Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-06
Anian aud 9ispatth.
WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 6, 1857.
Largest Circulation in City and State.
REVIEW OF DIR. sAFFORD'S LIT
TIERS ON THE RESOURCES OF
HICKMAN AND'ADJACENT C0UN-


/
on the agricultural and mineral wealth OF
Hickman county, Tennessee. The object
Of the writer has been to sketch the re-
sources, and especially the mineral re-
sources, Of this county, and 10 show how
much wealth lies buried in this region for
the want Of adequate means Of transporta-
ton. The letters were written in answer
10 inquiries made by Col Pickett, the
Representative from Hickman. II is pro-
posed TO build a railroad through this
county, and it was with reference to this
enterprise that the tnformation was asked
for.
After speaking Of the section Of the State
to be traverscd by the road, DR.. Stafford
says:
The valley of Duck river, with its rich
bottoms, the valleys of Piney, Swan, Beaver
lam, Cane, Buffalo, Green liver, and Of
other streams, have no direct outlets, and
| their rich acres are not cultivated with the
/ energy nor improved with the care and
foresight they would be were the railroad
trains whistling by within easy reach
These valleys are little appreciated, for
they are little known. The ridges separat-
ing them are well timbered. Chestnut oaks
abound, and hides by the thousands have
been nagoned through mud and mire into
this country 10 be tanned, and then tra0oned
out again to be sold Quite a number Of
large tanning establishments are found in
this section, and they would be far more
numerous with proper facilities for trans
portatiOn. This is but a single item but,
as we shall see hereafter, no mean one OF
the lands and their products timber, bark
etc, propose TO speak particularly fur
Their on.
To me, a most interesting and important
feature Of the section to be traversed by
the road is its great mineral wealth, espe-
cially ia iron ore. Hickman, especially,
in the very heart Of the region, and nov
cut off from the great business centers ofthe
State, abounds in ore Of the best quality
and IN great quantity, and nothing has
prevented her from being dotted with fur
naces, like Stewart and Montgomery, but
lack Of means 10 get the iron away when
made. Two or three furnaces we're once in
blast in this county, but the cost of getting
their metal to market has sickened enter
prise and slnothered their fires
In the second letter the surface features
Of Hickman are described. The whole
country is said to be a 6at-topped, table
land, out Of which Duck river and its tribu-
taries have scooped their valleys. or what
amounts to the same thing, il is region Of
valleys and broad fat ridges. We give
nearly the whole Of the second letter
and good part Of the third. 1t describes
the great and truly interesting iron banks
Of Hickman, and state what they might be
made to yield. &.
In the valleys, which are very numerous,
| and from half mile to a mile in width. Is
mainly the agricultural wealth of the coun-
ty; on the ridges, or rather in them, are
the deposits of ore. All Of the ridges con-
tain more or less ore 1t is found every
! where upon them, but at certain places or
centres it is found accumulated in great
| quantities. TheseIcentres or Accommodations
of ore are called banks, and some of them
| contain ore enough 10 run a furnace for
centuries. Indeed, il is difficult 10 conceive
how they can be exhausted In Hickman
/
Of which would supply furnace with an
abundance Of ore, and some of them two or
more furnaces.
In order TO have some idea Of the amount
of ore IN the best Of these banks let ms take
the Atna bank. This magnificent store
house of wealth forms tie top of the ridge
between the Piny and Brushy forks of
Beaver Dam reek, and is seven TO eight
miles south Of Duck river. 1t is two and
a halfto three miles long, and will average
nearly mile in width. The ore Is found
in pots large and small, in great vein
like masses, in beds, etc, mixed more or
less with clay and decomposing flint and
gravel, the whole mass varying from TWEEN.
ty-tiye TO one hundred feet in depth. Here
we have more than two square miles of ore
ground, at nearly all points Of which ore
may be raised for the furnace At many
points the mineral is in greater bulk than
its matriX, and even If we estimate il at one
third Of the entire mass, il amounts to mil
lions OF tons of Ora vast quantity. Etna
furnace has obtained its ore from the north
western end Of this bank-that nesrest the
stack-snd although the furnace has made
over 10000 tons Of metal this end, even, is
not fairly opened. Several large excaya-
tions have been made in the margin of the
bank, to which good size houses might be
put, but they are, comparatively, as moth
ing, are mere notches in the edge Of great
plateau Of ore. This bank can feed as many
furnaces a. can be conveniently located
around II. But the great quantity of ore
is not the only beauty Of this bank its min
eral is Of excellent quality, and he iron
made from il commands the very highest
price Of Tennessee iron. 1t is an excellent
variety of brown hematite ores, which,
when pure, contain nearly sixty per cent.
Of metallic iron.
Attention has been called 70 the Etna
bank simply rs an example As | have
said, there are at least twenty banks in
Hickman. They lie upon both sides OF
Duck river, and are distributed as follows
On the waters Of the Beaver Dam-sir.
This includes the bank already described,
the upper part of which Is some times
called the Halhrook bank.
On the waters of Swan Creek-sereH.
On Jerry's and Ore branches, north OF
Duck river-the Brown bank, sn excellent
and great deposit Of ore.
On Haley's creek. the Cantrell hank.
On Defeated creek, the Pickett bank.
containing very fine ore.
+ On Piny, near Vernon, Lees bank.
On Min creek, also near Vernon. the
extra Oakland No. I. and Oakland No. .
On Gamers creek, the Garner creek
bank.
Twenty-Five furnaces, at least. might be
supplied with ore from the banks OF thi.
county alone, each Of which could be made
yield, on an average, from 1900 to 2OOO
tons of pig metal yearl.. Ii we take SOC
as the yield, il would be 81 500 tons in all
worth, al present prices, 81, s75, 0OO-nearly
two millions Of dollars, which would be Ger.
talnly a very handsome contribution from
4 single county 70 the income Of the State.
This Is no fiction. In this estimate VIC
place the annual yield Of each al 1900 tons
while they could he made 70 yield 1000
In ls)4 eight Of the furnaces Of our west
ern iron region produced as follows:
Brownsport in Decatur county, 2lOg
tons.
Forty eight in Wayne county, PAS tons
Piuey, in Dickson county. 1891 tons.
Cumberland. in Dickson county, 1926
tons.
Louisa, in Montgomery county. 2l54 tons
Bcllwood, IN Stewart county, 2OO6 tons
6 Cross creek, in Stewart county. l9O'
2 tons.
o la Grange, in Stewart county, IsI,
tons
. The average yield Of the eight va
POPS tons and there e. no reason whv will
good management, we'll constructed stack
- aud an abundance Of ore and timber an O
our furnaces should not come up 10 this
Our estimate then Of 500 tons Is mode
rate. Suppose W. reduce the number O
good iuTuaoe sites 10 twenty; the yipl,
then in cash value vail be 81 500 600 annu