The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-06-16

l
Live through eternal day
| In heaven above.
| Our souls can never die,
No, never die,
Special Correspondence Baltimore Sun.
| Development of the Virg1nlas.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS
| GREENBRIER COUNTY, w. Va, June 5, 1881.
| In planning entertainment for the members
of the American Institute, which met in Staun-
ton, the Virginians arranged tour of large
part of the State, designed to best exhibit the
mineral resources and the industrial develop
ment Of old Virginia and West Virginia. The
plan comprehended both the ore measures of
| the Blue Ridge and the Alleghanies, the iron
| and the coal regions, which have now been
| brought into harmonious working reciprocity
| by the instrumentality of the Chesapeake and
! Ohio and the Richmond and Allegheny Rail
roads. may say here, in advance of details
to be supplied, that the vast extent of the iron
wealth of Virginia and Of the btuminous and
| semi bituminous coal measures of West Vir-
| ginia made profound impression upon the
practical scientific observers which the society's
! meeting brought to the inspection. Prof Frazier
assistant geolOgist of the State of PENNSYLVANIA
has expressed himself very clearly on the
promising future which the Virginias have
before them. He said the old Commonwealth
began her game of whist with court cards, put
ting forth her succession of Presidents; she next
played her clubs, which, though historical
from the days of John Smith and Powhatan,
were not strong enough; now she is leading
trumps, which are spades, and will win.
SOME BUSINESS DATA.
BY the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad there
is continuous interchange of iron ore and
coal or coke between the mines of the Kanawha
coal fields and the iron fields of the James Fur
naces and FORCES, coal mines and coke pits are
strung thickly along the extensive line, giving
employment to thousands of people, and build
ing up substantial fortunes for still greater de-
velopment in the future.
Like wheat and corn, iron will always have
inherent standard value, whatever may be the
fluctuations from day to day in prices. Any
country which combines surface productive
ness with mineral riches needs only labor and
capital to put it in the front rank. Both labor
and capital are flowing into these inviting
fields of the Virginias, and the present gener-
alton will see at no very distant day, instead
of the feudal lords, which the slave system
created in the past, race of pig-iron princes
south as well as north ofthe. famous Mason and
Dixon's line.
For understanding the mineralogy, metallur-
gy and geology of the Virginias scientific peo-
pie have their sources of information. 1t will,
therefore, be the province of these letters to aid
business men and capitalists to understand the
business drift of Virginia development, and at
the same time to afford the general public
proper newspaper information on the subject,
as it is matter in which everybody in the
country is concerned.
1t seems to be settled that the percentage OF
phosphorus in Virginia iron is SO slight that it
may be used to advantage for making steel. 1t
is understood that Pennsylvania iron has slight
ly more phosphorus SO that Virginia and Penn
sylvania iron may not be advantageOusly used
together in some cases. On the subject of
coke, there is a question which rang through
the train throughout the tour OF the Institute
in daily discussions between Pittsburg and
Kanawha manufacturers, who are competitors
In the Cincinnati markets. The question is
not yet settled. ..
NORTHERN CAPITAL AND INFLUENCE.
The subject of the tariff is a question in
which Virginia is taking an interest very diff
ferent from that which it exhibited some years
ago when there were no industries to protect
and the agriculturists had every thing their
own way. | noticed that the recent importa-
ton into Baltimore of such large quantities of
Mediterranean iron ore has raised cry among
American iron interest for greater protection.
There is no doubt Virginia alone has iron
enough to supply the United States for many
generations to come and that the iron interest
here will want protection is Just as natural as
that Northernmen coming South and planting
themselves will realize that all their interests
are identical with the interests of all other cit
liens. But that the iron interests should have
Northern manufacturing ideas of the tariff is
not strange, since nearly all the mineral de-
velopment has been made by Northern men
and money. do not think it far wrong to
state that seyen-tenths of the mineral lands of
Virginia are to-day owned by Northern capital, |
run by companies controlled by Northern men,
and managed to great extent by them. The
railroads are the same and more of them will |
be welcomed. The time is not far distant Ell |
Their when the full influence of this element will
be felt in the management of the affairs of the |
State, and then the new era will receive another
and greater impulse
JOYOUS JAUNT tH
Thursday, June 2, was devoted to the in |
spection OF the iron belt of Virginia, and it
gave the greatest satisfaction to all the meta
lurgists and engineers of the party. A special
train was furnished by the Chesapeake and
Ohio railroad, which remained in the use OF
the association for three days. Starting from
Staunton after an early breakfast with over
200 excursionists on board including some
Virginia ladies as well as ladies of the families
of members of the association, the company
soon mingled very happily together in the en-
jeyment of the trip. 1t was rainy morning
but the weather was no obstacle to social
intercourse within doors and without: the
summer showers and massive clouds gave
different aspect to the majestic Alleghanies,
among which the train was soon speeding, from
what they would have had in the grandeur of
their ordinary repose Vapor rolled like great
waves up the mountain sides, hiding the crags
rubnr kI,o - s1Arfx cod To
have his home; the streams rushed in boiling
torrents down the guches, but the train sped
onward and upward with gathering wheels,
like the ringing hoofs of cavalry brigade,
sounding echoes among the hills and shaking
the solid foundations of the earth, which, as
some of our geelogists pointed out, had been
actually laid bare before by the hands that
built the road. There were some OF the wild
est scenes where, amidst the bright verdure of
June LEAKAGE, the dry trunks and bare branches
of dead ''monarchs of the forest were half
hidden by kindly scarlet creepers, and rhodo
dendrons doomed beside rocky crags and the
hardy laurel. When happy spirit pervades
any party of people it matters very little
whether it rains or shines, and this was the
case with our party. Nevertheless, when the
sun came out in fitful moments his presence
increased the happiness of the travellers, glad
dening all nature and changing mood from
lowering frowns to smiles, amidst tears, and
Frightening every feature with brilliant dia-
mond drops glistening on every leaf and
blade.
THE DAYS PROGRAMME.
Four events were on the card for the day.
These were: First stop at Ferrol to visit
Grace Furnace of the Pennsylvania Coal and
Iron Company, which uses iron mined near
by and draws coke from Quinnimont, W. Va,
where the company has extensive coal fields
and a furnace, using Virginia iron second, an
exceedingly interesting visit to the Longdale
Iron Companys works and extensive mines in
Allegheny county, Va. third, an inspection o
the Low Moor furnaces, iron mine and lime +
stone qualries, and dinner; fourth, supper and
lodging at the White Sulphur Springs.
MODEL ESTABLISHMENT.