Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-04-12
THE MINERALEXPERT
Hs Has Turned Up ISiIn At
Alton.
HIDDEN BLUE n,ncn wnAIrn.
Many stories Regarding TIA Hunt
ers Lead Masaxine-Biras and
Their Memcry-The Hen,s Pu..led-
An Eagles vfsit--PersonaI.
Correspondence Of the pIspatch.)

| Af'TON, April lo.-Ino UBIQUITOUS mln-
eral expert ususually bobs up with the
spring flowers. He Is here now, from
Baltimore, with his little hammer and his
bag OF specimens. taking notes, and talk
ing of gold and copper. and manganese and
lead. but mostly OF the latter mineral
which Is said to abound in unknown
| quantities somewhere near about
| OF course, it will be an open sesame"
when the mystic x-rays penetrate the
bosom Of Dame Nature and locate her
vertebrate and her hidden fossils and show
the shadowgraph Of her gold and silver
veins to enrich her children. At present
1t is a little Of the BOOM" and a great
deal Of guess work. with. quite often, more
money for the rich and less for the poor.
in windy speculation.
The mineral wealth Of tho Blue Ridge
| Mountains Is practically undiscovered and
undeveloped. though Virginia ranks first
| In the production of manganese ores,
which. for the greater part, lie In this
| chain Like other secrets, the day will
| come when, by chance-if there is such
word in natures vocabulary-the opening
Of a well. or the turning Of water
course, will unlock the mineral chambers
OF the mountain gorges, and the miner
will bring to light the treasures now
imagined. Tradition will help. and does
where surface indications of metal crop
out here and there. and remind people or
old-time stories. II Is a fact that the
solidity for very lively boom" often
lies at ones feet. and not the hutter OF a
thought hastens the birth until accident
tells the tale.
Near Alton, below the tunnel, ID the
extension east OF a brown hematic ore
vein, but long before that was worked old
settlers here claimed that iron was known
in the ravine from the Gap" TO tho foot
OF the mountains. Tradition has II that
some Of the old iron-masters from the
Colonial Furnace. on the west side-who
moulded the bullets for northumberland
a better mine right here, and arraigned to
open ii up, but something, possibly the
peripatetic red man, prevented, and the
clue to the locality was lost.
When the late w. A. Hill, County
Surveyor. was surveying about the noun
tains. crossing this supposed mine, he
said there was evidently metal beneath In
large quantities-the magnetic attraction
was so strong and the variation OF the
compass so great that IL had to be moved.
MANY STRANGE STORIES.
Many are the strange stories told OF
hidden metals and underground caves
In early days an old hunter. in the heat
of the chase. became sepassted from his
companions. Night was coming on, and
he was out OF ammunition. Fearful Of
tho wild beasts In the unbroken forest.
he lighted fire from his tinder-box and
flint, and lay down beside a big rock
to sleep. Next morning when he
Weakened. so the story goes, a vein OF
lead had melted from the fire, and was
running in a stream by his side. The
old woodsman clipped a pouch OF slugs,
found his comrades after a long detour
and kept the secret Of the lead-mine to
himself. Ever after, when he needed
ammunition. he was gone for a length OF
time. and always returned with chunks
of lead; but he was keen enough 10
elude the sharpe.t eyes. No visible sign
Of the old sportsman's lead arsenal has
been handed down 10 US, but jagged
rock, half way up the mountains face,
called the Hunters Rest" which Is
greatly favored in the summer season as
a lovers retreat by the young people
from the hotels.
THE WEATHER.
The weather this week has been as
variable as a tariff BILL and ten times
Hloic bt6dliuuo- NtIg iitbiC
been done. and ploughing for corn is
greatly behind. The flowers through the
flying snow-hakes of yesterday looked
pale, and the birds wanted to 20 back
South in disgust.
Even the hens are puzzled. With the
warmer days-and the Faster demand
they had settled down to business in such
earnestness that the supply OF eggs forced
prices to a hot-weather figure. Then
came the colder snap; the price OF eggs
jumped up--and, for that matter. so did
the hens-and. all around. we are longing
for a settled condition OF the thermome-
ter, one way or the other.
About the birds, the relative number
passing directly over and not stopping
at all Is notlceably less this year. There
are fewer birds, we know. but this is also
the natural outcome OF too much shoot
ing on wing while they are on the pas
sage homeward. The law OF self-pre-
servatlon is strong In birds as In other
creatures, and no one can say that they
do not remember the safest routes In
travel. for memory in birds Is tenacious
The same bird that built a nest and
reared its young on a particular tree will,
after an absence Of many months. with
out compass to guide II, return again
year after year TO perform the same
maternal ONCE. Robins and bluebirds
are scarce here. and within the past
month have noticed but three orchard
orioles. Song sparrows are rather more
numerous and are as busy as young
brides going to housekeeping. A large
bald eagle has been seen quite often in
the near neighborhood Of Chestnut
Ridge this week. 1t lowered over Rock
FISH creek. and darted down to the water.
but before q gun could be brought was
already far on the wing. with something.
supposed to be a fish, In its beak. 1t
was very Iarge-about feet from tip
to tip-and gray, with underbreast OF
black feathers. 1t Is thought to have
an eyrie In the "Rock" at Humpback.
PERSONAL
Mrs. DR.. r. A. Williams has returned
from her visit to Franklin, Va, and
brought back Master Tudor
Mr.. Zeke Hall spends this week In
Richmond, Mr. Hal Watts. OF Augusta,
IL day operator at Alton. in his absence.
Rev. j. II. Robinson has returned 10
his churches In Rockbridge.
Invitations are here to the marriage
in Charlottesville Thursday next OF Miss
Marie Hall to Mr.. w. b. Sadler. OF that
place.
HIIL-CITY ADVANTAGES.