Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-05-19

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quarry fields, to the north of town. the
promoters stumbled over large pocket Of
IRON ore, which they now intend to work
before they start 10 work to quarry out
the rock. If all this ore turns out to be
what they have already found parts Of it
to be, it w.ll mean thousands Of dollars
TO Martinsburg and Berkeley county.
Ii was while going over the limestone
helds purchased or leased by the company
Of capitalists that Mr. ". {. Leonard,
VINO IS conducting all the business here
for the company. came upon the ore.
1t was in the field owned by David
Small, 4 miles north Of town. A geolo-
gist who was along with Mr.. Leonard,
had samples Of the ore assayed and found
it 10 Je Of the best quality.
Upon investigation, MIR. Leonard found
thar about I5o carloads Of ore were got
ten our OF the same field about 1870. A
mine was then worked there by a COM
pany Of Pennsylvauians, who laler ADAM
doned it, The tale gets that the bank
cayed in on one of the workmen, who
sued the company for damages, and the
price Of ron being SO low and the COM
pany so hard pressed they finally quit
work. The ore was hauled from the
mine to the railroad in wagons. The
banks of the old mine have caved in, but
ii can yet be seen where the ore was got
ten out.
After this information was brought to
light the geoIogist was sent over the en-
tire county and he found that four kinds
of ore existed in the county, viz: red
hemite, Infinite, wagitite and ordinary
pipe ore. The former two existin the field
where the mine is TO be started,
Now that the quarry people have I'M
expectedly come across the ore fields then
will start to mine the ore before they open
up the stone quarries. The iron ore field
is half mile nearer the BIZ o. railroad
than the limestone fields and for this
reason the former will be worked first.
A civil engineering corps has already sur
veyed the route for the proposed switch
to the ore field and as soon as their esti-
mates are made, work will probably be
started at once upon the construction of
the switch, maybe this month.
The ore field lies between the B. 90.
and the limestone fields; the switch run
hiiiS W lllC VIC uCld WIN idlCi DC CAtCuQ-
ed to the limestone fields and the quarries
started.
The pocket of ore is one mile long. 80
feet wide and IS feet deep. Mr.. Leonard
has dug down 10 depth of about 80 feet
and found the ore to be of as good quality
as that on the surface.
The field belonging to Mr.. Small con-
sists of I45 acres, all of which has been
leased by the capitalists The lease was
record in the County Clerks office yes
Ierday.
So sure are they of the success of the
ore mine that they are already negotiating
for the establishment of furnace near
the field, Negotiations are also in progress
with the B. & o. for the use of the rail-
road shops of this city for rolling mills.
If things turn out as it now appears they
will, Martinsburg will take on progress
sive air that will parallel, if not excel the
towns in the western part of the State.
The discovery of good ore this far east
and SO accessible to Baltimore, Phiiadel-
phia and the Atlantic cost cities, where it
is used to such great extent, will mean
thousands to Martinsburg and to the gen
tlemen who are working it up. Neal
Bros, the we'll known steel manufacturers
and capitalists, of Pittsburg, are manag-
ing the deal at that end of the line and Mr..
w. {. Leonard is managing it at this end.
Several other prominent men are to be in
the company, which is soon to be char
tered.