The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-07-26
vrnNrSN 90, 1871,
,,,r rc,HCrr.aTuoN OF THE DISPATCH
,ncrR THAN THE CONFINED CIR
-, ,TIo> OF ALI. THE OTHER DAILY
>,v>rspERS or THE CITY.
.--,.s;,o,,'rere % The New York 7'r!hnnc. !!
.,r-rftvESTFES VIRGINIA.

.,r.rftvESvrHS VIRGINIA.
VII, Ride and "a Rare Horse Scenery on
Wv River Geology OF the Alic@hantcs-
N,,hc Lead and Zine Mines An Old style
NirG G,uan. -
W,-uKyILLE. Va. July 5.-No southern
.,4,r has ever perfected 4 geological survey
.. her tyrritory, or thorough, ipve>tig gated
r mineral wealth. With u vast extent OF
r,.torH. immense mineral wealth. and Z
....lr-jl:tl formation probably exceeding in
..,,,,rr,I that of any other state. Virginia
l..> hardly had reconnaissance OF her re-
,slTryS. ana The examinations which have
N,,o made have ny 10 means extended over
l,,.r n lie area. Individual enterprise has
.,ur,inrs calicd attention to her wealth,
l.,t yrr, often with \ view to pushing some
..,r.l,.l.l4r scheme or enhancing the value
..r .smr special property which sometimes
l,. had oniv a fictitious value. Previous
F.. fhr war this country did not attract
..yh notice. A., even when opened to rail-
,tt travel and transportation, the roads
We oi such primitive character as 10 rcpcl
her than attract custom. and 4 lack of
,.rmenv among the connecting lines pre-
vented any rapid Improvement. But with
,t,. change. social aud political. came 4
.,,,..r il! the nature IF the mana.em,n mt OF
..lr.-r,I,. New demands of trade and
..,rvf,etilrr must bc supplied, rnd new
..,,, must hr opened or old ones made
,,..,r,. ,,'i lent, and this explains the recent
.;,,apmruls q! mineral wealth in this
,.Hu!t,.
,.., rr the Mississippi river Is in this vi
unity. the WSthr Lead Mines being known
,,r;whrrr 10 u,u Of science, while less
Lncvnf 10 lh, dealers in Wall street, and
.n,..l;flturs generally. l!an aly mines i'll
,m,r;rg. they present the singular fca-
,'II, ef :, prutiiutlc mime which has never
l,l0 bouchi up hy northern men, and has
f.r set passed ont q: the family Of its orig
,..., owners. The mines have been worked
:.g no rrarS, and more than two-tblrus ot
IN. present stockholders are descendants
AT .hr first purchasers. The same names
ar,, on the list now that might have been
found there 100 years ago. | stopped ut
~ .lace :" visit these mines, and was ad-
.4-t.. iu 20 over the country on horseback.
H. >.ahh-krrIcr sent me most unprom-
r..... 'uut;r. huT>c Of 4 breed universally
ElnNu here. ~ - uur>toga,' with q frame
fn,a u}t>tutiuu, and Il wheeZr voice which
.,,mcd 10 indicate All carly death. But he
,.lubrd mountain sides like a>Quirrel, ford
,ri rucky streams ny ni@ht or day with the
,urrtoOicdnc>S oi q cat, plunged through
mad - i il were 50 nur'! water, and rs his
!.ioo,i Warmed he uuickrncu into a rapid
;n,rr, 50 smooth that il neither worried nor
eo.jtd. My companion rode Il fancy biooded
.ulu!a' int old "toucstuga left him far
a,.iluu urtolc night. ana at the end OF The
,.,.und Gay. |. Who bad not ridden before
u live wears, Wa- ircStCr than al the start.
vA.ir h,,. IN "!H rider. was wcaricd out.
.lH-t - thr crimson -luw Of tie setting sun
wa> shading III" the twilight gray the sum
nit 81 Il Hill turn in the roau brought Us
~ ~, Str l1r,V far in
rrunt and t. our left. seemingly lost on the
our hand in massive cliif Of limestone,
ul.Ir ~uurhNard II lay like Il sheet OF glasS,
brilliant Wiih h3ie- reelected from The clouds.
