Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-02-04


OF denunciation and abuse.
R. E. PORTER.
Correspondence from Rockbridge.
The Iron Kings and their Work an RocAbri9ge
and up the james The Po.ohatan Iron
Company S!.ultz d Co-The Iron
Mountain at BuchanGn-Inl-
nsense Deposits Of Ore all
along the Iron Belt
.Stannton's Interest therein-Lithograpai
Stone, ho,o found, dc.
BALCONY FALLS, Va,
January 25th, 1878.
Editor Spectator:
In my last rather hurried letter
[ alluded to some Of the developments of this
grand old county's material resources, and pro-
pose, In this, to give your readers and the
world, fuller detail Of the facts | have since
collected facts that will go to show her rich in
everything which goes to make an enterprising
people prosperous, and upon which, new life
and energy, soon to grow up and come in, will
build structure as firm and enduring as the
great arch which makes her name known and
famous throughout the civilized world.
And now for the Iron Kings" and their
great domain in Rock bridge, and up the James
far away to the high-p peaked Aeghanies.
and its North Mountain Ranges, which is des-
tined to prove, In few years, the richest and
most accessible Iron Balt 10 the United States
Some years after the Valley was discovered, by
Gov. Spottswood. the Tubal Cain of Va, and
his Horse Shoe Koghts," this section of
X ckbridge Was first penetrated by John Sal
ling, "a bold weaver" who came up the Val
ley, from Winchester, with john Lewis and
John Mackey. about 1870. Sailing took up
ttsl,o To-, tho IF
James, (aud Lewis large quantities in Augusta)
| and Salng's mountain here is named after bim
and is owned by his descendant in Missouri,
Dr. P. A. Sailing Iron was early discovered,
| but the first large workers were the Jordans,
| Samuel Jordan aud brothers, who worked fur
| naces and mines at Buena Vista in this county,
| and in Allegheny eouoiy, and whose descend
ants are still among the most energetic, bold,
| aud successful iron men of the country, own
ing and running large blast furnace in Am
herst miles below here, which is supplied
with ore from Rock bridge. As their work will
be more fully alluded to again [ will devote
this to the great Powhatan Iron Company the
successor to the Dover Coal and Iron CO. and
the work it has done and is still doing.
In 1859, Capt. Ed. Echols and Col BENZ. j.
Jordan (now of Waynesboro) discovered ore
| on the present Echoi's Ore Bank mountains,
and Jordan mined here for years successfully.
| to supply bis Westham F0rnace, above Rich
mond. The war coming on, the Coniederacy
| took possession OF the furnace and the banks
were worked by Capt. Echols for it, getting ou,
over 20 600 tons during the war, which was
| the only iron that could be used for making II
FOUNDER field pieces, and for coating shells, &c.
The works were run by Benjamin Jordan, and
Fllzhug h u Co., soon after the war, until the
DoYer Go. purchased them for $25 900, for
-. <
closed out In 1869 and the works stopped, until
the Spring of 1872, when the present Powha-
tan Iron Company was formed, with the shrewd,
practical, go-a-head. Gen. w. T. Bartlett, oi
Plttsviile, Mass, for President and Manager,
and W m Fl. AspinwaL, Nath. Thayer, j. q.
Brown, Walter Cutting, OF n Y, and Archer
Anderson, of Richmond Tredegar works, d.
| rectors. Gen. j. r. Anderson and other prom
| inent Virginia Iron Kings are interested In the
| Co. It owns the Dover Coal mines, the great
Westham Furnace. the Echol's Ore Banks here
aud several !other valuable mines, down the
river, as well as bavug Col. B. Jordan at work
| near Waynesboro and FisherSville, and it Is
thi6king of using the old Bath mines Also
Capt. Ed. Echols is Superintendent, and the
Company could not have made more Judi
cious selection, as he is thoroughly posted or
Iron mining, and, for years back, has been
acting in conjunction with your real estate men,
Echols, Bell and Catlett, in developing the
great iron belt and drawing the attention OF
capital and enterprise, at home and abroad, to
it, Ia quiet way, this gentleman. and the
firm alluded to- have done wonders for this re-
gion and on up the river to Allegheny and up
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, and, with
their enlarged views and devotion to the true
interests of Va, will, with yearly increased ia
cilities and the new awakening of the people
On this subject, do still more.
| The Powhatsn Company now works two large
tunnels here 2 100 feet from canal, with about
| 80 hands, night and day, and is opening new
mines. Forty five tons, Of SO per cent brown
hematite ore per day, is the average yield
which will be largely decreased in the Spring.
There Is about 500 tons on hand and the Co.
will soon have to keep 10 canal boats carrying
| ore to Wes ham, until they build large far
mace here on canal, thus saving the transporta-
| ton of dead weight in ore, by use of Kanawha
| coal The expenses here are now 81 200 per
month. The cost for getting ore out of mines
| 81. 50 per ton, and delivering at Furnace So
| and about 5 IS for blasting; whole cost of pig
iron made at furnace $50 per ton. The price
in New York is $40 and you can easily see the
| the profitabeness SO far.
A mining Engineer, sent here by Dover Go.
before purchasing, estimated the iron ore 10
these banks at over 600 600 tons. and this is
but a drop in the bucket to the deposits along
he whole iron belt up North aud James to the
Alleghanies, and along Chesapeake and Ohio
Railroad Since 1872, iron has been found 10
quantities, up North River, on c. G. Baldwin
land, John c. Laird's. w. d. McCorkle's, s, Jas.
Il. Paxton's, d. q. & Brady's and others, up
to Lexington and to Goshen Pass, aud in un-
limited quantities all around Goshen, on G. 4
o. r r. Up the James River from here, on
Mrs E 6. Joha's lands, Capt. B. G. McCork.
les, the Sailing farm, David Stoners, Spot
Brafford's $, Barks William s, on Boyd's estate,
Skidmore's Ferry, Samuel G. Rabertson's s, Hen.
ry G. Snider's and John Shultz & Co.'S Iron
mountain, fronting Buchanan, which is now
turning out so tons brown hematite, 60 pei
cent ore, daily and they will build a large furnace
in the Spring. Next to Iron Mountain, Mis-
souri, this is said, by judges, to promise the
| largest yield Of iron in the world. Then the
old Ena Furnace and mines, owned by Shult2
4 Co, and On John Mays lands, Col. q. L.
| Beai s, and at least 60 immense deposits, al
ready known, on up the river to CoVington.