Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-09-21

'"' ~ 'he North. between the Mill aud Brus' y
t'"uu'a'ns' 1t We mistake not their locst-rnsu -
We mere traced an iron formation n the mos, m
nhcent character for three miles tbs .porpc,
""' nun "aa The Western sIop4 of the moun'an.
we c'anoersa up vast crags of pure brown ore hun
areas OF 'ee' nsn' and examined huge and detsqhrd
fragments that had been hurled byeome csusa> .,
other 10 the valley below, that woulasoutsin ,ho
SANDS OF tons and made up Of entire masses OF o.
We broke particles from every side of those gr-,t
iron boulders-if they may be go cslled-apd foSsd
the brown and cellular hydrsted o1yde pure. hea, =
and entire, wherever We broke into il.
AT several points along this range of ore ousrri.
have been opened, which exhibit it's ma..ive f-,-
lures in unmisiakabe form, and which might give
the Engineer some data on which to onlcuta,. in
tons, if he could find figures enough-this mighty
mountain OF the precious ore-precious in this iron
age. we DO not pretend. nor would We sttemp: 10
calculate tho probable extent of this ore; but W. feel
saie IN saying that the Messrs. Jordans in Ale
ehany and vicinity, not less hsns mile, or We should
say a cub'c mle Of 6r0rn henpatite; not a superh
cal mile, but great cube of $40 acres on every s,d.
But this family of Iron Masters possesses over 100 OGo
acres OF mineral lands in this and adjoining count--
We do not init TO say Tat any single ma.s OF or.
that We have seen, would reach the enormous e1en,
OF over sixteen trions of tons which are Contained
in cubic mile. Wa merely make tbis state
ment TO show that even this p-rt ot the
State, OF which 90 |'''e has been said, and
WHICH Ia so "tle Enco'n, lie able 10 supply iron
or anocSh 70 keep all no fctnsoe, = Cfaat BRIAN
and Tho re- ct The "ori5 la olas. for oouess ae-s
The iron '-Jurt".n itself, would yield, il properly
wrought, million Of tons of iron pa year for cenru
ries; how many, il would be b I'd to say. The true
value Of hose great f:mstiocs s beyond calculation
even II the ten pe-t OF il could be obtained ami
ls on par " the great coal formations of other
parts of the State. In calculating the great value
of coal and iron to State like ours where even the.
expectation of agricultural produce would increa.e
in proportion to their production from the fac, ,ha,
not more than one.third of our tiable land il now
IN stat. II cultivation. we may justly esiinisit
the gain 10 The State to b. the full vaiue uf IN.
iron produced. Therefore, II We should produce oniy
OCO O0O of tons Of manufactured iron per
value of fifty dollars per ton, it would be worth
OOO per year to the State even though II
-hould be used at home, since it would increase our
facilities to produce more than it's equivalent of
something else. But the probability s that the era
which commentaries the Use of coal in the urnaees
Of Virginia, will also be the commencement OF new
in our manufacturing industry generally. Mine
raj coal will decrease in cost as its production in
creases, and every year after the commencement oi
use, will enable to produce iron cheaper and
chespar, whi!o every year increases the cost OF pro
ducing charcoal iron. We will use every eudenvor
usher in this era, and hope to ses it dawn before
smother year rolls round. In another article We shal
treat Of the coal more particularly in connection viii;
the ore OF this part OF the State.