Beneath, ana rising ou each succeeding hill
'o;, were fields ul clover. tinted with the
iUrrr blossom, while here and there were
>j-i> ui life in he white and brown cattle
i,aS uN resting on tho sWard, and i'll the
curling >m#li" from a dozen furm-houses.
hr Wyth" Union Lead Mines arc on the
l~uh- al Sew river, about fourteen miles
'"UIhrt>t "f this place, but persons yi>itin"
them aud tins region have to leave The rail
rugG I'll this point because OF Inability else
where ju .."t means of conveyance. Max
Meadows depot. eight miles tuitEcr east, j.
ue,rrr, ana l. the shipping place oI the lead
,stjG LN" mines. aud a! but one OF the iron
iarur.r>. \ good mud turnpike is the
route from this place, lhe uacadcmiZed
' u
passing four miles north OF The mines. ]
agi tot - directly 10 the Union Lead Com
.uu,'> mines. but followed up what the
Iru,ic call the fMincr%l Belt from Il
point southwest oi VI ythcyiic northeast to
lAu-r WORKS. Ny o'i iect WAS 10 see the
countr. amE tr" people, to visit some open
lN4- on tn" lead. and 10 determine the min
"rai value al he section. No region has
bcra g mura abused which has so much
Il ..,,i En IHt,
-u.uirly Irregular sud upne@yed IN the
-N,sr-c-r manner. FOR instance. Wythc-
N.li'' I.r> III iM"-tvIlc hills and valleys. just
-VNih g! the place rises Il mountain whose
-GlHMit j. caHp,d with primary rocks. one
-"t> limestone or hard wafer 1T the foot, e,
NA"" L.!-"ay up ARE excellent iICeStone
springs.
The &"y&! AIlaHtir system Of mountains.
which tens II Tie north, consultation OF
. map VIII SHOW, continues down through
rGHia until lost in Alabama. TIE cust-
rrn range of TINS - stem is the Blue Ridge ::
TIE western i called, in pel.nSyivu and
north Virginia. 11llt rllany, and here be-
'"lL"~ the tiinch, " bile IN Tennessee they
alr H." Cumberland mountains. The in
lctmcdiI:c land between these two main
lth,s l. cat up by parallel and cross ranges,
H'I"emg valleys Of astonishing fertility,
ANA frequently of great size. \ short dis
'''tl' - tLt SbulEcist pl .NalCul u spur
shoots oil from the main Blue Ridge range
called he Iron mountains, and extending
-3uthWc>tclly. becomes the boundary be-
tween North Carolina and Tennessee. Af
Ter throwing Cll the Iron mountain spur
lhc Blue Ridge ceases to be the geologic
d!Niu", hut becomes strictly the watershed, :,
au4 continues 80 TO its termination III
Georgia.
Alon. The wc:tcrn slope Of this Iron
Mountain lan"c, or rather through the
Table Lands al its foot, extends the great
mineral belt. 1t may be traced from the
Hudson river down, showing distinct
characteristics, but here more disturbed
ana uphcaycd than ut other points, and
hence hiinrdlng more mineral matter. My
own observations extended over about
fourteen miles, throughout which extent
ATE found lead aud zinc ore in abundance.
From similarity Of formation, l have no
douht that they exist Throughout the whole
"hc "i disturbance for distance OF more
man 100 miles, or from near salem, Va, TO
knoxville, Tcnn., following everywhere
'hr cour>c OF the Iron Mountains, except
Wh"r" from time to time thrown out OF
place enthusiastically by spurs. or sunk
southeast Mardly by the valleys OF that
faA-c. N-el oi this range are found salt,
'"Ai, coarsrly cry >taiiuc galcpa, carbonatcs
ana >iiicatcS OF Zinc, brown and red hema-
luc (dScSlonr), iron ore. East OF it no coal
II met with except near the Atlantic; no
salt: the ores OF zinc and lead are sui
rhuiets tfnely crystaline); OF iron
magnetic and specular oxide no brown
hrmalitc is found except far eastward.
hcsc characteristics are prevalent Ear
down into Georgia and Alabama. The line
OF The Alabama and Chattanooga railroad
aahgunds i'll dycstone, the Selma, Rome and
Dalton III the hematltes, while south OF the
toosa Is the spccular oxide. 1t has been