, 1861-08-24
!: ::1Hk 1E0n moUrrAasa.

| :1HE 1Kor moUNTA1na. -,
Especial Correspondents OF the Chicago Trdbuna.1 ]
lRoaToN. No., Aug. ii, 1851.
| The war Is now tho alabsorbing topic Of
public interest. But tho mind tires whaa
constantly devoted to one subject, xna hsnce
| q portion at least Of tha readers Of the TR1-
buKE will be interested IN the ahaence just
now Of Important war movements haze, In
some facts in regard to the mineral develop.
ments of this wonderful region. For many
years We have heard and read OF the Iron
mountains Of Missouri, bnt now our eyes have
seen them, and all the ideas We had formed Of
the extent ard the richness Of the mineral
treasures deposited here were far beneath the
reality. We give In detail few facts as We
| hare been able to collect them from various
souzces since our arrival here last Saturday
| morning.
There are three iron mountains In this II
cf0ity, literally such, viz; Pilot Knob, at the
terminus Of the Iron Mountain Railroad,
Shepherds Mountain, less than mile directly
opposite, and Iron Mountain, ak miles north
on the line Of the railway. The surrounding
valleys are about Thousand feet above st,
Louis, and these, with almost n endless num-
ber Of mountains from three to dozen miles
around them have been thrown up few hun
dred feet above the general level Of the conn
try. The top Of Pilot Knob is 578 feet above
Arcadia Valley, which separates it from shep-
herds Mountain. Shepherds Mountain is
few feet the higher Of the two. The top Of
Pilot Knob is composed Of immense masses
Of solid rock, one Of the principal Ingredients
Of which is irun, and being far above the trees
it affords a most splendid view Of the sur
rounding country. That alone will well re-
pay visit, while the geological facts to be
here observed make it moBt instructive
place to the student and the man Of Beience
On Saturday afternoon, in company with a
citizen OF Honton, We spent several hours in
examining the works of the trenton Com
paoy, at the base of the KNOB; in exploring
the vein that is worked three hundred feet uo
the s1de of the mountain, and In enjoying the
magnificent views from its summit, Two
furnaces are situated on the north side Of the
Knob, only one Of which is 10 In operation.
making about twenty tons of iron per day.
Inc ore is brought down from the
mine, three hundred feet above On a
railway, the empty car being drawn up by the
loaded one IN descending, sna their speed be-
ing regulated By breaks upon large druE1
around which the wire cable pasaes, So far
as we observed, the rocks Of the entire noun
tain are composed largely Of iron; but the
YEN that Worked Is some tWelye to twenty
1eet th1ek, and though Wofkmen have been
vigorously engaged upon 1t . dozen years or
more, very little impression seems to have
beea made upon it. The ore is deep biue
epecular variety, EeEy fntIy granulased, and
SO bal that it wears the drills very rapidly in
boring It. It makes the very best OF iron.
GrETh
netic, some OF the specimens being very highly
poiar1sed- 1t makes softer ard even a more
tenacious iron than the ore from Pilot Knob.
Each has its excellences, and together they
have no superior. We believe the Lake al.
Perlor and the very best Swedish iron can
Ihe magnetic ore of Sheths1ds Mountain
yields 10 per cent. Of iron. Prof. Swallox esti-
mates the amount Of iron in Pilot Knob
alone at 100000 tons above the
surface, and the capacity Of Pilot Knob, Iron
hills to be fully ,o0o, 900 tons of manulaeture9
iron annually fer the next two hundred years.
What folly, then, to be sending abroad and
draining the riches Of the nation foc iron to
hu1ld our Railways and for other uses, when
Providence has thrown far above the surface
Euch vast quantities Of the best iron that can
be found anyH here upon the globe Hers is
iron enough to build a score of Pacific rail
ways, and supply all the wants of the nation
for inde finite ages. This is certainly a most
wonderful region. To the geologist and the
man ct ecience, residence Of week here is
worth . journey across the Atlantic.
But the iron treasures form only portion
OF the riches Of Southeastern Missouri Com
meEctng In Madison, the county southeast Of
lren, and passing round through St. Francis
to Washington county On the north, is one Of
the richest and most extensive 1ead districts
in the country. 1t is said to be only eoualed
lT the fyE!trG district In I'M
joining states. Some OF these mines have
beeL wrought for more than d centurv. hay
mg been discovered by the early French SET
tiers Of st. GeneV1eve and Cape Girardesu
Nor is this all, for copper exista in large qusn-
sitlee, and manganese, cobalt, nickel, tin aud
silver have also been discovered in this
rich mineral district, and it is believed
that some Of them will be found in large
Quantities and in positions where it will pay
Handsomely to work them. As the geo1ogist
Nonla expect where somany varieties OF oxides
combine to color the adj AGENT rocks, the
mest beautiful marbles are fonnd in several
localities and in exkGust1esB quantities, Some
OF them nave been used in the ornamental
: wo5k OF the capitol at Washington. Tney
VA ~ IN & lev yeaIs be source of grsat wealth
10 the State Of Missouri.
Ttis magnificent mineral region with that In
South western Missouri afford the nost IN
doubsed assurance that Missouri is in a few
generations to be one OF the most popu}ous
SAo " healhS STATES tpuh Gae american Conti-
nent. Hence the anxiety Of the traitors to 30.
6ess it. Nor are her mineral resources, won
oe111i as they are, her only reliance for ia.
ture greatness; for both the soil and the eli
matt OF Southern Missouri make it one OF the
pest }rult and wine producing regions upon
the valley of the Missouri and the country
nerth OF it are not excealed IN tha valley Of
the Mississippi. Remove slavery from the
State AID her destiny ia secure. Let this war,
60 "leked1y forced upon the country By tae
aIave power, ,be settled; and our confidence also
in tht tntnre greatness Of St. Lauis has been
Strengthened largely By our visit to this vast
minel district, brought by the Iron Noun
tain KcilIoad to Eer very doors. She always
Eust be great and growing city, not rival,
the commercial centre Of the Northwest, Re-
posing IN quiet dignity upon ths southern
shore Of Lake Michigan.
Alas, this fiatr3cidal war is upon us, for from
The summit OF Pilot Knob the tents Of six
thcusand brave men can be seen in the yalley
around us. A detachment is at work putting
IN Place fierce looking co'nmbIad directly af
tf= base OF the mountain, that will deal death
and destruction to all traitors that NAV ven
tare within Its range. But lcok Thousand
q these brave men, having rested from thsfr
nights journey upon the cars, are conversing
to position in the street of the little vtllage
ct our feet. It is the Iowa Second. Nov
they are in line, and with bayonets gleamIus
IN the evening sunlight, they march for half
an hour through the narrow valley below us
Martial masic thrills the soul it rolls up the
sides of fthemountainR, and echoee and re. echoes
fem the surrounding hills, filing the mind
Nth AZ the deepest emotions Of glorious war,
Bnt chilling sadness steals over us rhen va
think how many homes are made cherries by
the absence and the dangers to which these
noble men are exposed. Gods hand is Ia It.
and that He will ovezrule all its horrors and
its results 20 as to promote the best interests
OF our race, is reelection that should nerve
the arm Of every patriot, and in the darkest
houEs afford him eolace snd assuEauce of a
final and a glorious triumph. B.
FROM CAIRO.
HE Fight ut Charleston.