The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-12-20
THE C0RNW ALL IRON HILLS
A PfRT or PENNSTLTfNTI'S sun
TERRANEiN UEHLTH.
Tho Enormous Riches that Ninety-six Fortu-
nate Landowners nre Gaining from the
Mining Of the Most UuefuI of the Metals.

Mining Of the Most Uueful of the Metals.
LEBANON, Penn, Dec. 1S.-About six
miles south NJ this borough and 100 west from
New York, are the famous Cornwall iron hills,
the richest in the world, that have made many
mliOnares in the past, aud are still making
them a- rapidly ever Surrounding this vast
deposit of iron ore 4, the largest landed estate
in Pennsylvania, If not the largest east Of the
Alcghcnles. 1t Is made up Of the Cornwall and
Spcedwcl FARMS containing 2.V1 acres. ana IS
owned 10y the heirs II Robert W. and William
Coleman. 1t IA reached from Lebanon over
fine wide road. hard and level. The hills. three
In number, are SO rich in iron that millions Of
dollars could not buy them, They have been
taking thousands upon thousands Of tons from
them yearly for the past quarter Of a century
and "a yet they no, on the surface. All the
orc mining Is done 10y daylight. They have no
shafts, and there Is no underground work. They
have railroad tracks all over the hills. and the
cars are filled with tho mineral scoOpcd from the
surface.
The hills are known as Big lIll, Middle H
and Grassy Hill. Big hin Is over 400 feet high,
and has base covering more than forty acres.
II Is shaped like n cone. and a spiral railway
winds its way around IT, Middle lIill Is ~ yards
from Big hin 1t is about aofcet high, and Cow
er- about thirty-fiye acres. Years Of constant
mining have made little impression against its
rugged sides. ore was taken from II during the
American Revolution to furnish cannon ana
shot OF when specimens are held ht Torn
wall to-day relics. Grassy lIill lies southwest
Of Middle Hill. at distance Of lO1 Yards II has
been worked for more than twenty years il
nearly 10 feet high and covers about thirty
acres. These vast deposits were purchased with
| the rest ui the estate many NrhiN ago Tor about
| SG,j. Here too, are situated the magnificent
summer residences of the owners Of the estate,
The ore Is a. present mined hy the Cornwall
| Ore Bank Company, with j. Taylor Boyd
practical miner. as superintendent. The metal Ia
/ magnetic oxide, continuing "a large proportion
nucnce. changes fro IN the sulphurct of iron into
n suphatc soluble IN water and j. washed away
by the rain. The nearer 1t Is to the surface the
! frcer I l. from sulphur; one - the most com
Ilete iron furnaces in the world Is built here II
| Is called the " Bird Coleman" furnace. IT is Of
stone and iron. and cost about SI1un 1t has
| capacity uf about - tons of pig metal per week.
| 1t was completed on the day of lu CooAc.s
| failure. There are also eight other furna,cs all
payinr railroad in the world. 1t IS six miles
| long leading from TIE INNS To the Lebanon
I Valley Railroad. which runs east and west, con-
, Meeting Harrisburg ana Leading. Twelve years
after ground Wa, ar~t BROKEN. the receipts uf the
uunl running cXpcn~cs, and repairs. II Is purely
| a private freight road built 10y the tolemuns.
C"ppcr j. also found on the estate. and Is sent 10
llg =. Nlht- !" hc t"hN'rtI lnl' CON- .
! The Cornwall farm contains bon acres. II T.
not divided into distinct tracts. but i~ one cpn-
taken up hy the ore bills. The rest i- in high
state Of cultivation. There are hiiy miles Of
road on 10 in constant use. The entire estate l.
under the control Df ore oycr-tcr and his ,lN a--
si-taut-. The tonhutry ISimhcr about one
Thousand. men, women. and children, who live
here happy and coffcnt,d. The stranger l. re-
! minded hN their Appearance Of tAr estates aud
tcnantiie- Il Great britain. The wurknlcn are
paid in cash every month. They can purchase
al the store of the estate much cheaper than At
the city shops They luN their Hour corn. &r..
az greatly reduced prices at the large mil of the
estate. They have % nue church. post office. and
The soil l. rich and has lumon-e deposits ~
| limestone. There T. "A brick yard aud "A large
| sandstone quarry. They have their own curpcn-
'cr-. hlac ck-miths, aud other ar sans. and they
| will shortly weave their own cloth if'm the
| wool which they rni~s. Cornwall Will then Doe a
complete n''io Wnrlt 900 % 'lf, almost cutir, Is
! iudtI.ru,ti.. ~ outside help.
The ~pcvlwcl division i- = part - the estate
dDs Nted tu stock ru-ing. which b. made a ~l'"-
cIulty. Hundreds uf thv best drdt horses 90 q
rpad-ter- ard the choicest clttl" and sheep are,
the -tock farm. H. chief attraction is its tlar-
brother to llnnncr- Dexter lie h. "a hay. lit
h,tud, high. S.i,er has been refused fnr him.
llc has record ~ 2+3. Is thirteen years cid. and
has forty dies. eudant-. AMONG them brinEe-
llp~-nn. with a record Of slhi., and Katie
" luh. which WAS Sold with mate. 60 e talIfut-
uitu for StlNru 100 gold. Some hIt -hurt-hniu
caff f ait iiI. 10. tur ~ fl" TWO hrri- ~ II D.
| stein cattle in the United ~tltr- Is here luo
Snuthd1Wn sheep are raised here in great hcauty
| aud p"rlertiou
The estate is Tenancy In common, owned hy
| about niutfN--lN persons. WHO lItr Zoo Sew urh.
Part. London, Philadelphia and other llr;,
citic-. and at Cornwall Tuc Ir,nt- arc divided
annually. Mr.. A. Milhclu i- the manager.