The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-04-23
Ole gateLIlasnEea
yIRaINlApBusINEas Room.
Renewed activity In RsIlread Baildiu
and the Iron Industry.

anu the Afon AnuulGHgs
RICHMOND, VA, April 2o.-Acceuntl
continually come In Of q most notable
business boom now all over Virginia. II
began with the revival in the iron bust.
ness, and spread incidentally from that
into railroad building and business; coal
mining and coke making, re-opening the
old gold mines Of Lousia, Buckingham
and other counties; developing the i'm.
mense depositsof manganese, kaolin, ETC.,
In the Blue Ridge counties.
It was long known TO geologists that
immense quantities OF most valuable iron
ore existed in the Blue Ridge, and in the
parallel ranges OF mountain on the north
side OF the Shenandoah valley and along
the bead.waters Of the James. Also that
the limestone for fux and coal for fuel
abounded; and, in TACT, In all materials
for making iron cheap. Over forty years
ago many furnaces were operated and
some fortunes made, but more were lost
when the financial crisis came, and the
abandoned furnace stacks stood cold.
Now, all along the Shenandoah and Up
per James. within the last few months,
all OF the old furnaces have been re.kin-
died and q large number OF greater ones
built. New mines are being daily OPEN
ed and the ores sent of 10 Pennsylvania
furnaces. Capitalists are daily arriving.
purchasing and prospecting among these
iron properties. The rolling mills ut
Lynchburg have been within the last few
weeks, set to work again by company Of
Pennsylvanians, Gov. Hartranft president
The most OF the new iron.makers are
Pennsylyanians, whose iron works there
are expensive, while In Virginia they are
cheaper and the ores Of the best quality.
A singular instance occurs In Augusta
county, Va, where, by improved tests.
Il Is discovered that an old furnace stack
was actually built with specular (surtace)
ore, gathered of the ground, TO make iron
from very inferior ore dug out OF an ore
bank In the mountains hard by.
This iron "boom" starts the railroad
business. The Shenandoah Valley. railroad
has quietly, but steadily, advan iced from
the Potomac river-where 1t connects
with the Pennsylvania railroad-up the
base Of the Blue Ridge, along the great
iron deposits, and Is now under contract
TO It's connection with the Chesapeake &
Ohio railroad, where It reaches access to
the coal and coke Of Virginia, in Augusta
county, and will soon press on to the Up.
per James river valley. The Richmond
& Allegheny Railroad Co., in which
Messrs. James G Blaine, Gen. Thomas
Ewing and others are stockholders, Is
building low grade road on the tow.path
OF old James River Canal, 70 connect with
the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad at Cow
ington, some 200 miles westward, thence
onward, It Is said, to Pittsburgh. This
company excites great interest in Virgin
ia, as 1t Is believed that its principal pur-
pose is TO speculate in the development
BY mining and manufactures along Its
route, where. extraordinary resources and
facilities exist.
So in very many portions Of the State,
stimulated by these larger schemes, nu-
merous narrow gauge railroads are being
built TO mines, ore banks, etc. In short,
the excitement is so great over these bust.
ness prospects that even politics in Viz
ginja is now RENTED to back seat.
The Chesapeake & Ohio railroad Is do
ing an increasing and heavy business.
And so with all the railroads Of the State,
and railroad stocks are eagerly sought
for Investments,