the map will show the position of such runs, better than any verbal description. The direction of the veins is very variable throughout Derbyshire, though in each locality there is usually a tendency for the rakes to run parallel ;* nor can any general rule be laid down concerning the distribution of the ores of the different metals.† The Ores. Lead and Silver.-The commonest ore of lead is galena (sulphide of lead). The proportion of silver ranges from 2 to 4 oz. per ton, and is therefore too small for profitable extraction, except in the manufacture of white lead, to the colour of which its presence would be detrimental.‡ The greatest yield of silver in one year (since the commencement of the publication of the Annual Mineral Statistics) occurred in 1859, and amounted to 3,0CO ozs., the yield of lead-ore in that year being 10,929 tons; but of late years no return of silver has been made. A remarkable exception occurred in the case of the Balls-eye Mine, near Bonsal, thus described by Short:§-"The richest part whereof yet discovered was Balls-eye, which was a natural Grotto formerly filled with Ore, even so high, that above Bonsal Brook it reached within a Yard of the Day. This Ore, tho' none of the beautifullest (being of a blackish dusky colour) yet was the richest in the Neighbourhood, for each Fudder of it on refining afforded about twenty Ounces of good Silver [a fudder of lead is 22 cwt.] . . . . . This Ore was so full of Sulphur, that in Smelting, a blue Flame of a Hand breadth thick stood over it The more Silver is in the Ore, the more Sulphur it contains." Farey (op. cit., vol. 1, p. 407) alludes to the yield of silver by this mine. This, however, was an exceptional case, and the staple produce of the Derbyshire mines was galena. Many of the deposits proved to be extraordinarily rich, though in most cases there is little but tradition as to the amount actually raised. Such information as has been obtained will be given in the description of the mines. The next most abundant ore of lead is the "White Ore," "Wheatstone," cerussite, or carbonate of lead. It is found in crystals lining cavities in galena, but has been mined in bulk of late years at Newhaven. It is still worked by "hillockers" in the White Rake on Tideswell Moor, and was formerly got in the White Mine and many others near Brassington, in the Hubberdale Pipe, and at Wirksworth, Winster, and Calver. This ore appears in most cases to have resulted from the decomposition of a vein of galena. De la Beche remarks ¶ that in the *In the miner's words, " to keep their distance." † Such as the rule which holds good over a large part of Flintshire, viz., that the east and west veins contain lead and zinc ores with silver in paying quantities, the north and south veins lead without silver or zinc, but with traces of copper. See Geology of the Coasts adjoining Rhyl, Abergele, and Colwyn (Geol. Survey Memoir). Lead and Lead Mining in Derbyshire, by A. H. Stokes. Chesterfield and Derbyshire Inst. Min. Civ. and Mech. Eng., 1880, p. 74. § The History of the Mineral Waters of Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire, by Thomas Short, M.D., 4to., London, 1734, p. 73, footnote. "Within a few years past the miners of Derbyshire have discovered a white lead ore, which was previously taken for a useless spar, and was either left in the mines or buried in the old hillocks, from which very considerable quantities of white ore have since been extracted." Farey, op. cit., vol. i., p. 355. ¶ Geological Observer, p. 692. "refuse of the Derbyshire mines, some of which may reach back to about 1700 years, ... the small pieces of sulphuret of lead are found wholly changed to carbonate, and the larger pieces are thickly coated with the same substance . . . . A further illustration of this kind of alteration is to be found in those cases where pieces of sulphuret of lead are distributed in marl or loam . . . . as, for example, at a mine named the Green Linnets, near Brassington, where pieces of lead ore appearing to have been detached from some neighbouring vein . are found. The fragments of sulphuret are sometimes wholly, at others partially concreted into a crystalline carbonate of lead. Similar illustrations of changes into the phosphate are also to be well observed at the same mine." He notes also that at a mine in the Long Tor, Matlock, crystals of the sulphide of lead have been found completely replaced by the carbonate. The White Ore in the mine near Newhaven (p. 163) occurred in a pocket in the limestone, filled with white and purple clay and sand, in a situation therefore in which it must have been fully exposed to the action of percolating water for a long period, certainly from pre-glacial times. Brown lead-ore, or "linnets "(mimetite, arseniophosphate of lead), green lead-ore (pyromorphite), and yellow lead-ore (phosgenite) are also found, but the two last, merely as cabinet specimens. A muriate of lead also is described by Klaproth (Phil. Mag., vol. xvii., p. 86, 1803) and Matlockite, or oxychloride of lead from the Level Mine, Cromford, by Greg (Phil. Mag., Ser. 4, vol. ii., p. 120). 