The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1853-09-15
From the Athens Messenger
Hooking Valley Railroad.

Goa deposits along the line Of this Valley.
hoping thereby to awaken deeper interest
in this contemplated road and to secure for
its speedy construction the efficient sympa-
thy and aid Of men Of capital and influence.
But it will be questioned, we presume, by
no one that the cheerful and laboriou. co-
operation of the inhabitants along the en-.
tire line. dd uHum, Is indispensable in this
vastly important enterprise In fact. the
land holders in and near the valley will and
must reap paramount interest in the ben
efits derived from this road when construct
ed II is a well attested fact that on the
line of the Marietta and Cincinnati road
land has already found speedy sale in
many places at an advance of one hundred
per cent, and towR property still higher
At an average rise n the value Of land iy-
ing one mile on each side of this road for
the distance Of go miles, at So per acre, we
may estimate the capital created entirely
by this road and lett ih the hands of the
land owners at nearly 100000. This es-
innate is certainly very far below what will
eventually be realized. This road, it should
be remembered, leads directly to that mar
ket for produce, coal, iron &c. which it is
the interest and wish Of the inhabitants of
this Valley to supply.
To these considerations it is evident that
the public are becoming hopefully alive, and
it is confidently believed that all that will
soon be required will be to give this dspo-
siton an intelligent direction. But SO long
as the purpose to construct this road re-
mains doubtful, there will be the possibi-
| ity Of an entire failure, or, IL finally con-
structed, it will be doubtless by euterpris-
| ing men from remote parts OF the country
who have little sympathy with the imnedi-
ate citizens along the line.
To pass from the above reflections ven
ture the following propositions: that the
mineral wealth of Ward township alone,
lying immediately north and adjoining the
town of Nel4onvile, would abundantly JUS
tify the manufactures of Cincinnati, Dayton,
Springfield, &C., in constructing road
thence to the city of Columbus | have
not in this declaration included the indispen-
sible necessity of this connection to the
present and prospective iron and other man
ufactories of Columbus, ii she wishes TO be
able to compete with other cities in the
State which enjoy peculiar advantages of a
/ different character from those alluded to a
bove. This entire township is underlain
with heavy bed Of coal in the very best
workable state. Commencing at Nelson
vile, where it is new worked about 20 feet
above the river, and dipping in that direc-
ton, the bituminous bed extends north into
Perry county at thickness of from to ! |
feet. This coal is well exposed along the
ravines, and though generally regular, it
sometimes presents singular outcrops.
On small run, two miles west of north
from NelsOnville, a short distance east OF
the road leading to Camden, is bed of coal
81 feet thick-27 feet above this and high
er up the run is seen the Nesonville be ,
presenting an outcrop of IA feet, having the
usual roofof sandstone. At this point,both
above and below the coal. is deposit of
iron ore The bed of ore above presents a
thickness of three feet and has silicious
matrix. The ore below is the usual COM
pact aigillaceous carbonate, from to 10
inches in thickness, aud found beneath the
Nesonvlle coal bed wherever it is IN stu.
At this point as well as 1t some others we
shall name the unusual thickness of the coal
bed and the appearance Of the second bit
luminous deposit at SO short. distance be-
meath, are Irregularities arising, as is be-
leved, from slides or some dslocating cause.
North of this point the same bed of coal is
found cropping out on Sand Run, on Sec
tions lS and %, having from IL to Is feet
thickness. 1t may be traced along this run
for distance of nearly mile, and of a.
bout the same uniform thickness having
beneath an equally heavy stratum of iron
ore. We have rated this stratum Of ore at
or 10 inches, although it shows more
than this thickness at these points.
This coal bed is seen again on the farm oil
NJ n - NJ o.,II
now owned by Mr.. Lindley, in northeast
direction from the former out crop. We may
trace this bitumnous deposite still further
north, on section 80, now owned, or part OF
it, by Mr.. Spence, a!thou Ih itrises gradual
J ly in the hill as we travel in this direction.
did not, in recent visit to that township
proceed north farther than this point to mike
! per sonal observations-being satisfied from
: the position of this bituRinous stratum in
the hills at this place that extends through
section "a, into Perry county. Three miles
: southeast of this point, on section on the
, fraction owned by Mr.. Cawthorn, the Goa
bed with its concumitants makes its appear.
ance-under laying almost his entire (ufm
> The hill Immediately behind his house re.
veals the structure of this portion of the
township embracing from the bottom up
ward the usual carbonute of iron, coal,
feet, above inches shale overlain by
! feet coal, sand-rock, slate, | foot OF Goa
e and bed of calcarious oxide of iron anC
y other usual strata. Having bed Of lime
: stone above it. at first supposed this for
{. nation entirely local, owing perhaps to {
semi.fluid containing feruginous and Gala
reods matter having formed here, by its su
: perior attraction for its own particles, il
\ nodular masses, which, although limited il
extent, vet when pressed in the form of :
u bed and presented to view, would readily
g give the appearance Of continued stratum
But further examination furnished evidence
so convincing Of very extensive and i'm
menseIy valuable bed of easily workable
j. ore, as TO pat this question, 1t seems to me
y bevond doubt. Northwest of this point
d miles distant, this bed of ore presents al
l. ont crop of six feet-a mile southeast o
e Mr.. Cawthorn's it showed a thickness o
"a even more than six feet. These presenta
y tions are not given as data from which t.
infer the thickness Of the bed when in posi-
ti,nl undisturbed BY disocating influence
70 hut to establish the fact of the existence 0
:. this bed of ore. propose calling attention
u 10 this matter hereafter in another commn
~ nication. 1t seems the more rational con
- clusion. from circumstances which it is no
- in place to name here, to suppose that tn
I" average thickness OF this main bItumInou
deposit should be estimated at about leet
n. Upon this single farm then of 800 acres W