Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-08
SOUTH MOUNTAIN MINES.

SOUIH mUuNtAIN MINES.
| An Interesting Sketch Of the Iron Ore De.
| posits mt Cornwall, Pa.-How Mining is
Condnctsd-Novel Railway-seven Fur
| nnces Supplied By the Product of This
| single Field.
| CoRNwALL, PA, July 7.-Situated like q
great barrier between two fertile vaifeys
| which are now covered with immense fields of
| the finest grain, and at the base of one of the
| branch ranges Of the South Mountain. which
forms the dividing line between Lebanon ana
Lancaster counties. are group of three hills.
The Cornwall ore hill, the general outline of
which does not impress the traveller as being of
any especial interest when seen at a distance,
but as they are approached the peculiar rusty
color OF the surface, the few pine trees scat
tered here and there over them, and the no
ticeaDle absence of other vegetation attract
attention. But it is only when close to them
that the dark gray color of the rock is seen, and
this gives one the impression that some valu-
able deposit is contained in these hills.
The three hills are known as Big Hill, Middle
Hill and Grassy or West Hill, in order from
east to west. The Big Hill, which is the largest
OF the three, has an elevation Of between 800
and 400 feet, and covers about 80 acres. The
Middle and Grassy Hills are hardly more than
l00 feet high. This range of hills is composed
approached in richness or extent by any known
iron ore deposit in this country, unless it be
the Lake Superior mines. The variety OF iron
ore which predominates is that known among
geologists as magnetic" but in some portions
of the mountains large beds of iron pyrites are
found, which makes the ore difficult to smelt
unless 1t has previously been roasted" and
most of the sulphur removed. In the Middle
Hill fine quality of copper ore is found in
veins. some of which are more than three feet
in thickness Traces of other minerals are oc-
casionally found, and Dana in his manual men
tions as many as 20 varieties OF rocks and min
erals which have been met with here.
How the Ore Is Taken Out.
THE hills are all terraced and mining opera
tions are carried on along these terraces
The Big Hill is surrounded by spiral railway
which is connected byIbranch lines with each
terrace from the base to the summit of the
mountain.
The cars are drawn up the hill by loco
motive, run into the mines and loaded, and
then started down the mountain to the stock
yard. where each car passes over the scales
and an accurate account of every ton of ore
that leaves the hill is kept.
The amount of ore which leaves the hills
annually is something enormous. In conver-
sation with your correspondent Weighmaster
Schools. of the Cornwall Railroad, said: II
cannot give you the exact figures from men,
ory, but know that more than 5000 tons of
month and am positive that just as much is
carried from these hills by the Cornwall and
Lebanon Railroad. During my stay with this
company have weighed between six and seven
million tons of ore taken from the Cornwall
Hills" No less than II furnaces are supplied
with ore from this place. 1t is true that most
ent branches of the Coleman family, but at
least three other furnaces, the Pennsylvania
Steel Company, at Steelton: the Duncannon
Iron Company and Mccormick Furnace, re-
n of irnn at
$50
A Valuable Property.
a s early as the middle of the last century the
Penn brothers made grant of land to one
Peter Grubb. The tract of land includes what
is now valuable farm land in Lebanon and
Lancaster counties, and that portion of the
South Mountain known the Cornwall ore
hills. By various sales and inheritances the
major estate has passed into the possession of
the various branches of the Coleman family,
although about one-sixth of it is still owned by
descendants of the original owner, Mr.. Robert
II. Coleman, of Cornwall The G. Dawson
Coleman heirs of North Lebanon, and Mr..
William Freeman, of Cornwall, are the princi-
pal owners.
When this grant of land was made the min
ing interests of the country amounted (prac-
tically) to nothing. but as the years rolled on
and Revolutionary times approached. the de-
Posit Of ore became of greater value, and was
drawn on largely to supply iron for use in the
war. II was tnen LnaC the old charcoal furnace
was built and mining begun in earnest.
A rusty single track Of railroad leads to this
"Old Charcoal furnace which, for almost 100
years furnished the trade but which of late
years has been superseded by furnaces of larger |
proportions and capable of greater output. |
To-day several old cannon are found in the |
furnace which had been prepared for use In the |
war.
Operated Over n Century.
TWO competing lines of railroad Garry the |
ore to its destination. Originally only one |
single track line was used to bring the ore to |
Lebanon. This was the old North Lebanon |
Railroad, or as it is now called, the Cornwall |
Railroad, which transfers its cars to the Read |
ing road at Lebanon, but as business increased |
and transpor tation contracts were desired and |
not given, a new company was formed, with |
Mr.. Robert 81. Coleman OF Cornwall, at its
head and the result is the beautiful Cornwall |
and Lebanon Railroad with its finely equipped |
cars and locomotives and every known appli-
ance for safety in railway travel. The Corn |
wall and Lebanon Railroad was an outlet over |
the Pennsylvania lines at Conewago, and on |
this line we pass Mount Gretna. the beautiful
picnic park and encampment ground for State
and national troops.
The Cornwall ore mines have been in opera
tion since period before Revolutionary times,
bu: it is only during the past 81 years that they
have been worked on large scale. They are
operated by the Cornwall Ore Bank Company,
of which Mr.. j. Taylor Boyd is the general
manager.
Furnaces und Their Capacity.
a T Cornwall there are two other furnaces
the Anthracite furnaces owned by Robert
b. Coleman, and the Bird Coleman furnaces
owned by the Freeman branch of the Coleman
family. The latter furnace has two stacks, and
has capacity of 1000 tons per week. The
North Cornwall furnaces, which were recently |
remodeled, are owned by Mr.. W. G. Freeman,
who also owns the Donaghmore furnaces at
Lebanon In 1880 Mr.. Robert H. Coleman be-
gan building the Colebrook furnaces at Leb-
anon, which to-day are two of the finest fur
naces in this country, but, unfortunately. dur
ing the past year several fatal accidents oc-
Cured by the breaking out Of the molten
metal.
The Robensonia furnace, owned by Messrs.
Borie & White, OF Philadelphia, has per-
petual right to get Cornwall iron ore for one
stack and during the past few years have erected
an immense stack with a capacity OF oOO tons
per week. All these furnaces are supplied
with iron ore from the Cornwall hills.
The Laborers Employed.
THREE hundred men find steady employment
at the ore mills and receive on an average
81 65 per day. 1t is true that quite number of
these men are Hungarians, but large number
of Americans are:also at work in these mines
Miners Village is the home OF most OF these
IL. sr s1