M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1856-06-19
Tbc sciOto ana Hooking Valley
Railroad.

the counties OF JacKson' VINO
IN. lPerry, and terminates in NeT
versino county, passing through Il
HocLi5o an Macarthur, Logan a
arG TisS;r1 length is one hu
towns Of Jackson, 80 ,be M
Homerset' Inc entire 'Nmdt
ftty-six miles, from Portsmouth
rietta and Cincinnati Railroad at h.
are in operation. or the remaining sew.
ty-nine miles, forty-two miles are ready for
the superstructure and on the balance, the
graduation is we'll advanced. The super.
structure for the,,whole is also to be supplied.
The general character of the work is LIGHT,
with the exception of tunnel in Perry CO..
and heavy excavation at Somerset. With
these exceptions, the road would be put in
running order in eight months. This road
traverses the great mineral region of Ohio,
for about one hundred miles, and its busi.
ness will mainly consist, in the carrying of
coal and iron, for which its numerous con-
Hections with other roads affords such pe-
culiar facilities. 1t will also have a steadi.
ly increasing business arising from the null
tiplication Of Furnaces, and the demand
which will arise from the choice Goals OF
this region when once their value is known.
Immediately on tho part now running, there
are nineteen charcoal furnaces in full blast.
and others are being built whilst in Hook.
ing county there are three more, the iron
from which must be carried over the road
Others will undoubtedly spring up, since
the mineral is nexhauslible, and sites equal
ly valuable with those already occupied, can
be procured. In proof of this, before this
road was contemplated, there were but few
furnaces in this region, and they have thus
far been in advance Of the road, ready to
throw their business upon it soon as it
reached them. In addition to those direct
ly upon the line of the road, are others at
distance from it, portion of the iron of
which will pass over it. AS to the coal bu-
siness, it will be limited only by the demand,
since the road runs in the vicinity of those
great bituminous coal deposits coal deposits
in Hooking and Perry counties, probably the
most extensive in the West, and as to tho
superiority Of which there can be no ques-
ton. Three veins of coal have been dis
covered in this region, undertaking each
other, which have been found, upon exami-
nation, to be respectively of the thickness
oftwenty-two, eight and six feet. The up
per one has been opened twelve feet in the
clear, without reaching either top or bot
tom.
DR.. HAYES, the State Assayer of Massa-
chusetts, who analized these coals, says, ssi,s
the great number of American Goals / havs
studied, no one has presented so many desira-
bic qualities as these samples" And the
opinion of Prof. MATHER, both as to quanti-
ty, and quality, is corroborative. The iron
ore is also abundant in the same region and
is found contiguous to the coal, which is al
so ofa superior quality for the smelling of
the ore. And as the demand for iron made
by mineral coal is increasing, and as il can
be produced more cheaply than the charcoal
iron and the means of producing charcoal
iron are decreasing, from the great consunp-
tion of timber it causes and the consequent
increase in cost, demand will be created
at home, for these superior Goals in the man
ufacture of pig, which will of itself give
large business to the road. Camel coal Of
a superior quality, is also found on the line,
and since the discovery of the new use to
which it can be appliedin the manufacture
of oil for burning, and fabricating purposes,
a new branch of business will be created.-
The country is also highly productive and
generally well timbered.
The net earnings on the 56 miles already
in operation, for the year ending May lst,
1856, after paying running expenses and
interest, were equal to per cent, upon
its cost. This was from way business ex-
clusively; but on the completion of the whole
and its connection with the Lakes, as we'll
as other parts ofthe West and North through
the numerous roads it crosses, its net earn
ings cannot fall to pay handsome dividend
on the stock, in as much as it is cheaply
built and has no large floating debt. This
road has excited the attention Of some East
ern capitalists and negotiations are now in
progress, which it is believed will insure Its
speedy completion Gin. Commercial.