Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-05-17


The people of GAINESVILLE are pro-
verbally intelligent, kind and gen.
erous, and will cordially welcome
into their midst any persons Of hon.
est report regardless of political
and religious opinion.
IRON ORES IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
To the Chronicle:
In this busy, bustling time, when
capital is seeking new fields for
investment, and all the country is
engaged in advertising its resour-
ces, il is well for CIarksville and
Montgomery County to make them
selves better known to the world
by the same means. Whilst Mont
gornery ranks in the first class of
counties in Tennessee for agricul-
ture, and GAINESVILLE, as the tobacco
market of the State, yet, it is not so
well known, that this is one of the
richest counties in the State in iron
ore, and that she once led all the
other counties, in the number of her
Furnaces and FORCES. There are
twenty Civil Districts in the county;
and in more than half of them
there is iron ore; and in half, in
times past, have been iron works
of some sort. On the North side OF
Cumberland river, IN Districts Nos.
4, 8 and iron ore is quite abundant,
and OF the very best quality. On
Blooming Grove creek in No. 8, be-
tween forty and fifty years ago. the
Messrs. Neblett carried on a furnace
and forge; and all the old people
will remember how eagerly Neb-
let's iron was sought by all the
the blaclIsmith's, gunsmith's, and
people generally. Alta later period
other furnaces and FORCES were
erected and operated on that side OF
the river. On the South side of the
river, there are now six Civil Dis
tricts formerly five). and in all of
them is more or less of iron ore
and in all of them, in times past,
have been iron workf-furnaces or
FORCES or both. District No. 10 has
been lately created. It lies just
across the river opposite GAINESVILLE.
There is iron ore in this district.
No. 16 lies highest up the river, is a
very large district, and contains
more ore than any other in the
county. The Tennessee and La
Fayette ore banks are within three
miles of the river, fifteen miles
above GAINESVILLE by the river.
These ore banks were used three
quarters OF a century ago, and for
forty years regularly. Still, the ore
is abundant, and of the finest quail
ity. About five miles west of these
ore banks, and ON the same ridge,
is the Louisa ore bank. Here a
furnace was built in 1916, and oper-
ated till 1861, making more pig iron
than any other furnace in the State
at that time, and of superior
quality, ranking No. in the mar
kets of Cincinnati, Louisville, st.
Louis and Memphis. In District
No. II is the Washington ore bank,
within three miles of the river !;
quality good and quantity fair. In
No. Is are the Mount Vernon ore
banks, which have been used many
years, and in which the ore seems
inexhaustible, containing consid-
cradle proportion of pipe ore. These
ore banks are within three miles of
the railroad and river, nine miles
below GAINESVILLE. In No. 10,
about one and half miles from
the river and railroad, fifteen miles
below GAINESVILLE, is the famous
Steele ore bank, noted for the ex-
celIence and abundance of the ore.
In No. 20 partly lies the Sailors
Rest ore bank, used for many years
successfully. The 80. K" or can
tonic ore bank is at the west end of
the same ridge with the Tennessee,
Lafayette and Louisa ore banks in
No 16; quality fine and quantity
unlimited. This ridge extends
East and West s or 8 miles between
the Barren and Middle forks of
Barton's creek and abounds in ore
of excellent quality its whole
length, and ali its northern spurs
seem to be filled with it.
The Indiana, Alabama & Texas
railroad, if it go directly to Char
lotte, will cross this ridge about
midway; or, if it follow the divid-
ing ridge between the waters of
Barton's Creek and Yellow Creek,
will cross at or near its western ter
minus.
The second growth of timber, in
all this region is now fine for coal
ing again; and at the Tennessee,
Louisa and Mt. Vernon furnaces
are good stone stacks, which, with
slight changes, could be made to
equal the best charcoal furnaces of
the present time.
With railroads running to the
coal mines only a short distance
away, and with inexhaustible guam
titles of the very best Tennessee
iron ore right at hand limestone
within a stones throw for fluxing,
and in a county aboundiug in sup
plies of all sorts, with its railroads
and river for shipping in every di-