Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-01-01
~ as ABOUT EAST TENNESSEE.
The Iron Mines OF Monroe
County.
NO. NCI.


NO. NCI.
EDITORS CHRONICLE: Desiring to aid
you-who are doing so n,ucb in the devel-
.opment of the resources of East Tennes-
see-I give you n brief glance at the
iron resources of Monroe county. The
line of hills through McNIinn and Monroe,
known as Natchey Creek Ridges, furnish
n superior brown iron stone of remarkable
richness and purity, easily mined and of
great extent, and lying in juXtaposition
with limestone and marble veins of great
value. The deposits of ore have been
mistaken 10y men of much experience as
containing mercury and specimens have
been sought for and sent to New York for
analysis. With facilities for moving this
ore to points where it could be worked
would make it valuable. This is an entire
ly different character from that found at
Telco some seven or eight miles further
south. The Telico ores are hematite, but
mostly limonte, with a few localities of
magnetic. The hematite ore is mostly
raised with powder, and exists i'll great
purity. with seams of yellow and white
ochre, with few impurities in connection.
There is at Telico bank, known as the
Donnelly bank, OF shot ore which is in q
ridge 200 feet high, and extends along
said ridge fore one mile. ] was told
by Mr.. Donnelly, the discoveror,
that this ore was easily mined, was of great
purity and of unknown extent as the
amount taken out and worked at the Tel
lico Furnace was by driving tunnel in
the side of the ridge and timbering it. Be-
fore my seeing this remarkable bank in
1913, the timber had given way, and /
could not go in.
The foundry men at Tellico Furnace and
Forge told me it yielded fifty per cent.
Surrounding Tellico are some ten different
Nf ;ro,, ,,F Il Harit -,
quality, owing to being in connection with
different strata of conglomerate and sand
stones. Nature here seems to have furn-
ished some very peculiar faults in the STRAIT
ification, the rocks in parts showing
marked and unusual changes. So far from
the supply of ore being limited. as has
been said, it arises from the exhaustion
of some magnatile veins, which were eX-
hausted. But as no efforts have been
made to prosecute the search, the extent is
not known of these valuable ores.
For Tellico iron has been fully
tested in car wheels, which are now run
ming on the Memphis and Char
lesion Railroad, and been pronounced
quite equal to Scotch pig for car wheels
axles or locomotive tyre.
Specimens of the iron have been tested
at West Point, New York, with a reference
to adaptation for "armory purposes" by
the United States. The experiments were
quite satisfactory. The Tellico river has c
superior water power, fully equal to that a
Harper's Ferry, or even Lowell, and il
never falling owing to being fed from
springs and short river and readily CON
trolled or not subject to high and danger
Gus freshets. Being mountain stream IT
is susceptible of slack water navigation tC
its mouth at the head of navigation on the
Tennessee river at a small expenditure, as
49, 900 has already been expended upon Il
by the State. Our Representative VIM
CrUtchfield proposes, and will doubtless
spread himself upon the navigation of the
Tennessee river from the mouth of Tellico
and what ne does not know about the Ten
nessee river and its adaptation to success
full navigation to New Orleans every day
in the year 10 one else need be called
upon. He is the right man for thu
people from Colhert's Shoals to Knoxville
For that's whats the matter with the
price of Our products. Our President
with his penetration, and desireto deyeloI
the finest country upon the earth, ha
come UP to our help, and recommended
progress in the right direction.
Some seven miles above Telico, upoI
the Telico Mountain plateau, is the Coke
Greek gold deposits. They have beer
worked as surface mines for many years
with paying success. But it has required
the energy and untiring perseverance un
der difficulties of our good citizen, JOSEPH
Johnson, to eXclaim, Eureka" He ha
had faith like Mahomet, and has gone int
the mountain 100 feet by driving or tun
neling. He has found the true vein. |
yields, upon experimental tests from 50
to $3.50 to the ton-only 20 feet down oil
the vein. Mr.. Johnson belongs to tn
workingmen. They are few, but bles
God for what we have, as East Tennessee
with your efforts in immigration AM
progress-is bound to prosper, and tn
country will get proper credit for her an
developed capacity and resources.
Yours, MONROE.