E.E. Smith Mine, Alexandria, Grafton County, New Hampshire, USAi

Regional Level Types
E.E. Smith Mine	Mine
Alexandria	Township
Grafton County	County
New Hampshire	State
USA	Country

The E. E. Smith mica mines are on the east spur of Hutchins Hill, 2.2 miles N. 75° W. of Alexandria village. From the village, take the road that leads past Tenney School up the valley of Patten Brook; at 1.9 miles from Alexandria, a graded dirt and gravel road turns right; follow this for 0.8 mile to the mines.

The property is said to be owned partly by the town of Alexandria, partly by an individual. The upper mine, once known as the Bullock mine, was opened prior to 1941. E. E. Smith, Canaan, leased the property in December 1941, and operated it until August 1944. Early in 1942, pegmatite was discovered lower down the hill. Another mine was opened and operated intermittently until November 1944. In 1943, a third pegmatite lying between the two mines was prospected.

The main working at the upper mine is an opencut 105 feet long, 14 to 35 feet wide, and 12 to 35 feet deep. Near the entrance to the cut, a pit-now flooded-leads into a high narrow stope. The floor of the stope is at an altitude of approximately 1,562 feet. The north end of the stope, when last examined, in July 1944, was 63 feet north of the north edge of the flooded pit. Two smaller opencuts are shown on the map north of the mine, and north of the area mapped there are shallow pits scattered along what is probably the extension of the pegmatite worked in the mine.

The lower mine consists of a cut 145 feet long, 6 to 23 feet wide, and 4 to 30 feet deep, that is open except for a pillar near the north end. A crosscut near the southwest end leads to the dump. In April 1945, four inclines extended steeply downward to the west from the floor of the cut. The inclines were flooded, but they are probably not more than 25 feet deep. The cut crosses the bed of a small brook, and inflow of water has hampered operations considerably.