Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-24
EMBREYO SCIENTISTS.
The Recent Excursion of the Bos-
ton Students
through the Valleys and Over the Noun
tains Of West Virginia-explOra-
tons of Mines and Caves.

The recent mining excursion of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
after visiting one Of the mines Of Vir-
ginia, devoted q fortnight to the coal
and iron of this State. This second
stage Of the journey was prefaced by
day in the field with Major HOtchkiss,
the well-knOwn editor OF the Virginias.
Tbe locality chosen was Iron Gate, the
gap through which flows Jackson River,
he chief tributary of the James. The
mountain, some thousand feet or more
high, seems TO have been cleft in two,
leaving narrow gorge. The faces OF
this cleft are remarkable for the expos
ure Of rocks of six members OF the
Rogers formations, III. to WILL, IN a
series of rainbow arches resting one
above the other, and extending to the
TON of the mountain. Thin beds of iron
ore. one of which is now worked, are
ipterstratihed with the rocks. About
the middle Of the perpendicular face of
the mountain is seen the prominent
blocks OF Medina sandstone and Oneida
conglOmerate, which has been made
familiar to all students of the institute
by the large wall-chart paintedin cOlOrs
many wears ago by Professor Rogers.
Before examining tie rock in detail,
large block cs white cOnglomerate was
found under tue eastern cliff, which
served Major HOtchkiss admirably as
| black board. while the group, seated
around, listened with great interest to
lucid exposition of the geology OF
Virginia in its prominent features. As
students only, We were not prepared for
details or controversial points.
| Tuesday, June -, was spent at Low
| Moor, and proved to be one Of the most
| ENJOYABLE days of the whole trip. Tue
| iron furnace Is of modern construction,
making l25 tons of fine quality of
mill iron per twenty-fnur hours. The
| coal is cOkeu on the spot. The
| ore is mined some three miles
distant and the ride tmther
was greatly enjoyed. Chairs for
| the party were placed upon platform
! cars, 20 that the wild scenery along the
| creek was seen 20 the best advantage.
/ The return from the mine, n coast down
! grade 10y gravity, the speed of the car
| controlled by the brake, was novel
! experience to most of the party. Alter
! the examination of the mine and fur
| mace was completed, all of which was
most kindly facilitated by the presence
OF the manager, Colonel Goodwin, two
hours remained before train time, and
in that time occurred the most exciting
adventure of the excursion. Tue week
before, while quarrying limestone for
| the furnace, the workmen had broken
| into a cave. Accompanied by the mine
! superintendent, Mr.. Brainard, we took
the opportunity OF exploring 1t. 10
enter We had To pass over steep incline
! of fragments, for some 100 feet, and then
| l. climb about thirty feet up All almost
vertical wall, hand over hand, on
| weak looking rope. Passing through a
| narrow opening, we were IN darkness
! which our half-doZen candles seemed
| only to intensity. Several chambers
! were traverScd; from the roof hung
/ stalactites, among them many formed
| not Of limestone, as is usual, but Ofiron
/ ore. These were very fine, and fired
! the ambition of all To obtain such
| uniuue specimens. The floor was very
! irregular, full OF pitfalls and thickly set
| With stalsgmites, so that the return
! with arms full of precious specimens,
! which must be protected at any cost,
| was a series of slips and falls. The hour
| be- fore the arrival of the train was bust
| w occupied in endeavOrs to regain a
sufficient degree of respectability to in
sure admitiance to the fashionable hotel
at White Sulphur Springs, our next
stopping place; and the little colOred
bootblack of Low Moor will long re-
member the boom in his business. The
splendOrs of Luray, seen afterward by
electric light, did not dim the lustre OF
this our own particular cave, where we
could have ~ many Of the choice speci-
mems as we could bring away.
The first coal mine visited was at
Quinnimont, on the New River. The
coal is from a seam four and a half feet
thick, and is largely made into coke OF
| a very good quality, which is used in
/ the iron furnace near by. The
! furnace produces forty tons per
/ day of a fine grade of foundry
/ pig. The New River Mt this point makes
| complete horseshoe bend, much like
/ that seen at Mauch Chunk in Pennsyl-
| vania. Every attention was shown to
the party 10y Mr.. J. +. Lewis.
/ BlYcksburg on the kauawha River
was our headquarters. For nearly a
week excursions were made to various
points of interest as far rs Charleston,
including the salt works and the much
talkcd.Of black band iron ore OF Davis
Creek. We were greatly indebted to
Mr.. Stuart NJ Buck, of the East Bank
coal mine, near COalburg, for facilities
in examining this well-managed mine,
which has reputation for freedom
from slate anu bone and for the assist
ance in the excursions, as well as for
bis liberal hospitality. The pecuharity
Of mining on the Kanawha and New
rivers is that the coal is found high up
on the mountain side, so that the cars
are let down by automatic inclines. BY
the side Of the river are the leading
stations, called tipples, forloading large
tlatbOats for the Cincinnati market.
They are placed high above the usual
water level, TO be out of reach of floods,
and look much as il a bridge had start
ed 10 90 across the river and then
thought better of it.
The Investigations of the party were
much assisted by the liberality of the
railroad companies, particularly of the
chesapeake < Ohio, the Norfolk
Western and the Shenandoah Valley.