Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-12-03
The Mineral Deposits iii Chatham County.

From the Raleigh Standard.
The Mineral Deposits iii Chatham County.
We invite the attention of our readers and especially
the attention of the members of the Legislature to the
following letters from practical and experienced gen.
teman in relation to the mineral deposits Of the Deep
River Valley in this State The Importance of reaching
these deposits by of transportation, and of thus
bringing them forth for by the world cannot be
Overstated
New York, Nov Is, 1858.
DEAR SIR: Mr. Brown invited me yesterday to give
you my ideas of the capabilities of the deposits in Chat
ham county for the various branches OF manufacture in
which the coal iron ORE cays sands &C. may be used
that are found there in such extraordinary quantities
and qualities
The first and most improminent of these the manuac
ture of iron In this branch have put in writing
memoranda for the of friends in Baltimore and hand
you copy herewith. This you will observe, is exclu
siyely confined to pig iron, and from my knowledge
the manufacture of it in Scotland from similar materials
as we saw around in tour of Inspection | speak
with confidence that the article be made thus 1t
will take tons of backband ore raw to make one ton
of pig at cost of s. 40, say. 40
1t will take 2 a tons of coal to melt heat the
heater and fire the engines say at 90 cts per ton, 80
Limestone for FIucs say 10 cwt at S. per ton, 80
Labor at furnaces, engine, &c, 80 per cent.
more than IN Scolland), ........:. :'....';' ( w
Incidental charges, wear and tear interest, saa-
Tie pig iron would not cost over per ton,. So 90
Two furnaces erected on Scotch principal capable of
each making 200 $50 tons per week. this is the usu-
al make of Scotch furnaces with the latest improvements
to make iron from backband ore and it far exceeds IN
quantity the produce Of furnaces this continent,
and also the produce of furnaces in other parts of Eu
rope, where they not blessed with the backband.
The consequence is that Scotch pig iron costs less
than any produced in the world But in Chatham county
the proximity Of the coal to the is favorable
in aud tbnrno lOrGSh iS Oa0 for
coal Of shilling Us cts per ton These two facts far
more than counterbaancc 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 or merchant
bars costs with u.s. lin Scotland,) including profit to
manufacturer about in round numbers double the price
of the pig-that is 10 say, if manufacturer pays 60
shlngs per ton for his pig he afford to sell his bars
with handsome profit at e6 per ton provided he does
not pay than As. to As. Cd. per ton for his COAL
In Chatham county, the coal be mined for 90 cents
per ton, and bars 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
will grow out OF the supply of pig iron such as bars
ing inducements to people from Pennsy vana, &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 founders
to the region Tor manufacture or pipes ana Otnef cast
ings In Glasgow founder does good business if he
pays Cos for his pig and gets 85s for his large pipes
Brooklyn is using just 10000 tons of water pipes
for which IT, corporation pay about $4 per ton-these
could have b. made in North Carolina at S. per ton
for the iron and Sc to 81 for castngsay SD per ton
The specuar magnetic and hcmatte ores are of such
richness, purity and quality and the coal Is OF quality
and such splendid coke be made from it, and there
is such an abundance of wood to make charcoal that it
is my belief that blooms, steel and wire be made
cheaper and of good quality are to be found in the
world.
The blooms Mr.. Patton intends to make on the Tyler
property he informs will not cost than $50 per
ton and they Will bring in New ork 500 to $75
per ton. few months will suffice to prove the quality
of the singular natural cacined backband ore we
on this property and its fitness to make blooms. Mr..
Patton is most sanguine that it will be found perfectly
suitable, and if very large fortune will be the con-
sequence to himself and partner.
am not certain that it will be found profitable or de-
sirable to extract the oil f. ON the backband ore at
Egypt, but there be little doubt that the coal will
give and ample and very large return Of Kerosene
and this article is one in very large consumption,
and it can be purified the spot made into Benzoe
or Perraphim [ told that the region ab0unded in
clay and sands for pottery and glass; and from the cheap
and quality of the coal these articles be cheap
ly manufactured there at any place this continent
or in Europe.
l have put down my ideas very roughly and hurried
ly and if you make Of them to forward the Of
access to the region whether by the river byraroad
or BOTH must trust to you to put them into more
readable shape.
| am, dear sir yours truly,
WIN. GANINIELL