The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1852-11-04
FROM the Ohio State Ior,,,.l !

lie
RAILROAD TO NELsoSvmLE- - Mr. Editor.-
] have for some weeks been engaged in excit-
ing an interest among our cItizens in the
valuable mineral lands lying in the valleys
Of Hooking River, Monday Creek, and Rae
coon Greek. have been, for a number Of
years, resident in that richest mineral re-
gion in the world, as il is called by the Hon.
Thomas Ewing, and am well acquainted
with itsresOurces.
There seems to be query in the minds
Of some whether railroad will pay from this
place to the Ohio river, running through the
towns Of Lancaster, Logan, Nelsonviile,
Chauncey. and Athens, to PomeToy. A sin.
gle fact will settle this fact a train ofcars
that will bring IS, 900 bushels Of coal from
the mines TO Columbus, in six hours, can be
run at but little more actual expense than
canal boat that will require ten days FOR a
trip, and carries only, 200 bushels, and If
this latter pays, certainly the former will.
II has been ascertained that Columbus
and Nelsonville are on level with each
other. and grade can be made Of less than
ten feet TO the mile and no deep cutting, but
little bridging, and no tunnel except one be-
tween Athens and Pomeroy. Tie whole
distance from Columbus to Pomeroy is 80
miles, and to the coal regions only So miles,
and the estimated cost of a road is SI2,O
per mile.
In regard to the mineral wealth OF this re-
gion, have bu, little to say Prof. Maih.
er, as State Geologist, published many val
liable statistics relative to the minerals Of
Hooking. ! will mention, however, few
facts, for have been engaged, in company
with Z. Hayden and others, in mining in the
coal fields on the Hooking river, and know
that many hills near the canal are already
exhausted. One hill that rises perpendicu-
lar from the canal is stratifed as follows:
from the level of the canal is strata Of
sandstone thirty feet thick, next, thin stra-
ia of coal about one foot in thickness and
very rich, above that for Is feet is shale and
/ fire clay, then second vein of coal q feet
thick, also very rich; 27k feet above that is
the workable vein of coal from to Is feet
thick, the 27a feet being mixture orshale,
slate, fire clay, and several stratas of iron
ore; above that is about two feet black slate,
l3 feet of shale and iron ore, and then comes
the fourth vein of coal Al feet thick, includ-
ing ID inches kennel COAL about one foot
from the top of the biiuminous coal, above
that is five feet shale, and above still is the
heavy range Of sandstone from 20 to 80 fee
thick, used for lock walls and for building
purposes, ,and beneath this rock is found thu
alum rock.
Our coal is easily mined. One man car
mine three tons per day, and place it in the
cars. Our iron ore is still more valuable
We have six or eight different species oi
veins. The most useful is the black plate
and kidney ores. We have also valuable
clays suitable for making Liverpool ware
A lso, abundance of salt water and sulphur
alum, copperas, glauber salts, &c, sand, fac
grind, flint marble, oil, and whet stones
Also as valuable lead mines as any in Mis-.
souri, or Wisconsin. Our hills present the
same Indications Of metals as the Ozarl
mountains and Potosi mines.
In regard to quantity, there is sufficient
iron ore to last the State of Ohio for 900 year,
and in regard to the supply of our coal,
have small tract which is estimated to con
tain 00,000,0 900 bushels, estimating 2,7sl
cubic inches to bushels. This, at the com
mon price in this markets cents bushe
will amount to thirty-two millions of dollars
and the iron and lead ore, stone, clays, &c
will probably come to as much more wher
used shall have in a few days all the diff
ferent specimens from Hooking; also speci
mems of oil-stone from the Ozark noun
tains, with silver; lead and copper ores from
the same place.
AS soon as the necessary preparations car
F be made, the books for a railroad to this re
gion will be opened for subscription, and th'
citizens Of Columbus are earnestly invite,
to subscribe, for it will much lessen the price
Of fuel. ]. F. SoMERs.