Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1885-05-30
LOUISIANA IRON ORE.
Successful Smelling Experiment
ut Leeds Foundry.
Ouachi,a Telegraph.

The following interesting piece Of
news was found in the New Orleans
City Item of May Il, and the 7eLe-
graph prays for the truth of the asser-
tions. The land from which the ore
was gathered hes near the dividing
line Of Claiborne and Bienville
parishes, and is owned by Rev. W. Z.
Kimball:
The recent discovery of iron ore
on the surface of hills in Claiborne
parish, Louisiana, has created deal
of interest, and the moneyed men
are directing their observations in the
rich section Of this State. which
promises fortunes for those who will
give their money and time in the
working Of the mine
In order to test the per centaCe
and quality of the iron contained in
the ore found in Claiborne, smelling
furnace was erected in a slip-shod
manner by DR.. J. Benz Smith, a gen
tleman of this city with a vast fund
of knowledge in this business, in the
foundry of Leeds & Co., for the pur-
pose of testing the ore which has
been on exhibition at the Worlds
Fair
A select party of experts and gen.
men of the press assembled at the
above place last evening, and under
the supervision Of Mr. f.. b. Pickett,
the eminent metallurgist Of St Louis
the experiment was conducted and
proved in every way TO be more than
was claimed 1t Yields a greater
percentage than the Birmingham ore,
and is superior in quality to many of
the worlds productions
Mr.. Picket, who has travelled in
Mexico and other parts of the world,
and who has an extended expe rience
in his business, told The Item that
| the Louisiana ore snelts like bees
wax, and is the richest he ever saw.
DR.. J. Albrecht, Of the Mint, recent
ly assayed the Louisiana ore, and
found that it contained Is per cent
of sesqui oxide Of iron (hematite),
which is equal TO so 40-1O0 per cent
of metallic iron, 16 per cent ofinso'u-
BILE silica (sand) and 60-1000 per
cent of soluble silicates.
The iron ore used Yesterday is
from Claiborne parish, about twenty
miles from Shreveport by rail or wa
ter, and near the line of the Vicks-
burg, Shreveport and Pacific Rail
road
The above company is at present
contemplating the building of
branch road into the ore regions.
Then the following paragraph,
from the Times-Democrat, conveys
the impression that the news has
passed beyond the borders of our
State, into one of the leading iron
marts of the world:
A Pittsburg (Pa.) manufacturer,
just returned from New Orleans, in a
brief talk on the business prospects
of the South said to an interviewer,
among other things that a compare
lively inexhaustible supply of the
best quality of hematite iron ore had
been discovered in Claiborne parish,
La. Coal has also been found on the
same tract. The owner has made
a proposition for tine formation of a
company to erect smelling works,
which will probably be accepted. An
Enterprise of this kind, the gentleman
said, would be a great benefit not
only to the owner of the land, but to
the entire South.
1t will be seen from the following
item taken from the Shreveport
Times, of may 21, that the govern
ment has heard the news and will
proceed to throw official light upon
this long neglected locclity:
According to Washington special
ofthe 18th inst. Congressman King
has been notified that the geological |
survey party, recently at work in some
of the Territories, will soon visit
Louisiana with view to examin-
ing and reporting upon the iron
fields known to exist in certain of the
northern parishes lying between Red
River and Bayou Bartholomew
The subject is attracting considerable
attention at the North, and the own
srs of lands in the thin red hills of
Claiborne, Lincoln, Jackson Bienville
aud Union may wake up some morn
ing to find themselves richer than
any about Birmingham, Ala, and
sneculatOrs ara ON the 0mi rive Gen