Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-05-22

lahuIdCtullHS IRON ITOIa mdgncCfC ore, GIlitG d
ton ct the first quality crude metal can be pro-
duced at the low price of ten dollars per ton,
and bar iron at fifty dollars per ton This is an
over estimate for the latter article. For the
benefit OF those who have an interest in the de-.
velopment of the mineral wealth of Virginia, i
will give the physical character Of the ore high
ly magnetic with polarity, constituent parts
peroxide of iron, Co. per cent. protoxide OF
iron. 81; total 100; 1916 metal This ore is
also known by the name of specular iron ore, or
iron glance. The color of this ore is iron black,
massive crystallized in Octahedrons, and rhom-
boldal dodecahedrons, lustre metallic fracture
uneven. .,..ft :. ..:,s..,.,.,,s T., -si5
These iron mines are convenient enough to
Lynchburg to make her, in manufacturing
point of view. the Pittsburg, Lowell, and Shelf
field of the State. The james, River is the
most giant water power in the State, sufficieHt
to drive rolling mills, furnaces and factories to
furnish the United States with iron, steel, hard
ware, and steel rails to link the Atlantic and
Pacific together by railroad, manufacture every
thing that is wanted for use of the finest and
best quality, make steel plate for ship building
Steel ships are now floating proudly on the ocean
in perfect security, the winds may chafe the
ocean into mountain pillows, but the mistress
of the seas defanly cleaves with her steel breast
ed panoply the billows as they approach her,
pressing onward with her treasure life and prop
erty towards her destined port. Clouds charged
with lightning float over her, hurting the hiss
ing fluid in sheets of fire upon her steel covered
deck, but with her hercnlean arm Of diffusion
she throws the thunderbolt in the ocean, and
passes on unharmed Thus we see that science
and the arts are progressing. Let the motto of
Virginia be Excelsior! Excelsior! Wake up
Lynchburg and Amherst, and improve your
fortunes. You have the material to work upon.
Section sixth. Augusta county is said to be
the centre of the State, with lay of agricultu-
raj lands, beginning at the Blue Ridge and
spreading out to the North Mountain, a distance
of thirty five miles Of equal fertility to any lands
in the great Valley, Watered with rills, brooks,
creeks and crystal rivers without partially to
any one section. In most cases the forms are
handsomely improved and thrifty in appear
ance. Her towns and villages are numerous,
! and in thriving condition. Beside all this
wealth, we have a vast amount of internal trea-
sure still slpmbering In those rocky vaults
Augustonians improve your lands, cultivate less
acres, sand double the product Craze more
cattle, horses, mules, sheep and swine. Manu-
facture all we want, buy less, open her mineral
resources, iron ore, lead, manganese. copper,
coal oil, and brine salt J Invite capital. from
out of coal mountain Narrow Back, and drive
from her rocky cells, the present worthless in
habitants, exterminate the murderous, thieving
race, composed ofpanthers wolves, BEARS wild
cats and rattlesnakes, and settle in their place
ten thousand industrious miners to mine out
from the coal veins twenty thousand tons of
coal per day, worth at the mine yard two dollars
per ton. Forty thousand dollars per day, ma
king per week the handsome sum Of two hun
dred and forty thousand dollars, one million per
month (26 days.) Extensive veins of the car
o{n of oh IL IL
veins, fuel and ore for the manufacture of iron
to a large and lucrative extent These Goals
are well adapted to the smelling of ores and the
manufacture of good iron, besides these carbo-
mates, large veins of the brown oxide of iron are
on the eastern side of the coal mountain. Wa
ter power, limestone, and in addition to the
coal, a large amount of timber is available for
charred coal. These mines, like mint, could
mill off thousands of long dollars thar ron) per
week, if put in motion by enterprise and capi-
tai. What saved England from bankruptcy?
We answer, the discovery of her coal and IRON
ore, in Wales which furnished her with wealth
enough Tin iron) to pay off the largest national
debt In the world. Our nationality is at stake,
we have just passed through an ordeal of dis
tress, withering war which has reduced us to
adversely, and to grow rapidly in wealth and
prosperity, we must follow the example of pros
porous England, unlock the hills and mountains,
and mine their treasures The coal mountain
of Augusta presents a field worthy of trial. We
can read in the geological page that lays open to
the observer printed in organic letters, SO plain
that the commonest schocl-boy may read on the
record Of stone that coal, iron ore, oil brine are
locked up there on good terms for the consum-
ers: We know from practical experience, that
coal is there OF the best quality which comes
under the head Of -bituminous, having lost
one halt OF Its bltunlen, and it may be that per
cent Of bltumen was manufactured into Petro-
leum by chemical law not understood by man.
Theorists say that oil is a compound of two
equivalents carbonic acid and hydrogen gas
Those gases are supposed to be formed in two
ways; first, by organic fermentation: second
by the decomposition of iron pyrites and pyrita-
ceous coal forming sulphuric acid that works on
carbon, and iron generating carbonic acid and
hydrogen. do not pretend to say that rivers
and lakes of oil were manufactured by this pro-
cess under ground. But this do assert, and
challenge refutation from any quarter of the
scientific world that the Augusta coal, semi -bi-
luminous, will produce Parafine by mechani-
cal process in the shape of small colorless nee
dies fusible at ll00 to clear liquid which, ON
solidifyiing becomes CLASSY and transparent It
is tasteless and inodorous, volatile without de-
composition, and burns when strongly heated
with luminous flame. Paraffine is not known
to combine in a definite manner with any other
body whence its extraordinary name from parwn,
o6tnas. Parafiine contains carbon and hydro
gen. chemists make it 20 carbon, 2l hydrogen.
L entertain an opinion from the fact that the
Augusta coal gives off by reagents parafhne,
tsoild oily that we have strong evidence that
our chance to tap oil by boring is not a hopeless
one. invite geologists, mineralogists, chem
lists, and all other gentlemen who are interested
In the development of our mineral wealth. to
come to the coal field and draw their own infer
ence from such facts as may present themselves
in the carboniferous region in the vicinity of
Mt. Scion, fourteen miles northwest of Staun-
ton, Va sss5s<l 5 LORENZO SIBERT.
, For the Spectator.
Mr.. EDITOR :-On this 10th of May, ever to
be remembered as the day on which Gen. L. j.
jackson fell, THAT creature opinion to the con-
trary notwithstanding, one Pie,pont) it is ap-
propriate we should do something to rescue from
oblivion the memories of the humblest of the