Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-12-20

limestone for fux there is left GER
tain percentage Of screenings, which
by proper grinding and screening
have double, and even triple the value
OF the fiux stone for glass making,
fertilizer and road material.
In the Eastern Panhandle area OF
West Virginia, near Martinsburg, rs
miles west of Washington city, is a
broad limestone valley famous for its
fertility OF soil. rich farms and large
orchards. This limestone, known by
the biologists as the Shenandoah
Limestone, varies in color from a
light gray through a dark blue to
black. The upturned edges of this
formation, running parallel in long
lines, with trend % to 80 degrees
east of north, making a striking
feature in the topography of the re-
gion.
| Most of this limestone is more or
less magnetism and high in silica, but
here and there over a belt "a miles
long and of varying width to the
north and south of Martinsburg are
moro or less lenticular-shaped depos.
It's Of the low-sihiea limestone. These
lenses vary in width from a few feet
up to 900, and in exceptional cases
500 feet. In length they seldom exceed
one-half to a mile The rock dips at
nigh angie. and is bordered by shales
Inr lower grade limestone. The
stone has been drilled to a depth of
200 feet with diamond drin, and the
bottom of the hole was still limestone.
The silica increases somewhat with
depth, but IN the bore holes examined
the silica was below / per cent. to
depth of 100 feet. The lenses in
some cases pinch out in width to the
north and south; is other lenses the
stone dips under heavy cover OF 9th
or stone and disappears to north or
south, or both. A few of the belts have
been traced with a length of two
mics without break. The high
grade deposits are approximately par
allel and appear in this district to lie
in four different belts. One belt is
found 10 miles south of Martinsburg
at Bueker Hill, and continues aegth
to Darkesville, five miles, and Is
found in the quarries west OF the
town OF startinsburg. 4 second belt
Is found 10 lhe auaFies south OF the
town, thener north by the Security
quarries 70 the river west Of Pines.
burg. Md. A third belt is found three
miles east OF town and following north
to east Of Falling Waters on the river
The fourth, farther east does not show
large deposits until the Potomac
River is reached at the north. This
belt has not yet been opened, but
gives promise of good future quar-
ries. The different belts are not con.
tionus on thes urface. but dip down
below the more impure rock for quite
a distance, then come to the surface
again.
In these belts are found a series
Of parallel high-grade lodges separ.
ated by other limestone, and they
present folds of the same stratum
with the tops of the folds eroded
away. This feature is well shown in
the tracts south and east of Martins
burg. This parallel Arrangement of
high-grade lodges and the large tor
mage available are unique in the
limestone fields of this country and
render the district an ideal location
for the quarry industry Of high-grade
lux stone The industry is really in
i.s infancy as far as development is
concerned. There are as large and
valuable deposits today on the mar
ke; at reasonable prices as have a.
ready been opened by existing com.
paaies. The development of This fdx.
ing industry in this section will be
Wy rapid in the next few years and
affords a promising field for profitable
investments Two steel companies
now own tracts of this limestone, but
have not opened them. Ano her
ST. company is operating 1uarriee,
and stu smother is making prepara.
items to operate on large scai..
Representatives of other steel com.
r"nies are looking over the lcld.
Since not all the stone in this area
is high grade, il becomes very i'm.
Portant in locating sites for plants
to secure a Sufficient acreage of the
good stone. This involves very care
full prospect work, followed by thor.
ough testing of the formation. Re-
cent work has EXTENDED the field in
two separate areas over into Mary
1