66 An antimoniated ore of lead is said to have occurred at Eyam and Ashover. Pilkington writes, a large mass of lead ore partly solid, and partly antimoniated, with several veins of petroleum running thro' it was found in the Gregory Mine, Ashover."† Zinc.-The ores of this metal (blende, Black Jack, or Mock Ore, the sulphide of zinc, and calamine or the carbonate of zinc) have occurred in considerable abundance in connexion with the lead-ores in some of the veins, but hitherto it has not been found possible to lay down any law as to their distribution. Pilkington writes of calamine in 1789, "a century ago the miners were entirely ignorant of its properties and value. It is not twenty years since its use in the composition of brass was made a secret in this country the chief places where it has been discovered, are Castleton, Cromford, Bonsal, and Wirksworth." We are informed by Bishop Watson§ that in 1781 about 1,500 tons of calamine were raised annually in Derbyshire, though 60 years previously the yield had not amounted to 40 tons. In 1789, according to Pilkington, about 500 tons were collected annually from the several places. At the present time an insignificant quantity of zinc-ore is collected by "hillockers." Farey gives a list of the mines where zinc-ores have occurred, the localities ranging over a large part of the lead-mining area; they will be noticed in the description of the mines. The calamine was roasted at Cromford and Bonsal (op. cit., vol. 1, p. 406). Prof. E. D. Clarke records the presence of cadmium in a silicate of zinc from Derbyshire. Native zinc is stated by Pilkington to have been found in a cavity in calamine at Bonsal.¶ *A. H. Stokes, op. cit., p. 23. † A View of the Present State of Derbyshire, p. 184. Ann. Phil., vol. xv., p. 272, 1820. ¶ Op. cit., p. 191. It is probable that the zinc was deposited originally in the form of blende entirely, and that the calamine has resulted from the decomposi tion of this ore. Pilkington noticed that it occurred with the crystalline form of "dog-tooth" calc-spar (op. cit., p. 191), and Whitehurst added this observation, "I have seen many instances of dog-tooth spar being so uniformly incrusted by calamine as to preserve the crystalline figure of the spar. I have likewise seen many instances of the spar thus incrusted, being wholly or only in part decomposed and replaced by calamine, still retaining the exterior figure of the spar."* He adds that the veins in the lordship of Cromford abound with calamine and not with spar, and lead is frequently found enclosed in the calamine. Mawe records alsof that he has "seen fragments of calcareous spar, coated with calamine: a sufficient proof of the recent formation of the latter." It seldom, on the other hand, coats fluor-spar. The carbonate of zinc, like that of lead, is usually found in situations where it must have been exposed to the action of water, namely, near the surface in rakes, or in pipes and loose places. The observations quoted above show that the blende was not only decomposed, but underwent re-distribution in the vein, being taken off in solution from the decomposing blende, to replace carbonate of lime elsewhere. *Inquiry into the Original State and Formation of the Earth, 1792, p. 229. Note on the Cross Rake in Matlock High Tor. † The Mineralogy of Derbyshire, 8vo., London, 1802, p. 98. CHAPTER XI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE MINES. In referring in detail to the various mines, it will be convenient to take them in geographical order from north to south. It may be mentioned that they are almost all abandoned, and the workings inaccessible. The information concerning them has therefore been obtained from such of the managers or working miners as are left in the country, and in some instances from plans. To this has been added the descriptions of the mines given by old writers on Derbyshire. Castleton. The Odin Mine has been previously referred to as being, by repute, one of the oldest in the county. The vein runs W. 10° S., with a slight hade to the south. The displacement of the beds, however, if any exists, must have been nearly horizontal, as shown by the direction of the slickenside on the walls. The vein, running nearly, but not quite along the strike of the beds, starts in limestone at the east end (where it has been "cut out to-day," and is still open), and passes westwards under the Yoredale Shale. It was worked in Mawe's timet by levels driven in westwards for more than a mile; the vein varied in width from eight feet to hardly more than four inches, and yielded lead-ore in great quantities with blende, caulk, fluor-spar, selenite, and bitumen. Native sulphur occurred here according to Pilkington.