Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-11

from near MllIborUs IN Bath: from the
Iron Mountain. IN Bland; from the Ber-
muda ochse Company, Of Chsstsrhssd.
both crude and manufactured; from near
Pearisburg. In Giles: from the Arm;nius
mines. in Louisa; from Tye river, IN Mel
son; from the Oxford Ochre Company,
near MarksyiIle now Stanley, In Page;
from Chambers Mountain. near Goshen.
In Rockbridge, several varieties; from near
Keezletown' in Rockingham, several kinds.
made into "Hamiiton's paints; from the
wilderness. In Spotsylvania: from Paint
Lick Mountain, In Tazewell; from Reed
Creek, In Wythe, and ochrc and umber
from Ovsralls. In Page. :
Ir, virginias little mineral exhibit ut
Chicago--one Of about nifty samples. ac-
cording to the last edition OF the ofYicial
catalogue. Of exhibits-there were three
samples OF ochres shown. az follows;
From G. d. Tinsley. Of Petersburg: from
the Virginia Worlds Fair managers.
locality not given. and from b. J. Carter.
OF Middleburg. Loudoup county.
In West viryinia's great exhibit Of her
mineral resources ut Chicago. one OF the
most creditablc there. there were shown
and Jefferson counties; red from q. w.
yellow. from w. H. Boggs, Franklin.
Pendleton County: yellow from Hardy
and Jefferson counties: red from @. W.
Keyser Parsons; yellow from Hardy and
Jefferson counties. exhibited by West Vir-
ginia University. Morgantown. and red
from c. s. White. Romney, Hampshire
county.
Having had referred to me at Chicago
for examination and award hundreds Of
samples OF mineral paints. both In their
natural and manufactured condition.
from various States and countries. / was
greatly impressed with the large number
ard variety OF such paints exhibited by
New York. Ohio. Pennsylvania, and other
States. especially of the paints manu-
featured from shaies, states. clays, nume-
rous varieties OF iron ores. etc. all OF
which are abundant In Virginia and West
Virginia, and which could be easily
utilized In the same direction. In fact,
after days spent In examining mineral pig
ments at the fair, do not hesitate to
say that Virginia has the undeveloped ma
terfals for becoming the leading State in
this particular industry. II also led me
to regret that we had no provision for
survey which shall gather and dissemS
nate Information In reference to the
economic mineral resources OF the State.
aad thus lead to a utilization OF these
somewhat commensurate In importance
with that which has been so successfully
begun with our coat and iron-ores.
Ochre beds. or deposits OF one kind
or another, always accompany, In varying
quantities and qualities all deposits OF
iron-ore, ana since iron-ore beds OF one
kind or another are found In nearly
every portion Of the Virginias. 1t fol-
lows that ochres are more or less album
dant In many localities in these States;
but many Of these are comparatively
valueless. because they do not furnish
the shades OF colors that are most in
Demand
As before stated, n considerable guam
tity of excellent yellow ochre 1.-THE light
or lemon-yellow being the most valued
has been mined near Bermuda Hundred,
in Chesterfield county, probably from
proximity to the iron-ore beds Of Vir-
ginias first iron-works. Fine red ochres,
umbers and siennas result from roasting
the pyrites from the celebrated Arminius
and adjacent mines near Mineral City, in
Louisa county. and when the ores of
these and orfler mines In Virginia's great
gold belt. one over 200 miles long, are
utilized in our State In the manufacture
Of sulphuric acid, the production or va
rious shades and grades OF mineral paints
as by-products will here become new
and very important Industry.
Vast quantities Of ochres and ochreous
clays and umbers abound in the ferrl-
ferous shales. as also do irOn-ores, that
extend for more than 300 miles diagonally
across Virginia along the eastern border
of the great valley. among the foothills
and slopes of the western Blue Ridge
In this range near Stanley station, or
the Norfolk and Western. In Page county,
are the extensive deposits that Tor htteeh
years OF more have been so successfully
,,,orLad nv tho oxford Ochre Company,
Of Detroit, Mich.
Most OF these natural pigments are
known In The markets as ochres, umbers,
or siennas; they are called raw" when
used in the condition In which they are
mined after being dried and ground, or
pulverlzed, and burnt when they have
been roasted and so deepened or changed
in color.
These ochres are, as rule, Gays or
earths colored by having In their COM
position varying proportions or iron oAiue'
Often tasy are merely decomposed iron
ores. II these ores are hematites, or req
iron ores, the product is red ochre; II
they are limonites. or brown iron ores
the product Is yellow or brown ochre;
II manganese Is associated with the IRON
oxide. the product Is known as raw UNI
Der.
The United States Geological survey.
I'm it's report on the mineral resources or
the United States for 1892, by DR.. ID.
T. Day, credits Virginia with the follow
ing productions OF ochres;
In 1880. 1,Gs tons, valued at Ns,755; IN
1890 1857 tons, valued at se2.eI2; In 1881.
$50 tons. valued at 1880; In 1892. 1900
tons, valued ct $2s,J0O.
The entire production Of ochre In the
United States in 1899 was 1865 short tons,
valued at sl93.o7i SO Virginia, which was
only preceded by Pennsylvania In this
industry furnished nearly one tenth or
the entire product of this country. and
received about one eighth OF the valua-
ton. showing by the latter that Its
ochres are of high grade.
JED. HOTCHKISS.