Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-09-13
Iron Manufacture in the virginias.

Iron Manufacture in the Virginias.
Some months ago sent you an esti-
mate of the probable amount of coal
that could be mined from four veins
alone not over one half of the aggre-
gate of all the veins, however } in the
State of West Virginia. You will re-
collect this liberal calculation gave
$40, 1000, 100000 tons of coal, amour
ting to thirteen times the estimated
amount of the anthracite regions of
Pennsylvania, and enough to supply
the present demands of the United
States for about eight thousand years
The cost of making pig iron at many
places along the line Of the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroads from red and
brown hematite ores, with the Kama
wha splint coal, gave at $l5.S5 per
ton at the furnace.
Since this communication was sent
you, great changes have taken place at
home and abroad, and it is easily dem
onstrated that tho place to make iron
the cheapest is certainly where all the
elements for its production are found
in close proximity and in abundant
supply. Professor, Cox, geologist of
the State of Indiana, who has Just WIS.,
tied the iron regions of Cleveland,
England, states that the vein of ore is
Is feet wide, IL feet high, and extends
for about 20 miles. This ore only
yields about 33 per cent. Of metallic
iron in the blast furnace, and yet this
ore bed supplies the l0l blast furnaces
of the greatest pig iron district in the
world. From what | have seen in
Virginia, | believe there are many
places where the veins extend as great
and even greater length than in the
Cleveland iron ore district of Eng land,
and where working has been I'M
dertaken, some veins have been open
ed as great as 60 feet wide and 10 to
90 feet high, of ore that will yield from
40 to 80 ner cent in the blast furnace.
In this State alone, then, could there
be thousand blast furnaces, consul
ming her ores and the West Virginia
GOALS, supplying the world with cheap
iron, and it would take almost CEN
fury to convince us that there was any
prospect of our exhausting the supply
of either the ore or the coa...
Since | wrote you last, the whole
east front of the Blue Ridge Noun
tains in this State has been prospected,
and the mining engineers of Reading
Railroad Company, of Pennsylvania,
after an examination of several days in
the Piedmont region Of Virginia, re-
port that they find magnetic and spec
ular iron ores, apparently as rich as
Lake Superior or Iron Mountain ores,
and in practically inexhaustible guam
titles. These two last mentioned ores
complete the list of ores, and give us
every variety within from IS to $50
miles of the GOALS, and shows these
two States of Virginia and West Vir-
ginia to possess all the elements for
the production of cheap iron in all its
forms, to an extent and quantity no
where heretofore found in the world.
The magnetic and specular ores we
hope to ship in large quantities to the
furnaces of the anthra tactic regions of
Pennsylvania. The anthracite Goals
will, however, in few years be all
wanted ter household and steam pur-
poses. Tor the populous and thickly
settled portions of the northeast por-
tons of this country. So Pennsylya-
MIA will want our COAL
And why bring the Lake Superior
and Iron Mountain ores to Pennsylva-
MIA, at a cost Of SIS per ton, to make
iron, when Virginia and West Virgil
MIA have all the elements close togeth-
er, and can make iron at an immense
profit to sell at even 25 per cent. less
than the selling price to-day? These
two States must eventually become the
seat of the greatest iron making re-
gion in the world English capital is
rapidly coming here for investment in
these lands, and the capitalists of our
own country should look to it well
that they secure, before it is too late
portions OF the mineral lands OF these
States for future uses.-Correspoad-
ence of the Iron Age.
The Missouri editors at their late
convention formally resolved that 6
man has the same right to walk into
a grocery store and order barrel Of
sugar or sack of coffee, or into law
Office and demand a legal opinion from
its occupant, or into an undertaken
and request a coffin, without expect
ing to pay for their respective wares
or services, as into newspaper Office
and demand the use of its brains ant
muscle and type, without though
of recompense.
Henry NJ. Hutson, one of the bes
farmers in Allegany county, has solo
out to his youngest son, Lynn Hut
son, and leased him his farm TO
n torn, IF ton vaars TT the vOun,