Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-09-28
Ironton as it Was, Is and May Be.

/ 4IOAGOu "dS OASlLCUlOAL OtCE tuc
discoveries of iron and manganese ores
within radius of six miles. Specu-
lators and capitalists from. all parts of
| the United States came here, or sent
| their mining experts to examine the
so-called ore district. Experts report
ed discoveries of valuable manganifer-
Gus ore suitable for all Bessemer steel
purposes. On the opinion and reports
of these experts very high prices were
paid for some of these lands. Ironton
at this time was the headquarters for
this speculative movement. The result
was a number of our citizens sold their
lands at big prices-receiving as high
as four thousand dollars for forty acres
of land. This occurred in 1872 and 1873.
During this time was the day known
as Black Friday, when SO many failures
occurred in one day that it paralyzed
all lines of business. It proved most
disastrous one to the people in Iron
ton. The Pilot Knob Iron Co. was
employing several hundred men in the
mines, with two blast furnaces running
full time, and a large number of men
and teams making and hauling char
coal to keep the furnaces in blast. All
was closed within a very short time.
Times were hard and business dull for
several years-until 1S79-when Pilot
Knob again started up and kept up her
mining operations for several years.
Every citizen of Ironton derived a
benefit, either directly or indirectly,
while this work was going on. If we
go back to 1877, 1878 and 1879, we
find we had another speculative move
ment. This time it was silver ore and
copper. Silver was discovered nearly
everywhere, not only near Ironton, but
in adjoining counties. The most prom
inent silver prospect was the Silver
Mountain mine, about ten miles east of
Ironton, which was' (as every mining
man who visited the mine knew work
ed In a very extravagant manner. Very
few mines could stand such manage
ment very long. Hence shut down
occurred in 1879, with liabilities the
company could not meet. This mine
produced and shipped five car loads of
concentrates to the smelling works
which assayed forty-fve dollars per
ton of silver and forty per cent. of
lead. Ore has been taken from this
mine that ran four hundred and seven
teen dollars per ton. l ask the citizens
of Ironton, if, while this mine was
running, they did not receive benefit,
directly or Indirectly, from itP The
blame for closing this mine should rest
on the shoulders of the officers, and |
not on the mine. Some of our citizens
will tell it on the street corners that
there is no silver in Missouri. They |
need not take my word for it. If they |
will write to Prof. A. Winslow at JEFF |
ferson City. tor one of his pamphlets,
Geology and Mineral Products" they
may see what he says about silver from
Silver Mountain. l think it ought to
satisfy any one. Others. again, will
say that it is an iron ore REGION, and |
and no valuable ores exist here. AL
low me to describe just twelve miles
square near Camelford in Cornwall,
England, and after I have described |
its formations and minerals some will |
say Gf they read this article) that is in
England and not in Missouri. l wish /
you to read it carefully, and then COM
pare it with the rock formations here
within a radius of twelve miles. The
formation near Camelford is as follows:
granite, porphyry, slate, limestone,
(such as is found ON the Capt. Mace
farm) and fire clay. Iron ore (magnet-
icy in the limestone from three to ten
feet thick. Veins of tin, copper and
silver, lead, etc. The finest granite
quarries are situated in the above dis
trict. Also, china clay (kaolin), etc.
Now why should we not have the same
paying mines here, when we have the
same class of veins as they have
across the water? can tell you why:
it is because deep mining here is in its
infancy. If we go down to the depth
of hundreds or thousands of feet, like
they do across the water, We will have |
good paying mines as well. And deep
mining will be carried out In this dis
trict so sure as our hills contain true
assure mineral-bcaring quartz veins.
Now with all of our mining and 9th
err misfortunes, Ironton has grown in
building and population. CT it grows
in population as much in the future
as it has in the last two months, we
will certainly see more buildings put
up or else the housing capacity will
not be sufficiently There have been
fourteen buildings erected in our little
city on Main street. on Knob street six |