The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-10-10
INGALLS, CITY.
Its Advantages and Future Possi-
bilitieS.

nearly two decades of labor, in the in
terest of the material development Of
this fertile and beautiful portion of the
Valley. are about to be, to some extent
realized. The VIRGINIAN has been Wig
+ liant in season and out OF season IN dis
cussing the marvellous natural wealth
of Augusta and adjacent counties, ano
especially directing attention to the min
/ eral resources which on all sides abound
Fossilized incredulity had to be re-
moved the notions, crystalized by years
of Indifference, relating to mineral prop
critics in the county, changed current
preiudices and superficial impressions
had to be rooted out. These things, il
seemed, it was impossible to accomplish
even by the stern logic of facts, unit
demonstration waspiled upon demonstra
ton and capital for enterprises from q
distance came to the rescue. We are
now confronted with some very remark
able conditions. A Canadian firm OF
wealth and experience, through the un
firing efforts and indomitable energy OF
/ Prof R.. n Pool, have taken hold OF
Ferrol, a property embracing nearly
5000 acres, at barely nominal price,
and are demonstrating to the world that
| it is one of the largest and richest de-
/ posits of brown hematite iron ore known.
Their skill and ample means are expos
/ ing thousands of tons of the ore, ready
/ for shipment, as soon as the necessary
facilities are completed to the mines, land
proving that that which has been secuted
by the thoughtless and ignorant as lin
| tied pocket of Inferior ore. contains an
almost inexhaustible quantity of the
/ best of brown hematite.
Still more remarkable and gratifying
demonstration has been made. Ten
years ago Prof. Pool purchased of Ech-
! OILS, Bell & Catlett, a tract of 1900 acres
! of mountain land lying on the Blue
| Ridge, and traversed by the G. & 0. Il.
r., at the tunnel He made the down
payment and expended about $4,000 in
development The general depression
/ in business which followed about that
| time and sudden illness compelled him
! to abandon his work and to surrender
his claim upon the property. He, how
ever, never lost sight of it. He kept it
! constantly in mind, awaiting a more
propitious time to prove that what
! had been pronounced by experts fer
ruginous sandstone" was eally high
/ grade of specular iron ore, or red oxide,
carrying from so to 81 per cent. of metal
lie iron, and only from 0363 to .563 of
phosphorus. Booth & Garret. the cele-
brated Philadelphia chemists, had made
] the analyses, and these were carefully
stored away by Prof. Pool for future ref
erence. Recovering his health and real
| izing that the day of activity in iron was
! upon us, he again essayed to get posses
/ sion of this property. The owners did
/ not hesitate to facilitate his object as
/ they recognized the equity of his claim,
! and that it was nothing but fair that he
should have a chance to get the money
/ out of it that he had paid in. An organ
| ization was effected during the summer,
with Gen. w. S. Rosencrans as president
{
/ into with Messrs. Heating & Berry, of
Pennsylvania, to mine the ores. obligat-
ing themselves to produce, ready for
shipment, from 100 to 1000 tons of ore
per day, according to the demand. This
company is now working from 40 to go
hands; have opened thirteen veins,
ranging in thickness from eight to
forty feet, and are shafting for three
more, aggregating sixteen in all, expos
ing a body of an average so per cent.
specular ore, unequalled for quality and
quantity, combined, in this country
Some of these veins traverse the old
turnpike and have been driven and rid
den over for centuries, no doubt, with no
thought that the projecting 'ferruginous
sandstones,' were really d sub metallic,
tanning so and 81 per cent. of metallic
iron, and so low III phosphorus as to
make it Bessemer ore. But the evidence
stands out, after a few weeks work with
pick and shovel. to convince the most
slSeptical. The ore appears in regular
qualifications, is free from clayey mix
ture and is taken out as if from a lime
stone or marble quarry. 1t is ready for
shipment as soon as it is blown from its
native bed and adapted to mixing with
the phosphoretic ores for making the
best of foundry iron, or for Bessemer
steel furnaces. The arrangements for the
development of this property are COM
plete and comprehensive, and include a
project for the erection of large fur
mace. With this accomplished, others
will be constructed, as when ore of this
quality exists in such unlimited quaint
ties, easily mined, with limestone at
hand and fuel accessible from three COM
peting directions. advantages are pre-
scented for the manufacture of iron, un-
equalled any other property we know
of.
The ores of the Roseland Iron and
Coal Company, of which Gen. Rosen-
| cranz is president, embracing specular,
brown hematite and manganese, form
the basis for the recently projected city
of Ingalls,. The engineering of this
scheme is under other auspices, but is
the result of Prof. POOLS energy and en-
terprise, and his wonderful organizing
| capacities. The lands, embracing some
thing like a thousand acres of beautiful
1y lying territory, much of it undulat-
ing and bordering on either side of two
railroads, and rising in gentle slope so
as to give commanding view of the
whole valley, are now being laid off into
streets and avenues. Convenient sites
will be reserved for donation to indus
trial plants, and water works will be
erected, supplied from one of the
boldest springs we have ever seen. with
ample capacity for an indefinite amount
of machinery. Altogether, it is the most
attractive location for an active, bust
ness centre to be found anywhere in the
country, containing advantages for man
ufacturing, commercial and all other
purposes, rarely found. 1t has the min
erals as the basis of iron plants it has
the water for all kinds of machinery it
has the typographical attractions for
business and residence buildings it has
the sanitary advantages for health and
comfort; it has two competing railroads,