Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1885-08-06
THE HAYWOOD VALLEY,
THE BEST FARMING SECTION
WEST Of THE RIDGE.


A Country That is Alike Rich mag
rfcHltuFal Products and Valuable
Mineral Ores.
BY PROF. c. D. SMITH.
For the Sentinel
/ left home recently for the purpose
of a tour of mineral exploration among
the mountains west of the Blue Ridge.
/ passed through jackson; in this eoun-
ty there are copper and chrome ores.
these ores lie south of the line of the
Western North Carolina Railway, but
the completion of this road will render
these ores available for the demands
for chrome and copper. The localities
already sufficiently tested to prove the
existence of copper veins are numer-
Gus. and it only requires capital judi
ciously invested and labor properly
employed TO make jackson county a
productive copper mining district.
There is, however, supinness and
want OF enterprise on the part of own
srs of copper properties in Jackson
that will keep their mines in compar-
ative obscurity for SOME time to come.
This may be sound policy but connot
see it. There is also mica and sapphire
in jackson. have some respectable
sapphire stones obtained in jackson
and cut by lapidary for jewelry.
They are very nice stones, and / am
quite proud Of them as a North Caro-
lima product. jackson is also good
farming county, having large pros
pective grain crop now on the felds.
Passing into Haywood county, we
strike the best farming section west of
the Ridge. The yield Of wheat is more
certain and larger product per acre
than any of our western counties, and
besides this corn, rye, oats and pota-
toes grow finely. The orchards of
Haywood are noted for good fruit and
whenever properly cultivated, gives
an abundant yield.
The White Sulphur Springs of Hay
wood, is perhaps, the finest locality in
the State for summer resort. The
general attitude of the county and the
particular typographical reliefs of the
surroundings OF the springs make the
temperature and atmospheric condi-
tions all that reasonably could be de-
sired. The grounds Immediately around
and belonging to the spring property,
are susceptible of high degree of i'm
provement. and if artistically arrang-
ed would make the handsomest place
in the South. If the proprietor had
sufficient capital to erect the necessary
hotel buildings and to lay off and i'm
prove the grounds as they deserve,
there is no spot on terra frn,o, that
would be more attractive and better
patronized than the Haywood White
Sulphur.
Corundum and magnetic iron ore
are the principal minerals now known
in Haywood, together with mica. The
prospect, however, for copper veins is
good, and have no doubt from what 1
know of the out-croppings through the
county, that at some time in the fut-
ure, good veins Of copper will be spread.
But cannot well afford to point out
all these things in detail gratuitoDsly.
/ passed from Haywood into Bun
combe. In this county | spent but
little time in the examination of min
eral properties. There is, however,
some magnetic iron in that county, and
perhaps other minerals of value. From
| Buncombe [ went into Madison. There
about 13 miles from the railroad ex-
| amined a corundum mine. At this
| point there is a considerable quantity
Of cofundum. The work that has been
done on this property has developed
two veins crossing each other at right
angles, and the amount of merchants
BILE stuff taken out in sinking shaft
demonstrate the existence of large
amount of very good material for the
market. BY having the dirt from diff
ferent places on about thirty acres
carried in a wheel-barrow to the
! branch and washed, / demonstrated
that each bushel of dirt will yield
from 10 to % pounds Of chrome sand
This together with the corundum and
strong indications of a vein of magnetic
iron make this valuable property.
There are numerous trap dikes also
traversing Madison county, and with
them there is magnetic iron, some su
perior ores. There is a zone in the
lower part of the county carrying pyr
oxene, that will in~my Judgement, pro
duce some very valuable veins Of mag
netite. I observed, that in all the dig
/ ging which has been done for these
ores, they have uniformly gone dowr
Immediately on the trap. This is evi
| IDENTIFY unwise and proftless- There
are also specular ores in Madison, and
| when that county is thoroughly exam
1 ined and tested | have no doubt ther'
4 viii be developed some valuable local
tiles. LIN the Shutin neighborhood ther.
is basin containing limonite or brown
hydrated iron ore. The he'd seems t.
be regular and large. The ore is unu
sually free from rocky matter and j
of good appearance. It has not, how
/ ever. yet been assayed, and consequent
! " it i not known whether it is fre'
from sulphur and phosphorus, or wha
percent Of these ingredients it contains
| liz free from these elements, it vii
! furnish ample material for 9 larg'
iron industry. There is limestone II
| the neighborhood for iuxing purpose
| and the whole within two and hal
miles Of the railroad leading from tn
| Warm Springs to Morristown. Their
is also locality of sulphate OF baryte