The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-07-15

is an end to every thing human, but
it will be many years beyond the lives
of many of us before the ores of this
region will cease to be found in quan-
tity sufficient for the profitable man.
ufacture of iron.
Beyond the Tennessee river is a belt
of ore which has been looked upon
with as much suspicion by Tennessee
ans as the Highland ores have been
by foreigners, call this the Browns.
port belt. There is no other ore like
it in Tennessee, but it is largely used
in Pennsylvania and Virginia. 1t
was supposed to be of very limited
area, but my examination shows that
it is quite extensive, reaching up into
Benton and probably in Henderson
counties.
/ do not propose to enter into de-
tails but to briefly summarize the
ores of Tennessee, coming from the
magnetic and specular ores of the
Unaka Mountains, in their foothills,
in the Chilhowee Mountains and its
lateral ridges are immense deposits of
limorite, skicting with vast wall of
almost solid ore, sometimes dozens of
feet thick, the whole eastern side of
the East Tennessee Valley. Coming
across the valley we cross three lines
Of red fossil ore, the seams ranging
from one to ten feet in thickness; and
reach to the great continuous seam at
the foot of the Cumberland Mountains,
the seam without an interruption,
stretches from Chattanooga to Cum
berland Gap, over 165 miles, that is
from three to five feet thick and pitch>
es down into the oarth, no one knows
how far; shaft 100 feet deep has not
fathomed it. Then across this nouns
tain in the Sequatchie Valley the same
ore stretches out for seventy.fve miles.
In Pennsylvania, from few miles of
this same ore, millions of tons have
been taken, and the seam still sup
plies ore for many furnaces. How
vast in comparison is our supply.
Coming across the mountains in the
highland region of the foot hills of
Franklin, Coffee, Warren, White,
Putnam and Ovcrton, is a store house
of ore almost unknown and entirely
undeveloped. Of the highland region
and that west Of the Tennessee | have
spoken, but l have passed over the
immense ore body of the coal meas
ures of the Cumberland mountains,
because as yet and for many years,
likely, it will be unneeded and unused.
Gentlemen, our coal is unsurpassed
in quality; the coke from it is no Ions
ger an experiment; for years St. Louis
and Terre Haute furnaces have used
it with satisfaction. Our own furna-
ces show its good qualities In their
good results. No furnaces of like
construction make iron with less fuel.
The quantity of our coal is beyond
any reasonable calculation, and our
iron ores are of equal quantity. These
are the great elements Of wealth and
prosperity. We need to have these
elements better known and better APP
preciated. If we wonld be respected
abroad we. must prospect ourselves at
home. Few of our people have any
idea of the wealth of our State. 1t is
your privilege and your duty to edu
cate, them. The state needs Ten.
nessee spirit. Unfortunately divided
in topography, i'll soil, products and
climate, there has arisen triple in
terest-a section partyism, 1t should
cease forever. Every cotton plant
that fails in West Tennessee adds to
the burden on the Middle Tennessee
ans grass or the cost of the East Ten
nessean's coal or iron ore. Every
time the yellow scourge travels thro'
the streets of Memphis the health CT
other sections is decreased. Every
brick laid for factory or forge on the
banks of the Tennessee or Cumber-
land; every new tunnel opened in the
dingy seams which girt the sides Of
the Cumberland Mountains; every
drift cut in the brown masses of the
Highland rim or the blood named
seams of East Tennessee, adds to the
aggregate wealth of the whole State,
and lessons the pro>rata burden OF
auarufona IN Waot Tannassaa