The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-05-22

ssclaystone'' lion ore, and occasionally slime
stoneo orc, common to the coal formations.
A furnace has been partly erected at Char
lesion to work these ores. 1t was suspended
during the panic, and is still lying idle. AT
Strange creek, eighty-three miles up Elk
from Charleston, furnace was erected
some years ago, which is working both the
kidney and limestone ores found in that
neighborhood. 1t is making inc quality
of cold blast charcoal iron, which is sent to
market down the Elk river on barges. This
furnace is suffering for an outlet to market,
which the railroad will furnish. The ores
are highly charged with carbonate of lime,
fiux very easily and work cheaply. What
little limestone is needed is found IN proNi
nifty to the ore.
After leaving the coal fields of Webster
county, and passing through the extensive
carbonate limestone formation, we. strike
the foothills and then the main Allegheny
mountains: the ascent from the west is grad
ual. and it is believed no very heavy grades
will be encountered. Here we meet with
the valuable and large deposits of hematite
iron ores, common to the upper S berian and
Devonian formations. Here it il that Pitts
burgh and Western Pennsylvania will event.
ually come for their supplies of iron ore, this
being their nearest large deposit. 1t can be
supplied much cheaper than. either Lake Su-
perior or Iron Mountain. Missouri ore is of
equally good quality, and the supply will
last for ages. After passing through the
ore deposits and the rich farming and graz
ing land of the mountains, just before we
emerge into the beautiful Shenandoah Val
ley, we cross the Dora anthracite coal fields.
Hose are opened several veins of anthracite
coa1-pure anthracite beyond doubt. Pro-
fessor Booth, OF Philadelphia. has analysed
it, and compares it to the coal of Western
Schuylklll county, Pennsylvania-what is
known as Lorberry or Lykens Valley coal,
very valuable anthracite coal. His analy-
SEES show from $685. to S9.47 per cent. OF
carbon in the Virginia Goals, or an average
of 7.66 and 1878 in the Pennsylvania coal.
He mentions several veins of different thick
ness, the largest eight feet. Another report
on the same coal field by G.. B. Strauch, min
ing engineer, referring to the sSheafer
opening" the largest there, gives the thick
ness of the vein at the face of the opening
as six feet, the top half being good coal of
fine fracture, the bottom half not so good,
and of shelter fracture. This coal field is
some thirty or more miles long, nearly n
mile wide, is only about 100 miles from tide
water, and at the very doors of the most
populous and wealthy portion Of Virginia.
After leaving the coal field we cross the
Shenandoah Valley, and its splendid lime
stones and hydraulic lines. Small deposits
of ore are met with occasionally, but Of no
great value until the Nassau utten Mountain
is reached, ten miles beyond Harrisonburg,
where there are large deposits of iron ore,
which have been extensively worked. The
Catharine Furnace, belonging to Hon. VIM.
Mines, Jr., receives its ores from this noun
tain. A specimen of ore found at the foot
of the mountain Professor Booth reports as
assaying 57.S7 per cent. of iron. The foot
of Blue Ridge being reached, we are in the
immense deposits of hematite ores found
there, referred to before. Here is the Shen-
andoah Furnace, and eight or ten miles
south, In the same range, is the Mount Yer
non Furnace. Both worked through the
panic in the iron trade, in spite of their be-
ing twenty-five and seven miles respectively
from the railroad. The Fox Mountain ore
bank, supplying the Shenandoah Furnace,
is splendid deposit of ore. An analysis Of
it by Professor Booth shows 1854 per cent.
metallic iron, and only O06 per cent. of
phosphorus. An analysis of number of
specimens shows range of from 1915. to
60.16 per cent. of metallic iron. An analy
sis of the blooms from the Mount Vernon
Farnace shows 99.72l per cent Of iron and
only 0.071 per cent. of phosphorus. Mr..
Mines thinks he will have no difficulty in
mining and marketing 80, 900 tons of his ore
annually over this railroadwhen completed
to tidewater. East of the Blue Ridge and
on its eastern slope and foothills censdera-
BILE copper has been mined in the past. We
believe nothing is being done at it now, the
railroads being too distant to render it prof.
table. Deposits of henlatite, specular and
magnetic ores are known to exist along the
line of road east of the Blue Ridge, but of
their extent and quality little is known.
They have not been explored to any great
extent. A sample OF magnetic ore found
near Orange Courthouse analysed 60 per
cent. of iron and 0.021 per cent. of phos
phorus. The extent Of the deposit is not
known. This being an east and west road,
it passes across the course q strike OF the ge-
illogical formations nearly at right angles
thereto, thereby cutting almost every varie-
ty of useful and valuable mineral known in
this locality. 1t passes through camel,
splint, bituminous and anthracite Goals ;
carboniferous hematite, specular and mag
netic iron ores; limestones and hydraulic
lines gold and copper ores, asbestos: bar
ytes, etc. The gold belt which crosses this
road east of the Blue Ridge in the Piedmont
Valley is the same which passes through
North Carolina into Georgia where it is now
extensively worked. Quite a large amount
of gold has been taken from it in Virginia,
several mines being at work now. There is
an abundance of good timber along The route.
West Virginia has long been noted for its
forests of splendid timber; we doubt il there
is to-day as fine body OF timber standing
in the United States east OF the Territories
as that in West Virginia. Elk river runs
through the very heart of these grand forests.
Beginning at Big Sandy. twenty.one miles
above Charleston, the railroad will traverse
almost an unbroken forest until the Shena-
doah Valley is reached, distance of say $50
miles. The timber consists of white. black
and chestnut oak, poplar, hemloek, hickory,
black walnut, chestnut, beech. maple, cherry,
cucumber. yellow, and on the highlands
considerable white pine. The white oak,
poplar, cherry and mapel grow to an i'm
mense size, oaks three to three and half
feet in thickness being common, white pop
lars grow to even greater size. Considerable
yellow pine is still standing along the eastern
edge of the Shenandoah Valley, and the Blue
Ridge will furnish large quantities OF tie and
fencing timber, cordWooG, bark, ETC., etc.