Agricola, Georgius
,
De re metallica
,
1912/1950
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again I could furnish examples of each kind of stringers rejected by the
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common miners which have proved good, but I know this could be of little
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or no benefit to posterity.</
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<
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>If the miners find no stringers or veins in the hangingwall or footwall of
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the main vein, and if they do not find much ore, it is not worth while to
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undertake the labour of sinking another shaft. </
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<
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>Nor ought a shaft to be sunk
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where a vein is divided into two or three parts, unless the indications are
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satisfactory that those parts may be united and joined together a little later.
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<
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>Further, it is a bad indication for a vein rich in mineral to bend and turn
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hither and thither, for unless it goes down again into the ground vertically or
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inclined, as it first began, it produces no more metal; and even though it
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does go down again, it often continues barren. </
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<
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>Stringers which in their
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outcrops bear metals, often disappoint miners, no metal being found in depth.
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</
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<
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>Further, inverted seams in the rocks are counted among the bad indications.</
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<
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>The miners hew out the whole of solid veins when they show clear evidence
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of being of good quality; similarly they hew out the drusy
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4
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veins,
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especially if the cavities are plainly seen to have formerly borne metal, or
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if the cavities are few and small. </
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<
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>They do not dig barren veins through
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which water flows, if there are no metallic particles showing; occasionally,
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however, they dig even barren veins which are free from water, because
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of the pyrites which is devoid of all metal, or because of a fine black soft
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substance which is like wool. </
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<
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>They dig stringers which are rich in metal,
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or sometimes, for the purpose of searching for the vein, those that are devoid
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of ore which lie near the hangingwall or footwall of the main vein. </
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<
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>This
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then, generally speaking, is the mode of dealing with stringers and veins.</
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<
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>Let us now consider the metallic material which is found in the
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canales
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of
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venae profundae, venae dilatatae,
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and
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venae cumulatae,
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being in all these
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either cohesive and continuous, or scattered and dispersed among them,
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or swelling out in bellying shapes, or found in veins or stringers which
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originate from the main vein and ramify like branches; but these latter veins
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and stringers are very short, for after a little space they do not appear again.
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</
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<
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>If we come across a small quantity of metallic material it is an indication;
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but if a large quantity, it is not an “indication,” but the very thing for
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which we explore the earth. </
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<
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>As soon as a miner who searches for veins
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discovers pure metal or minerals, or rich metallic material, or a great
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abundance of material which is poor in metal, let him sink a shaft on the
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spot without any delay. </
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<
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>If the material appears more abundant or of better
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quality on the one side, he will incline his digging in that direction.</
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<
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>Gold, silver, copper, and quicksilver are often found native
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5
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; less
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often iron and bismuth; almost never tin and lead. </
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>
<
s
>Nevertheless tin-stone
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is not far removed from the pure white tin which is melted out of them, and
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galena, from which lead is obtained, differs little from that metal itself.</
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<
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>Now we may classify gold ores. </
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>
<
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>Next after native gold, we come to the
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</
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</
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</
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</
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</
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