The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-02-20
South River Mineral District.

GREENyILLE, VA, Feb II, 1890
Editor Tiag57aiaaa:. | have concluded
4 to impose upon your columns again if it
is not consigned to the waste basket.
Since wrote my last letter about the
South River mineral district, | will now
give Won some facts regarding this min
eral belt. can now inform you that
since | wrote YOU last DR.. T. w. Shelton
has had some prospecting done upon his
land and has found a very good deposit
of manganese and in close proximity to
the Fauver manganese mine, and there
is also party prospecting at the Fauver
mines. and MFR. Juett Vines is doing q
/ little prospecting on his property, and
am told has a good show for manganese
and iron ore ; and the Cotapaxi company
are working a force of hands at the
4 Bear ore bank, cleaning out the mine
and raising iron ore. donot know how
long they intend to work it but it is very
fine ore Messrs. Smith & Lightner as
understand, will commence putting in
their ore wash to-day. and will soon
| Lotion mines There have been several
parties to look at the Shelton mine of
manganese since he has had it opened
, 1t seems that we are to have mineral
boom here soon, and to increase the
boom will make few suggestions. In
the first place. if the owners of the Ken
needy tract would spend few dollars on
the south end of their property in pros
pecting | think they would find large
deposit of iron ore, and in all probability
they would find manganese, as there is
fine show for both iron and manganese
on the south end of the tract. And
again, if the Shields brothers would do
the same. | think it would pay them, as
they have a good show for manganese
and now if Major j. w. Newton, execu-
tor OF his uncle's estate, and the Vines
heirs, and Mr. Low, of New York, (who
| am told owns the Trotter tract of
5000 acres) would all join in and make
q good road from the old Cotapax fur
mace up the river to the mine bank, the
property of Newton and Vines, and ex-
tend the road above that on up the river
to Little Red Mountain, about three
miles above the mine bank, it would
open up the greatest iron ore and man
ganese field that is in the State, for |
have found manganese and iron ore from
the mine bank to the Little Red Noun
tain, on Mr.. Lows land, distance of
three miles or more, and at the mine
there is the largest deposit of ore | know
of, as has been said by many mining ex-
perts. Now, if these parties would make /
road up the river so a person could |
drive or ride horseback to these places,
you would soon have mining boom in t
the southern part of old Augusta that I
would equal any other Southern boom.
Now, Messrs. Editors, will leave the I
mining interest in this letter and ask
you if you can tel me what Congress is
Going? can see nothing in the papers
at all, only quarreling and wrangling in
the House for the last two months 1t /
was said and promised the people that I
if we, the Republicans, got in power we /
would have the Blair educational bill /
passed. and the tax on tobacco re- +
pealed and a tariff bill that would be q T
beHtHt 10 the laDOflnS class. NOW We (
have the majority in both Houses and /
the President and all the Cabinet, and
Congress has been in session two months
and have given US none OF the above
named bills, but are taking up their
time in adopting rules to govern the
House, and of course drawing their
salaries. | think there should be new
party started in the United States com
posed of men who have to labor and do
some kind of business for living; and
then we could send men to represent u.s.
When they went to Congress they would
go to serve their country and the people
who sent them, and not take their salar-
les fl I two months before they could
adol rules to govern the same.
Yours respectfully,
T. A. H.