The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-06-02
Meeting Of the Engineers.
THE SESSIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE

PERs-EXCURsIoNs AND EXPLORATIONS.
The American Institute of Mining En-
gineers, one of the most distinguished scier
tific bodies of the Union, began Its Sprn
Session in the Opera House Of this city O.
Monday evening last. The Institute CON
prising TAG members, honorary member:
106 associates and SO foreign members.
embraces the leading engineers, biologists an
chemists of this and other countries havn
representatives in almost every state of tn
Union, and in England, France, Prussia, Be
GUM, Saxony, Bohemia, Austria, Germany
Russia, Liberia, Switzerland, and Mexico
Among the most eminent of the member
present may be mentioned such men as DR.. +
W. Raymond, School of Mines, N. Y; d.
Thos. Egleston, School of Mines, Columbi
College; Dr. S. P. sharples, State Geologis
Massachusetts; DR.. Chas. B. Dudley, Chemis
of the Penna. R. R.; Dr. Thos. NJ. Drown
Lafayette College, Pa Prof P Frazer, Phila
and number of others distinguished in til
line of their profession.
The following is an incomplete list of tn
officers and members attending Many WIN
are present have not reported to the Secretary
and it is Therefore impossible to obtain a cor
rect roll:
VIM. Metcalf, President, Pittsburgh.
DR.. Thos. NJ. Drown, Secretary, Lafayette College
Easton, Pa
Chas. b. Dudley Altoona, Pa; Prof. P. Frazer
| Ph1la.
Managers: W. E. C. Coke, Reading, Pa; j. F
Lewis, Quinnimont, W. Va; Perctval Roberts, tr.
| Phtla.
MEMBERS.
New York City,. B. Brinsmade Prof Thos Egle
ston; Geo. G: Francis, Levi Holbrook, Addison
Rand DR.. R. W. Raymond.
Philadelphia u Frederick J. Anspach, chas. A
Massachusetts-Dr. S. P. Sharples.
Connecticut-EH Whitney, 1r.
den, Townsend l. Burden, c. Constable, Alanson 7.
Enos, VIM st. G. Kent, Thos. E. Ray, ". W. Van
voorhls, Frank Witherbee.
New Jersey-Fred A. Garfield, Martin Coryell, W.
s. De Camp, Jno. D. Evans, Chas Kirchhor, r., Jno.
H. Knox, Jas. B. Lewis, Ed. S. Mofrat, Jno. NJ
Sherrerd.
Pennsylvania-wm. Atkins, Geo s. Comstock, E.
M. Ferguson, o. j. Heinrich, VIM Lilley, E. " Nc
Candless, Arthur Mcclellan, A. S. McCreath, Jno
McLeary, E. q. Marshall, Edwin Mickey, Jno.
| Steiger, Sebastian Stutz. D. H. Thomas, Samuel
| Thomas.
Vfrginia-H. Firmstone, Jed. Hotchkiss, j. E
Johnson, Jno s. Kennedy, G. A. Randall, Geo. T.
| M1ckeS, Wm. Jollife.
West Virginia-Geo. W. Bramwell, Stuart M. Buck
| Jas. F. Lewis VIM. N. Page.
Tennessee-Jas. Bowron, Fred P. Dewey, Jas. Nell
| son, H. S. Chamberlain.
| .Georgia-Willard P. Ward
Ohio. Il. Bramwell, A. B. Cornell.
Hlinots-O. W. Potter.
Montr cal, Canada-Dr. T. Sterry Hunt.
OPENING SESSION.
The Institute was called to order in the
Opera House, at o'clock on Monday night.
