The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-15

FROM AN OCCASlONaI
SpAErANsuna, February l0.-Your cores
pondent, "elrd's-Eye," while passing 'on the
wing" through our county has certainly seized
and we'll portrayed some of the strong points
in our position and resources. Perhaps you
may be willing to hear occasionally from ole
on The perch. had not the pleasure of read
ing the "Pacolet" letter 10 which he refers, and
NAV, perhaps, repeat some items which were
in it. There is O remarkable passage in L ie-
ber'sr report (1S57), which shows how he was
impressed by professional survey OF the
mineral resources of our section:
There is great reason to believe that, at a
future day, the northeast conner OF Spartan
bnro and the nortawes 'ern portion OF York,
with O small portion Of Un;on, will form high
ly important mining distr;c5, in which the IRON
ore beds, to which it. has hitherto owed Its
whole reputation as mineral legion, vii, form
the least important resources OF wealth ana
prosperity. The population viii be entirely
changed, and the scattering shantles OF IRON
ere quarrymen and charcoa! burners will give
place to the thriving villages OF industrious
mechanics and miners. This district would pc
enclosed bv semi-circle, having the point
where the Broad River enters our State for its
centre. and the distance thence to Kings Noun
tain as radius, and would therefore cover about
eighty square miles. Such remark may ap-
pear to ruany readers to be overdrawn and too
highly coored. Yet it Is the result OF carefui
inspection of the region"
This eastern part of our country is nearlr s-ii
an iron bed. The iron and other mineral ores
are found associated with the mica slate,
which everlies the gneiss in this part of the
country.
lieber was struck with the itIcol:pl.. (fex-
ible sandstone) formation herc III about
eighty square miles of this rock il the State,
forty square miles are in Spartanb,cr. This
rock is elsewhere (as IN BraziD found assvciat-
ed with diamonds. These iron regions attracted
attention even in the revolution. Early in this
century furnace was in operation near the
Cowpen's battle ground, which is sixteen miles
northeast of the courthouse. In 1882, the
company selected o beautiful shoal on Paco-
let, eight miles east OF Our town, and built
the Roliug's Mills. Ofthis company, Simpson
Bobo, of our bar, was an original stockholder,
and in addition, has been for many years the
agent of the South Carolina Iron Manufactur-
ing Company. The Rolling Mills are connected
with the Cowpens Furnace, twelve miles dis
tant, by little railroad with horse power, per-
haps the largest road Of the kind in the country
In this part of the county is the Bivinssvilc
Cotton Factory, on Lawson's Fork, four miles
east of the courthouse. It stands on the site
of an old iron mill, burnt in the Revolution. 1t
was built by company chartered in 1887, with
capital of one hundred thousand dollars.
The present propretors have built since the
war q magnificent brick building near the old
wooden one, but higher up on the hill side, 80
as to be above the reach Of high water.t
The following list of a few OF our shoals "a
from Mills Folio Atlas, from which Lieber CO.
pied it into his report alluded to above: Cher
okee Falls, Pacolet 8 feet in chains; Rolling
Mills, Pacolet, 16 feet in 40 chains Cannon's
Mill, PacoleI, 10 feet in chains; Pacolet
Springs, Pacolet, IL feet in 10 chains Trough
Shoals, 20 feet in GO chains; Bivingsvile, Law
sons Fork. 25 feet in -; Mountain Shoals,
Ennoree, IS teet in 2l chains.
We hope moro complete list may be given
at no distant day. Few portions Of our wide
spread country are more favored in water pri-
yleges. May you and 1 live to see tne day
when all our mountain streams will leap sea-
ward to the music OF thousand wheels on
their banks. OF other points in the old Iron
! District, more hereafter. ENNoREE.