Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-22

and deep gulches from the nignei
ridges cut it out" .,as
Judge Holt, who has several LIME
gone over the field, says 81 am lnclineu
to think that on further investigator
n will be found that there are two VEINS
NJ iron ore in the Potts valley, VIZ
what may presumably be called tne coz
niferous lin the upper heioGroulst,
in addition to the Oriskany. Ihele -
also some evidence OF CLIFTON, aiso VI
black ore In the Medina.
And now as to the quality OF the orc
tits a brown hematite OF various oe
grees of richness in metallic iron ana
containing fiuctuating percentages VI
nhosphorus, silica and manganese.
Specimens.taken by Prof. Lehman from
sixteen openings and analysed by A. D.
McCreath, of Harrisburg, average as
follows: metallic iron, 4s.943; pnos-
phorus, O.557; silica, 1850; manganese,
10. $50. The highest grade ore In tne
list is deposit of 'pipe ORE" yleioIng
metallic iron, S.; phosphorus, O.ozo;
silica. G. $50. Eleven of the sixteen spec
linens show metallic iron above nifty per
cent. The manganese mentioned In the
general average occurs in only TWO OF
the specimens; one 10. $50 and the other
e.33O. Mr.. McCreath says $50 1ar as
the percentage of iron is concerned, the
ores are all high grade, and many OF
them equal to the very best brown ores
that are mined"
But 1 have probably said enough
about the ore, for while the subject Is
inexhaustlble the reader is not. l spent
few very pleasant days in Potts Vaiiey
a short time ago, and can cordially re-
commend any lover OF nature VINO
wants an enjoyable outing to make the
trip. You stop at Allegheny Station on
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad
where Mr.. Mann will Hospitality and
bountifully entertain you at the Chesa-
peake House. ''Then you take the stage
for the 'Old Sweet Springs" over a
smooth and delightful road, down the
mountain and up the valley of Dunlap's
Creek, past the Sweet Chalyoeate
Springs which are only nine miles from
the railroad, to the "Old Sweet" itself
a mile futher on. Here you will be roy
ally treated by Mr.. Ayres, who in true
Virginia style welcomes the coming
and speeds the parting guests. Go and
get drink at the springs;
take bath in the pool
if you have time; stay week or
month II you are not in hurry ana
want good rest; and when you are
ready to resume your journey get
livery team from Mr.. Cook and go over
Peters uMountain, either by the old
road leading from Sweet Springs to
Fincastle in Botetourt county, or by the
road which branches from this abont
half way up the mountain and leads to
New Castle in Craig County. The latter
road will land you in Potts Valley at
Paint Bank, and the former at Capt.
Givens' six miles below, each Of the
two points being about six miles from
the Springs, so that the whole distance
from the railroad to the heart OF the
Potts Creek Valley is only sixteen miles.
From Capt. Givens' where the Potts
Creek post Office is located and where
they have mail from the railroads
three times week; you can explore
the mountains in either direction and
catch clubs and suckers and (may be)
trout in the streams. Snakes? Well,
| went where rattlers are said most to
congregate-in huckleberry patches
and near the warm iron ore-but saw
no snakes and heard none. We heard
of rattlesnakes and copperheads In
abundance, but the snakes themselves
are not so humorous as the stories
about them.
I accompanied the Messrs. Savage
(who have a pleasant home near Capt.
Givens', and which was the headquar-
tiers Of the party and Judges Snyder
and Holt, of Lewisburg. On Thursday,
July 8, after driving over from Allie
ghany Station we visited the ore bed on
Givens' farm on Mill Ridge, and later
in the evening went to the kyle
opening high up on Peters mountain.
On Friday the Judges and l, guided
by Mr.. Jesse Savage, made a grand
tour on horseback, visiting "Robinson's"
"Hepler," "Lower Bennett" upper
Bennett" "Bald Knob" and the "Pipe
Ore" We were in the saddle the
greater part of the time from nine in
the morning until five in the evening,
and traversed in that time about twenty
miles, stopping at each OF the openings
mentioned. Over much of the route
there were not even bride paths.
Through dense underground OF dwarf
black oak and chestnut; over fallen
logs and moss-covsred rocks; through
laurel thickets and blackberry bushes;
fording mountain streams and climbing
up and down rugged sleeps, where a
stumble would have resulted in disaster,
our sure-footed horses bore US safely
and steadily. Your correspondent has
never regarded himself as much OF a
horseman. In fact he sis not built
that way" But after that days ride
among the foothills and upon the
slope of Peters mountain, / am dis
posed to take courage, for the future
cannot have in store a severer test OF
physical endurance. That two Of us
survived is doubtless due to the deli
cious buttermilk with which Mrs. Rob-
inson kindly RECALLED and resuscitated
the party on our way home.
On Saturday but little the worse for
the previous days ride, but having
decided preference for the springwagon
as a vehicle, we visited ore beds at
"Humphries," Cornfeld" and Paint
Bank" At the latter place there is
enough red ochre in sight to paint all
Peters mountain red when the locomo-
tive comes in.
The timber we saw is abundant for
mining purposes, but has not much COM
mercial value. There is good deal of
chestnut oak on the mountains
and In some places in the
bottoms and in coves in the
mountain there are groves of white oak
and maple. There Is good deal OF
chestnut In the mountains, but the up
per slopes are mostly covered by scrub
4 II. A1,et IL L.