The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-08-28

Besides these there are also on railroads
running here another brown ore carrying from
IL TO TO per cent OF IRON, and .0l9 of phoSphO-
rus; manganlerous iron ores, and in all prob
ability large deposits OF manganese; Il black
llmonltc with from 90 to 30 per cent of iron
(wcll suited for the pneumatic Basic proccss);
Il spccular or red hclnatitc (BcSscmcr) with
30 to to per cent OF iron, while of the great
Cranberry magnetic ore Prof. Proctor, in his
report, SAYS:
Extending northeast and southwest through
the western counties of North Carolina are
large deposits OF the purcst magnetic iron ores
known in THIS country save in the Lake Super
Tor region. These ores, from number OF
samples averaged by myself and officers of the
Tenth Census and others, analvxe from ~ per
cent To 66 per cent OF iron, and are, in Mitchell
and Ashc counties North Carolina remarkably
free from PHOSPHORUS aud sulphur. Recent
developments along line of thirty miles in ex-
tent prove the excessive nature of these demos
is. The only point where these ores have rs
yet been reached By railway is ar Cranberry
mine,ln Mitchell county, North Carolina. 4 few
Years ago the great mass Of ore now uncovered
at tliS point was hid by thick covering of sol!
ami dccompoScd gnclSS, save only few sur
lace pts from which small forge was sup
pied with ore. Within the past few wears the
lace oi The hi has been uncovered, revealing
an enormous mass OF very pure magnetic 10 a
hcigth OF 500 feet above the railway track. The
engineer IN charge at the mines assured me
That from damond-drll tests and the uucoy-
cred pass, he had here piled up above the
fail"Iy track over 20,000,000 tons of ore to
DC h'acd 10y SIMPLY Quarrying in open cut; and
uoup' II an ore OF like excellence can be deliv-
ereu on cars at less cost elsewhere in America
iu'n"ce test was recently made on Virginia
cont anu Tie run OF mine OF Cranberry ore, and
PiS produced containing .03 per cent of phos-
phofuS; ana from practical furnace tests and
t"c a"aiySeS OF ore from many openings, it is
demonstrated that the entire district contains
III abundance an ore suited to the manufacture
"l nSsSencr steel. This ore is nearer to coke
Na' nig Stone Cap than is any other Bessemer
- VIC NnoWh TO me III America. From the
pcSSe'her ores ot the lake region, the source of
"V",H ''i tle steel now made in this country,
y. :" 'ne nearest coke is about 500 miles: from
..'c DrSSeilcr ores OF western North Carolina to
h't COKE at big Stone Gap it is 100 miles, and
- V'' 'ncSc TWO extremes are to be had the
DIV ,% io, ~, ores above described. Beyond the
niIc n''se III The Carolinas, are large deposits
IN ~, W. , ,aue ores. A very great Development
49,, ~ '''"i".actufe OF iron and steel will follow
up 'ne completion ofthe roads connecting the
e e" c""is and ores, in the region under dis
.;o,.a scotch iron manufacturer of large expe-
, ,ienec' "1o spent some months in examining
snv I"'s anu ores in the district extending from
S 0Ga."e"s;cfh kentucky to western North Car
H ;rnm climates the cost of making ton of pig
n" "n q. nlS stone Gap at ~ Sc; and thinks that
n.ase,ncr ssee can be made at the same place
" as 10" cost as in England. This estimate