The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-02-15

clnded large and most interesting
section of this State, and furnished
me an opportunity to observe many
things connected with its resources
and progress, of which, 1 am sure,
from your we'll known interest in all
matters of that sort, you will be
gratified to have report. however
general and brief.
The seasons work Of the Division
covered, with a minute Typographical
survey. nearly 1000 square miles in
this State. laying mostly between
the Blue Ridge and Smoky ranges,
from the French Broad and Savanna.
noa, to the Fork of New river, ex-
ten ding westward through Virginia
and Tennessee into Kentucky. The
me.hbers of the several corps were
gathered from all pars Of the Union
Mountain surveys. The region was
thus brought under the observation
Of men qualified to observe and com.
pare and Judge; and the minute and
authoritative information in regard
to the wonderful ana undeveloped
resources of this par. of the State,
which will he thus di.fused even in
cidentally throughout the continent.
will tell at once upon its develop
nent. Some OF the most efficient
members of the Division were tempt
ed strongly to quit the service AMI
embark in some of the numerous
promising enterprises which solicit
ut 'ntion on every hand. The i'm
mediate purpose of the topo graphical
work of this season was. OF course. to
furnish basis for geolo :i1al work
equally minute which is to follow
next year, and after. So much in
general. Five years ago | visited,
oy request. the United States Coast
Survey observers, who were carrying
a triangulation through the Piedmont
on the Summit of the South Noun
tains and the Brusny Mountains.
Beginning the new triangulatlon
from the same SUBMITS last October.
| traversed the same sections by the
same roads. The communities visit
"a have IN the interval gone forward
AS with bound. There Is a most
notable improvement in fields, fences,
roads, houses. in agricultural nipple
ments, methods and results. The
wheat drill and thresher, the cotton
patch and commercial fertilizer, have
climbed the f1anks Of the South
Mountains and the Brushs. and are
invading the foot hills Of the Blue
Ridge.
But the most extensive changes
have occurred in the region beyond
the Ridge, the terra incognlto OF the
State and the continent. The mica
industry is still prominent and pros
porous in Mitchell and Yancey.
| Some Of the oldest mines are still
yielding handsome profits, and new
ores Of good promise have been re-
Gently opened. The Boston capital
| ists who came to the Museum a year
ago to lquire for a mica mine, have
purchased the one recommended, and
have introduced superior mining ma
chinery and methods, and find it one
of the must profitable mines Of the
region. And one of the oldest mines,
near Burnsville, is still yelling ton
or more of marketable mica per
month, worth about $4,000 per an
nun. This mine has made half a
dozen fortunes and is more profitable
now than ever.
There is increase1 interest and &C
tivity in copper mining also. The
| Elk Knob mine has been successful
ly opened and the mining engineer
rep. .rts both the size and richness OF
the ore as surprising the promise OF
it's remarkable oltcroos.
But the greatest activity and en-
terprise is shown in the search for an
exploration of the fine iron ores OF
this Iron Mountain region, whicn re
alizes the ancient description "W nose
stones are iron and out of whose hills
thou mayest dig Brass These are
tue ores which were carried to Pitts
burg three years ago. and which the
analysis, published in the former
State report, show to be equal to the
best in the world. l have had to
make dozen special reports on these
ores within a year past, and the
region has been traversed by numer
Gus parties of geoloy .sts and experts
and capitalists, and great number
of sales and leases have been ma lie
and many new ore beds opened and
hundreds of samples carried North
for analysis. The Cranberry ore bel
has been openel on a larger scale
and many thousand tons of ore trans
ported to Northern furnaces ; and
preparations are making to erect
furnaces on the ground, where al
ready quite village has sprung up
Eight air drills are at work, an
sixty tons of ore raised per day and
additional compressors are nearl.,
completed, whl, b will increase the
product to $50 tons. The Diamond
has been pushed across the vein 12(
feet and has not touched the further
wall. AS you are aware, this enter
prise has already involved an outlay
Of about $1,OOO.OO0, ,anu yet i. is onl,
Ii, ITO first ct Tho Hronhnrrx