Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-06-03

Tron, Coal n2d salt. The valley OF
Sunday creek.
-, - 80 - Ionrnal.l j


The iudicious action Of the General
Assembly in providing for a geological
survey Of the State is already bearing
fruit. and must, in very few years. add
hundreds of millions to the available
wealth of the State, as well as vastly IN
crease our population-the increase be
ing a class which constitutes the strength 1
the pride and glory Of every civilized /
commonwealth. The mineral deposits
in the Hooking Valley, IS well as Of the 1
region IN the vicinity Of STaitsVille. IN
Perry county. have been known for
wears. The partial survey of the north
ern territories of the Hooking, made by /
Professor E. B. Andrews and his assist
anfs- Iasf summer, has had the effect to 1
direct the attention Of capitalists to other /
portions Of the great mineral basin north /
and northeast of the Hooking river. |
Heretofore It has been believed and un-
derstood that the Nelsonville and Straits
vile coal fields have no parallel in the
State but it now turns out that, great
and wonderful as those deposits are,
they lie at the western and southern
verge of what may be denominated the
great coal and iron field Of the north
west.
Since the letting Of the contract for
construction Of the Atlantic and Lake
Erie Railroad, and the announcement
that work will be commenced on it on
the 18th of June, we have been at some
pains to ascertain some of the facts re
lative to the mineral deposits of the
Sunday creek valley, of which casual
notices have heretofore appeared in
these columns. Sunday creek. as many
of our readers know, empties into the
Hooking at Chauncey. some seven OF
eight miles below Nelsonville, in Athens
county. It is between twenty-five and
thirty miles long from north to south and
drains an area of about 200 square miles.
The Atlantic and Lake Erie Railroad is
located and under contract along this
stream. and traverses almost its entire
length from the springs of the Middle
Fork, some FIVE miles south of New
Lexington, to the mouth of the main
stream, at Chauncey. We know some
thing personally Of this region, having
spent good part Of our youthful days
IN that vicinity, but that was before the
era Of railroads. geological surveys. the
shipment Of COAL and the manufacture
Of pig-iron, some twenty-five years ago.
As we have visited that region but sell
dom for several years, many well known
facts had passed out of mind until pub
lie attention has been called in that di-
rection. Then a twelve foot seam of
coal was esteemed as of little value, and
iron ore was regarded as positive nui-
sance, especially where it cropped out
in the open fields and it is but recently
that, to their great astonishment, the far
mers have learned that the ungainly
rocks against which they broke their
plows, were capable of being turned in
to more money than all the crops they
had ever grown, or all they could ever
grow, if they lived to twice the age of old
Parr. Some of them were pleased with
the information, while others, who had
long lived in peace and seclusion, look
ed with dismay or indignation upon
discovery which they regarded as the
precursor of the coming of the Yankee,
the Welshman and the Englishman, the
smoke of whose furnaces like that of
the place Of torment) ascendeth upward
forever and ever. But they would not
fight against the inevitable. These devil
hsh miners were coming any how. So
with many expressions Of regret at the
sacrifices they were making, they sweet
ened their sorrow by selling their lands
at prices which twenty years ago would
have been deemed fabulous, and pro-
pose to go to Kansas, where they can
have elbow room and live unmOlested.
If the testimony of eye witnesses is to
be credited-if one-fourth what they tell
is true-the Sunday creek valley is des-
tined, and that speedily, to become the
centre of the pig-iron manufacture in
Southeastern Ohio. Several mining
companies have been organized and
lands purchased to the amount Of over
5000 acres, and covering some I8
miles along the railroad line. The coal
IN the Il foot seam, know as the Great
Vein, is pronounced by practical iron
masters as a superiar article for use in
blast furnaces. There are several varie-
ties of iron ore, the quantities Of each
being greater than is found at any other
point in Ohio, or elsewhere, except in
Missouri or the Lake Superior region
Limestone suitable for fuxing is also
found in sufficient quantities for the pur
pose. 1t is said by experienced miners
that either Of these mining companies
can furnish at numerous points along the
valley, either on the cars or at the fur
naces. all the raw materials-ore, coal
and hmestone-necessary for producing
ton Of pig-iron for s8 and realize a
handsome profit. Gentlemen experienced
in the production of pig-iron in Ohio and
Pennsylvania, express the opinion that
at the present rate of wages pig-metal
can be produced there at a cost of less
than SIS per ton. IF this be the fact land
these gentlemen propose to test it by the
erection of furnaces) neither the mining
companies nor their customers viii need
any protection against the pauper labor
of Europe" The aforesaid pauper Ia
Dor, as well as Hon. Vim. D. Kelly and
his pig-iron constituency. viii most like
" have to seek protection agairst iron
fields like this.
We congratulate Professor Andrews
on the fact that his examination of the
mineral field on the northern slope of
the Hooking IS likely to lead to such
grand and beneficial results to the State.
the country and mankind. His reports
on the coal formations sent a host of
capitalists and practical miners into that
region. which led to the discovery Of The
iron deposits in immediate connection
with the coal, and those discoveries. in
turn led to investments which made the
Atlantic & Lake Erie Railroad a success.
In addition to the enormous deposits Of
IRON and coal, II has long been known
that the Sunday creek valley. through
out ITS entire length, occupies the GENRE
OF the Ohio salt basin. Salt manufacture
mas 0een carried on successfully and
prohtaoiy at the mouth Of Sunday creek
ior many years. Oil hunters, a few
years ago. sunk wells at various points
ln the valley. from Goo to 1000 feet deep.
Ansy 1ound little or no Oil, but flowing
wells Of rich and excellent salt water re-
main to this day as monuments of their
industry and enterprise.
1aking It altogether, if we are to cred
1t one half of the well authenticated ar
counts OF this region. the Sunday creel,
valley IS probably by far the most vaI,,-
abe mineral tleld yet discovered in Ohio.
and taking into consideration ifs -. 49,
unity to market, as well as the roe.l,.14 ioA1
transportation already and soon ''tls IS Ll ol
provided for reaching all points in Sl,;e
and Northwestern States, it is Co,,b+f,,i
whether any territory approaching + IN
value, has yet been discovered in The
Mississippi Valley.