The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-05-15

Greek. These and other localities form the
iron district, Of easy access to the railway,
where investigations have discovered i'm
mense deposits OF ores, embracing brown
hematite, slate, fossil and block, and OF all
most uniform forty seven per cent. of metal
| ic iron.
The Longdale Furnace, in Allegheny
county, is in active operation, and has been
for five or six years. It is reached by a
Narrow Guage railroad, from Longdale De-
pot, seven miles in length, and constructed
by the proprietors Of the furnace, at a cost
of 100000, and on grade of 125 feet to
the mile at its heaviest points. The precip-
itous descent to the furnace, and the sharp
curves rounded at full speed of the engine,
demonstrate the utility of this class of rail-
roads in rolling, mountainous country
The comparatively light weight of the cars
and flats, upon which most of the transport
tation is effected over it, enables the small
engine used in its operation, to draw ton
gines of the Chesapeake and Ohio Road, the
difference in the weight of cars appropriated
to the narrow and standard guages, adj
| justing the difference in the two classes of
engines. All the appointments about Long
dale Furnace are in perfect order, showing
the method and system which govern in the
mind OF the intelligent superintendent, Mr..
J. E. johnson, and his thorough acquairt-
| ance with all the details of every department
| of the business under his management. The
capacity of the furnace is from thirty-three
| to thirty five tons of pig iron per day, and
the average yield about thirty tons Of No. 2
and iron. The ore beds are some four
miles distance from the furnace, in Mill
Mountain, forming part of North Nouns
tain range, and hauled by teams at present,
but in short time will be carried by tram
way, now in contemplation. There are about
five miles of surface outcroppings at the
mines, with the vein penetrating sixty feet
upon superficial working. There has
been no necessity for tunneling here-the
ores are thrown out in quantities of three
hundred tons to the blast, and yielding as
we have stated forty-seve per cert OF me-
talic iron. At the furnace there are about
| 5000 tons of ore, and about 1000 tons of
coke to provide against contingencies, and
| insure the continuous operation of the fur
mace. The company have their own coking
works, at Sewell, in the New River District,
and carry their pig metal to the Ohio River
in their own cars, bringing the coke on the
return trips. They sell neither coke nor
| ore, but utilize both at their furnace, and
thus control to their own advantage all their
operations based upon an investment Of
about 100000. The Messrs. Firmstone &
Pardee, Of Pennsylvania, are the proprie
| tors, and Mr.. j. E. Johnston, Superinten.
nent, with working force at this time Of
fover one hundred hands.
When it is remembered that the ores of the
Cleveland District, England, where but a
short time since, it is estimated, nearly one
half Of the iron of the world was manufac-
tered-yield only twenty seven to thirty
per cent. of metallic iron, some of the adj
| vantages of the iron district of Virginia may
be appropriated, with its forty-seven per
cent ores.
Lowmoor property is also located i'll Allie
ghany county, and embraces an extent Of
1000 acres. The mines,n now being operated,
on this property, are located about two miles
from the Chesapeake Road. and reached by
lateral road, of standard guage. The
bulk of the ores used at Quinnem ont Fur
mace are gotten from Lowmoor, with a
guarantee of forty-seven per cent. of metal
lie iron, but frequently turning out fifty per
cent. 1t will sound incredible to the reader
to state the facts about this iron property.
| The first thing that attracts attention on
entering the ravine or canyon, that separ-
ates the mountain ranges, and where the Of
| fees and buildings Of the company are To-
about 1000 tons, and which is turned out
| from the machinery, embracing two washers,
at the rate of 120 tons for each twenty.four
hours. In the east range and on the east
side Of the range of mountains, three tun-
nels are noticed, the upper one penetrating
400 feet, to meet corresponding tunnel
from the west side of 1920 feet, through a
solid mass of iron ore, lacking about 200
| feet Of through opening. The distance
| between the mouths Of the tunnels, on the
| east side, is about fifty feet each, and the
distance from the base of the mountain to
| the top, on a line with these tunnels, is 375
| feet-one unbroken ore bed. While this is
| mere pocket compared with the general
| deposit, it is estimated that it contains
| 100000 tons OF forty seven per cent.
| brown hematiIe. On the west range, and
| Immediately opposite the tunnels on the
east range, numerous openings have been
made, showing the continuation of the
strata which outcrops for six miles in dis
lance, revealing an inexhaustible supply OF
! this valuable metal. At one point three
hundred tons Of lump ore had been thrown
out by a single blast OF four kegs of powder.
In fact, it is iron everywhere, and at every
| turn, and no words can convey an adequate
! conception of its extent and quantity. In
addition to the brown hematite, shale, block
and fossil ores have been discovered on the
property, but as yet no efforts have been
made for their development. Mr.. Wicks,
the intelligent superintendent, is confident
the ore beds exist below the base
of the mountains, and it is his purpose to
explore beneath the valley level to test the
accuracy of his conclusion.
The limits of newspaper article forbid
that we should attempt full description Of
this property, based upon the information
cleaned from personal examination and facts
communicated by the intelligent clerk of the
company, Mr.. Foster, to whose courtesy we
are indebted for the privilege of gathering
the facts we have stated.
The Low Moor Company-composed of
Mr.. Low, of New York, Mr.. Jro. l.. Means,
of Kentucky, Messrs. Echols, Bell & Cat
lett, of this place, and other gentlemen
from the North, whose names we cannot
now re-call-are now erecting on their prop
erty on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railr Dad,
two miles from the ore beds, seventy.ton
Surpooo xuhinb will nost prohahlv S125 GOO.