The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-10-30

The superior advantages Of this county
for the manufacture of cuke and iron on
a large scale, were never more apparent to
US, than on recent visit To Masantown
and vicinity, in company with a number Of
gentlemen from Uniontown, with whom we
made almost the entire circuit of the ives
tern and eastern outprop Of the nine-foot
coal seam contained in that u ost peculiarly
situated and highly favoured township Of
Nicholson. This is but a small portion Of
the mineral area of the county, yet it con-
tains perhaps ten thousand acres of coal
and ore, which, worked from the north
western outcrop, would be entirely self
draining. We doubt if there is another
such body of coal and ore Outside Of Fay
cite county, in the United States, 80 easily
mined /; with the most desirable Of all adj
vantages, perfect ventilation and afford
ing such SPLENDID sites for furnaces. The
whole face of the coal lies exposed to view
for miles, and the very first stroke of the
pick wOnld yield paying product. As in
other parts of the country where develop
ment Is now going on, the coal, ore and
limestone are so situated that all three can
be put into furnace without a second
handling, with this advantage, that they
can be brought to the furnace at down
grades, thereby avoiding the necessity Of
either mules or steam power. The late
rains had thoroughly cleaned all the
ravlnes, and along Cats Run the different
strata Of ores underlying the nine foot coal
we're fully exposed, and in several places
much Of the surface Of these veins could
be seen, showing ton after ton Of the most
magnificent nodTles (boulders We should
call them) Of the blue lump ore, 50 cele-
brated + making the best quality of iron
Volumes might be written on the min
eral wealth Of this region, without ex-
hausting the subject, so that it Is impossi-
bic III newspaper article to do more than
merely hint at few of the especially ia
vOred points. One of these is situated on
the Monongahela river, a short distance
south of the mouth Of Cats Run, and IS
owned by Messrs. Kendall, Ewing, Sea-
ton, and Gilmore, comprising a body Of
several hundred acres of the great coal
and ore seams. A mine has been opened
at the base Of the hill, at distance of one
third of a mile from the river bank. and
for the first sixty or seventy yards goes III
almost on level, after which the strata
rises gradually until it reaches the south
eastern ont-r"p, well up on Jacobs creek
before mentioned. Several hundred acres
could be mined and drained perfectly from
this opening alone, "hlle perfect ventila-
ton can be had by at least two different
openings on Jacobs creek. There could
be no more desirable site for a
manufacturing town on the Monongahela
than this. The slope from the base Of the
hill to the river is very gradual and easy,
and extending up and down the river for
more than mile, would afford amble space
for large town. The coke ovens would
be situated at the base Of the hill, and the
usual direction of the wind would carry
the smoke away from the buildings the
furnace, rolling mill, etc, could be built
on the river band, and the material could
all be put INTO 1t st an easy down grade.
while the river of course would enable
them to transport all heir manufactured
products, IT, oUlnts in the West, at rates 40
cheap, that If furnaces and coke ovens can
be run with margin Of profit anywhere in
the whole country, that margin would GER
taInly be paying one at this point. No
better selection for business could have
been made, and we hope the gentlemen in
terested may soon commence to carry their
project into execution. Genius Of Lib
gFfu