The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-07-06
Editorial Correspondence.
The UPPER JAMES, June 90, 81


There is no railroad in Virginia that
runs through more lovely country than
that traversed by the Richmond and AL
leghany. 1t is in pleasing contrast to
the barren ridges on which several of
our leading lines are constructed. We
have recently made brief trip up the
river as far as Buckingham, Nelson and
Albemarle. The crops in this noble val
ley are very fine, the wheat from Rich
mond to Bremo Bluff promising at some
points thirty bushels to the acre, and the
corn looking remarkably we'll We never
gazed on lovelier agricultural prospect
than that from the heights above the
river on the north side, commanding the
estates of Mr.. w. R. G. Cooke and DIR.
Charles Cooke (Lower and Upper Bremo. }
There over wide river bottom the vel
low wheat (Which they were harvesting)
and the tender luxuriant corn stretched
along the river in an unbroken prospect
for some three miles. 1t reminded us OF
Virginia before the war Bremo Bluff is
so called from the rocky precipice, 125
feet of frowning and perpendicular arch
ean sandstone and slate, just on the old
canal, which here cuts across a bend in
the river.
Fer thirty miles out from Richmond
the water-worn pebbles lie $50 feet above
the river, showing that at very recent
period the waters washed the top of these
hills. The same fact is observed at other
points higher up, as at Columbia ga
miles from Richmond, near New Canton,
ON the estate of Mr. Thomas Leitch, "a
miles above Richmond, and at New
market, l09 miles above Richmond. The
sea extended above Richmond some 80
miles in the quaternary period (Which,
geologically, is only yesterday, and the
pebbles found between that line and the
sea were rolled by the ocean. West of
that line, wherever rolled gravel is found
on the hills, the pebbles have been rolled
by the river, and we learn from them that
the river formerly ran at that level.
AT charlottesville and Newmarket
the river-jacks," as remarked, are found
on the hills 100 feet above the river, a
mile away from the river. And on the
farm of DR.. Horsley, between these places,
we found on a lofty hill pebbles or bould-
ers that had come from Balcony Falls.
We knew them because they were peb-
bles Of Scolithus Sandstone (of the Pots
dam beds), which rock is not found on
the eastern side of the Blue Ridge. One
of these boulders would weigh thirty
pounds. Now how did that rock get
from Balcony Falls, past Lynchburg, to
Newmarket, and on hill far away
from the river and 100 feet above it?
At Columbia we visited the old Gran
tie quarry which, we believe, was first
opened to construct the magnificent
aqueduct of the James River and Kama
wha Canal across the Rivanna River at
this point. Some few miles from Column
bia is the Bertha and Edith Gold Mine,
where they are putting up machinery pre-
paratory to working the mine. The gold
here occurs at comparatively shallow
depths in veins of quartz. 1t is hardly
discernible to the naked eye. Across the
Rivanna River, some six miles N. w. of
Columbia, is the Snead Gold Mine,
where we found them at work, extract
ing the gold-bearing quartz from the vein,
stamping it, washing it, and separating
the gold by chemical processes. A fine
bed of slate is exposed at this mine, the
same bed as the famous Buckingham
slate. This slate may be.seen cropping
out along the railroad at Barrsville, and
between that point and Bremo Bluff.
There are old openings for slate also on
the Upper Bremo plantation, but it is not
ascertained that the quality is all that is
required; although deeper quarryings
might prove it 50 to be.
A vein Of brown hematite iron ore has
been opened at Bremo Bluff, about 200
yards from the tavern and when we
cross the river to New Canton -(iust op-
poslte), the vein reappears. It is fine
ore, and Dunlap & Co. are mining it now
at New Canton.