The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-10-08
TIE PRINCESS FURNACE.
II1Il EIOlNOEOo Q fONAOE,
Glen Wilton, Wa Model Iron
Plant which Makes Model Pig

mOGu anu hltArnaHy Drdncn OF the
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, between
five and six miles below Clifton Forge
IN appearance it is one of the prettiest
and most business-like TO be found in
its busy appearance and its beauty are
due in a large measure to the efforts that
have been put forth by Mr.. D. S. Cook,
the proprietor of the Princess Furnace,
at this point, in the past eight years.
Mr.. Cook came into the possession of
this property some ten years ago, and
immediately went to work to develop its
minerals and improving the agrlcuitu-
raj portion, which was then in poor
state of cultivation, and had upon it on
ly the residence beautifully situated up
on the plateau. In 1882 he began the
shipment OF ore to various furnaces
where he could place his product. 1t
was not long before he found that the
ores were in demand from the fact that
they were of a superior grade, and he
concluded that the proper way to real
ize the full value of them would be to
build a furnace and manufacture them
into pig and ship the partly finished ma
terial instead OF the crude lump. So he
went to work and built the furnace
mentioned, and it was put into opera
ton ia 1884, since which time it has been
running without serious interruption
until two months ago, when it had to be
shut down to put in a new lining On
Tuesday of last week it was again put
into successful blast, running prime iron
from the first charge.
The writer made visit to the above
property on Monday, and was surprised
to find works embracing such range,
system and completeness in every detail
We first visited the mines, which are one
mile and a half west of the furnace
Here we found an industrial beehive
which is not even suggested to those
who see Glen Wilton only. The mining
property is not a large tract, it being in
length a little over a third of mile
within the limits of the property belong
ing to the Princess, but no doubt extends
far beyond on each side. 1t is the same
| vein which was worked for ores which
supplied the Calie Tur117.ce, a short dis
tance to the north, when it was in oper-
alton. CThis furnace still stands in 81 ght
on the mountain side, and has not been
operated, we presume, for want of rail
way facilities, which are almost out of
possible reach from its location). But
for solidity, quality and depth this vein
is unsurpassed. 1t is estimated, from
the amount of ore which has been taken
out and the amount in sight, that there
is enough in this mine to supply the
furnace, at the present rate of output,
for upwards of twenty years. Surface
mining was carried on for while at
first. Then tunnel was driven into
the vein two hundred feet below, meas
ured on the incline of the vein. Of this
only the upper one hundred feet has
been robbed entirely, and operations
are now carried on in the second hun
dred feet But another tunnel has been
run into the vein 425 feet lower, the air
shaft sunk, chutes and man holes cut
and drifts" or levels opened the en-
tire length of the vein for every twenty
four feet of elevation, ready for opera
| ting when the supply above is exhaust
! ed. This 425 feet has been thoroughly
opened up, and there is no doubt as to
quantity of ore down to the level of the
tunnel, the point OF calculation for the
next twenty years supply. 1t is actual>
ly in sight,-there is nothing but ore to
l. IL ~,
and below. The average width of the
vein in the four drifts visited, is about 60
feet, as to the depth of the vein, there
can only be conjecture. The Hon.
Ralph Moore, of England when in this
country year or so ago, making exam
nations OF some mineral properties, ex-
pressed the opinion that the vein ex-
tends down to the base Of the ridge. If
| this opinion is correct there is yet un>
opened and untouched at least 1000 feet
more ore below the last named tunnel,
which would of itself supply the furnace
for fifty or seventy-fve years, SO that it
will be seen that there is likely in this
/ short distance Of 1900 feet in length,
enough ore to keep the furnace at work
for century to come.
| The mining operations are under the
direction of Mr.. R. J. Ruhl, practical
mining engineer who came here with
Mr.. Cook, the proprietor, from Penn
| sylvania. He has the greatest sys-
| TEN in all his work, both in the matter
of opening up and operating the mines,
and in every detail in the handling of
the ore, inside and out. The method of
getting the ore out is simple. A shaft is
| first sunk from the top down as far as
| they wish to operate. tunnel is then
run in to the center of the vein at the
base OF operations, from which branch
is run to each end of the vein, through
which the cars are run. Then drifts
or levels" Tor small tunnels, as most
persons would call thenl}, are cut every
ten or twelve feet above until the top is
reached. The work of 'robbing" the
ores is then commenced in the topmost
drift, working from the ends to the
centre. AS the miners take out the ore
timber floor is laid, so that when the
work of robbing is commenced in the
QTllG teH ltCU OEIoN3 tAio nun CdH OC
propped up to prevent caye-in. This
process is carried on until the bottom, or
tunnel, is reached. Chutes are provided
every 100 feet through which the ore is
run down to the car level, or tunnel,
from each drift Here it is run into cars
and carried outside to the separator,
which divides the lump from the wash
ore. From this point is conveyed down
ca BILE incline to the washer, where
the wash-ore is washed. From there it
is run to the furnace by Princess en-
CINE. In all this handling the ore is
shovelled but one time, when it is pick
ed up in the mines. In all the subse-
quent changes it is dumped from car to
chute and from chute to car with sur
prising rapidity, until it reaches the fur
mace.
The furnace is 49, feet by so feet, with