Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-03-12
OHIO.
mineral Resources orthe state.

Professor Orton, of the Ohio Ag-
ricultural College, made an address
lately in the course of which he
said:
Ohio is rich in mineral wealth.
Fifty years ago, such a statement
would have been counted preposter-
ous-and it would scarcely be cred
ible to-day to stranger who should
gain his impression of the State
from its tame and comparatively mo-
notonous physical geography. We
generally associate mineral treasures
with rough and rugged surface
with mountain ranges and deep gor-
ges, with folded, crumbled strata,
with rocks that have been acted on
by neither fres-and all of these
| features are wanting in Ohio. The
highest land of the State, according
to present information, is only about
1910 feet above tide-water, and the
lowest land is about 43O feet above
the sea, SO that the extreme range OF
this State is about l, 100 feet.
Besides this scant elevation, the
strata of Ohio lies very nearly hori-
zontal-they have been as slightly
disturbed, at any rate, as almost
any section of the world in which
rocks of this age occur.
Now, it is evident that 1000
square miles-the area of Ohio
cannot be so distributed, with this
!, magnificent range of elevation, as to
fnr1ish such surface features as we
have learned to connect with the
veins of the precious metals, and we
NAV drop all elements at once from
: our expectations. There are no gold
! and silver mines in Ohio, and none
are likely to be discovered. We
: have no lead, or copper, or tin, OF
quicksilver within our borders. Our
mineral resources are not of kind
!! to kindle the imagination or over
e balance the Judgment like Comstock
lodes or placer mines. They are al
e together of homely sort, but of
' sort after all, which the experience
, of the last fifty years have abun
e dantly demonstrated to the best
s foundation for the permanent pros
t perity and growth of a community
that can be furnished by any ont
}, form of underground treasures
It They consist principally of coal ant
/ the various minerals that are assO
O. ciated with coal. Next to her pro
d ductive soil, the best hold that Obi
e has upon the future is found in tn
r fact that nearly one third of he
area is occupied by the northern pro
l longation of the great Appalachial
IL fields.
Professor Orton then spoke of tn
o block coal of Ohio, her great iron re
e sources, and her splendid building
q stone, and then said:
1 heard, few years since, Rev
l Edward E. Hale, of Boston, give
short account of an interview ths
y he had lately had with a distinguish
le ed Russian gentleman, who ha
.; been making for several years
ID careful study of the practical worl
ut ing of our institutions. He was pt
le culiar well fitted for this work b
De his training and his opportunitie
er He had travelled extensively, ha
10 resided in many different countrie
e. and had long carried on systemat
observations on social and polite
d, problems. The question was put
le him where, on the whole, the cond
to ton of the many seemed most f
K! vorable-where man had the be
a chance for comfort and culture. F
paused for moment and then a
en- swered: In the smaller towns al
ne villages of Ohio.