  almost  universal  experience  throughout  the 
Piedmont  belt.  The  veins  are  all  nearly  parallel,  and  their  approxi- 
mately north-south  course  and  west  dip  conform  closely  to  the  schis- 
tosity  of  the  inclosing  rocks. 
The  rocks  in  which  these  veins  occur  are  deeply  altered  by  surface 
lecomposition,  and  good  exposures  are  rare.     In  the  road  cuttings 
nd  along  the  small  stream  courses  the  schists  are  seen  to  be  thinly 
olded  and  to  present  little  variety  in  character.     In  the  river  chan- 
lel  excellent  rock  exposures  are  found,  but  these  lie  Avest  of  the  veins. 
The  veins  are  normal,  consisting  of  sheared,  thinly  fissile,  sericitic 
chist  carrying  much  quartz  in  minute  particles  and  in  large  and 
mall  lenses,  the  latter  of  white,  vitreous,  crystalline  quartz.     The 
re  above  water  level  contains  coarse  free  gold,  mostly  in  the  limonite 
ft  by  the  decomposition  of  pyrite  crystals,  but  in  part  also  in  clay 
lvages,  especially  in  the  casing  of  the  large  quartz  streaks.     As  a 
ale  the  coarse,  honeycombed  quartz  and  quartzitic  schist  is  the  rich- 
t  ore.     The  veins  occur  in  what  might  be  called  a  mineralized  zone 
thousand  feet  or  more  in  width.     This  zone  lies  directly  north  of 
nd  in  line  with  a  diabase  dike  traceable  for  many  miles  southward 
ito  Virginia. 
It  is  evident  that  the  veins  lie  along  a  pronounced  and  extensive 
ne  of  fracturing.  The  character  of  the  Assuring  and  the  fact  that 
ime  of  the  veins  of  this  district  are  traceable  for  long  distances  in- 
nate deep  fracturing  and  probable  continuity  of  vein  for  consider  - 
>le  depth.  Whether  payable  values  will  be  found  to  extend  down 
ard  can  not  be  foretold,  although  the  development  in  the  Maryland 
ine  shows  that  high-grade  sulphide  ores  do  continue  downward  for 
me  distance  beneath  ground-water  level.  The  tests  so  far  made 
)on  the  sulphide  ores  show  that  the  pyrite  carries  some  free  gold, 
t  that  a  large  part  of  the  value  is  locked  up  in  the  sulphide.  Con- 
trates  made  by  crushing  up  some  of  the  pyritized  schist  in  a 
rtar  and  panning  by  hand  yielded  $8  to  $60  per  ton  in  gold. 
thing  has  yet  been  developed  below  wTater  level  in  the  Anderson 
operty,  and  it  is  therefore  impossible  to  say  whether  the  numerous 
shoots  exposed  on  the  veins  of  this  property  will  prove  as  rich 
ow  the  water  level  as  that  of  the  Maryland  mine,  or  will  become 
