Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-05-21
For The Enquirer.
LETTERS,
on TIE HERESOURCES, IMPROVEMENTS, AHD COW
MERGE OF VIRGITI4.
The metalifcrom Regions Of Virginia

NEhCE OF pihGI'Ii.
NO. XVIII.
| The mcialitcrons Rfsions Of Virginia.
Virginia is essentially mealiferous region, sine,
the whole State, or that part OF it which lies b1tweeI
the ias OF the rivers, where the primitive rocks tirs
show themselves in masses and the Ohio, is vas
succession of mineral deposits of gold, copper, iron
lead and silver, &c, which repeatedly produced
by the various changes aud occurrences OF the geoogl
cal formations, from igneous 10 aqueous or from pri
nnry to secondarylaluvurn .,hat exit throughout
this extensive country, diversified by mountain
ranges and extensive vallies. We ara not writing
however, report on the geological formations of the
State; our space and time will not even allow I'D tC
treat of the various deposits and discoveries of the
metals separately therefore only an imperfect and ra
pid glance mealilerous regions, can b.
given at present. We may also remark, that no de-
pendence can bs placed, for specific operations, OF
general descriptions. We do not wish to be under
stood, when We say, "the whole State is one great
lnsaiierous region, that it is actually and certainly
iuiI Of The useful or the precious metals or that every
mile Of country is uuderlald with ores. On the con
trary, if say onetenth Of he superficial area,
elusive Of our coal fields will be found to contain
ores, which would yield metal in profitable quantities
We should SPEAK w:hn the bounds of truth, and yet
state TACT, which s moi only extraordinary, but i'm
iorant. The indications may be greater but expert.
rnents have proved that they not al reliable, in
fact, may have been deceived; but while the whole
rule enthusiast finds that alI is not gold that gtter-
even our authorized reports incorrect unreliable
aud out Of daie for instance, it has zen stated that
the copper of Virginia particularly of the Southern
| part would rot pay for excavation; YET find that
1t yields from I'D to CD per cent. Of METAL while the
average yield of the Cornish copper oresare ess than
| per cent. and some OF the of Germany which
yield only from 10 3 per Cent. are mad. to pay q
profit. Sweeping assertions have also been made to
the prejudice of the Southwestern coal, yet We find
! they are far from being correct
There several basins or deposits Of acqueous or
sednensry material, containing COAL iron, NC. reat.
ing on the gneous or piu'onc rocks of Eastern Eir
| gna, including the Richmond aud Farmve basins,
but the true mesll(erous region commences with the
aurerous belt which extends through the Piedmont
district from point near the Potomac, by way Of
Spotsyivanis, Louisa, Fluvsuna, Buckingham and
Pittsylvania into North Carolina, being accompanied
generally by Irregular range of scattered hil!s,
commencing at the Point of Rocks, below IIarper's
|
GordonsviIle and CaIra y: their Northern end, they
are known The kittoctan IIills This belt OF gold
auriferous formation, also carries with it Of
| COPPER iron, DC. in detached masses. Mines of
gold and copper have been opened al various points
| in this inetaterous range, of which prOduc.
| tive. The reXt range OF mountains, known as the
Conewago Hills and South Mountains, in Penn.ylvs
MIA, and the Blue Ridge in Virginie-forInsd prnci-
pally of primary and plutonc rocks, is, perhaps the
most productive or abundant in metals. In Pennsyl-
vauia il aboInds with vast masses mountains of
iron ore, mixed occasionally with copper and other
ores At Cornwall, in Lebanon county, Pa, large
quantities OF iron manufactured from the Of
this range-the yield is from ~ TO 81 per cent and the
supply is inexhaustble.
From lIarpera Ferry this range extends through
| Virginia into Tennessee it is known here the
n"o pid.~ a'd contains copper. lead, iron and va
riety o other inriaiiierous In. great DcIl "i
copper known the n0tJc, iad lode! has been
traced from PauIdins county, Georgia, where the
''Gassau" cropl is evident, roaga,Ducktown Ten
nessee; Ash county, North Carolina, and from thence,
through Carroll and Floyd and the Blue Ridge in
Virginia, into me State of Maryland, where it IL
worked at the Dolly Hide mine and other places 1t
also opened at the Manassas Gap and IL. aevera in.
! isrrnetiae point. Oh aud near the Blue Ridge, which
1t follows, with but slight variation, from end to
the other.
1t is perhaps tLo greatest, and viewed as whole,
the riches! belt of copper ores known, and will yield
at distant day more copper than the Lake region.
| We shall refer to this again.
Tie third great range OF metaliierous mountains,
run from New jersey, through Pennsylvania and
Virginia into Tennessee. 1t is known the Blue or
| kitiatiuing mountains in Pennsylvania and the
| North, Shenandoah, or Walkers mountain, in
| Virginia. 1t contains copper but iron o.es OF
the best quality e1st in abundance. not only within
| it's range but throughout the great Valley Of Fir.
| giuG, OF which it ID the Western boundary. Here,
| too these extensive depo.ts of iron are found
in cose proximity 10 beth coal and limestone, which
are so essential 10 the manufacture of iron. Clifton
Forge, On the upper waters of James river, is situ
ated in this region.
West of thi. range, lie the great Iituninous coal
fields in which iron exist, extensive with the
carboniieIous strata, AMI nternedsleiy, vast depo
| sits of various kinds of ore are found, such are
worked, 10 great extent, at Northumberland in
Pennsylvania, and Mount Savage in Maryland. All
which we have named except such as accompany the
bituminous coal iislds of the West lie on the Atlantic
slope, and must seek the Chesapeake Bay for eS
portation. We have not named all the particular
localities where copper and ron Sc have been found
to exist since they generally liz within the space de-
scribcd above We will trea! Of the iron ores, how
ever more particularly in our next.
The facilities for developing mineral resources
have, until recently, been exceedingly limited; only
within the isst few years, have our rail road lines
penetrated our Inetaliferous regions. The james
river md Kanawha canal, though arrested at the
most critical point, when few miles OF extension
would have carried il into The hear. OF the iron and
cral producing mountains, has supplied the city OF
| Richmond, for number Of years, with most OF its
ores The celebrated iron used III the Richmond
guns, which nave proved Of superior quality, ID
brought from the mountains by ttis line.
The Virginia and tennessee Railroad penetrates the
great metalterous region of south western Virgins
a. a point where the Blue Ridge and North Mountain
approach each other, sud where the iron, copper
lead and coal, thown into close proximity in con
sequence. This feature in the natural disposition
tn. orea with available fuel aud auxes at command
is psculiaEIy favorable to the speedy development
this section oil The oate-partcuatly III connection
With the railroad.
In this glance at our metalferous formations, VT
have not specially alluded to q variety OF met"- o
Lesser importance, which have been discovered in va
rous parts of the State, have directed sp.c;s
attention detached groups OF the o:es under cons'd
Grafton. 1t is known however, that theae several
metals not always restricted to these peculiar bh'
or ranges: local causes occasionally exert the same
general effects but in relation 10 gold and copper, &C.
their positions generally well defined, since they
/ generally occur in formation Of the igneous, Siurian
OF primary orders.
The general order Of the formations, from East to
West are first, tertiary-including the tide water
or nuvia deposits and the creisceous, or marty stra
In: second rocks Of the sneous order or HypoGene,
,u;, r..