John Williams

“ Their downward direction is seldom quite vertical; there is however a species of vein having also an east and west direction which is never metalliferous, but consists generally of clay; this vein is for the most part found to take a course under-ground much less approaching the perpendicular than the metalliferous veins. This variation from the perpendicular in an east and west vein, whether it be towards the north or south, is called the underlie, and when its direction or dip is opposed to that of the metalliferous vein, it mostly, disturbs the direction of the latter. ”

“ It is not perhaps hazarding too much, to presume that a knowledge of what occurs, even to the limited depth to which the Cornish veins are followed, may be found to throw some light on a branch of science which is yet involved in considerable obscurity, but it is to be lamented that facts have not hitherto been sufficiently attended to with a view to their preservation. The object of the miner is the most expeditious manner of arriving at gain ”

“ The underlie of the tin vein is towards the south, 2 feet in every fathom, that of the copper vein is towards the north, 4 feet in a fathom, so that the horizontal distance between them at the surface being 31 fathoms, they would have come in contact at the depth of about 31 fathoms, but for the intervention of the flucan vein on the south of the copper vein. ”

“ Both the tin and copper veins have been traced for about a mile in length.
The two slides which run parallel with the metalliferous veins afforded no trace of either copper or tin. The northernmost of the two is from 4 to 12 inches wide; the southernmost from 2 to 3 inches. They were found to consist wholly of an argillaceous 3 clay, called by the miner flucan. These veins, as will hereafters seen, notwithstanding their poverty, were one principal cause of the remarkable incidents attending this mine. ”