Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1884-02-07
OUR COAL And IRON DEPOSITS
VALUABLE MINERAL RESOUR-
CES OF FORSYTH AND STOKES.
Matter Worthy of the Careful Inves-
tiGation of Capitalists. "A Splen-
did Exhibit.

c. 4. Hc5e in Bait. Manufacturers Record.
As there is SO much being said ard
written about the coal and iron beds in
Alabama and Tennessee, and of the
wonders which have resulted develop
ment, 1 thought it might be of inter-
est to some of your readers to learn
something of the wonderful resources
of North Carolina,-more especially
about the coal and iron deposits. 1t
has been known that there are i'm |
mense quantities of the very best coal |
in Stokes county, but ON account of
transportation it has never been work
ed to any extent, except during the |
late war, when it acquired a high rep
utation as fuel, but since then nothing
has been done with it. This coal is
semi bituminous, and the surface in
dications commence about four miles
west of Walnut Cove and extend in
an easterly direction, down the Town
Fork and Dan river, for distance of
thirty milos. Near Walnut Cove the
outcroping shows fourteen layers, at
distance of about thirty to fifty feet
apart The dip seems to be at an an
gle of about forty-fve degrees. One
vein has been pronounced by some
experts to be enthratic. There is some
sulphur in the surface coal, but it
cokes we'll. There have been a few small
shafts sunk near Stokesburg, but none
deeper than fifteen feet. A solid vein
of coal six feet thick has been found
in one ofthese shafts at this depth. Some
of the veins have mixture Of shale
and coal, but yet show solid vein of
coal, from two to four feet thick.
What deeper developments will re-
veal is unknown, but experts SAYS
that the veins will increase in thick
ness, and also that the coal will be of
much better quality deeper down.
Two analyses, by DIR. Genth, of
samples of different seams gave re-
spectively 1896 and 1856 percent
of ash, the volatile matter being about
II percent in each. Now l think
| the developments of these deposits is a
matter of sufficient interest to justify
an exploration of their whole length,
and the diamond drill offers ready
and efficient cheap means of tracing
out these coal deposits in order to as
certain accurately the depth, thick
ness and all conditions which will de-
termine their value. l believe that a
few thousand dollars, judicieusly ex-
pended in the development of the Dan
river coal fields, would soon become one
of the best-paying investments in North
Carolina, and more especially so, con-
sidering the near proximity of this
coal to an almost inexhaustible guam
tity of some of the best magnetic iron
ore in the United States. There are
in the State museum several very fine
specimens of the magnetic ore and mi
cacious hematite from Forsyth, county,
in the neighborhood of Salem, south
and west oft; and there are believed to
be valuable ore deposits in that sec
ton, but no definite information of
their extent is in hand however, it is
we'll known from surface indications
that these iron ores extend over large
portion of this county. In Stokes coun-
ty the iron interests have been more
looked into than previous to the war /;
and, before the advent of charcoal for
ges and furnaces in opeia.lo there, and
doing, in those days a good business,
and their iron had fine local reputa-
ton as being the best iron our smiths
could procure and our smiths still
prefer this iron to almost any other
but, owing to the primitive way in
which it is manufactured, it can never
be bought at less than about double
what rolled iron is sold for.
In order to give an idea of some OF
the Stokes county iron-ore deposits, |
will quote from q letter recently re-
ceived from one of the best-informed
men on this subject in that locality
"He says the main vein of iron in
Stokes Co. are in the neighborhood Of
Danbury, on the Dan River. The
main veins that have been opened are
north and east from Danbury, and
: about two miles distant. Onc.of these
mines, recently cleared ont, shows a
thickness of solid ore of from Z to +
feet. There are other mines on the
same lode, said to be from to 10 feet
} thick. There are two other lodes, two
and half miles northwest of Danbury
which are said by parties who have
worked them to be similar to the two
already described; then still further to
the northwest is another lode of very
fine grained ore, which is said to be
very rich. Southeast from first de.
scribed lode is another vein of good
quality, to 10 feet thick. These are
the main veins near Danbury, all Of
which are strongly magnetic. There
, are other smaller veins between the
main lodes, all highly magnetic. In
: the southern part of this county is 8
lode of solid and hard ore, which
has been traced for a distance ef &c
miles, and opened in several places
J showing a vein of ore 3 feet thick.
There are many other smaller veins
All these veins spoken of in Stokes
have been opened, and from many Of
them,' formerly, our best iron was
made, some of which can still be seen
here. The opinion of those who work
ed these mines is that the supply OF
iron is there almost inexhaustible
Now when we consider the near prox-
unity of an abundance of limestone to
these iron deposits, and that the Dan
River coal lies almost centrally be-
tween the Forsyth and Stokes iron de
posits and at only about six to ten
miles from either of these iron. beds, il