Many of the visitors were accompanied by
their wives and daughters, and the ladies of
Staunton turned out in goodly force so that n
large proportion of the audience was COM
posed Of the gentler sex. In few fitting
words, Mayor Balthis introduced the Hon 4.
d. II. Stuart, who welcomed the Engineers in
the following address:
Gentlemen Of the american Institute of Mining
Engineers,
have been commissioned by my fellow-cit-
liens of Stanton to tender to you, in their
behalf, a cordial welcome to our little city of
the mountains. To this official greeting, |
hope / may be allowed to add my personal
Salutations.
Without enQuiring whelher you come from
the North or from the South, from the East or
from the West, We welcome you as brethren;
as citizens ofour common country, which trust
is to remain through all future time one and in
Invisible; bound together not merely by the lig-
aments of the Constitution, but by the closer
ties of common interests and mutual affection
We greet you as men of science and of &C
ton; as the heralGs of Progress; as the rep
resentativts ofthat spirit ofinvestigatien which
has done so much to extend the boundaries of
human knowledge, and to give new life and ac-
| tiyity tn ha indu ri ofo
We hail your advent as the beginning of a
new era in our history. We believe that your
presence among us will lead to important
practical results, IN stimulating the develop
ment of the physical resources of Virginia
Providence has given us country rich in
all the elements of wealth and prosperity
Many of these lie buried in the bosom of the
earth. 1t is the mission of the geologist and
mineralogist, by careful observation and study
of the laws and processes of Nature, to bring
these hidden treasures to light and make them
tributary to the comfort of man.
1t has been said that agriculture is the great
interest on which all other interests of human
society depend In a limited sense this is true
But the proposition is subject to qualifications
and conditions. I believe it would be more
correct to say that mining is the primary in
dustry which is essential to the success of eve
ry other interest and occupation of the human
be no extensive and effective system of agr- |
culture, for they are essential constituents OF
all the implements by which the various pro-
cesses Of agriculture are conducted. Without |
metals manufactures and commerce would |
necessarily languish. Metals enter largely in |
to the products of our workshops and supply |
the material of most of the tools of the me- |
chanic. Commerce is equally dependent on |
the products of the mine While iron, steel |
and copper are among the most valuable SUBJ |
jects of commerce, they are also essential in |
the safe and speedy transportation of all other |
commodities, by land and by sea Nor, must |
it be forgotten that, by the common law of the
world, the precious metals, gold and silver,
constitute the standard of value, and are re-
cognized as the medium by which all the OBJ
erations of commerce are carried on.
Am [ not then justified in assigning to your
noble profession, high position among the
avocations of men? Can there be any pursuit |
more worthy of the loftiest aspirations of ge-
MUS than that which brings the human mind |
what we popularity call Nature,and thus insen-
sibly leads it up through the contemplation of |
Natures works to that of Natures God?
have often been struck with the tendency
of the human mind to look with indifference
upon objects which are familiar and practical, |
and to occupy itself with others which are re-
mote and speculative.
Most men read with profound interest and |
wonder, the accounts which travellers give of |
the huge, prehistoric monuments, which are |
still to be found in Egypt, and other eastern
countries, which witnessed the earliest dawn
ings of civilization.
These are the works of human hands. and
successive generations have tasked their facul
ties to discover the purposes for which they
were erected, and to interpret the meaning of
the hieroglyphics which are inscribed upon
them.
This is laudable employment ofthe human |
faculties, and we delight to honor men like |
Champollion and Layard, and others who |
have dedicated large portions of their lives to |
the calculation of these mys teries
And yet, strange to say, we have around |
us, in our immediate vicinity, and within the |
range Of vision from any of our surrounding
hills, monuments of far more stupendous gran
deur and magnitude, and of an antiquity,
compared with which, the forty centuries |
which have looked down from the Pyramids |
of Egypt, are but as yesterday. Yes, here within
view, stand our lofty mountains monuments
reared by the Almighty himself, and covered
with signs and symbols, inscribed by His hand |
yet by reason of our familiarity with them.
and our incapacity 10 understand their
m Gaming, we are accustomed TO look upon them
without emotion.
You, gentlemen, are the Champollions and