smith]  QUARTZ    VEINS    IN    MAINE    AND    VERMONT.  85 
economic  value  of  the  veins  can  be  determined  only  by  assays  of  samples 
which  fairly  represent  the  vein  or  such  portions  of  the  vein  as  must  be 
mined  and  milled.  The  management  of  the  property  is  wise  in  not 
having  had  mill  construction  precede  the  underground  prospecting. 
The  erection  of  a  quartz  mill  is  not  necessarily  indicative  of  the  value 
of  a  mining  property. 
In  the  town  of  Pittston,  Kennebec  County,  Me.,  prospecting  for 
gold  veins  has  been  carried  on  for  many  years.  A  visit  was  made  to 
the  property  locally  termed  the  u  Pittston  gold  mine,"  which  is  about 
3  miles  east  of  Kennebec  River.  The  development  work  here  is  in 
pegmatitic  veins,  sheets,  and  masses  in  the  mica-schist  of  the  region. 
At  some  places  in  the  schist  traces  of  sulphide  are  seen,  but  in  the 
pegmatite  there  is  little  evidence  of  any  minerals  other  than  the 
quartz,  feldspar,  and  mica  commonly  found  in  pegmatite.  Gold  is 
said  to  have  been  found  in  the  quartz,  and  a  quartz  mill  was  erected 
several  years  ago  on  the  shore  of  Nehumkeag  Pond,  about  1  mile  from 
this  property,  and  some  of  the  ore  was  treated.  It  does  not  appear 
probable  that  the  work  was  profitable.  For  the  purpose  of  having  an 
assay  made  by  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  chemists,  a  sample 
was  collected  from  the  principal  opening  in  the  pegmatite.  Acting 
upon  the  advice  of  the  owners  in  the  collection  of  this  sample,  the 
quartz  was  selected  as  far  as  possible.  The  sample  was  thus  in  reality 
a  picked  sample,  yet  the  assay  showed  no  traces  of  either  gold  or  silver. 
These  results,  therefore,  do  not  appear  to  justify  further  development 
of  this  pegmatite  in  the  hope  of  its  having  value  as  a  gold  ore. 
VERMONT. 
In  southern  Vermont  there  has  been  some  interest  of  late  years  in 
'gold  mining.  One  of  the  localities  concerning  which  much  has  been 
published  in  the  local  press  is  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the 
State,  next  to  the  Massachusetts  line.  This  excitement  has  so  far  sub- 
sided this  past  year  that  little  comment  is  necessary.  The  search  for 
gold  in  the  town  of  Reads boro  dates  back  about  twent}^  years,  when 
the  finding  of  a  small  nugget  of  gold  led  to  the  location  of  a  vein 
reported  to  be  of  economic  value.  A  few  years  ago  the  interest  was 
revived  and  prospecting  encouraged  by  the  results  of  assays  which 
appear  to  have  been,  to  say  the  least,  of  doubtful  accuracy.  Ores 
claimed  to  carry  values  of  $30  to  $40  were  found  to  yield  less  than  one- 
tenth  that  amount  by  assays  conducted  at  a  distance  by  reputable 
assay ers.  The  influence  of  disturbing  local  conditions  was  illustrated 
by  an  assay  of  a  bit  of  grindstone  which  is  said  to  have  yielded  over 
$25  in  gold  to  the  ton.  It  was  not  thought  necessary  to  visit  this 
listrict. 
Another  district,   farther  north,  which  seemed  more  deserving  of 
