The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-02-20
LOCAL MATTERS.

|
LOCAL MATTERS.
The Coal and Iron Resources of Virginia an,
West Virginia.
! Last evening Gen. Imboden, of this city
occupied about an hour and a half in reading
an elaborately prepared paper to an assem-.
bage of members of the Legislature and
citizens in the Hall of the House of Dele
gates, the object of which was to show tn.
immense resources OF the State for the pro.
duction of Iron. Our report must neces.
sarlly be a mere synopsis of what mus
make pamphlet of 30 or 40 pages, wher
| published in that form.
He introduced the subject by a brief re.
view of the progress of iron manufacturing
IN this country and Europe, particularly in
England, since the introduction of railroads
| quoting freely from q recent article OF
Mr.. Greeley's on "Iron in the United
| States"
In 1861 this country produced but
~ ,oOo tons OF pig iron. In 1871, 2,OO0,-
200 tons were produced. This is more
rapid increase than England has made. Her
product of pig iron in 1863 was 4,5lO.O 900
tons, and in 1860 was 5,445 900 tons. and
in 1871 probably 6,000,OO0.
But our production has not kept pace
with our consumption, particularly of
wrought iron. The enormous progress in
railroad construction is in advance of our
manufacture of rails. We are building
roads at the rate of 1000 miles year. and
already have in operation nearly one-half
the mllpqUa nF oil fho l. =. Al.
world, We require now annually over
one million OF tons Of rails year to relay
old roads and build new ones.
In 1870 we made $4,000 tons of rails
and imported Az, 900 tons, and in 1871 we
made and imported more than these respec-
tive quantities.
General lmboden showed from the sta
tlstics OF railroad progress for series of
years, and leaving out ten years of possible
Interruptions from wars or financial
troubles, that we shall have not less than
10000 miles of railways in operation by
the year 1900, and that our wants will
reach over 100000 900 tons of rails within
the remaining twenty-eight years of this
century. He further showed that two
thirds of our American iron is consumed
Tor bridges, car wheels and axles, architec-
tural purposes, ship building, naval and
military supplies and the arts, and that
the IRON wants of the country at the lowest
estimate in twenty-eight years will reach
6o,00O,O00 tons, at cost of, at least,
81, 200, ,0O0, 900, nearly double the amount
of the National debt.
From these facts he maintained that
under adequate protection iron manufacture
ing would increase enormously in this coun-
try, and that wherever coal and iron ores
abound, and are easily accessible, this bu-
siness would attain its largest proportions.
Ihls brought him to the consideration of
the leading object of his paper, to show
that Virginia and West Virginia contain
more available coal producing territory
than any other States and that Virginia
sarpasses all her sister States in the extent
and richness of her iron ores. That these
vast fields OF coal and iron are Just on the
eve OF being connected by railroad and
water transportation, and that when so
connected capital, ever on the alert for safe
and profitable investment, would seize
upon these resources and establish iron
works in Virginia that would produce not
less than one-eighth of all the iron pro-
duced in the country.
He first took up the coal fields, and dis
cussed them in detail, as to location, pro-
ductiveness, quality of their coal, extent of
mining surface, DC. The first considered
was the Richmond coal field near this CITY.
of l50 to $50 square miles-from whose
basins over 100000 tons of coal have al
ready been raised. He considers this coal
as inferior to the Kanawha and Dan River
coal, and mining in the Richmond field
more precarious than in either of the
others. Nevertheless, in the hands of skill
full and prudent men, this field will con-
tinue to be worked with profit.
He then briefly noticed the Piedmont
coal field, in Prince Edward and Cumber-
land counties, of about 80 square miles of
coal formation, chiefly valuable for local
The next deposit discussed at some
length, was the Dan river coal field, about
Twenty-Five miles west of Danvile, lying in |
Virginia and North Carolina. Though un-
developed, for lack of means OF transporta-
ton, this field has been so far explored
that the basin is ascertained to be from
twenty to thirty square miles in extent,
and to contain five seams, respectively, 3, |
Z, II, 0, and feet thick, and producing
coal of great value from the amount of fix
ed carbon, over 20 per cent, which accu-
rate analysis shows it contains. Portions
of it are semi-anthracite. 1t will be easily
worked, and become of great value on the
eomplstion Of the Norfolk and Great West.
ern railroad, which passes near OF across
its northern edge, and will connect it with
the great iron region of Patrick, Carroll
and Grayson counties, and with the water
power at Danville, where great iron works
must spring up.
The New river coal field was next con-
sidered, and its outcrops in Montgomery,
Pulaski, Botetourt, Augusta and Hamp-
shire discussed. lie considered none of
these valuable except in Pulaski and Mont
gomery, where coal of good quality is
obtained, but the geological and Theological
disturbances there have greatly impaired
the value Of the field by rendering mining
operations precarous AMI uncertain. New
ertheless, the field is one of great local i'm
portancc in connection with the splendid
iron ores of that region,