Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1872-11-15
local.
The New Iron DispensasaoM.


SrAUNroN THE PLACE FOR IRON MANUFACTURERS
Coal PLENTIFUL LIMESTONE IN THE YARD AND
Two RAILROADS AT THE DooR-lRoN MADE
CHEAPER THAN AT PfrrsBURG "A FIELD FOR IRON
MANUFACrUR sRs -THE .WoRKa NOW AFRO UND
HERE-CHEAP LABOR.
&C., &C., &C.
The inhab;tant of the city of Staunton when
he looks around at night upon the red light of the
furnaces Illuminating the horizon in the west
and east and SOUTH sees in it the dawn of the
day that is to see this great iron manufacture
ing city. There is fact, Independent of the
plentifulness of ore around here, that must make
this the central manufacturing point. The VAL
ley Railroad, shortly to be completed, which
leads to the Cumberland coal fields, and the
Chesapeake Ohio road that leads to the Ka-
nawha coal fields, cross each other here and
make
STANTON THE POINT OF COMPETITION FOR CHEAP
COAL.
AT this point coal will be cheaper than at
point SO miles north of here On the Valley Rail-
road, and cheaper than at point the same dis
lance west of here on the Chesapeake Il Ohio
Railroad. This fact puts the manufacturer al
ways at the advantage of having the benefit Of
the competition between the Kanawha and the
Cumberland fields. He is in reach of the mex
haustible coal fields of the country. There is no
end to the supply Of COAL and it is estimated by
an experienced geological and mining engineer,
that there is
COAL FOR A THOUSAND YEARS TO COME
in West Virginia, sufficient to supply the wants
of this " hole continent for that length of time.
There are aboye the water level between Big
Sewell mountain and Charleston, within FIVE
miles of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, and
either side of it, thousands of millions of tons
which will be available here the day the track is
laid through, and is now being worked. The
same vein between Charleston and Huntington
is deeper and is inexhaustible. This coal ca be
placed in cars at one dollar per ton exclusive of
royalty. 1t is these immense fields that will
come in competition with the Cumberland fields
and will make Stanton at the point where they
meet, the cheapest coal market in this country
THE IRON ORE AROUND sTAUNToN.
The iron Immediately around Staunton is
simply immense. The county for 20 miles
around this city is filed with immense masses Of
brown hematite iron ore called 'buf'' ore. This
bluff iron ore of the Criskany sand-sones shows
itself near the Buffalo Gap Furnace also along
the same line of outcroppings, at point one
nile from the Elizabeth furnace station, where
immense cliffs Of this ore may be seen also near
Pond Gap station. Again, in like manner, in
the parallel hills. at the Estaline furnace, and
again at the California furnace, where there is an
immense amount of iron reposing, at low
prr1o Tr< tJ,ob o,; n I'D
in good mining condition. Again, at the Aus
tralia and the Lucy Selma, the beds of ore are
of remarkable extent and in vast masses. The
immensity of the aggregate mass of hematite
iron ore at these points surpasses anything ever
seen elsewhere. The rises up into huge cliffs
from SO to IS feet high, and the cliffs may be
broken down and put into the cars at 40 cents
per ton. large quantity OF iron is now mined
within 500 yards Of the corporation line of
Staunton, and the deposit there is Of unlimited
extent. There are furnaces now in full blast Just
a few miles from Staunton and in two hundred
yards of the G. & Ohio Railroad
THE LIMESTONE DEPOSITS
The limestone for fuxing purposes is also at
our doors. The valley known as the rhinestone
width of which Is are limestone land, of the
Lower Siluran formation. At and near Fish
ersville station, and thence for one mile toward
Stanton are cAlcareous shales and bands of lime
stone alternate, dipping TO the N. W. Limestone
lis here quarried and burned, as well as shipped
in its crude state to various charcoal furnaces
for fuzing purposes but as the whole iron man
niacture in Virginia is carried on at great dis
advantage, for want of cheap fuel which will be
supplied by the completion of the G. & o. road
during the year, the consumption of limestone
for iron manufacture may be regarded as scarce
ly begun.
THE FURNACES NOW AT WORK.
The first of the furnaces around this city we
shall notice is the elizabeth Furnace" on the
G. & O. R. r. II miles west of Staunton, owned
and worked by Messrs. Forrer l. Dunlap of this
county. 1t is IS feet high and feet across the
bosh and turns out seven tons of iron day -
The ore is brown hematite and the fuel used now
is charcoal The firm own 10, 600 acres of land
for mining purposes and have refused $500, 000
for their property. The works driven by
steam and run night and day. The force is about
so men. The product is shipped to Baltimore
by way of Richmond.
THE BUFFALO GAP IRON AND STEEL WORKS.
Thess works, formerly 'fSiberton" are
worked by a company organized in Baltimore
about years ago. The furnace is IS by 9 feet,
and the fuel used is charcoal. The brown hem
attic ore is also used here and it comes from
Stuarts, near Stanton, Gibson's mine, near
Fishersville, and from Longdale in Allegheny
the ore costing $3.50 per ton delivered at the
furnace bank The company is now using the
old style hot oven to the furnace, which will be
replaced in few days by an Is pipe Player
stove made by the Staunton Iron Works Co., af-
ter which they expect TO make the yield of metal
IL tons per day instead of six as now. The
number of hands employed is Is, and the Super
intendent Of the works is Mr.. John Mcclure,
from Columbia, Pa This work is situated on
the Chesapeake & Ohio R. R. 10 miles west of
Stanton.
THE MT. TORY FURNACE.
The Nit. Tory works are in the lower part of
the county, IL miles south of Waynesboro' The
proprietors ere Messrs. Jacob Wisler L Co., from
Pennsylvania. The furnace is the old style
stove stack, 40 feet high with IL feet bosh. 1t
is operated by water and steam, and charcoal is
used for fuel. The ore used is hematie, mixed
with specular recently discovered in the neigh
borhood. The specular has made great i'm
proyement in the metal manufactured. The pro-
prietors of these works own alarge body Of land
in the vicinity of their works. The me tai man
ufactured is wagoned to Waynesboro' and there
shipped to Richmond