The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-02-21
STEEL IN VIRGINIA.
Interesting Paper on the Posi-
biIities of Virginia Cities.

L. S. H. in the Lynchburg Virginian
Several years ago l contributed SOW
eral articles to your paper which were
vigorously attacked by quite number
of writer's and nearly as vigorously crit
icized by the Virginian and the News of
Lynchburg.
In those articles 1 commended, first,
that there were no deposits of strictly
Bessemer ores then developed in Vir-
GINA, which could be mined and sold in
the markets of the country as such; and,
second, that, ii the tariff on foreign ore
should be taken off and iron ore placed
on the free list, no detriment would re-
suit to tho owners of iron ore properties,
and iron miners or iron furnaces in
Virginia.
take it that after four years of agi-
tation and discussion and experiments.
neither your paper nor any of its read
crs will now dispute the truth of my
second proposition, unless it be some
one writing from political and not
from commercial or industrial stand
point, and therefore dismiss that view
of the subject from any further notice.
Now as to the first proposition, namely:
that no considerable deposits of Besse-
mer ores exist in Virginia, and have
been found in quantities sufficient in
size to justify extensive mining ! have
before me most valuable paper pre-
scented by Edmund c. Pcchin, of Roam
okc, the general manager of the Vir-
ginia Development Company and the
Consolidated Mining Company, of Vir-
ginia, read before the meeting of tho
ri Gh lpAx ND
Chickering Hall, New York, October |,
1890, from which quote as follows
"Bcfore considering the last ana the
oldest of the orc-bearing rocks of Vir-
glnia (Archean), single word may be
said in relation TO the so-called orc living
to the westward and near the. Potsdam
sandstone. 1t has been heralded far and
wide as BcsScmcr spccular ore in nm
limited quantities, and OF inestimablc
value. 1T is neither; it is simply a fer
rugineous sandstone, which NAV be
traced along the Blue Ridge from one
end TO the other. 1t lies in stratified
seams of from two to six feet in width.
1t carries about 80 per cent. of iron. and
anywhere from 81 to 60 per cent of silica.
At one or two points there is local i'm
provcmcnt. which brings the iron to
about 40 per cent, and the SILICA pro-
portlonatcly down. In such cases il is
used III small quantities TO mix with
the rank cold short iron ores to dilute
the phosphorus and and manganese. from
which it is almost free.
In the older rocks are found two
classes OF orc-thc magnetic and spccu-
lar anu the gossan. While the quality
of the former is high, it has never been
worked on large scale owing to tho
TACT that no large veins have as vet
been developed. Mr.. Il. S. IIuttcr has
been working some mines on tho Frank
lin branch of the Virginia Midland rail.
way In Plttsylvania county for several
years. lie is authority for the state
ment that they can be traced for MANY
miles, dip nearly vertically, and aver
age from two to five feet in thickness
Carrying from So per cent. to GO per
cent of iron, and oftentimes within
Bcssemer limits, these ores arc yalu-
able for admixture with the brown ores.
naturally improving the character of
the iron"
In further proof of this would call
attention to the efforts made during the
past twelve months by far seeing men
who are largely interested in the de-
velopment OF Virginia to secure tho
location OF steel plants in our booming
towns. Various processes for making
| steel from our Virginia ores have been
suggested, and each plausible sugges-
ton has been early seized upon by tho
promoters Of tho various industrial
towns now being advertised in Virginia
to secure plants in their localities. To
Illustrate: Salem, Virginia, has main
talnec its boom in part, because it's
shrewd promoters secured assurances
! that mammoth steel nlant ,vould bo
erected to give employment to hundreds
OF people and to manufacture the best
| of steel, out Of our abundant mountain