The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-05-28

Y The FoLLowIsc is copy of an article
recently published ia me Pennsyluania Inqui-
rer, of Philadelphia. The prem ises laid do wn
seem strongly subslantiated. Since the pub.
licaiion Of this article the Board of Directors
Of the Ridsway Farm and Coal Company
have decided 10 raise thu price of their
Farms or Shares from Two Hundred Dollars
to Three Hundred Dollars aflsr the frs. of
June.
The Resources Of Pei sylvania-.A Glauce
- Elk County.
AT the present, mis- oounty appaars 10 be
the scene of active improvement. Great in.
terest has been manifested in this direction
within the past year, especially since the
Sunbury and Erie Railroad between this
county and The lakes has been placed under
contract. From present appearances, If the
reasons upon which the public conclusions
are founded are true, and we have no cause
10 doubt them, il is soon destined 10 be one
Of the wealthiest and most important in the
State. An immense amount of capital is
| now being invested in this vicinity from our
own city and that of New York. Coal COM
panies are being started 10 commence opera
tions Immediately upon the completion Of
tha western end of tie railroad TO Erie, which
is now under contract, and large force al
work. The following are some of the rea-
sons advanced upon the subject -
The Western end of the Sunbury and Erie
Railroad connsciing Elk Immediately with
the great m a.kel Of ,he Lakes, is new under
contract, and large force at work grading
the road with allnpidiiy. Sufficient money
has been raised y complete this end. The
Tyrone and Cleatied will also connec, with
The Sunbury and Erie at St. Mary's besides
these, the Allegheny Valley will pass thro'
in the course Of few years, and connect
with the New York and Erie Railroad al OF.
can. Ridgway will also be the terminus Of
the Venango, connecting with the West. II
is necessary 10 be fully aware of the term.
nus, of these roads az we'll as their route, to
understand the value of the location.
Before eniering upon the location, we
will consider the mineral and agricultural
wealth of the country, which gives the land
its value. The principal part of that county
is underlaid by three veins of bituminous
coal. The first, on an average, 81 feet thick;
The second. a /; aRd ..jha third, from s to
feet Above the coal lays strata of the
best limestone, aud between each vein is a
vein of the richest iron ore. Until within
the past year or SO, the land moi being suffi.
cisnly explored, these important facts were
unknown. The soil Is fine agricultural
soil, and said 10 be neither hiy nor stony,
with the exception of the portion known as
the barrens, upon which no value is placed,
and which are generally in the hands OF
reckless real estate agents, who have done
much 10 injure Western Pennsy lvania by de-
crying all ether lands and imposing lheir's
upon their victims. There is fine asrlcul.
inral settlement, and the crops produced are
large and generally sure.
Possessing these advantages, the develop.
ment depends, as before observed, upon The
railroads, hut more especially upoa The COM
Pieiion Of the wssters end of ~ sunbury
and Erie, which it is believed, from suffici-
ent reasons, will be done within two years.
II will then possess the entire control Of the
Lake market. We will give short extract
in considering this subject, from the Potts
viue Gazette:-
"The great biuminous formation of The
| Allegheny, in running eastward, gradually
ascends, until The measures finally run out in
Potter county, where no coal exists. Thus
Elk is about the most easlernmost county, il
no, the last one, in which beds of workable
coal are found and in view of this fact, The
CO al trade will necessarily constitute one of
the most profitable features of the Sunbury
and Erie, as we'll as that of the northern end
of the Allegheney Valley Road. The dis.
, tance from St. Mary's to Erie is about one
hundred miles, and the coal could be afford-
ed in the city Of Erie at a cost varying little
from Two dollars q tan. The veins are ex-
tremely regular, and the coal can be Uniform
ly mined in drifts, at an aggregate of some
forty cents per ton, and carried one hundred
miles by railroad, over descending grades,
and without the usual allowance of five per
cent. for depreciation, for one dollar per ton
thus leaving TO the operator profit of sixty
cents per ton, exclusive Of landlords royalty,
which may be estimated at twenty five cents
per ton. Now the Elk coal can be delivered
on the wharves at Erie one dollar per ion
cheaper than any similar coal that COW goes
there, or 10 any other point on the Lake shore.
Thus, 1t will be perceived, a supendous coal
business is certain TO accrue to the Sunbury
and Erie Road the moment its Lake ends
shall have been completed and one of the
inevitable effects of such trade will be 10
give extraordinary value to the lands"
These conclusions are no doubt founded
upon solid grounds. The prospects are much
greater than when coal was first introduced
at Polsvile. Then the market was small
on account Of it's being SO little used. Here
there is market of nearly two millions, and
it only wants the completion of that end Of
The road To sDrinp nj oncs ,nios vietonca -