Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1858-12-01
The Mineral Deposits in Chatham County.

The Mineral Deposits in Chatham County. I,
we invite the attention of readers, and espe-
cally the attention of the members of the Legisla-
ture, to the following letters from practical and ex-
perlenced gentleman, in relation to the mineral de-
posits Of the Deep River Valley in this State The |
Importance of reaching these deposits by means of
transportation, and of thus bringing them forth for
use by the world, cannot be overstated:
New YORK, Nov. Is, 1863
DEAR SIR: Mr. Brown invited me yesterday to
give you my ideas of the capabilities of the deposits
in Chatham county for the various branches of man.
ufacture in which the coal, iron ore, cays, sands,
&C., may be used that found there in such ex-
traordinary quantities and qualities.
The first and most prominent of these is the man.
ufacture of iron. In this branch have put in wri-
ting some memoranda for of friends in Baltimore
and hand you copy herewith. This, you will OBJ
serve, is exclusively confined to pig iron and from
my knowledge of the manufacture of it in Scotland,
from similar materials around in our
tour of inspection, [ speak with confidence that
the article can be made thus. 1t will take tons
of blackband ore, raw, to make one ton of pig at a
cost of 50 40, say AZ
1t will take 24 tons of coal to melt, heat the
heater, and fire the engines, say at 80 cts per
Limestone for Flues, say 10 cwt. at So per
ton, 5O
Labor at furnaces, engine, &C., go per ct.
more than in ScOtland), 2 90
Incidental charges, wear and tear, interest,
salaries, &c, rs
The pig iron would not cost over per ton SS OF,
Two furnaces erected on Scotch principle capable
of each making 200 or $50 tons per week; this is
the usual make of Scotch furnaces with the lates
improvements to make iron from blackband ore, anG
it far exceeds in quantity the produce of any furna
on this continent and also the produce of furna
ces in other parts of Europe, where they are not
| blessedw with the blackband.
The consequence is that Scotch pig iron costs
| less than any produced in the world But in Chat
ham county the proximity of the coal to the ore is
more favorable than in Scotland and there lord
ship is paid for the coal of shilling (25 cts) per
ton. These two facts far than counterbalance
the extra price that will be paid for white labor and
| pig iron can be made cheaper in Chatham than in
| Scotland.
| 10 manufacture pig iron into Railroad mer-
chant bars, costs with us, Gn ScotlantD including
| profit to manufacturer, about in round numbers,
double the price of the pig-that is to say if man.
utacturer pays 90 ShlllingS per ton for his pig, he
Can afford to sell his bars with handsome profit at
| e6 per ton provided he does not pay than
Is. to As I'D per for his coal In Chatham county,
the Goals be mined for 80 cts. per ton and bars
| can be made much cheaper than in Scotland.
For reasons stated to you verbally, would not
choose to identify myself with any other branch of
IRON manufacture than pig, although all the other
branches which will grow out of the supply of pig
ron, such as bars, plates, rods, locomotives, &C.,
will hold out most tempting inducements to people
| from Pennsylvania &c, to locate themselves with
their capital where they will find such cheap and
| good iron and coal.
Then the command of cheap pig will attract foun-
ders to the region, for manufacture of pipes and
other castings. In Glasgow founder does good
business if he pays Cos. for his pig and gets S5s.
for his large pipes. Brooklyn is using Just now
10000 tons of water pipes for which the corporation
pay about $41 per ton-these could have been made
North Carolina ut IS per ton for the iron and ST
to 81 for casting-say $15 per ton.
The specular, magnetic and hematite ores of
such richness, purity and quality, and the coal is OF
quality, and such splendid coke can be made from
it, and there is such abundance of wood to make
charcoal that it is my belief that blooms, steel and
wire can be made cheaper and of as good quality as
are to be found in the world.
The blooms Mr. Patton intends to make on the
Tyler property he informs me will not cost more
than $40 per ton, and they ..il bring now in New
flee to prove the quality of the singular natural cal
cined blackband saw on this property and its
fitness to make blooms. Mr. Patton is most sanguine
that it will be found perfectly suitable, and if So
very large fortune will be the consequence to himself
and partners.
am not certain that it will be found proftabl.
or desirable to extract the oil from the blackbanC
ore at Egypt but there be little doubt that thu
coal will give ample and very large return of Ke
rosene OIL and this article is in very large con
sumption, and it be purified on the spot made
into Benzole or Perraphim was told that the re
gion abounded in clay and sands for pottery ant
glass, and from the cheapness and quality Of th'
coal these articles be as cheaply manufactured
there at any place this continent or in Europe
have put down my ideas very roughly and hur
riedly, and if you make use of them to forward tn
means of access to the region, whether by the rive
or by railroad, or both must trust to you to pu
them into more readable shape.
am, dear sir, yours truly,
VIM GAMMELL.