New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-07-24

Hes,
has ever perfected geological survey OF her 'errro
or thoroughly investigated her mineral wealth. WIN
vast extent of territory INN mineral wealth. una
geological formation probab exceeding IN interest 'na'
OF any other State, virgnia has hardly had recon-
noissance Of her AID the examinations "hc
have been made have by Nc means extebaed over NC,
whole area Individual enter prise has sometimes caiea
attention to her wealth. but very often with view 10
pushing some particular scheme or enhancing inc value
of some special property which sometimes has had only
fictitious value Previous TO the war, this country uia
not attract much notice. as even when epehed W i
road travel and transportation, the ROADS "eie e'0
primitive character as TO repel rather IMAM a''a'e
custom, and a lack Of harmony among the cohhec'ns
lines pre- vented any rapid imp oyement But Win 'ho
change social and polltIca came change in the nature
Of the management of railroads New demands OF trade
and manufacture be supplied and new lines inuso
be opened or old ones made efficient ana TINS OK
plains the recent developments OF mineral wealth IN thls
vicinity.
The most productive mine Of lead east of the
Mississippi River IL in this vicinity the Wythe Lead
Mines being known everywhere to men of science While
ess known to the dealers in Wallst, and specuators
generally than any mines in America They present tho
singular feature of profitable mine whch mas never
been bought up by Northern and has not yet passed
out of the family Of Its original owners The mines nave
been worked for 40 years. and more than tWothds o
the present stockholders descendants OF the nrst
purchasers. The names are on the list now thaG
might have been found there 100 years ago. stopped at
this place TO visit these Mines and was advised 10 go
over the country horseback The stable Keeper sent
me most unpromislng looking horse OF breed uni
yersay known here as "Conestoga," with frame Ike
a mastodon, and wheezy voice which seemed 10 maj
cate an early death But he climbed mountain sides ike
sourre for,,ed rocky streams by night or day with
the sure>footedness Of a cat, plunged through mud
as II it were much water, and as his piood
warmed he quckened into rapid pace 20
smooth that it neither worried nor jolted. My COM
panion rode fancy blOoded animal, but ohConestoga
left him far behind before night and at the END OF inc
second day. who had not ridden before In nVe years.
was reser than at the start while he an old rider was
weared out Just the crimson glow Of the setting sun
was shading into the twilight gray the summit OF hi
turn in the road brought us in full view OF New Kver'
sretching far in front and to left seemingly lost on
the one hand in massive elf of limestone, While south
ward IL lay like sheet Of glass, brilliant WITH hues re-
nccted from the clouds. Beneath ana rising on eacn
succeeding hilltop were fields of coger tinted with inc
purnle blossom while here and there were slgns OF e
in the white and cattle that lay resting on INC
evard and in the curling smoke from dozen iafni-
houses.
The Wythe Union Lead Mines are on the banks OF New
River about Il miles southeast Of this place bt per
sons visiting hcm aud this REGION have 10 ea'e o
railroad at this point because OF Inability ese"rc "
oct means OF conveyance Macks Meadows Depot,
-
place of the lead and zinc mines ana all but one OF inc
iron furnaces good mad turnpike the route from this
place the Inacadamized road over the mountains 10
North Carolina passing four miles north OF tie mhes'
90 directly to the Union Lead company lhheS
bt followed up what the people call the Mineral BeII
from point >.ith-west OF Wytheyille northeast TO
those works My object to the country and the
people, to visit some openings the lead and TO deter
mine the mineral value OF the section No region has
been so much abused which has much actual value
aud yet the formations are snglary irregular ana up
heaved in the strangest manner For instance Wythe
Vile lies in limestone hills and valleys Just south OF
the place mountain whose summit ia capped with
primary rocks One gets limestone or hard water at the
foot while halfway up excellent freestone springs
The great Atlantic system of mountains, which begins In
in the north consultation OF man will show, continues
down through Virginia. until lost in Alabama The east
ern range Of this system is the Blue Ridge the western
is called In Pennsylvania and North Virginia, Allegheny,
and here becomes the Cinch, while in Tennessee they
are the Cumberland Mountains. The intermediate land
between these main lines is cut up by parallel ana
cross ranges nclosng valleys of astonishing fertility
and frequently OF great size. short distance to the
southeast of Salem, spur shoots OFF from the main
Blue Ridge range called the Iron Mountains, and, ex
tending south-westerly becomes the boundary between
North Carolina and Tennessee. After throwing OIL the
Mountain spur, the Blue Ridge ceases TO be the
geologic divide, but becomes strictly the Watershed and
continues so to its termination, in Georgia.
Along the western slope of this Iron Mountain range
or rather through the tabeands at its foot extends tho
great mineral belt 1t may be traced from the Hudson
River down. showing distinct characteristics, but here
more disturbed and upheaved than ut other points and
hence afording mineral matter. My own observa-
tons extended about IA miles throughout which
extent are found lead and zinc in abundance From
similarity Of formation, have doubt that they exist
throughout the whole line Of disturbance for distance
of more than $50 miles, or from near Salem,
Va, 10 Knoxville, Tenn, following everywhere
tho course Of the Iron Mountains except where
from time to time thrown ont OF place northwest
wardly by spurs sunk enthusiastically by the valleys
of that range West Of this range are found SALT coal
coarsely crystalline gslena earbonates and seate' OF
zinc brown and red hematite dyesone) iron East
of Is no coal is met with except near the Atlantic; no
salt the ores OF zine and lead suphures ney cys
taline) Of rOnna ghetto and.specuar oxide no brown
he1nate is found except far Eastward. These char
acteriscs are prevalent far down into Georgia and Ala
bama The line OF the Alabama and Chattanooga Rail-
road abounds In dyestone the Selma, Rome, and Dalton
I'm the hcmaes while south of the Coosa the specuar
oxde n has been claimed that this region affords
veins that all its mineral in deposits In the absence
of definite knowledge OF Its characteristics 1t Is as
serted that il works pushed to sufficient depth to
PASS beyond the decompOsing influences generated IN
the great upheayal regular veins would be found
The works OF the wythe Union Lead CO. prove this to be
fact vet SO little are the geological features OF the
country known orhought of hat the Company did not
themselves appreciate the true value OF their discovery
Ont ~ beautiful valley on New River series of
hills from $50 to feet in hight In belt across these
hills lie the deposts OF lead which have been worked
So long, they are $50 feet wide. and here as
elsewhere on this lead, accompanied at the surface by
brown hematlte iron ore The ore is found in dht
formed from decomposed iron Ore States and limestone
II IA usually taken pockets between immense up
lifts or powders OF rock limestone, partially deeoposed
ON the surface These pockets were worked many years
y,thont any serious attempt at exact mining several
which were sunk having been abandoned, until
about ten years before the war; when system OF shafts
md tunnels was adopted Now the main works consist
-. Ia ltnnst ono TIM I'm .Ii-t III s..1.o