Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-04-17
The Liberty, Va, Iron Company.
Shendun News.


In few days new life will como to
a once wcll-known Virginia iron proper
ty that has been dormant for a number OF
years and would have quite passed away
from memory but for the question of its
active life, that has for an equal n1mbcr
of years been suggested to every one hay-
ing any interest IN iron production in
Virginia by the piles of charcoal pig iron
that have so long idly encountered the
wards of the Edinburg and Woodstock
stations of the Valley Branch Of the Balti-
more g. Ohio RAILROAD awaiting, il is said,
the return of the time when such pig will
again command the highly profitable
price of $50 per t0n.-Wo refer to the
great Liberty Columbia iron property, a
tne estate Of some 10000 acres Of iron
and timber lands situate in the North
Mountains on the west side of the Shen-
andoah Valley, 10 Shenandoah county,
Virginia. on the waters Of Stony Creek,
which the Valley railway crosses at Ed
iuburg, and on which werO tie two old
time charcoal furnaces that were SO proii--
ably run by the Wlsslers.
Not long ago this property passed into
the hands of the Liberty Iron Company,
one composed of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey parties, who have not only erected,
at the old Liberty-Furnace, new mod
ern blast furnace, of from 60 to 40 tons
capacity, for the manufacture OF charcoal
DIG iron, but who have, unalded by the
baltimore & Ohio railroad. constructed
threc-lCct gauge railway, at cost OF
about 100000, over twelve miles IN
length, fIom Edinburg station OF the val
lev road, up Stony Creek to their new
| furnace aud put rolling stock on the same
and now having fully opened their great
IRON ore mines and accumulated a stock
of ore as well rs large supply of charcoal
from their own forests, they are ready to
90 into blast ana make fully six times as
much iron IN their one furnace as the
Wisslers made in their two.
The iron ore deposits at Liberty Farm
ace are among the most remarkable IN
| Virginia, all the work OF exploration ana
mining that has recently been done IN
them. leading to the conclusion that these
ores are in regularly stratiied beds tha'
range in thickness from p to 30 iee'.
The photographs Of these deposits. as
now uncovered. present as remarkable
faces of ore as do those that the purchas
ers of Cuban iron ore mines not long
since exhibited i'm this country. Average
analyses show that the lump ore from
these mines will yield about Al per cent
of metallic irOa and tie wash orc about
43 percent r.
The officers of the Liberty Iron Co.
are. R.A. Cook, of New Brunswick, \.
J., President; IL. II. Yard, Of Philadelphia,
Pa, Treasurer; and A. j. Hempbtll, OF
Philadelphia, Pa Secretary Tho tuIn-
ace Manager is Joseph Cunningham. MI.
Cook is the son of Prof. George II. Cook,
who was for many years priof to his death
the able and distinguished State Geologist
of New jersey Mr.. IIcmpbl'lls the sec
retarv of the Norfolk 81 Western Kali
road.
1t is with pleasure that we record this
/ intelh,ence not onlg OF the REVIVAL OF the
iron Industry of Virginia a; another OF It's
old time blast furnaces (where, as al oth-
ers. some revived and some still dormant,
there is an abundance Of the best OF iron
ores for the most extensive manufacture
OF iron if mining operations are properly
copdncted) but Ofthc revival Of activity
on the line Of the Valley Branch OF the
Baltimore d OHIO along which hitherto
there has been so little development, az
though that road, for nearly all OF us
length through tie richest and falrest
portion of the great Valley Of Virginia
rams through a region Astounding in OF
having tributary to 10 natural resources
fully as great. as numerous, and as easily
exploited, as has any other Virginia
trave1sing railway-The same branch
outreaching aud industry-aiding and de
welcoming policy that have for near de-
cade characterized the policy of the Nor
folk & Western and that ale low being
initiated by other Virginia always great
ly to heir advantage and 20 that OF the
regions they traverse, could advanta-
geonslv he initiated by the management
of the Baltimore 4 Oaio sy.tem. Recent
" provided FIR railway extensions IN
West Virginia indicate that this great
corporation, one now having at i's COM
mand a vast tribute-holding territory,
PROPOSES to change its doubtful policy OF
"masterly inactivity" and with master
ful hand participate in the development
of the resources Of the Nirsinias, ana
share in the certain prof that WIN
come to all the agencies that boldly ana
fearlessly strive for the prizss such de-
velopment has in store for their winning