The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1851-07-28
The Mineral RegiOn---Future Develop
ment of our Resources.

The mineral Region Of 0hio,' when once
fully or even partly developed, must unquestion-
ably become the most important, as it will be
the most wealthy portion of the State. The
Cincinnati Gazette, in recent lengthy article,
speaking Of this fact, uses, the following Ian
guage:
"The coal field of Ohio, underlies the sur
face of about % counties, extending little
east of Portsmouth, to the Ohio east and lake
Erie north, and is supposed to embrace at least
10000 square miles. A comparison Of this field
with some of those in Europe, will but illus
trate its magnitude and value.
Coal field Of Ohio, $4,000 50. miles.
do Great Britain, 1850 do.
do France, LILO do.
do Belgium, 618 do.
England has in fact not more than one: fourth
the toorkable coal field of Ohio! Ohio has a
bout one-tenM of the workable coal fields of the
now United States. She has coal enough to
supply all the fire and machinery of the United
States and Great Britain through countless ages
to come. The question Of amount, ther sfore,
is of no consequence, when we have amount
enough to supply the world.
The Iron Field is much narrower, but still
one of great magnitude. 1t extends from the
Ohio river to Lake Erie, and from Brush creek,
in the county of Adams, to the counties Of
Meigs and Muskingum, and is found in various
forms-from the varieties of lime-ores to the
bog-ores found chiefly near the Lake. The
workable strata, however, is much narrower,
and with the exception Of some works in Lick
ing, Lake, &c.. is chiefly confined to the coun-
ties of Scioto, Lawrence, Jackson, Hooking,
Athens and Vinton.
The Mineral raoion u 10 oauarallv termed
referring to that which untes all the minerals
of Ohio, and is chiefly valuable for that species
of resources, consists of the Hooking Valley
and so we shall consider il.
This district has no commercial advantages
whatever, and no large towns, which have adj
ded so much to the growth of other districts,
but its increase is, notwithstanding, equal to
the general increase of the State. Bat if we
take out the great Agricultural counties of Fair
field, Perry, and Muskingum, whose mineral re-
sources are comparatively undeveloped, we
shall find that the residue of the district has
increased 45 per cent, more than any other
that the counties of Lawrence, Meigs, Jackson,
and Hooking, have increased so per cent, and
these are the counties in which the largest part
VI OHio iiou anu OOdl ID goL OUT, He cast cuu
IF Scioto county for Iron, and the county of
Morgan for Salt, should be added
As consequence of these facts the question
naturally arises, if without large towns, without
railroads, and almost without commerce this re-
gion has grown so rapidly, what will it be when
capital, commerce, and railroads come to it p
We hazard nothing in saying that it will be the
great workshop of raw materials for the Ohio
Valley There is the greatest abundance Of
coal and iron, and salt in other places, but
where is one which will compare with it for
convenience and cheapness.
The growth of this section has been very
nearly parallel with the average growth of the
State, and when we consider that it has neither
had the large towns-nor the commercial nd
vantages--nor the superior lands of the other
parts of the State, this fact speaks much in re-
gard to its future development.
Our space forbids our further descrip-
tion of this interesting section, but we may add
that the mineral hills OF Ohio, are among the
very healthiest localities in the Ohio valley
where the breezes of summer refresh and
strengthen, and fevers seldom appear"