The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-02-13

A
AN EXTENSIVE IRON ENTERPRISE-NEw FUR
NACE-rHE UNITED STATES HELPING-w0RK
IN The QUARRIEs-LOCK- AND DAM'BUILD-
ING on THE KANAwHA-HOw IT is DONE
AND WHO DOES 1T, &C.
Reported for the ISpatch.I
ENTERPRISE, WEST VIRGINA,1
February 10. 1880.
"And where il EDterprise!" many OF
YOUR readers will ask. Well, il you take
the Chesapeake and Ohio cas- at Richmond
at7P. NJ. and run all night and next day
till Z. NJ. you reach the three-hundred-
and-forty-eigth mlc.p0st, and here, on the
Great Kanawha, Is Paint-Creek station. On
The opposite side OF the river is Enterprise.
the head of navigation, and the busiest
place on the Chesapeake and Ohio line.
Five hundred men ale at work here
on one OF the locks and dams the
United States Government is construct
ing for The improvement Of naviga-
ton On this river. This improvement is
a very extensive one. Ii was commenced
more than a year ago, and, superintended
by Mr.. n. a. Baillie. has been pushed rapidly
forward, and 1t is hoped will be completed
next fall. The appropriation so FAR for The
improvement OF this river is S150,000.
Seven locks and dams ale proposed. Two
been finished. The last constructed, which
will be The first on this river going west
from Richmond, is at Cannelton, seventy.
eight miles from the Ohio river. An outlet
by water will then be secured for the i'm
mepse deposits OF iron and coal in these
mountains, which even now are being
brought to the surface much faster than the
railroad can take them away.
Some account OF the Government opera
tons at this place, as sample OF all the
Others. will, think, interest the readers OF
the Dispatch.
The village of Enterprise, whose popula-
ton Is made up chiefly OF those employed
upon the work and their families, lies be-
tween the river and the almost perpendicu-
lar mountain, where the great granite beds
which supply The material for the work are
located. Upon The steep side Of this noun
tain the large majority OF the laboers are
nj work. The rest--the skilled wOrkmen-
are engaged dressing the huge blocks which
have been brought down 10 the river bark.
Climbing to the highest point at which the
quarters are at work, you look down upon
busy scene. The face OF the mountain is
laid off in four terraces, graded so that
one leads into another, and track
OF iron rail is laid from the topmost
one winding down the mouDtain and lead
inc TO the river. a number OF strong, low
flat-cars, about the size Of handcars, are
used TO haul the stone, which is rapidly
lifted from its bed by large derricks, dropped
upon the ears and pulled out to the head
of the incline by horses-fine ones. too
which are hitched tandem 10 two or three
cars fastened together. At the head of the
incline the horses are taken out, brakeman
Jumps upon the foremost car OF his train,
aud they start down the mountain, making
good speed TO the river, when other der
ricks unload them, the stOne-cutterS taking
charge OF the blocks, and relays Of horses
are ready TO haul the empty cars back to the
quarries.
Before the hard and solid granite can be
got at the earth and trees upon the surface
have first to be removed. That is sepa-
rate piece Of work for a detail OF hands
with axes, hoes, shovels, mules, and carts,
aud the earth is hauled on hard, level dirt
track around the end OF the mountain and
dumped off out Of the way. Occasionally
mule and cart lose their balance, and all go
over with the dirt. "Does it not kill the
mule TO go over there!" asked the negro
driver. "No, stree. You can't kill mule.
Ole Bob thar's been over, an he's good as q
fiye-year-oe colt now. He Jest kind er rolled
ana slid TO de bottom, got up, shook bisSelf,
an den turned round an looked for his
cart dat had lodged halfway down. No, sab,
dat makes me say you can't kill mule"
After removing the earth, very hard layers
of slate are often encountered, which is re-
moved by laborious blasting and picking.
The slate being exposed 10 the air, soon dis
integrates and crumbles away. There are
large masses Of loose shay rock next, lying
above the granite, and a considerable force
- ..4lx falv ~
which is called "stripping "-and get
ting it out OF the way, the largest and
hardest pieces being used for filing ia
the dam. The hard, gray granite
lies in great solid masses beneath
all this, and is broken up in
large blocks by blasting or splitting with
iron wedges. These operations all going
on at once, with the creaking Of the der
ricks, the click Of the drills, and pick, pick,
pick OF the stone-culter's chisel for an ac-
compartment, and now and then the rum
BILE Of powder blast for a bass, and the
bright sun shining down on all, makes
lively secene, such as these old mountains
never before looked down upon, and a MT
ting prelude 10 The stir OF trade that VIII
wake up this rich valley when the hoarse
whistle OF many steamers plying the river
shall answer back the shrill scream oil the
laden trains back and forth along the banks.
The most extensive private enterprise
along the Chesapeake and Ohio is the i'm
portant improvements at Low Moor, in
AlIeghany county, Va, six or seven miles
east OF Coyington. One OF the largest fur
naces In the country is going up here. The
Low Moor Iron Company, besides the vir-
GINA capitalists Interested, ipcIudes large
northern capitalists, and they are investing
thefe s.onav hara fraely ssvautv hor,uao