Capps Mine, Crown Mountain, Lumpkin County, Georgia, USAi

Regional Level Types
Capps Mine	Mine
Crown Mountain	Mountain
Lumpkin County	County
Georgia	State
USA	Country

The Capps mine, lot 890, 12th district, joins the Bowen lot, on its west side. The same gold belts, the yellow and black schistose saprolites, which pass through the Crown Mountain and Bowen properties, continue on through the Capps lot. The mine lies on the north side of Findley Ridge, near its top. It consists principally of an open cut, about 150 feet long and 100 feet wide, at the surface, and about 40 feet deep, on its north, or lower, side. The longitudinal axis of the cut is N. 50° E., approximately in the direction of the trend of the belts, the ore deposits dipping under the large dike. Lying next to the dike, is a yellow belt, about twenty feet wide; while, adjoining this, on the south, is the black belt, about 60 feet wide, which is regarded as the principal gold producer of the property. Nevertheless, all the material, taken from the cut, has been put through the mill, the ore, rich and lean, being reported to average $2.00 per ton, on the mill. In the south side of the cut, about fifteen feet from its bottom, a short tunnel is driven into the black slates on a large vein, said to have considerable value. The ore of this vein, which is known as the twelve-foot vein, consists of saccharoidal quartz, impregnated with considerable auriferous pyrite; and it is said to assay as high as $40.00 in gold per ton, and to mill $3.00 per ton, on the ordinary stamp-mill. This vein has been opened, at different points along its outcrop, for at least zoo feet. At the time of Mr. McCallie's visit to the property the veins were not in such condition, that samples for assay could be taken.

About 400 feet southeast of the vein just described, is another, two feet thick, and of about the same external character. The upper part of this vein, where it occurs in the saprolite, with its pyrite decomposed, is said to yield fourteen dollars per ton on the mill; but, below water-level, where the pyrite is unaltered and the assay values, greater, the mill returns are much less.

In addition to the large cut, there are several shafts on the property, from ten to forty feet deep, which are largely prospect shafts.

The history of this mine can be briefly told. It was first worked for gold in 1840, by a man by the name of Capps, who erected on the property a small wooden stamp-mill, having three stamps, run by horse-power. Mr. Capps continued work, for about two years; and the work is said to have paid. From this time to 1885, nothing further seems to have been done on the property. Messrs. Ingersoll and TenBrock, who are mentioned above, as owners of the Bowen lot, erected an iron 10-stamp mill in the valley near the foot of the ridge, and began work, running the mill with water from the Hand ditch, and using an overshot-wheel. The property had then, long since, passed out of the hands of its original owner; and it was a part of the Martin estate, when Messrs. Ingersoll and TenBrock purchased it, with the Bowen lot, from Mr. Beverly Martin. These gentlemen operated the mine, for a few months, making the large open cut above described.