The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-07

- t~S ~ oSeu us O080 OU OOtu sues OF tn(
river and where they wsrs from thrss and hsI
70 four miles wide. From other sources of infor
mation have no doubt Of their greater extension
ooth IN length and width But, if we take tn,
length 70 be bu, 30 miles, and the mean width a
tnree and half miles, TOE haze an area If one hun
dred and foe square miles.
The thickness Of several of the veins. the learn
ed professor stated. None that he examined were
less than six feet. Some were Of greater thick
ness, and, In some localities, two or three veins
were found underlying each other. Now, IL We
estimate the to be underIaid with only one
VEN, and that vein to be only six feet thick, this
estimate would give for the solid cubic quantity in
the ground six millions Of tons to the square mile.
Making allowance of one-ifth for waste and
faults the whole available amount would be five
millions of tons to the square mile, or SOS mil
lions Of tons for the entire coal Of Deep Riv-
er. The coal is of three kinds, the highly btu
minous, the semi-bituminous and the pure an
thracite, and each kind has been shown by ana
lysis to be among the best coal Of its class. In
quality ofcoas the fields of Deep river are umsur-
passed. in paristy unequaiied by any location in the
United States IN quantity, as far as regards all
practical purposes, equal to any other. To mine
the coal of Deep river ut the rate of two millions
ftons a year would occupy 262 years, and at
the rate Of three millions Of ions year IT'S years
The remaining question is, what are the means
and cost Of transportation to market The means
Of transportation are through the slack-water inn
provement of Cape Fear and Deep rivers. The
enterprise Of a few individuals. aided by the lib
erality and wisdom Of your legislature, has open
ed a pathway TO the ocean, which for extent, and
capacity combined, surpasses any canal in this or
any other country, and ut an expense not exceed.
ing four hundred thousand dollars. Compare the
canal, as It may without improperly be called
with the great canals which have been constructed
with view to benefit the coal trade of Maryland
and Pennsylvania. The cost Of the Chesapeake
as~In - - .
lions OF dollars. II is about the extent of the
Cape Fear and Deep rivers-s sixty feet wide,
and six feet deep, with locks Of Is feet in width
and 100 feet long. Your canal averages $50 feet
in width The water in the pools is usually from
ten to fifteen feet in depth The locks are l8 feet
wide and lis feet in length. 1t requires IA days
to 60 from Cumberland, at the head Of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio canal, to Alexandria and return,
not including the time occupied in loading and un-
loading the barges A steamboat with her tow
of barges can 60 from the mines on Deep river
to Wilmington, end return in a days, making a
difference often days in one trip.
The expenses Of transportation are greater in
either respects, as well in the saving Of time
It regards these two improvements. On the Ma
ryIand canal, animal potrer is used to draw the
coal barges. On the Cape Fear and Deep river
imp ovements, steam poicer will be used. From
the relative cost of the two improvements, and the
means If transportation to be used on them, there
can be scarcely comparison, as to the relative
amount Of toll, or the expenses Of transportation
When at tide water, at Wilmington, the coal can
DE sent to New York, at as little expense rs from
Alexandria. As far then, as regards bitun,inous
Goals, the owners Of mines on Deep river need
not fear any rivalry 'front.' the Maryland mines, or
from any other quarter. Nor need the owners Of
the Maryland mines fear any rivalry from North
Carolina. The supply from both, and from all
sources suthn our borders, will exceed the
demand for that species Of fuel when we take into
consideration the rapidly increasing number of
river and ocean steamers.
The case stands somewhat different as it regards
THE AErHRAc TIE GOALS. This species of coal is
on Deep river. The market for this coal is not
TO the South, but to New York, and the New
England States. To enable the mine owners on
Deep river 10 compete with the anthracites of
Pennsylvania, (Which are all the anthracites of
any amount in the United States,) they must be
able to place their coal at New York at as low a
price as the anthracites Of Pennsylvania. II is
saying, in England, when a person sends his
goods to market, which produces an abundance
of goods of a similar character, that he has sent
his Goals 10 .hercdstle," which, as you know, is
the chief mart Of the great mining district Of Eng
land. Pennsylvania is the great mining region
of the Atlantic States, the Newcastle OF America,
tories join.
apart, and coal can be transported from the former
TO the latter city at sixty cents per ton. The ques
ton then recurs, we send the Goals of Deep
river to the vicinity of New Castle' to New York,
Upon an accurate calculation, made by intelligent
and practical men, am assured that the anthra-
cite coal Of Deep river may be placed along side
OF the Pennsylvania anthractes in New York
market, and sold on al favorable terms, prorided
the former are exempt from the tar Of pilot
age, to uhich they noic liable. The Goals which
go from Pennsylvania to New York, pass through
the Morris and Raritan canals and are not sub
jected to fees for pilotage. The Goals which pass
down the Delaware and Hudson canal to New
York, also exempt from any charge of pilot.
age. Vessels coming into the Delaware river TO
load with coal, are also exempted. The fees for
pilotage IN coming into the Cape Fear, either
bar, and going up to Wilmington, amount, upon
vessel OF one hundred tons burthen, to about
forty dollars, which is tax Of forty cents upon
each ton of coal she may carry. lf this tax is
laid upon the Goals Of Deep river they will arrive
at New York taxed with u duty that will olsen
able them to compete with the Goals of Pennsy-
wanna. tax of forty cents ton upon million
of tons would amount to four hundr, d thousand
dollars, and Is a greater profit than any mining
company has ever made, or can hope to make.
The boast that the Slack Water improvement Of
Cape Fear and Deep rivers sfIords cheaper transit
TO the ocean than any other improvement, in this
country, of tie same length and capacity, would
be entirely fallacious with the burthen of piotage
on coal, as forty cents added to the anticipated
toll OF eight cents would make the tolls greater
than on the Chesapeake and Ohio canals, or on
any one OF the Pennsylvania canals Whether
the vast mineral treasures of the valley Of Deep
river shall be developed, depends upon the view
which the people Of North Carolina shall take OF
this momentous subject. When consider what
Maryland and Pennsylvania have done to foster
and cherish their great mineral interests and the
magnificent resuta which have followed the ex-
ercise Of that parental care, cannon for moment
doubt as to the course which North Carolina will
puraue regarding her great interests. That you
may have an adequate impression Of the value in
which the mining interests Of Maryland and Penn
sylvana nre held in these Commonweal,hs, ! will
brHy state what each has done for their advance
ment.
The Chesapeake and Ohio canal was construct
ed at an expense of seventeen millions Of dollars.
Individual sxertions proving unavailable. the
States Of Maryland and Virginia lend their aid by
subscribing monsy and guaranteeing the bonds Of
canal directors. All these combined exerons
proving insufficient, the State OF Maryland waived
priority of lien, for the ayment ofs advances,