The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-03-14
NO. 40

NO. 40
and in the rear of the Old Elizabeth Furnace,
II miles west from Staunton. The bank is
now being vigorously worked by the COM
pany, who are shipping ores East and West
They intend to put up new furnace about
three-eighths of mile from the railroad for
the manipulation of part of their own ores
The ore banks present at one view over
800, 900 tons of iron ore, mostly uncovered
This mine lies on the north slope of the Lit
tie North Mountain, bounded in the valley by
a fine strong mountain stream (never fall
ing; on this stream the company propose
to set their plant. The valley offers facilities
for gravity roads from the iron ore and lime.
stone banks a; the furnace will be built far
enough below the ore bank to admit of an
easy grade from the bank to the top Of the
furnace by this means the use and ex-
pense Of an elevator is obviated. (The same
thing can be done most anywhere in that
region) Within easy distance of the fur
mace site are large quarries Of very fine
bright-colored limestone, the analysis OF
which gives.
carbonate OF magnesia.. ........,..... 5.S6
OXloe OF lfon ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 30
Silica Las
The Elizabeth Furnace was built for the
Confederate government during the war,
and was successfully run, and supplied the
Tredegar Iron Works, at Richmond, with
an excellent quality of iron. She is now,
understand, being repaired and in short time
will be in blast again. The iron ore here lies
in stratified beds, the ore-bearing
strata measuring vertically some AGO
feet from floor to roof. The
most remarkable feature of this immense
base OF the stratum, resting upon some Is feet
of clay, with pitch into the mountain of
some 20 degrees, is found the red hematite
ore; above this is a stratum Of 40 or 50 feet Of
ore in transition state, changing from
red oxide to browE hematite, thereby rem
dering the ore Of that portion OF the strata
neutral. Some Is feet from the bottom of
this great STRATA is found brown hematite,
entirely changed from red oxide, aud max
ing an excellent No. l foundry iron. Re-
clining upon the breast or front Of this is a
bed OF manganiferous ore, some Is feet in
thickness, suitable for speigel iron OF the finest
quality. This combination of ores in inex-
haustible quantity, with the best Of lime
stone in close proximity, with cheapness OF
mining. within few miles of anthracite
and at no very great distance from the
finest coking Goals New River mines),, and
railroad facilities in every direction, it seems
to me leave nothing more to be desired in
this region by the iron manufacturer.
Messrs, Booth and Garrett, in their letter
dated at Philadelphia, Feb. 20, 1877, and ad-
dressed to Mr.. R. N. Pool, say speaking of
the Elizabeth section of the land purchased
by the Eureka Iron Mfg. Co..: "From 800
to 500 feet above the furnace and in the val
ley of the brook are the ore banks, exposed
by open air diggings OF $50 to 200 feet in
vertical direction. The ore is the so-called fos-
siliferous, but entirely changed in this To-
cality from the red oxide to brown hematite,
stratitied in regular beds in its original con-
dition, as we know it elsewhere, and being,
on your property, of great thickness; its
change into brown hematite by the absorb
ton of water and consequent swelling, has
doubtless been the primary cause of loss of
stratified structure, and the contortion OF
the slaty layers occasionally interlaminated
with the ore. A face of ore, from 100 to 200
feet in thickness, which we estimated to be
in sight, with length in the bearing of 200
to BOO feet, and the great mass of this being
an iron ore of excellent quality, presents, we
think, the best view OF the enormous dimen-
sions of this body of fossiliferous ore. An
average of four samples of this ore gave ST.
so per cent. of metallic iron. Since the ore
is stratified and is we'll known to keep per-
sistent uniformity of character through long
spaces, we know that its continuity to con-
siderable depth in the steep dipping. strata
may be depended on ; in fact, drift nearly
100 feet below the lowest working presented
the same as above, with an average of 49.11
per cent. metallic iron; for the same reasons,
the extension Of this ore along the line of
bearing may be depended on and is confirm
ed by finding the ore and its adjacent lime
stone at considerable distances northeast
and southwest from the present OPEN
ings. Noteworthy is single cliff of
the pure ore about $50 or 200
feet above the lower working, one-half OF
which has been gradually broken off, but
eve now presenting to the eye mass Of
pure, unmixed ore of, at least, 20 feet cube,
or over 1000 tons Of ore, giving an average
composition of 53.0l per ce mt. of metallic
iron.''
To some of your many readers who are
unaccustomed to seeing such immense strata
Tor mountains) of iron, the foregoing state
ments may appear absurd, and, indeed,
there may be many who cannot believe that
such strata of rich iron-bearing rock can ex-
list so near to the great iron. manufacturing
centers of our county. To such would say,
"Come and see." Referring to the 1000.
ton mass of ore mentioned i'll the above quo
tation from Profs. Booth 6 Garrett, your
correspondent, on the 1st day of January
inst, stood upon its snow-capped pinnacle
and from there took in at one view many
thousand tons Of uncovered ores, and can
testify to the facts as above stated. Since the
date of Messrs. Booth & CARROTS letter Il.
e., February 20, 1870 the ore has been ex-
| posed to a much greater extent by the
present owners, presenting much more ex.
tensive view Of this great metallic mass. In
the same line of bearing, the immense iron
banks of the Esteline, Preston and Wilson,
Bath, or Guys Run California, Long
dale, Clifton Forge, Lowmoor and
Rumsey properties, which cover the
continuation of the Elizabeth ore
bed, and lying along the line of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Railroad, present to the as.
tonished visitor their correspondingly heavy
and rich seams of fossil and black ores each
of these properties contains ore enough to