The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-21

Metallic iron. ............... 4S-O9
oxygen. 2O.4S
Water Observation-Disclosures. 1887
Silica Observation-Disclosures. 1916
Alumina. PSI
sulphur. None.
PhoS. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. O.4S2
manganese. O.S3
Lime Observation-Disclosures. OBS
Magnesia. .............. O.24
Tho manganese and silica arc the
main sources Of trouble: the manganese,
according to the most competent furnace
authority, frequently running up to , to
3 per cent. There is, however, an au-
thority from which there can be no APP
peal, and which tho writer personally
and carefully Obtained. The average
yield of ores, working by themselves, of
one furnace in the district, is only 40
per cent. Of iron, and the highest reached
by any furnace does not exceed 43 per
cent.
The massive lump ore is principally
found near the surface, and steadily de-
creases in depth, over three-quarters OF
the ore as mined being wash and it is
the wash ore that carries the high silica.
a safe business calculation requires that
wherever the great Oriskany ore beds
are found and worked, fancy percentages
of iron must be discarded. AS these ores
are found in immediate proximity to
high grade limeStoncS, and with Splen-
did coke, at moderate cost, available,
they form one section, at least. of
broad and stable foundation upon which
a magnificent industry may be erected.
The brands of pig iron made by the
furnaces working these ores exclusively
are noted far and wide for their excel
lence, both for foundry and mill pur-
poses.
CLINTON, No. V-Thc red hcmatites,
or fossil ores No. V of Professor Rogers,
as far as Virginia is concerned at the
present time, having simply a specula-
tive interest, as they are nowhere mined
or used in the State; but they are well
known from Northern New York to
Alabama. Used for many years at the
Franklin and Onondaga furnaces.
Oneida and Onondaga counties, n. "
one OF the principal sources Of supply
for seventy-iive years for Il score OF
charcoal furnaces, and later on for coke
furnaces, chiefly in bedford and Hunt
ington counties, Pa. = they swing
through Maryland the entire length OF
Virginia from northeast to southwest:
arc being opened up at Middlesborough.
Ky; are the principal ore for South
Pittsburg, Dayton and Chattanooga fur
naces in Tennessee and Rising Fawn,
Ga, and finally thicllcn up into the
magnificent beds of the Red Mountain
at birmingham, Ala. The maximum
thickness of the bed is at or near Birm-
ingham, and thins as it runs northward
to &, 8 and feet, and down to Is inches
of good ore in Northern Virginia. Mary
land and Pennsylvania. Necessarily,
there are local variations, some lociali-
ties showing greater thickness OF bed
than others. 1t is not therefore safe to
predicate what one locality is going to
do by what has been found at another
There is a very large amount of this
ore to be had at very reasonable
cost, with proper mining. There is one
point to which too little atten-
tion has been given, and which
becomes a very serious factor in de-
termining quantity. OF course, the
promoter does not want to recognize the
fact, but fact it is. beyond any pcrad-
venture, and by overwhelming evil
dence, that a marked change takes place
in this ore below water level, the iron
is running down, and being replaced by
carbonate of lime or silica. Over very
large areas now worked, soft fossil ore
above water level that shows from -
per cent. to 50 per cent. of iron, and
oftentimcs not more than trace OF
lime below water level, gives rs per
cent. to "a per cent. iron, which carbon
ate of lime from g per cent to 80 pcr
cent.
At least one large furnace plant in
the South, running principally on this
lean, hard ore, uses no limestone what
ever in its burden. One fact must be
borne in mind, as far as Virginia is con
cerned-that it is only recently that
railroads have opened up the country
carrying this ore, and made a positive
development possible. Notably this
has been brought about by the building
of the Clinch Valley extension of the
Norfolk and Western railroad to Wiso
county, Va; South Atlantic and Ohio
railroad from Bristol to Big Stone Gap,
and the Charleston, Cincinnati and Chi
cago railroad, from North Carolina to
Wise county, Va.
The published prospectus of the Big
Stone Gap Company states that about
two miles from that place, on the line
of the South Atlantic and Ohio railroad,
this ore has been opened up at the base
Of Wallen's Ridge, and shows thick
ness of thirty-nine inches of excellent
soft ore. In tle Virginias MAY num-
Der, 1880, page 7S), may be found an
article by M p N Moore, then con
nected with the Geological Survey of
Kentucky, on tho ''Iron Ores Near
Cumberland Gap, Va" which is a sue
cinct, clear and forcible article on fossil
ores. He found there two workable
seams of ore-one soft, averaging 20
inches, and one hard, of 81 inches
about rs to 100 feet apart. Careful
sampling by him gave:
Per cent. Por cent.
Ferric oxide. 1895 47.065
Alum1na 5.7T6 3.130
Carbonate of lime 45IO o3O