The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-09-18
And this bv another chemist of brown hem
.tite, (dried at 2l2 deg. Farenheit) six miles

besides these there arc also on railroads
running here another brown ore carrying from
II to 80 per cent of iron, and .Ol9 OF phospho-
rus: manraufcrous iron ores, and in all prob
ability large deposits of manganese; a black
limontc with from 90 to 80 per cent OF iron
(well suited for the pneumatic Basic procesS);
spccular or red hematite (BcSsemcr) with
81 to GJ per cent of iron, while of the great
Cranberry magnetic ore Prof. Proctor, i'll his
report, says:
'.Extcndiny northeast and southwest through
tbe western counties of North Carolina are
large deposits of the purest magnetic IRON ores
known in this country save in the Lake SUPER
ior region. These ores, from number OF
samples averaged by myself and officers of the
Tenth Census aud others, anal we from 40 per
cent to 6G per cent OF iron, and are, IN Mitchell
and ASiie counties. NORTH Carolina, remarkably
free from phosphorous and sulphur: Recent
developments along a line OF thirty miles In eX-
tent prove the excessive nature OF these dcpos-
its. The only point where these ores have as
vet been reached by Il railway is at Cranberry
mine In Mitchell county, North Carolina. few
years ago the great mass OF ore now uncovered
at this point was hid by a thick covering of soil
and dccompoSed gneiss, save only few sur
face pits from which a small forge was sup
piled with ore. Within the past few years the
face of the hill has been uncovered, revealing
an enormous mass of very pure magnetic to
hcirth of 800 feet above the railway track. The
engineer in charge at the mines assured me
that from damond-drill tests and the uncoy-
cred mass, he had here piled up above tho
railway track over 2O,0O0,OOO tons OF ore to
be mined bv simply quarrylng III open cut; and
Doubt an orc of like excellence can be dellv-
cred on cars at less cost elsewhere III America
i furnace test was recently made on Virginia
coke and the run OF mine of Cranberry ore, and
a pig produced containing .O3 per cent OF phos.
Dh0rus: and from practical furnace tests ana
the analyses of ore from many openings, 1t Is
demonstrated that the entire district contains
in abundance AN ore suited to the manufacture
Of Bessemer steel. This ore is nearer to coke
lat Big Stone Gap) than is any other besselner
steel ore known to me i'll America. From tue
-Bessemcr ores of the lake region, the source OF
nearly all the steel now made ii this country,
70 the nearest coke is about 500 miles; from
fine Bessemcr ores of western North Carolina to
the coke at Big Stone Gap it is 100 miles, and
between these two extremes are to be had the
various ores above described. Beyond the
Blue Ridge in the Carolinas, are large deposits
of high grade ores. very great Development
in the manufacture OF iron and steel Will ioii0w
mn the completion the roads connecting the
coking Goals ana Ores III t''c ies'oh o''ee' VIC
cuSSiOn.
"a Scotch iron manufacturer of large eXpe-
rience, who spent some months IN examining
the Goals and ores in the district extending from
southeastern Kentucky to western North Car
Dina, estimates the cost,of making ton OF pig
iron at Big Stone Gap at 81 SO; and thinks that
Dessemer steel can be made at the same place
at AS low cost IS in England. This estimate
arrccs with estimates made by practichi iron
and steel manufacturers from PENNSYLVANIA
who have made large investments at BIG Stone
Gan for the purpose of development,
Furnaces and steel plants at Big Stone zap
will have, in addition to the local supply Oh
coke, coal, and pure limestone, the advantage,
of n location on competing lines of railway, and
the advantage Of location on great system
that can deliver the products direct to all OF the
Great markets in the Ohio and Mississippi val
leys. The ores from East Tennessee, South
west Virginia, and the Caroinas can be ship
ned with advantage to these furnaces, as 1T is
CARRYING the ores in the direction of the mar
kcis. and these ores will give return freight Tor
the ears OF coal and coke shipped from Big
Ssene Gap to those States.
FACTS FOR MANuRAcTuEERs.
Tle Virginia Coal & Iron Company agrees to
furnish coke at the following prices:
Furnace. Foundry,
stitenscts At BIZ Stone Gap, p 90 $40
Ills likely these prices will be reduced UNI,
| der competition, but take them as they areand