The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-12-18

tablished at a number of places. By the
census OF last summer Virginia was shown
to be the sixth State in the production
of iron. Some persons well qualified to
judge believe that Virginia's iron dis
trict, of which Staunton is near the cen
tire, is at least equal, for profitable pro
duction of iron, to any other iron DIS
trict in America. The conditions for I'M
precedented cheapness of production
prevail in Virginia as in Tennessee and
Alabama.
CodI-Staunton is connected by first
class lines of railway with three OF the
greatest coal and coke districts of Amer
lea. They are the following: The Con
nellsvile district in Pennsylvania,
reached directly from Staunton by the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad; the New
River district in West Virginia, reached
directly by the Chesapeake and Ohio;
and the Pocahontas or Flat Top district
in Southwest Virginia, reached by the
Norfolk and Western with 12-miie
transfer over the Chesapeake and Ohio
from Basic City to Staunton. Each OF
these three districts, by the routes
named, is about $50 miles from Staunton.
There is a deposit of anthracite coal,
whose value, though undetermined, is
not doubted by some good judges-at
| the northwestern extremity of Augusta
county, about 30 miles from Staun-
ton. Immediately adjoining this an
thracite coal are large deposits of red
shale and brown hematite iron. There
are also good indications for anthracite
coal along the nearest mountain west of
Staunton, about IA miles from the city,
of coal joined by IRON Bituminous coal
has been mined in considerable quaint
ties near Richmond, about 40 miles
southeast of Staunton. An extension of
the Baltimore and Ohio southwark
from Lexington, almost certain to be
built within two or three years, will
give more direct access to the Poca-
hontas or Flat Top coal district; and
a contemplated railroad to extend
northwest to Webster county, w. Va,
will give Staunton direct access to I'M
only 100 miles. A writer in the Balti-
more Manufacturers Record said re-
Gently: Nowhere else ON the earth's
surface can such coal field be found as
In the South, paralleled for 700 miles,
from Shenandoah Junction, W. Va, to
Tredegar, Ala, by three great and con-
tinuous belts of iron ore of every quail
ty for foundry and Bessemer steel, nor
such naturally advantageous conditions
for working them up"
Other Minerals, Stone, Czay, Sand,
&c.-The principal manganese mine in
the United States is at the western base
of the Blue Ridge on the Shenandoah
Valley Railroad, about 90 miles from
Staunton. From this mine is taken four
fifths of the manganese produced in this
country. At other places near by man
ganese is found in great abundance.
Fine marble has been quarried to a con-
siderable extent from large deposit at
Craigsyille ON the Chesapeake and Ohio
railway rs miles west of Staunton, and
from a deposit at Greenville, 10 miles
from Staunton. There exists also, within
30 miles of Stanton, in any quantity de-
sired, white sand for making glass; kao-
lin clays for terra Gotta ware, drain pipe
and fire brick; common clay, in nearly
every field, for ordinary or pressed brick;
| ores and ochres suitable for the manu-
facture of paints; limestone, common
and hydraulic, for lime burning and &C.
ment making; states, and marbles other
than the deposits mentioned. In the
Blue Ridge range of mountains, within
80 miles of Staunton, copper, zinc. lead
and tin are found, in deposits believed
to be very valuable. A strong company
for the manufacture of tin plate with
tin from the Blue Ridge has been formed
by English capitalists, who will locate
their establishment at Savernake, about
so miles from Staunton. Another COM
pany also. according to reliable informas
ton just published, is being organized
by Boston capitalists to develop part
of the same tin deposits, whose value
thew have had determined by capable
experts.
Wool, Hides, and General Farm Prod
qtcts.-Abput a0lGQ0 pounds OF wool
are annually marketed in Stanton. 1t
| Staunton had wooden factories that
could buy directly from the farmers all
their wool, the present production of
200, 900 pounds would probably be in
creased to four or five times that guam
tity. The Valley of Virginia and the
mountainous districts adjoining consti-
| tute rich grass section, capable OF sus-
tanning at a profit to their owners great
numbers of sheep, cattle and other live
stock Many cattle and sheep are now
sent from the Valley to Baltimore and
Richmond, and many horses to Pennsyl
yania. For making butter and cheese
| the Valley of Virginia is one Of the best
sections of the country. An enormous
quantity of butter. and many thousands
of turkeys and chickens, are annually
shipped from Augusta and its adjoining
counties to Washington, Baltimore and
Philadelphia. Creameries, cheese facto-
| ries, fruit and vegetable canneries, tan
neries. blislments for making cider,
vinegar and fruit jellies, Touring millg,
wooden factories, and all establish
ments for utilizing the products of a first
class farming, stock raising and fruit
growing section, would or do flourish in
the district adjacent to Stanton. The
Valley Of Virginia is what might be
called a perfect farming SECTION of the
temperate zone-like Pennsylvania and
Ohio-watered by thousands of springs
and streams, producing with regularity
and abundance the most valuable grains,
gpasss s fruits and vegetables, and loca-
ted on frst-ciass lines of railway, within
200 miles of great city markets. Wheat,
corn, oats and hay are, chief products.
Fhe immediate home market is being
greatly enlarged by the rapid growth of
Staunton and the smaller towns.
OTHER ADVANTAGES FOR MANUFAc-
TURING.
Location and Transportation. -Staun-
tons convenience of access to the chief
population centres of the Middle States
was described in part in the preceding
paragraph. By the excellent train SEP
q II ~ t.