Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-01-02
From Leslie's Chimney Corner, N. y.
William Mines, Jr., Page county, Va
BY FRANK sMYTH, OF VA.

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from other parts who have sought per-
manent bones in the Old Dominion,
bringing with them capital and enter
prise, to give the old State new start
in life-infusing new energies in her
stagnant industries and developing her
unbounded mineral resources, stands
out in bold relief the name of William
Mines, Jr., of the Shenandoah Iron
Works. Page county, Virginia.
Mr.. Mines was born in Lancashire,
England, December Sth, 1897. His faith
er, a miner, emigrated to P0ttsville,
Pennsylvania, in 1929. At the age of ten
William entered the public academy in
the then toaUn of Pottsville, aid contin-
ued to pursue his studies in it until he
was sixteen.
For about year he was a handy boy
about home, doing odds and ends for the
household. At seventeen he considered
it high time that he was preparing him.
self for future usefulness in life, to HIM
self and society. So he concluded wise
ly to learn some trade, as he had attain
ed an age at which he thought he ought
to shift for himself and earn bis own
bread. With this object in view, he
went to Learn the trade of machine
blacksmithing. He worked at it until
he was twenty-One.
In 1S4s he engaged in shipping coal
for company at Port Carbon. He re-
manned with them one year, when
tempting inducements were offered him
by another firm, Messrs. Mines, Hay
good & Co., which he accepted. He
took charge Of one Of their mines, and
operated it for them for four years.
During this period of five years which
he "worked for himself" he managed
to save some capital, and seeing good
opportunity for q judicious investment
with sure returns), hs resigned his pc.
sition with Mines, Haywood & Co. and
Immediately thereafter, 1854, in conuec-
ton with his brother, purchased, or
leased, a coal mine. With his thorough
knowledge of coal mining, and the de-
fnands CT the trade, experience and stir
ring energy, he worked tiff not to its
utmost capacity-veTy successfully and
profftably, up to his most sanguine ex
pectations.
In the eleven years which he and bis
brother operated the mine, they dug
out of it 100000 tons. In 1864, they
sold out their mine to the Monmouth
Vein Consolidated Coal Company, who
owned six other collieries. William
Mines then became General Superin-
tendent OF all of the company's mines,
kAAN LCAd tAC pOSitlOu III ~ ycaS Suu d
half, when he resigned it, just after the
close of the late war, to make pros
pecting tour in the South.
He was 80 well pleased with the invi-
ting prospects of the country, that he
resolved to transfer his energies to the
beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Vir-
ginia.
On the first of January, 1866, Mr..
Mines, in conjunction with four other
gentlemen, purchased the we'll known
Shenandoah Iron Works, with the large
landed estate attached to them, some
thirty-three thousand acres. Eight
thousand acres of the property are on the
east side of the south branch of the
Shenandoah River, contiguous to the
Blue Ridge Mountains; twenty five
thousand acres are on the west side of
the river, and among the Massanuttsn
Mountains. An adequate idea of the
extent of this splendid and valuable es-
tate may be formed, when it is known
that, by actual measurement, 1t is twenty
miles long, and four miles wide, on an
average.
The amount of iron ore on this prop
erty is so immense that it defies calcul.-
ton or even conjecture. On the west
side of the river the veins of ore are
known to be sixteen miles long. The
beds of ore can be worked for centuries
without being exhausted. An ore bed,
half mile from the furnace, has been
worked for twenty-fi five years. Thirty
thousand tons of blooms have been made
from it, and yet it looks as if only the
commencement of beginning had been
made upon it. The ores upon this prop
erty are tie very best in the wide domain
of the Old Dominion, and from then
the finest blooms in the United Safes
are manufactured, which will account
in measure for the fact of Mr.. Milnes
being a practical iron worker himself,
and, therefore, most excellent judge
of chow to do it,"
Some $685., 900 have been expended up
on the property, in the way OF improve
ments by Mr.. Mines and his copartners.
There are two furnaces of six thousand
tons capacity per annum for the manu-
facture of pig-iron, and one steam forge
of eighteen hundred tons of blooms
31ree large mansions, one large store, a
zine church and parsonage, schoolhouse,
and houses sufficient to accommodate
the hands employed three hun
dred and fifty when in full operation
Mr.. John Fields, a cousin of MIR.
Mines, built the church and presented