The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-03-09

the good qualities oil the yello
pine and Is superior in straightness
grain and freedom from resinous matte
II cannot fail to becomea valuable accei
sion to the marketable lumber Of the cour
try although II is now almost unknown
The road would run near 10 q larg
body OF white pine-the country alon
the upper waters OF the Greenbrier, yield
ing several hundred millions Of feet {
this timber.
Allo the lands from Morgantown I
Beverly and beyond are well suited 10
grazing and produce blue grass as soon a
| the timber dies, and large portion Q
this country Is highly productive and vel
adapted to all farming purposes. II re
oulres only the stimulus Of a market Z
increase greatly the general products. Il
much OF this region no attempt is nov
made to raise more grain than issntticien
for home consumption.
At the headwaters Of the Tygarts Vale!
River and the vicinity of the dlvid
which separates that stream from Green
brier River we find ourselves In geologi
cally older rocks-the carboniierous con
glomeratcs and the underlying red shale
OF the umbral and also the lower carbonif
erous lime stones and shales, and the YES
pertine or lower carboniierous sand
stones and shales. These rocks extent
for some distance down the valley towardi
Beverly. Deposits OF iron occur here no
differing essentially from those Of th,
higher portions OF the coal measures, ant
similar TO those found at the same geo
logical horizon in Pennsylvania. Wher
we cross the divide into the valley oil the
Greenbrier we find ourselves in the rict
grain and farming lands OF the lower car
boniferous lime stone and the accompany
ing shales. These extend along the riyei
through Greenbrier and Monroe to New
River.
Following the Greenbrier river, the
road would cross, near the White Sulphur
Springs, the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail
way. Here we reach the belt Of country
celebrated for its medicinal springs. This
belt extends to New river, and several sui,
phur springs OF repute are found along
this stream. South OF New river Is sec.
ton OF country extending along the
"White 0akn and "Great Flat Top
mountains, which would well repay de.
yelopment. The mountains are covered
with enormous quantities OF white oak
and other hard woods, and would furnish
an almost inexhaustible quantity OF mate
rial for cross-ties and other uses, while
along the foot Of "the great Flat Top" we
find outcropping the most easterly exten.
sion of the excellent coking coal used Of
Quinnimont and other points on New
river. These Goals belong to the conglom.
crate series, and they are almost always
pure and good coking Goals. The coal
coked at Quinnimont is said TO make o
coke equal, II not superior to the best
Connellsville coke. A narrow gauge road
from the mouth OF the Greenbrier, along
the foot OF the great Flat Top, would
utilize all the timber OF that untouched
region, and cause the construction OF coke
ovens TO furnish fuel to the great mineral
section which lies further south, along
New river, and which In the near future
will become the seat OF great mining
and manufacturing industry.
Along the Greenbrier river and Beaver
Creek, one OF It's tributaries, in Pocahon'
tas county, and on Anthony's Greek,
another OF its tributaries, in Greenbriei
county, and very near the line Of the pro
posed railroad are immense deposits ol
iron ore. I am informed that in these To-
calities are found the brown hematite, the
fossil and block ores. The outcrop OF the
brown hematite Is very large, and while
the thickness OF the vein Is not definitely
known, it Is said to range from twelve &c
one hundred feet. The deposit OF block
ore Ia reported to be seven feet thick and
the deposit OF fossil ore about forty inches
These ores extend over q very large area
From the mouth OF the Greenbrier 70
Peters Mountain, on the eastern edge o.
Monroe county, the road would pass
through the same limestones and shales
that were found along the Greenbrier. In
Peters Mountain the Allegheny system Oh
rocks would be entered, and from thai
point TO the southwest corner OF Mont.
gomery county the various ranges oi
mountains are composed OF these rocks
ranging from the base OF the Upper 81
lurian to the Vespertine or Lower Car
boniierous. Two principal iron ore hori.
IONS occur in these rocks, which furnish
an abundance OF material. The lower
horizon is composed OF the Clinton fossili'
ferrous ore, and theupper Is OF the ore de-
nosit al the base OF the 0riskany Sand.
stone. Both OF these deposits extend
throughout the length OF the Alleghanies
and their character has been tuily tested,
1t is probable that they contain too much
phosphorus and sulphur to be used sue
cessfully in the manufacture OF steel by
the Bessemer process.
Price'smountain two miles west OF Chris
tiansburg and Brushy mountain three
miles farther west contain a considerable
quantity OF semi anthracite coal OF ex'
cellent quality. This coal Is found in two
workable beds, which would yield seyera
millions OF tons OF fuel which could bt
used in the raw state Tor smelling iron
The per cent, of bituminousmatter oil thls
coal is ten and less.
This coal resembles in appearance tht
carhonite or natural coke Of the Richmonc
coal acids. This small coal field gives tht
nearest approximation to true anthra
c;te 10 be found outside oil Pennsylvania
In this vicinity the road would cross tn
Atlantic. Mississippi and Ohio railroad
and thence to the lead mines in Wytht
cnnnty: con the country Is mainly lowe
HilurlAn rOckS Cuuplbtiub ~ aet eS fsessS
the lower silurian limestone. Poplar Uaml
mountains and their southerly continna
tion-the Iron notwithstanding on tns
east anal side Of Pulaski and Wythe counties
contain the Potsdam sandstones and alonl
their western foot show immense deposit
oi the pure brown hematites contained II
the slates and shales which oyerlie thes'
sandstones. These ores are everywher'
noticed for their freedom from sulpnu
and phosphorus and for their yield ot
neutral iron. This is the same ore whiet
IA worked at various points farther north
on the east side OF the Valley OF Virgtnii
and on the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania
On the New River these ores reach an ex *
ceptional development, both In quanat,
and value. and Pittsburgh could here sul
.ply herself for an indefinite period viii
| these most desirable ores. Prof. VIM. l
Rogers, forty years ago, was 80 muGh I'm
pressed with the amount and ane oharaE
ter OF these ores, that he then stated ina
| Ibis locality was destined to become n
great centre OF the iron manufacture oil u
/ tak