The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1890-10-24

head of the National Liberal fcdcfhtloh,
The Glads,onian organization, consisting
Of representatives from every electoral
district. is the leading representative OF
the British party He said:
This is nv frs. visit to the iron DIS
tricts o! Alabama and Tennessee ana my
FIRST the United States. Of course one
can onlvcxprcss an opinion with consider
allie diflidcncc after so short an obscr-
walton. but ] may say in behalf OF the
English visitors that they were NOT
nrcparcd to find such enormous and
| rich deposits of iron ore and coal as
were shown to them in the ncighhorhood
OF Birmingham. The same may he said OF
fine iron ore deposits at Shelby and else
where ON our route to Chattanooga. The
point that pleased and surprised us most
was TO see that after the disasters OF inc
civil war tho South had cncrgctIcaily set to
work to develop lis resources as manu-
| featuring community. and that much had
been done. though much yet remained to
! lie done.
"rhc mines in general do not appear to
he worked with the appliances and devel-
opmcnts to which We are accustomed.
The orc deposits on many of the hills are
rs abundant a. those Of Spain, which
snpply England so largely. These mines
in Spain are supplied with mining rail
ways wagons and mining appliances, so
that the ore is shipped at low price, ana
il would appear on cursory examination
that the same system might he applied
here with considerable economy.
as TO the pig iron. although 1t Is re-
ported only in few instances as suitable
for Bcsscmcr steel making; yet il is well
adapted TO be dealt with by the basic pro-
cess, and We should expect that the IRON
masters OF the Tennessee and Alabama
districts would he entcrprising enough TO
adopt this process and manufacture pig
iron into steel on the spot.
Also il occurs TO us that in America
MANY small industries to convert the iron
and steel into the finished article are
wanting. and there seems TO be sufficient
consumption in the Southern States OF
worked material to use upall the iron and
steel produced in the country.
The coal does no; appear to he OF The
same quality as the coal Of the North, but
there is compensation in its abundance
aud lis accessibility. The cooking coal
may he much improved by the adoption OF
washing processes. and coke of the better
quality thereby produced, which would
give the furnaces better results in every
way 1t is quite possible iii some OF the
districts we have passed through TO make
pig iron as chcapy as it can he made
in any part OF the world.
This arises in great measure from the
iron ore.
MY opinion is that the establishment
and Development of new town settlements
cannot but beneticialIy affect the South.
The working population will be stimulated
hv what they see in this new life in the
towns. and HE consumption of the asri-
cultural produce will he Il stimulous to
agriculture, and thereby cannot but he
beneficial ii the settlement Of the new
towns is conducted with discretion and is
not pushed on at unreasonable rate. was
particularly struck with the beauty of the
town of Admission, and its attractivcncss
AS Il residence town, and also with the en-
tcrprsc OF the merchants who have ware
houses which would surprise the English
in towns of centuries OF growth.
When Sir James was Intercepted as 10
what. from his observation, WAS the great
est deficiency and necessity of the South,
he declined to express an opinion, say
ing it would only affect the people who
had been entertaining him so royalty.
He expressed himself us highly pleased
with the condition Of the negro as Il
laborcr.