Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-07-12
Rail Road from Philadelphia 10 the Susque-


responder, Of the u. S. Gazette, over the ,gns~
ture ga Traveller :"
"Josrrn r. CHANDLER, Esq.-In little tour
which recently made through Po,tsyille, a.
cross the mountain to Sunbury. and Tor some
distance 10 the north byench Of the Susquehan-
ma, was fprcibIy struck with the beneficial e-
frc,s of the tariff Of fsf2 Two years ago, I
made similar tour, when bustffess Of every
kind was entirely paraIizsj particularly the IL
ron busincss-very few u the ivrpsccs beipg
then in blast. Now, in the little town of Dau-
Vile, the re ara several furnaces IN scccessfhl
operation, turning out large quantities q pig
iron every week. And am told they have ad-
vertised for proposals to furnish them with two
hundred thousand tons OF coal, for their opera
tions the CO ming year. In fact, believe one
company, "The Danville Iron Company" have
alone done this without including the other uon
works.
Men OF experience in the business say, that
pig iron can he made with anthracite coal at
cost of not more than l5 to II dollars per ton.
1t now brings in Philadelphia, believe, from
81 to 36 dollars per ton.
! This cost Of production is that of works on the
Schuykill and Susquehanna rivers. These
furnaces give employment To large number Of
laborers. who consume the agricultural products
ot the farmer, and create home market of con.
siderable magnitude.
! At Danvie there are now being erected, and
nearly completed, rolling mills of the largest
class, with all the fixtures and appliances for
making rail road iron of the heaviest kind,
which will vastly increase the consumption OF
coal, and give employment; 10 great number OF
additional hands These rolling mills are be-
ing bnt by tie "Danville Iron Company and
are estimated to cost, when finished, about lO0,-
600. So far, am informed, the profits OF their
furnace has paid the expense Of the rolling mills.
And if iron continues short time longer TO
bring present prices, the profits oi the furnace
will pay the cost OF the rolling mills and do this
as fast as the workmcn can progress was
told Yesterday by n gentleman Jlrec, from Dan.
vile, that the profits pig iron of the "Dan-
Vile Iron Company" averaged five thousand
dollars per week. | was surprised to learn the
fact, this extensive iron company was con,po.
Sod of citizens from other States who will make
prncely fortune in few years, without the
shadow Of a doubt. Where are Pennsylvania
capitalists! why do they neglect to profit by the
: great mineral wealth OF our mountain regions
when little capital and enterprise, properly
employed, would yield such large returns, com.
. ! ,ly r;s
The district of country lying between Potts
, vile and Sunbury is one Of vast interest, OH ac.
count OF It's amoS inexhaustiblc mineral produce
d, tons Here anthracite coal OF the first quality,
and iron ore OF a superior kind, in the noun.
+ tain side by side ! took occasion to VIII, Locust
= Ga? narrow valley made by the passage of
Locust creek through the Locust mountain cut.
K ting it To its very bnse. II looks a. if the hand
t Of nature had taken a slice ou, Of the mountain,
n To let the creek pass through. Here is body
n of coal, the magnitude of which had no conccp-
tion before saw it. The coal veins on the tw D
e ends of the mountain are indicated by depres-
l. sions OF something like one, two and three feet
u below the adjoining surface Of the overlaying
enced miners informed me that these deprcs.
sions are sure evidence that they overay the
=. coal veins, which in many places near the base
- OF the mountain, were entirely denu1ed by the
overthrow of large pine trees, which had been
r. blown down some short time before. AT one
. place, | think there was at least half ton OF
,e coal lying in the creek, that had followed the
downfall ofa large pine tree. The valley, and
I'd for one fourth way up the mountain, is covered
IN no, appear Ia be more than from two 10 five fee
of earth covering the coal, even at the base o
T. the mountain-of course il is less and less IN,
- higher you ascend. Iron ore is said to aboun,
y here side by side with the coal measures, ma
! king this one of the most advantageous Of loca
tions for building furnaces and other iron works
= all the materials for making iron being elthe
" on the ground or near by; iron ore and coal or
the ground, and lime stone near bv Locus
creek isa considerable stream, sufficiently larg,
=, for saw mills and other manufacturing purposes
f. | should think-having great fall, its powe
m could be made doubly available.
q. | was informed few days ago by n gentle
man Of Snnbury, that rhe"Dsnville Iron Com
on pany" had lately tested the coal from Locus
OF Gap, and pronounced i, superior to any they hsv
'" used This region Uhat is Locus, Gap and tn
region round abouO is, in my humble opinion