Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-01-06
Iron Interests and the w. & D. X. II.

We give below copy of letter received by
one of our ci;z ms from an iron manufacturer
of large experience, who has personally exam
ined tie cca aud rAs lands Of West Virginia.
and been over the llae Of the Washington aud
Ohio Railroad, and is fully qualified 10 speak
ct what he saw:
DEAR SIR: received the annual report OF the
"Washington and Ohio Railroad Company" for 1874.
l am glad to see so favorable report and hope to
see the Road competed through from Warrington
to tho Ohio river without delay.
This Road runs through of the most valuable
belts of iron ore COAL and limestone in the United
States.
1t seems strange to see immense mountains of hum
dreds of millions OF tons of the best iron ore IN the
country in close proximity to the largest and best
coal fields yet discovered with limestone in abundance
all along the linc remain unnoticed by capitalists,
which ftaken in hand would prove the best invest
mcnt to be found to-day in the known world.
To think of an immense iron mountain within one
hundred miles of tho Capital Of the Nation which oan
be controlled for few dollars acre-ocuted nearer
to coal than any iron known on this continent
which if located in Pennsylvania would to-day sell
for ten thousand dollars acre, and then to see that
iron ore remain andisturbed for years when go much
money is expended in transporting coal and ore in
other sections to bring them together for the manu.
facturc Of ron while here all the materials for iron
manufacture provided in close proximity, seems to
indicate a prejudice against certain localities or a
financial blindness the part of iron men.
The btumious coal used at tho Rolling Mills in
Eastern Pennsylvania, is brought from the Allegheny
coal field, of Pcnnsy vanis, Maryland and West Vir-
gnia. This coal is found in almost inexhauStiols
quantities and costs hui dollar per ton on the
cars at the mines but the freight costs three dollars
und a-ha per ton and the iron oreI, equnlly ex-
peusive according to the yearly report of the Iron
Masters Association, while the line of the Wash
ngton and Ohio Road the coal and the iron and the
limestone and timber all found together-or 30
near to be really ut hand for all purposes.
The production of pig iron in the United States
during the year 1873, amounted to about 2,59O, 600
TONS and the importation foots up little less than
500 geo tons-.howing about. 800 900 tons used in
tho United State. in 1878
This amount of iron cost during the year one hun
dred millions of dollars, ($lOO ,OOG,0O0) This amount
is certainly sufficient induce capitalists to seek To-
cations like those already described, whore saving
Of Tat least twenty dollars per ton $780, can be made
over that of the iron districts of Pennsylvania.
The industries outside of those interested in making
iron in this county have been assisting the Iron
Masters from year to yer, which has cost the country
hundreds of millions of dollars what the Same
iron could have been purchased for in England, where
the Iron Masters depend on such locations as nature
has provided.
The iron material in store in sections of this coun-
try, exceed anything in the civilized world and is
NATURALLY intended to assist all other industries in
place Of being constant tax upon them, rs st pro-
sent.
These are facts for the Consideration of the people,
especially Of capitalists and the sooner sectionalism
is done away with, and capital seeks investment
where has beautifully provided, the better
il will be for he whole country. AN IRON MAN.