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

The Longdale territory is extensive, as it
eleven miles of narrow gauge railway woul
imply. Its iron ore is eXhaustless, and it i
mined from the face of high bluffs. The irol
beds are 80 to 100 feet thick, and Tue yield from
ore is about so per cent. OF metal. This, l un
derstood, was about the average yield in tn
whole region. The metal product and or
also is shipped chiefly to CincinnatiSvia Hun
tlngton and barges on the Ohio river, si ID
1t was still raining when the ,excutsionist
reached Longdale Station, and there were only
observation cars to convey the party. Never
theless ladies and all turned out and took thei
places on wet planks ranged on the gonSolas
for them. On reaching the furnaces the ladies
stopped and were handsomely entertained
with lunch at Mr.. Firmstone's house, but The
gentlemen, who came to SEGA first-class Viz
glnia iron mine, kept on seven miles further K
the locality where the ore was being taken out
Arrived on the grounds it was necessary tt
walk the fourth of a mile through the mud te
witness the operations There was no lack O.
! eagerness, however, and every one tolleC
| through the red clay up the mountain side
where they were fully repaid by the rich beds
and easy mining which they saw. The mine
gave great satisfaction to all the professionals
Returning the weather cleared up, and every
body enjoyed the trip back to the station Mr.
Firmstone accompanying the party.
! ~ra LOW MOOR MINES. tasyas
The next points of Industrial interest were
Low Moor mines and furnace, which are also
in Allegheny county Va, and on Jackson river
The furnace is directly on the Chesapeake and
Ohio track. Near by are 104 coke ovens, made
OF stone. Coal for coking is brought from New
river. The furnace has capacity Of 80 tons OF
metal day. 1t is an immense affair." Water is
pumped from Jackson river, near by The iron
mines gave intense satisfaction to The profess
SIGNALS, on account of the singulatity of the
geological formation. Some Of thd gentlemen
said they would have gone five hundred miles
to see this formation. The quality of the ore
Is the same as Longdale, and stands high in
Cincinnati. The property is owned chiefly in
New York, Ohio and the West. The only Vir-
ginians who are stockholders are the legal firm
of Echols, Bell & Catlett, of Stanton. They
have some six miles of territory, and their gen
eral manager, Mr.. George T. Wickes, says he
has nearly five miles to drift The tunnels are
made at various elevations on the mountain
| side, and an incline railway is worked so as to
serve the different levels. Aspur Of one of the
mountains is pierced through distance OF
more than mile and half. The company
| has built for MIR. Wickes a large new houseas
| reward for exceedingly valuable and inteli-
| gent service rendered. The house is as large
p
being Mr.. Wlckes did make it q hetels He
managed to find seats at table for $50 people
by using parlors, halls piazzas SC, for dining,
and bringing into requisition the service of a
Richmond caterer. The entertainment was
| excellent, and provided, it was stated, at the
individual expense of the host.
SOME VALUABLE OPINIONS.
Professor Egleston, of the school of mines
of Columbia College, New York, says he has
made over sixty analyses from samples of Vir-
ginia iron ores, collected by himself or fur
nished by others, and he found by far the lar
ger part of them valuable for the manufacture
of iron, and very low both in sulphur and
phosphorus. The ore deposits are not, as they
usually are in the north, pockets, uncertain IN
their yield and extent, but are regular geolog-
ical formations. which may be followed fot
miles, and which, with few exceptions, ca1
be depended upon, both for quality and guam
tity OF their iron ores. Prof. Egleston says:
IL see no reason why the State of Virginia
should not be one of the largest and richest
iron-producing countries in the United States
geographically the ores are situated in such
way that they can be most easily mined
The geological accidents which have occurred
in the great ore belt have turned up the strata
in series of folds, which having been after
wards corroded on the surface, throw the de-
at the present time the outcrops over shert dis
tances will frequently come to the surface sew
eral times, as is particularly the case at Low
Moor" Professor Egleston likewise says
he has been assured that if the Virginia ores
could be delivered in Pittsburg at reasonable
price that city alone would take several hun
dred thousand tons year. Mr.. Metcalf, pres
ident OF the association, assured your CORES
pondent ofthe same thing, and it is the knowl-
edge of this demand for Virginia iron in Pitts
burg which has stimulated the manufacturers
to seek direct railroad connection, and they
will ultimately get it, b" N.ih ueili
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 'lsi $40
It was nearly dark when the tired tourists
reached that haven of rest. the Greenbrier
White Sulphur Springs,where Colonel George
L. Peyton, the superintendent, had strained a
point to receive them in advance of the date of
regular opening, which is Monday June 6. The
house was not prepared for guests, the cooks
having arrived only at the same time of the
company. But everybody had good care taken
ofhim. 1t took some time to get all the names
on the registery, but when that was done Mr..
Peyten, the room clerk, made the assignments
very quickly. The greatest strain was on that
monarch of the establishment, the chef, who is
usually tyrant when any desire is opposed to
his own will and pleasure but his majesty was
complalsant, and sent up mountain mutton
chops and choice tenderloin steaks, and an
abundance of other food sufficient for all re-
quirements, and everybody was happy.
THURSDAY 4t Ya
having been made an iron field day for the As
ISOLATION of Mining Engineers in Old Virgin
ia, Friday, Bird inst, was devoted to the coal
measures in West Virginia After six o'clock
breakfast, the party left the Springs to descend
the western slope of the Alleghanies for an ex-
cursion through the New River and Kanawha
coal fields, visiting Quinnimont, Stone Cliff,
Fire Creek, Sewell, Nutalburg, Hawks Nest,
and Coalburg, which latter is within 16 miles
OF Charleston, the capital of West Virginia,
and % miles of Huntington, the terminus OF
the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad on the
Ohio river. n
RECIPROCAL RELATIONS.
Though so intimate aud necessary to each
other in their manufacturing relations, nature
has placed the barrier of mountain range be-
tween the coal and iron of the Virginias.
When we were in the iron belt on the western
slope OF the mountains the rivers flowed to-
wards the Atlantic. When we crossed the
dividing line the rivers finding their sources
in the hills course toward the Gulf of Mexico.
The geological strata of the iron belt was YER
tical, sinclinal and anticinal the strata of the
coal measures is uniformity horizontal Our
course lay along the windings of the Green
brier, New and kanawha rivers, through the
counties of Greenbrier Summers, Fayette and
Kanawha. The rivers flow into each other,
and the new is sometimes called the little
Kanawha. @ff ri aaa3 'le
THRIVING INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS. f9lf
In $50 miles the train passed 80 stations, at
more than half of which there were coal and
iron industries. Everywhere the smoke of
furnaces and coke ovens is present Log
cabins, SO general in other sections Of the
State, have been here supplanted by neat
weatherboard cottages, surrounded by cultiva-
ted patches ofground. All the valley land and
some of the hill-sides are covered with crops,
and there seemed to be great deal Of mead
ow land for stock, but the rich grazing land,
the bluegrass region of West Virginia. is not
here; the grazing part of the State is broad
plateau having limestone soil. Corn, wheat,
clover and grass thrive everywhere, and add
to the riches of the State. Villages cluster
around every industrial establishment, and the