The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-07-30
NOTES HERE AsD THERE

recently, and without exception they
ena; formation and It's great value. Last
Saturday, IL company with several gen
tiemen. We concluded to see the property
for ourselves. II approached from the
Shenandoah Valley road from a point
about three miles north Of Fesuvias, by
q gorge IN the mountains 1t is located
about four miles up this gorge, aud to it
a railroad is now being constructed. 1t
is expected that TIE rails viii be laid and
the road ready 10 receive shipments Of
ores by the first ofSeptember. Tie Mine
Bank covers about 81 acres of Il spur in
the Blue Ridge. The surface of this spur
is literally covered with ore, which has
been tested by open cuts, shafts and
drills, so as TO Justify the belief that it is
practically solid body of high grade
brown hematite, with 80 per cent OF mes
tallic iron, and manganiferous ore carry
ing about II per cent, of manganese and
very small per cent of phosphorus
The ore is exposed from 600 to 500 feet
across the veins and has been traced
for about three miles on the property,
the entire tract embracing about 1000
aud profitably mined A bold mountain
stream flows at the base of the spur,
along its entire length, furnishing am
pie water for all the processes of prepar-
ing the ore for market. enabling the
operators TO use all the wash ore, thus
augInenting the output. HRge bouIders
of ore, as large as an ordinary nouns
tain house, project above the surface
and this is traced by drill and pick to
the depth of 70 feet How much deeper
it goes no one knows. It is estimated
that there is about 100000 tons of ore
substantially in sight, which, it is be-
lieved. can be put on the cars at less than
so cents ton. The topography of the
ravine or gorge is favorable for a rail
road bed, and there are about one hun
dred men at work now grading it, This
force will be increased as fast as the labor
can be commanded, until the track is
| laid.
The formations in the mountains ON
either side of the gorge have been very
much disturbed The sides of the noun
tain are covered with what may be called
pulverized condition of the sand rock.
1t looks as though by some tremendous
eruption the rock had been broken in
small pieces and projected down the
mountain. covering the surface to the
very base. The wall rock is found
in regular place on the eastern verge of
the mineral deposit. and traced across
the spur some 800 feet holding the ore
in position. This seems to be the only
thing regular about 1t. 1t is a vast mass
of ore gathered and concentrated into a
limited space and presenting a phenom-
email formation. anomalous in compafi-
son with ore deposits in Virginia, and
conveniently located for the enterprise
of man to utilize to great profit. 1t calls
to mind the manganese deposits at Cri-
mora, in the Blue Ridge range, where
the ore is held in bowl formation of
the sand rock, and where millions of
dollars worth of manganese have been
taken out, with no indications yet of ex>
haustion.
Two facts have heretofore operated to
keep the Mine Bank in isolation. First,
the broken condition of the measures in
the geological formation, have Inclined
biologists TO the opinion that every
thing was so chaotic that it would not
be safe to calculate on any continuity of
mineral deposits Second, the apparent
inaccessibiity of Mine Bank, computed
from the limited means of those faInil-
lar with the property, made it practi-
cally unappproachable for mining pur>
poses. Until Messrs. Moore and Hilbert,
President and General Manager of the
Virginia Mining and Investment Com
pany, took hold of this property, rail-
road to it was never seriously contem-
plated. They had been engaged in the
great mining districts Of Michigan,
where to find good deposit of ore was
to assure railroad. regardless of the
obstacles to be encountered. Confident
of the great value of this mineral prop
erty, the Norfolk and Western manages
ment was informed of the deposit and
the purpose of the " NJ & l. Co. to
work it, and at once that great corpora
tion sent a corps of engineers to examine
and locate the line. The result is that
in less than three months, unless some
thing unforeseen occurs to arrest the
plans railroad will be conveying ore
from the Mine Bank to the ore markets
of the country, and especially to supply
the demands of the furnaces along the
line of the Norfolk and Western and it's
branches. Not only will the furnaces
now in operation be assured of an ample
quantity of ore, but the projected fur
mace at Basic City will doubtless be com
pleted, and probably others erected
nearer the mines where splendid sites
for such plants are found
The development of Mine Bank and of
the other mineral properties of the Vir-
ginia Mining and Development Compa-
nv will mean great things for the entire
South River district. 1t will give indus
trial activity and push and enduring
assurance and add much to the wealth
and prosperity of the people Other
developments will follow and the tradi-
tional prejudice against this section as it
regards its mineral deposits be removed,
in the light of the intelligent investiga-
tons and conclusions of the two gentle
men named, Messrs. Moore and HILBERT,
who have done SO much already towards
bringing to light the resources of this
section, and have induced considerable
capital to be appropriated to uncover
ing the natural wealth of the county and
State. They have recently associated
with them in this work another gentle
man of experience in mining operations
and means-Mr. John Mckay Of Ashland,
Wisconsin, who will materially aid in
the development plans inaugurated and
being pushed at Mine Bank. He will
prove OF great value to that enterprise
and also in the important improvements
now going on under the auspices of the
Virginia Mining and Investment Com
pany.