New-York tribune., 1870-05-11
THE NEW SEAT OF TIE IRON AND STEEL
MANUFACTURES.


manufacturers of Pennsylvania and Wales have
within year. made close examinations of those de-
posts and the result is large tracts of land in the
vicinity of Covngton, Va, and in the Kanawha
Valley West Va, where the Coal is found suitable
for smelling purposes have passed into the hands OF
Northern men. 1t is asserted, by English IRON
workers of thirty years experience, that, within
circuit of 125 miles around the celebrated White
Sulphur Springs of West Virginia, there Is more iron
ore than IN the whole Of Great Britain Moreover,
the ore is more accessible and, when the necessary
railroads shall have been constructed which Will
unite tho ore and the fuel and convey tho metal 10
the markets of the world, there is no reason why
iron should not be made anywhere along the line OF
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad with less labor
per tun than in any part Of Europe. Similar testi-
mony comes from tho western edge OF the West VIZ
gnia coal-felds bordering the Ohio and its tribu-
tary streams. Within hundred miles from tho
mouth of the Kanawha River, tho hills are scanned
with iron ORE and on the north bank OF the ONO are
found veins Of the cacined iron ores in "pockets''
European capitalists have lately made largo purchases
I'm Southern Ohio with view to the extensive produc
ton Of The superiority, cheapness and nearness
of the Kanawha varieties Of Coal, have been 80 In
established as q stir in the Iron market Pitts
burgh Cleveland Toledo, Cincinnati Louisville, Coum-
bus, and Richmond, each OF them pushing lines oi
railroad to the kanawha coalbeds.
The following extract from recent report Of the Hon.
Howell Fisher geoogst and practical ironworker OF
explains the great advantages oi the coal
fields in West Virginia:
There are items that affect the value OF coal Held
i. Quality of tho coal q Quantity; 8. Accessibility OF
the coal itself; A. Market iii, ,,o .,ro, ,ni.
region by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.
The facts already stated have demonstrated Its value
In the third item the most essential to cheap and prof
liable working, this region stands uirIvaed. + maui
The chasm Of the River Kanawha renders most pecu-
Har service in its relation To the Coal cutting All inc
Coal strata for nearly its whole length entirely tnr0ugh
and getting down among the shaes under the Coal, the
river has caused the which pierce this
whole coal region to cut down through most OF tne coal
bearing strata on their courses leaving the coal entirely
above the level accessible at hundreds OF points
by simply scrapng OF the so that 30 fT as
mine ready to ship loo uns per week There Is no re
mine for the delivery of Coal at drifts mouth.
This will be made clearer by comparison OF the posi-
W" In Great Britain and in fact in most ali of the European
coal fields, the coal Is deep below the water icNel ~
reach the seams requires the expenditure of years OF
labor and vast sums of money sinking shafts or pits
and In erecting pumping and host1ng machinery, 10 Go
maintained and newed at heavy annual expense IL Is
authortaivey stated that the cost OF sinking shafts IN
the Newcastle region of England to the depth OF lCo %
great northern coalfeld OF Great Britain producing
20OOOOOO tuns per annum, there are 2Oo pts Oh sais
costing, in first outlay for sinking and machlnery,
$OOOOOo which must be added the necessary expense
q constructing and mananing proper "a h a
There is invested simply in pts and Inachinsfy
Great Britain s2OOOOOO0 and this vast sum is destined
destruction in serving the purpose Tor Wen
was used These pits and machinery being constructed
they involve a certain amount Of labor for every tun of
coal got, in addition 10 their cost and renewal;
Now in this great coal field crossed by the chesapeake
and Ohio Railroad Nature has already sunk all the neccs
sary pits and shafts, which need neither repair
the most perfect permanent, and cOstess pumping ma
chnery and the most perfect ventilation or the mines
most ordinary the almost perfect freedom RON
hniu he
VIII t6e facts now hand fair consideration OF the
prospects OF line OF the Chesapeake aud ONO Railroad
as an iron manufacturing center can be had In Als con-
nection the following letter, which has been made public,
is most De rtnent as TO the of the Kanawha as an
COAL and giving the views VI the Leading western
iron men on this subject:
oyy,cp or C. & c. MESpRsu,IL Co.. No. 27 vIsK-sr.,}
CLscISSATI, Oct. 10, lsol
To G. p.rroy, ssq Lexington, Va. ....
@as apiry IssEestins the character Of the
for .h hI purpose Ss a OUT ihs most %
inow1 coal Of the AesRany the Campbels Greek and
io9as SGaissn %usse sss ho T;n these
thoe contract for supply to DO CARTEL up 'ho river 10
An acquaintance with nearly parts Allegheny coal
fields usf that know Of no coal equal TO every
respe OF the fed richly developed on the
where be brought into use at SO
cheap rate. Ii, l., , 3, A.. wo.. q,
Gov Todd there hitherto been regarded OF e tnest
quality by the which use 4 but our iSande wS ls I m
SSsonaS SSs oii' before II and the extent
while he cost Of mining three times the
Since coal BY in April last two furnaces Of
large size have been or are about TO be- % u,eSd
INK use the Kanawhs coal aad The lime
metal this have ve.G dsSss
which cannot superseded railroad TO connect with
e Central 5ss SHs sa and ss SSG s or BISws
along that aro and river and th e%- 81 & iS
me brown ores 70 which I and placed
cs2 s,.ss I 5 S s sSG sn a dHs the
ron laid down at the Knawha Ines for per an or
of
bu 81 90 making materials per tun Of On
These appear to me to highest for materials at the present
high prc Of labor half the cost Of similar materials
favorable Of the districts where iron 10" made In The o0 a
clearly since the trial c the ch,ce,
together the Kanawha Valley win at early day
hives Of and rsh % & a %a e s u. oi. be 5 pcraoa
the rsenOr Of the state Of vrgna, c,r MvsDrxru,-
Mr. Fisher then shows that Coal, both for fuel and
smelling purposes, be put on the cars for u tun
and delivered the orebanks for SAY u 90 tun any
where along the line of the road OF the same cars can
carry coal way and return laden with ore SO as 10
build up furnaces at each end of the route and so supply
both the Eastern and Western markets He thus shows
that I'm addition to the opportunities for establishing
cotton and wooden manufactures in the kanawha valley
that region can furnish the United States with cheap
Iron and Coal for a thousand years to come
AS articles Of iron require work. such as locomo
tves steam mills finished ironwork Of all descriptions
the manufacture OF STEEL do they represent more
coal per tn of finished work, and can be manufactured
proportonably cheaper, as fuel is cheaper.
In Pennsylvania, the manufacture OF charcoal IRON u
gradually dying out owing to the want OF proximity 10
the wood and ore. This proximity sun eAs'' o'oi
large field Of country Virginia. and Is tran tne
manufacture Of charcoal iron to TINS ate. Inns aueo
is to the production OF GOOD anu
manufactures of steel and IL now transported
10 to be there used for these purposes anu
worked up by dear fuel The laws OF trade WIN only
pe,I this long this Iron cannot meet It's natural
ally the Coal of Virginia. when TINS occurs, ana rol