‡ The ore and spar of this mine showed a peculiar property. When one of the surfaces, possessing the grooving and polish known as slickenside, was pierced with a pick, it rent with violence, and exploded with a crackling noise. Mawe relates that he saw a man "when he came out of the mine, only a few minutes after the explosion, who, regardless of the danger, had pierced the sides of this substance, and who was much hurt, and cut violently, as if stabbed about the neck and other places with a chisel."† The same phenomena have been noticed in some of the Eyam mines (p. 137, footnote), and the Gang Mine (p. 150, footnote). More recently a shaft was sunk on the east side of the high road to a depth of 50 fathoms, and a water-level driven to it from Tricket Bridge, in Castleton. This water-level was carried to a point in the vein 1,250 yards west of this shaft. A line of hillocks, however, points to there having been an old water-level leading down to the brook near Peaks The surface evidence would seem to point to a small downthrow north (p. 41 and Fig. 12, p. 45). + Mineralogy of Derbyshire, 1802, p. 46. A View of the Present State of Derbyshire, 1789, p. 174. Farey (op. cit., p. 264) confirms the statement. hill, about 700 yards further west again. But there is no evidence of the vein having been found, the cover of shale being probably very considerable. The Speedwell Level was driven southwards from the foot of Long Cliff in the expectation of intersecting the various rakes which range a little south of west through this hill. It runs at a height of about 700 feet above the sea, while the ground under which it is driven, and where the veins have been worked on surface, rises to between 1,300 and 1,400 feet above the sea. It was anticipated therefore that there would be from 100 to 200 yards in height of each vein rendered workable by the level. The veins, taken in order southwards, are the Long Cliff, the Faucet (or Foreside), the New Rake, and the Dirtlow Rake. The level was driven at the rate of about a fathom a week, at a cost of 51. a fathom.* In 1777, according to Bray,† 500 yards had been completed, and 400 yards remained to be done. In 1789, according to Pilkington, it was nearly completed. After passing some small veins of spar, believed to be the Long Cliff and the Faucet Rakes, the level reached the New Rake at 750 yards distance from the entrance. The rake consisted of a wide rib of spar, but at the point where the level intersected it, had been completely hollowed out, leaving a narrow but very lofty cavern, extending upwards, probably to near the surface of the ground,§ and slanting downwards towards the east further than it can be followed on account of water. The level was driven a further distance of about 600 yards southwards from the New Rake, without, however, any advantage resulting. The rubbish, estimated at about 40,000 tons, was thrown into the chasm in the New Rake without any visible effect. It may be mentioned that if the distances given above (viz., 750 and 600 yards) are correct, the southern end of the level must be about 100 yards short of the Dirtlow Rake. The level has long been used solely as an object of attraction to visitors. The Red Seats Vein runs east and west at the foot of the limestone hill on the east of Castleton. It has been worked up to the surface, and has yielded much blende as well as galena. The Kitle End Vein, running into it from the south-east, has yielded much calamine of late years. The Red Seats Vein may be seen also, with another parallel vein, in the entrance to Peak Cavern. These two are said to be continuous with the Long Cliff and Faucet Rakes. The powerful vein known as the Dirtlow Rake has been worked from Pindale to Oxlow End, a distance of three miles, in a general direction W. 35° S., with an underlie south. At the east end it was worked under the Yoredale Shale in the Pindale or Ashton's Mine. The shaft was about 50 fathoms deep, with a water-level at 13 fathoms in the shale. A light grey or greenish variety of the toadstone (or channel) was * Camden's Britannia, 1806, p. 434. †Tour into Derbyshire, &c., 1783, p. 218. View of the Present State of Derbyshire, 1789, p. 126. There are many great swallow-holes and such places along the course of the New Rake, marking probably the sites of other underground hollows, the roofs of which have collapsed. It should be mentioned that the cavern is alluded to by old writers as Faucet Cavern. If, however, the rakes were named to me correctly it must have been in the New Rake as described. |