Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-08-12
Meeting of the Board Of Aldermen.

calleu meetluS VI Tue DOarQ or Aldermen
was held last night. Notwithstanding the in
clement weather prevailing, all the members
but tWo-both Of whom were out of the city
were present. Three or four spectators only
sat on the benches without The bar.
A communication of the Mayor, with refer
ence to the establishment of a mineral bureau
in this city, and the resolution providing for
the same, adopted by the Common Council the
previous night, having been read,
DR.. johnson said the whole affair smacked
largely of the ridiculous. Ii it was the desire
OF the Mayor to have place for the exhibition
Of minerals why let him set up case in bis
Office, or in either of the chambers of the City
Council, at a cost of S.; but talking about min
eral bureaus was puerIle and chemerical and
only excited laughter-a bureau with five or
six specimens of iron and three or four of coal
| the thing was absurd, and be couldn't give
| his appreciation to any such nonsense; and why
| the Mayor should be bothering us with such
stuff be couldn't understand 1t was but an
other one of the foolish schemes With which
| We have been 80 long deluding oursclves-we,
like MicaWber, waiting for something to turn up.
| Something like the iron furnace project of a
year or so ago, when the man who would have
| been more benefited by such furnace than
any one else in the city, talked about some one
| outside OF the CITY subscribing for large share
OF the stock, but never said word about tax
| ing any himself. The bureau, if established,
| would be vastly inferior to many private colec-
| tons of minerals in the State
Mr.. Neale said that he saw nothing ridicu.
lous in the resolution passed by the Common
Council at Its last meeting. u"regard to the
organization OF company for the purpose of
establishing an iron furnace 10 Alexandria the
member from the Third Ward was mistaken as
to the reason that led to the abandonment of
the scheme. Ore, beyond all doubt, could have
been found suitable to have been used in the
manufacture of iron, but what led to the 1eliu-
punishment OF the idea of forming company
was the unusual and long continued depression
| in the price OF iron. lt was thought upon con-
sultation that until the effects of the panic wore
off and the iron interest revived it would be un-
wise and unsafe to start the new enterprise.
Had it been deemed prudent by the committee
| (of which the speaker was member) to have
organized the company, no trouble Was antici-
pated in securing subscriptions for the requisite
amount OF stock needed to build the works and
to put the company into successful operation.
AS to the resolution under considerations was
emlnently proper it should be passed by the
Board OF Aldermen. The purpose OF the reso-
luton was to provide suitable room and ap
purtenauces where could be placed upon cxhi-
bltlon specimens of the various mineral deposits
OF Virginia. 1t the object of the resolution was
ridiculous 1t was strange that the Common
Council of the city Of Lynchburg, composed OF
some OF the oldest business men in the State,
should have passed resolution having the
/ q MI n VINO t,a, IL
would accrue to their city they had instructed
a correspondence to be opened with Mr. Bar
bour and Gen. Malone, hoping that they might
induce those gentlemen to favor the establish.
ment of the bureau there. He trusted that the
Common Council of Alexandria would not be
less sagaclous. Having the specimens upon
| exhibition here would have the effect of Undue.
ing the large number of persons who were seek
ing Investments 10 mineral lands to visit U.S.
Their visit would necessarily cause them to
spend money, aud the spending of the money
would be OF benefit to our community. The
plan suggested by Dr.. Johnson-that the spe.
cimens should be placed upon exhibition in the
| Mayor ofhce-was not practicable The Mayor
was public officer; his Office Was generally filled
with people, and gentlemen from distance
would be unwilling to subject themselves to the
annoyance OF examining and passing upon the
value OF specimens surrounded by a crowd talk
| ing upon entirely different subjects. Even, sup
posing the Mayors Office to be entirely private,
the size of the room would be inadequate for
the proper exhibition of the specimens. A
room should be provided with every convent
ence, where the specimens could be advantage
ously placed. The sum named in the resolu.
ton is not too much to carry out the object de.
sired, and the resolution would therefore re.
| celve his support.
| DR.. johnson said he had long since learned
to separate fancy from reality, but had no OBJ
lection to hue spun plans, provided they did
not cost anything. He did not want to say
what his chemical knowledge taught him, and
that is that working iron 10 Virginia will never
pay. Coal will pay, but to talk of establishing
iron works is all nonsense, for it can't be done
for seventy-fve years. Still, if people are
foolish enough to come here aud put their
| money into such works, let them do so, but
manufactured iron can be bought here three or
four cents pound cheaper than it can be
made The idea advanced by the gentleman
from the 4th Ward, about competing with
Lynchburg, was preposterous If we have such
q bureau We must have In charge Of it skill
tul and competent geolegist and mineralogist,
| who will be able to aualyze the specimens, and
tell the difference between iron and the sui
phuret of iron, and for such an one liberal
salary would have to be paid, as professional
gentlemen didn't adopt the theory of the Com
mon Council that good officers could be gotten
for small salares-a first-class engineer, for ip
stance, at $50 year.
| Mr.. Mckcnzie said the thing that troubled
him was the small amount $4,000 appropri-
ated by the resolution. His idea of the bureau
was that numerous large sized specimens would
be sent to it from all parts OF the State, and
that all parties interested in developing the
mineral resources Of Virginia would be invited
here to look at them, and that the collection
would be sent to the Centennial exhibition at
Philadelphia. He was fearful when MIR. Brit
ton was here last week of the rivalry of Rich
| mond, which has so many more railroad con-
| nectlons, but thought Alexandria was the bet
ter place. 1t would require large room for
the exhibition Of the minerals, for he had on
the way here now, from Western Virginia, a
numerous lot OF specimens, and he feared the
cost OF the room and of keeping it open. A
person to take charge of it must be provided
but he didn't think tharo unuIa bo ,,r,L