The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1910-03-03
TRIP THROUGH ORANGE
The County Abounds in Rich Mineral
Ores.
Lahore, Va. Feb. %. 1910.

Lahore, Va, Feb. %, 1910.
To The Free Lance:
Having made a trip through the
| county of Orange recently and having
seen much to interest me, / thought
would write an article for The Free
Lance. giving an account of what
is again on and from what | heard is
on to stay. / met a gentleman who
holds an important position at the Van
cluse mine in the county who told me
they were stripping the surface and
washing the dirt, from which they are
getting satisfactory results and that
/ they are expecting TO put up stamp
mills soon 10 work the rock, which
promises even better results than the
surface washing. He also said the old
Greenwood mine is being worked in the
same way and the results satisfactory
TO the owners who recently purchased
same, and this, too, will soon erect up
to-date machinery for the extraction of
the gold from the rock, which the as
says show to be very rich. Hurrah
| for old Virginia. But this is not all A
strong company of gentlemen from the
| North and West have prospected and
bought the old Telluriam mines Of Flu
wanna county, once worked by Com
modOre Stockton before the war.
/ They are preparing to erect an up-to-
date plant TO mine according to the
most improved methods. | am inform
ed that they will commence work at
once and are going at il with the full
assurance of faith.
Virginia has had a black eye ever
since the war, given to her by Commo-
dore Stockton. who did il through
prejudice to the Southern people whom
he hated because they owned slaves.
| He went away from Virginia with a
million dollars he had made out of the
mines he worked in three counties, viz
Fluvanna, Louisa and Spotsylvania. He
went from here TO California, where he
made another million.
Five years from now Virginia will be
the greatest gold-bearing State in the
Union, and would have been in the
| front rank long ago but for the mis-
| representations Of mines by men who
were sent here by capitalists TO do the
| work
There are a great many places along
the gold belt in Virginia where the gold
can be seen in short time after get
ting on the ground. All you need to
find IT is hoe and a pan, and the yel-
low metal will be seen at the bottom OF
i
Why will men go West and work ore
that only assays from $3.50 to $500.
when they can come to Virginia and
work ore that assays from Sc. 90 10
$50. 90 10 the ton? Most of the gold
mining here has been superficial. in
fact all Of il has been merely surface
work. but we are glad to see the tide
is turning this way, and ere long they
will be coming in streams.
We are glad to know that those who
are now working here are experts and
have been at the mining business all OF
!, t.selG lixesa. Lhsse are men we want tc
come here to devefDP ouur-lakN s-fS-al ~
every kind. Some coal oil will be dis
covered here soon, as we see the signs.
When old Virginia shall have shaken
OIL her lethargy and comes to herself
in the development of her natural re-
sources she will blossom as a rose and
will rank with the richest States in the
| Union.
Let US all make one united, constant
effort TO develop our grand old State
and let us not listen 10 the croakers, who
store for Virginia a grand future; all
she has to do is TO get to work and
compel things to move and success will
follow well directed effort.
If We can't develop these mines our
selves let some one who has the capital
and the grit 60 at il with a vim. and
when the capital comes TO buy do not
drive them away by asking two or
three times as much as the property is
worth. What we want is money and
true grit and things will move along.
We have gold. iron, silver. lead, pyrites,
asbestos, soapstone and many other
things in the metals, and a soil and
climate equal to any in the United
States.
We would invite our Northern and
Western brethren and sisters TO at
least come and look around at the pros
poets which are open to them; come, we
will treat you kindly and honestly.
One night whilst out on this trip il
was my happy lot TO rest my weary
bones at the hospitable home of my old
friends, Mr.. and Mrs. j. r. Sullivan,
who seemed to anticipate my every
want and supplied them with very
generous hands. May Gods blessings
follow each of them.
II was a great pleasure also to meet
Professor II. T. Jones and his charm
ing wife and little girl at this place,
who gave us some of the sweetest
music | ever heard on his thousand
uOildr NlOln, Wnlcn was maze Dy Joseph
kloz in August 1870, making it about
$50 years old. Strange to say, and it
seems incredible, but it is a fact, that
the violin is in perfect state Of pres
ervation, and while its tone is very
soft, it can, / am sure, be heard mile
distant distinctly. | would not forget
to mention two young ladies who werc
also present. They were Misses Jones
and Hill. Miss Jones a relative of my
hosts, and Miss Hill the teacher in the
family. To say the least of these
charming young ladies / found them
very entertaining and affable. Miss
Jones is a natural musician and accom-
panied Prof. Jones with the organ.
wonder that the boys don't take these
lovely girls in if they can get them;
that may be the trouble.
Yours truly,
l.. L. Coleman, Lahore, Va.