Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-01-18

OF Precious Metals which Msy Yet
Come DO Light In This state.


Come so Light In This state.
Though their exsct extent and location
have never been precisely determined ~
an official geological survey OF the state,
vet tits known that West vir~.,ni, soiI ia
rich in valuable mineral deposits. Her
coal fields rival those Of any State in the
Union her vast dc ,,osits of iron will one
day place her IN . most prominent posi-
ton IN We circle of manufacturing States;
her Zach veins OF lead will draw hither an
Immense capital, and her ine1haustible
forests will furnish timber for the uses OF
tia woslA But il has slvays been moot
cd question Tiactner within her bosom she
held concealed the precious metals IN pay,
ing quantities Silver has been found snd
traces Of the more valuable auriterous
metal been discovered and the craze mas
ebbed and flowed accordingly. west Nf'
ginia never had her days OF ~ Ou' ger
Iainly had her '5l. when silver bearing
Iodes were said 70 have been discovered III
the Pan Handle.
The silver Craze.
In the carly part of last year, Thomas
Rsmbrick, living in Clay township, Han
cock county, discovered silver while pros
pocting about among the hills. MS orotn-
~ William was at that time engaged IN sii-
Ver mining in Oregon, and Thomas deter
mined to test his West Virginia lind. de
went about it very secretly, but the news
did get ont, and all inStantan eouS upward
iuy,n in the price of land WAS the result.
Peo,llc imagined that deep down IN their
rrc,.rd hills a new ComStOck concealed us
treasures. and in the pick and smelling
furnaces lay the keys To the argent Wea'th'
Bsmrick did not buy any land, a. he ~aS
too sharp To invest any money on an uii
certainty; but he procured seFerai OH
barrels. and filing them with the ore, sent
it TO Oregon for a scientific assay. Inc re-
srlt. rs is.r as the writer was able to aScer-
tain. showed yield Of some S2l to the ton.
This would not be rich for western mine'
Lut out there, where it costs Si2 ton 10
reduce the ore, wood is worth - coru:
Here wood can be procured for sl.oD ana
col il abundant. so that even at that figure
il would pay handsomely. Imagination
seems to have run riot up IN Hancock Tor
= gentleman from there told RHGISrEn
reporter that some OF the ore had assayed
SO and some even higher--a yeritabic
bonauzs, And tho craze took hold and
already Imaginative individuals pictured
in Hancock new FL Dorado, studded with
stamping mills and dotted with mining
camps
Bambrick sen his ore TO Oregon, and al,
ter that the silver excitement entirely died
out. Hancock people went quietly
hack TO their peaceful pastoral pursuits
and nothing more was heard OF the ne"
Oohir, pele:ste J. W, Hobbs. OF that place,
Yesterday told the RsgIsIER reporter thet
Clay township was as quiet rs d Eraveyara,
and the Bambr:ck's had gone. These TWO
men, by the way, were sons OF Thomas
Dambrick, Sr., staunCh Democrat, who
once Represented the Panhandle in the
Virginia Legislature at Richmond.
Discovery OF Gold.
But, from the grave Of the silver ind the
cold craze rose phpniI-like. Without haV-
ing any definite knowledge OF the existence
Of the valuable metal, the TACT that West
Virginia was full OF it became generally
circulated. The lsSt number OF the dmcri
cdH Manufacturer contained this paragraph:
Gold and silver have been found at dif-
ferent points through West Virginia. aud
in several places the deposits are consid-
cred valuable enough 10 warrant the set
ting up OF expensive machinery. The
ASSAYS do not show Il higher yield per ton,
but the ore is easily worked and the depOs-
its lie near the surface, and are seemingly
large in extent
4 short time ago, the craze was found to
exist in the eastern portion OF this county
and along the western side OF Washington
county, and then came the statement that
one j. J. Allison had found gold and would
impart the information OF its whereabouts
for 81 COO. This information reached Pitts
burgh and the DSpatch sent George Welsh
ons, one of its staff, to ascertain the
truth of the report. He was treading
ri, native heath, when in this section,
and quickly hunted up Squire Allison, WHO
declared the whole mater ~ De joke.
However, ne said they were actually
mining gold over the West Virginia line,
in this county and he started the report er
toward HaneytOwl. WelShOnS describes
this trip, in his article, at some length,
particularly the scenery, and introduces an
Anecdote of Lewis Wetzel, that of shooting
all Indian from q cave, which every city
reader Of the kSGISrsH knows is told of
every cave in this neighbOrhOod. How
ever, after passing Roney's Point, every
farmer who pointed out the road talked
gold and Spurrcd the reporter on his mis-
sion. Al last he found the mine.
The Mine FOund.
TIE men had quit work on account of
the cold, but heaps OF the stuff taken from
the mine lay about the opening. The vein
is about six feet thick, and has been fo,-
lowed into the hill about 10 feet. 1t lies in
strata about foot thick, divided by thin
horse back" The composition of the diff
fcrent strata varies somewhat in hardness.
but the same grey color runs through the
entire vein. Under perhaps foot Of hard
rock above lies stratum of soft grey and
dull green stone, so soft that it may be
crumbled in the hands 1t is freckled with
bright speCks sometimes sprinkled through
it here and there gathered in clusters as
large rs the end of ones finger. All the
strata below this are harder stone. and all
have the same appearance Of pyrites sprin-
kicd through the stone in minute PARTICLES,
so small that the microscope is required
to show that they arc crystals, but
very close together. There is no trace OF
galCna in the rock thus far taken, but u
number Of the fragments lying about had a
marked quartzose appearance. This mine
is opened On the farm OF Samuel McCOn-
nell To the reporter he said that he hal
conceived the notion before the war that
there was gold in the hills, and after many
years he and the neighbors had formed a
stock company and determined to test 1t.
They have taken the name of the West
Virginia Mining Company and have appli'
ed for a charter, There are about forty
shareholders, several of whom are Wheel
ing capitalists, and they propose to invest
enough money TO fairly test the ore aud see
if contains gold or silver in paying quaint
ties. They have had several assays made
of small specimens, but none of sufficient
quantity to be a fair sample OF the
vein. The reports of the assays
have varied from one giving trace OF gold
to the most favorable which shows - OF.
4 grains of silver TO the ton. They have
opened the vein on three farms, and found
the rock substantially the same. They
propose to go slowly until the spring
opens and they receive more satisfactory
returns from the assays which are soon to
be made, and then, if the ore promises
we'll thnY will buy a crnSher and pnt ready