The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1890-04-23

vastness of deposits of their various
ores, no section of the same area in
the United States can equal the Val
ley of Virginia. Owing to its geo.
graphical positions, its salubrity Of
climate, its fertility OF soil, and It's
remarkable cheapness of living. it is
rapidly becoming one Of the gratest
industrial sections in America. The
rapid increase in railroad facilities is
giving great impetus to the indutries
that are already becoming numerous
in this section of Virginia, and it
must become, in the not distant flu
ture. one of the richest sections in
this country. There are vast deposits
of iron, manganese, copper, tin, lead,
kaolin, barytes. &c in both the Blue.
Ridge and North Mountains. Mid
dletown lies between the two, about
Is miles from the former and 10
miles from the latter. Eight miles
south of us lie the Massanuttan
Mountains, which have large deposits
of iron ore, manganese and kaolin,
that nave already been opened and
successfully mined, and are near the
Richmond & Danville Railroad, four
miles from its junction with the B. &
10. 1t is asserted by competent aud
practical mining engineers that the
largest deposit OF manganese on the
continent is within eight or ten miles
west of Middletown, which is the
nearest railroad station, and a turns
pike is being constructed from this
point by chartered company, which
will make these mines easy of access.
Iron of a high grade was manufac-
tured within four miles Of Middle-
town in colonial times. The ruins
of the furnace then used fer smelling
ore are still here, and the mine from
which the ore to supply the furnace
was taken is Immediately on the B.
& o. r R., about 81 miles from Mid.
dletown, and is believed by mining
engineers to contain u vast quantity
of iron ore. The Company has q
mining option on this property. A
number of furnaces were operated in
this section years ago, but we're aban-
doned on acc ,unt of lack Of trans
portation facilities. before the con-
struetion of our railroads.
Iron ore has been mined on the b.
& o. Railroad one>quarter Of a mile
from the Company's land and ship
ped to the Cambria Iron Works.
This ore, according to an assay made
by j. Blodget Britton, Of Philanel-
phia, asssyist for The Iron Masters
Laboratrotr," contained So 68 per
cent, pure metallic iron. Ii is ben
lieved by expert mining engineers
that this vein of ore runs the entire
length If the Company's lan.ls. A.
bundant suffice Indications exist 10
warreut such an opiniun. tn prin.
cipal ores found in this locality are
the limonites, red AMI brown hema.
tites, none OF which assays below As
per cent, and most Of them vary
from 81 to So per cent, pure metallic
iron, and are remarkable for the small
per centage OF sulphur and phos.
phorus contained in them. Means OF
developing the ores in the Company's
lands have been adopted. This
work is now progressing under the
supervision Of q practical mining en-
gineer, whose report we give below
| UKDAR LODGE,
near Middletown, Va,
March 5, 1890
| Tothe President and Director Of
| tie Middleton Land and Improve
msnt Company:
GESTLExEN I'm accordance with
your wishes, 1 have made q geologi-
cal examination Of your lands near
the B. Il o. depot, near kiddIstown.
There is no doubt { there being q
large deposit OF iron running from
N. E. 70 S. w. through the whole
length Of your property. Some Of
the fields are strewp with the brown
and red bematIte ore, and TO Judge
BY the territory over which the frag.
meuts lie, the deposit must have q
width Of hundreds of feet. The de-
| posils oil bog.iron below the hillside,
and along the mill brook, are proofs
fthe presence Of iron On the higher
grounds. Most Of the ore found be-
longs to the limonites, though some
is Of the still richer ore Of the "by,
drafted oxide"
As this was Only q surface examine
ten. nothing more can be said except
TO advise the development of this
iron bed" then capital will easily
be found 10 erect furnaces. and 10
the not distant time 0 foe industry
may be the result.
There II, perhaps, nowhere 10 the
world an ore.bed more advantage.
ously situated than that at Middle.
town for inexpensive mining. The
b L. o. X. r actually cuts the nils
side in which the iron lies, and tie
track IL within shovel.thron.
So far Us the mineral resources Of
this locality are concern ID, there il
nothing in the way OF makiuz Mid
dletnwn nue nf the fnost Rurceasful