Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-06-21
VIRGINIA'S MINERAL WEALTH.

No State in the Union has greater pos
sibility of prosperity from her mineral re
sources than Virginia. AS remarked in a
paper read before the American Mining
Engineers Institution, held at Cincinnati
in February last, by w. H. Adams, of New
York, "Virginia, a storehouse of metals, is
more and more surprise to the present
generation. With her enormous available
mineral wealth worked steadily upon for
over a century, exploited sufficiently to
demonstrate beyond question costs and
values, reported upon by our most eminent
scientists, written upon by thoroughly earn
est correspondents, yet we find her little
understood by capitalists or practical men,
advance guard of pioneers of metallurgy,
whose restless energy conquered the wilder
ness of Northern Michigan years ago, and
has written new and startling history for
the almost impenetrable Western terrific
RES"
She is, however, being awakened to her
true interests, and her leading men are be-
coming sensible of the fact that it will not
do for their great state to fall in the rear OF
her sisters, especially North Carolina, in re-
gaining the position she once held, when
she obtained the title of the Mother of Pres
idents, 1.-THE "Old Dominion
Mr.. Adams, in the paper alluded to des
cribes belt of the iron ore region, of which
Louisa county may be considered the centre
of great Importance and value. "These de.
posts or pits he says) are from 90 to $50
feet in width and of all lengths up to 500
feet They have disclosed the fact that in
variably at water level the iron oxides cease
and sulphides are found. AS will be under
stood, the extent of the ore bodies is enor-
nous, millions of tons lying within a few
hundred feet of the surface"
Mr.. Adams adds: 81 wish to draw par
tcular attention to the remarkable fact
that while iron ores outcrop continuously
along the belt of country mentioned, yet
only in Carroll county beds, in Virginia, on
the border line of North Carolina and in
Louisa county are the deposits underlaid
with pyrtes of such character as to deserve
special mention.
"'rhe object of this paper is to bring
before the institute the notable merits of
pyrites from Virginia at time when the
manufacturers of sllphuric acid are so
rapidly changing their plants from brim-
stone burning to pyrites burning, and are
asking for information as to sources Of future
supplies.
"There were January 1st, 1882 in the
United States only two manufacturers burn
ing pyrites and using one hundred tons per
day of Canada ores, in which they were
interested. At this date about four hundred
tons per day are burned up by eighteen
works. In other words, there has been
300 per cent increase in about two years.
at may, however, be interesting, before
1aax hos t,biont Of of iron
to note the possibilities of utilizing, at no
attic found throughout this section, which
wholly 80 when the proper drainage of un-
complished In this connection l submit
the following estimate of cost of making pig
IRON based upon statements of several we'll
informed parties viz:
Two and quarter tons of ore mined and
delivered at $3.50 per ton, So 81
One and a-guarter tons coal or coke at
$3.50 per ton, 3S
Limestone, 90
Labor, repairs, etc, w
Cost of one ton Of pig iron, $11 81
Freight to tidewater rs
Total cost, delivered at tidewater SIP 12
In itself this statement is sufficiently
striking to merit attention, in view of the
fact that Northern States are quoting cost
of over $18 per ton az an average.
The success attending the enterprise first
mentioned, and further south on the same
general belt, warrant the belief that in the
near future pig iron can be produced and sold
on tidewater at profit in the Southern
States forabout the cost of production in
Pennsylvania.
In abiding to the general class of pyritous
ores, which are found in several states ex-
tending from Maine to Alabama, he says the
main pits are located in Louisa county.
Fifteen thousand persons were present at
the military encampment at Dubuque,