Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-08-20
SKETCHES OF SOUTHWESTERN
VIRGINIA.



pleasure, and possibly of instruction, to
some Of fits readers. The first week Of my
stay there made discovery in the court
house steeple of a fact which, so far as |
conversed with them, was unknown to any
Of the citizens. The court house bell, Of
fine metal and sweet tone, fifteen inches
high by eighteen inches opening, bears on
the outside, In raised letters, a Dutch
mot Germany inscription, commencing
"the welfare of the ship Lady Eliza
BETH" with the name of the firm, the ships
owners, followed by the name of the Cap
tain, and ending with the makers name, in
Hamburg, l7s1." This bell is, therefore,
low Just century old, and, as l am on
centennial hunt this summer, it seems
curious coincidence that l should have
stumbled on this old relic, bearing its own
history on its face, yet unread by its own
ers. 1t was evidently a merchant ships
bell, and cast especially for It; an invoca-
ton for the ships safety stamped thereon,
as II uttered in prayer every time the
bell was struck. No person, official
or citizen, that consulted,
knew Of this inscription, nor could give any
account Of the BELLS history, nor tell when
or whence 1t was brought to WYtheville. |
spirited Col. Boyd, who had lived here fifty
years, and he had never seen nor heard or
the inscription. Yet 1t seems impossible to
ascend the steeple, or walk around the bell,
without seeing it. Perhaps a research Of
the County Court records might reveal the
BELLS history, and 1 suggested this to the
worthy clerk.
The month OF my stay in Wytheville has
been one Of the pleasantest vacation periods
/ ever enjoyed, and as our limit of stay ap-
preached / wished / could prolong 1t till the
end of August. Time, however, left US no
option, so we came away a week ago. But
before giving up this beautiful region, ask
the attention Of your readers to an account
Of a visit l made on the 9th instant to the
beautiful valley of New river, where lead
has been mined for a hundred and twenty
five years, and where the "Wytheville Lead
and Zinc Mine Company" have the seat of
their large operations. ills fourteen miles
south of WYtheville on the banks of New
river, the largest stream in this region.
having a width here of at least one hundred
and fifty yards. This river rises in North
Carolina and flows across this valley north
ward into the Kanawha, and so into the Ohio.
Ifs grand features and fine scenery were de-
scribed few years ago in Scribner's Magazine
In an article on the chesapeake and Ohio
Railroad which for many miles runs in a
narrow gorge along its banks in West
Virginia.
few miles after starting our buggy
left the pike. and made the successful effort
of crossing Lick Mountain, the highest peak
in this neighborhood. As we reached its
top the view on all sides was superb. The
country for mary miles lay around US fully
exposed and while we looked down on
many lower hills, the distant horizon was
still hidden by higher ridges. On it's very
summit was perched negroes cabin, pleas
ant enough in the careering air that now
blew around US, but dreadfully cold i Judge,
In the bleak winter. When | asked the in
mates II they did not freeze to death last
winter, the old woman saw the point, and
answered, with equal want of logic, "No,
boss, but it freeze de very bref in our
mouths" We bought some apples that
grew in their yard, and drank some water,
which they said they brought from the
valley a mile below, the nearest accessible
water In summer, and then we left the Afri-
cans TO their pleasant summer home.
The roads through these mountains are,
in dry weather, smooth and hard, save on
the tops, where loose stones abound, and
greatly perplex the traveller Descending
this mountain On its south side, we soon
passed into the iron region and came to one
of the furnaces, of which nearly twenty are
in blast in this county. This was the Wal
ton furnace, and, with three or four others,
belongs to the "Robdell Car Wheel Compa-
nv" OF Wilmington, Del, which msnufac
lures almost exclusively car wheels. From
this cOmpany's investments in these mines,
the value OF this iron in strength and tenaci
ty is evident, and indeed it is said to fetch
the highest price of any car wheel iron in
the world. These works run day and
night, Sunday and week days, there being
of course, relays Of hands. The superintend-
ent, however, has no substitute, the respon-
sibility being on him all the time, and he
has to get relief and rest as he
can. This furnace was built In 1872,
and is worth $40, 600. The ore is very rich,
yielding so per cent. of metal, and this fur
mace makes seven or eight tons of pig iron
every day. The smelling is done by char
coal, which is also mixed with the iron, and
the blast is kept up by a steam engine,
steam being generated by burning the gas
Of the coal. This suggests the idea Of per
petual mOtion-beats generating each other.
Though bituminous coal is found through
| out all this region, 1t is not in contiguity to
the iron mines, and so charcoal is the fuel
in all these furnaces, as 1t is also in the re-
ductiOn of the lead ores. The burning of
charcoal is therefore great interest In these
mountains, and is going on In every conve-
nient place, and one meets constantly with
huge wagons conveying it to the different
furnaces. The price is less than five cents
a bushel.
A few miles further on we reached
Thorne's Ferry on New river, which we must
cross to reach the mine on the other bank
As my friend introduced me to the hospita-
bic house of Mr.. s. ThorDe, her first salutation
was, "Why, Mr.. B., | have heard you often
spoken Of by Miss G. B., of Savannah"
And so 1t appears 10y name has reached this
mountain cove through one OF my young
Savannah pupils, who spent last summer
here, and from the way | was greeted felt
sure she had said nothing but what was
gracious of me.
This New river way up in these mountains
is already bold stream, as l have said and
in the lofty and precipitOus banks, seen at
intervals even here, gives an earnest of the
two or three hundred miles further in its
course. 1t is crossed here, and In other
places near, by ferries, which are In some
degree private property, whose franchises
prevent the building of bridges, though
suppose the width of the river, and the sud
den rise of the waters, make bridges neither
desirable nor eXpedient. We crossed In
skiff, but we're sorry to find that most Of the
operations at the works We're suspended, by
feasOn Of enlarging their capacity and of
putting in new machinery. The mine is In
the bowels OF mountain, which is
penetrated by q narrow gauge rail-
way at the side, the entrance looking
just like the mouth of tunnel The
mine is ventilated by shafts sunk from the
top of the mountain to the mine level. The
ore, after blasting and being broken into
Jumps, is brought out 10 cars holding about
hogshead's contents, drawn by mule and
emerging about quarter of mile from the
mine. These cars run along the side of the
mountain, on a descending grade, for hun
bred yards or more, and dump their loads
down a chute to the level of the works.
These ores, of all grades of richness, from
10 per cent. to 30 per cent, are first passed
through a crusher which reduces them to
grains, and then they pass two or three
times through water, which cleanses out the
dirt and sand. This process is very perfect
and interesting to witness, but two tedious
to describe in detail. These grains are now
smelted ard purified, and then stamped 10
bars With the name OF the company.
1t was not agreeable nor convenient for
US to enter the mine, the muddiness of the
ground and the great ehilllness of the air
preventing it. The out draught from the
mouth of the mine was exceedingly cold,
far more so than from any caYe ] have ever
seen, and the stream of water flowing out
felt like ice. Much Of the lead made at the
works is carried back into the mine, and is
cast into shot, shaft $50 feet deep, extend
ing from the upper to the lower level OF the
mine, being used as a tower All numbers
of shot, from that used for shooting rice
birds, through the six series OF buck shot.
are made here. This mine, am told, Is the
only place In the world where a shaft is
made to serve the purpose and fulfill the
functions of a shot tower.
In some OF these mines zinc ore Is found,
somatimes eaDarate from the lead ora and