xt7gms3jx852 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7gms3jx852/data/mets.xml Procter, John Robert, 1844-1903. 1880 books b96-13-34924505 English s.n., : [Frankfort, Ky. : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Mines and mineral resources Kentucky. Iron ores Kentucky. Coal Kentucky. Resources of the North Cumberland Valley, comprising parts of Whitley, Knox, Bell, Harlan, and Letcher counties / by John R. Procter. text Resources of the North Cumberland Valley, comprising parts of Whitley, Knox, Bell, Harlan, and Letcher counties / by John R. Procter. 1880 2002 true xt7gms3jx852 section xt7gms3jx852

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF KENTUCKY.

JOHN R. PROCTER, DIRECTOR

RESOURCES
OF THE

NORTH CUMBERLAND VALLEY

COMPRISING PARTS OF

WHITLEY, KNOX, BELL, HARLAN, AND LETCHER COUNTIES.

BY JOHN R. PROCTER.

PART IV. VOL. VI. SECOND SERIES.

291 & 292

This page in the original text is blank.

INTRODUCTORY LETTER.

OFFICE OF THE KENTUCKY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
AND BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION,
FRANKFORT, Ky., October 26, I880.
To His Excellency, LUKE P. BLACKBURN,
Governor of Kentucky:
SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith for your approval
a Report on the Resources of the North Cumberland Valley,
hoping that the information therein contained may call atten-
tion to the great natural advantages of that section, and aid in
its development and in the securing of transportation facilities
necessary to make these resources available.
I remain, sir, most respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
JOHN R. PROCTER,
State Geologist.
293 & 294.

This page in the original text is blank.

THE RESOURCES OF THE NORTH CUMBER-
LAND VALLEY.

The topography and geology of this region will be under-
stood by a study of the section given below and the accom-
panying maps. The Cumberland Mountain to the eastward
forms the eastern boundary of the great Apalachian coal-
field. The line between Kentucky and Virginia follows the
top of Cumberland Mountain from Cumberland Gap to a
point near Crank's Gap, about forty miles to the northeast,
where the mountain bends to the eastward and extends into
Virginia. From this point the line follows the top of the
Black Mountains until it reaches the Pine Mountain near
Pound Gap. Pine Mountain, caused by a recnrit fault, extends
from the Virginia line near Pound Gap to a point on the Ken-
tucky-Tentessee line in Whitley county, where .it is broken
through by the Clear Fork ot the Curiber and river, and
continues in Tennessee past Elk Creek Gap IL -w;l be seen
from the following section that the region to be described,

BLACK MOUNTAINSX

A Vallcy ofStraight Creek C Sub Carb. Limestone
B Valley ofthe Proor Fork of Cumberland River D Pool Valley

lying between these mountains, is composed of carboniferous
rocks of great thickness resting in a broad synclinal valley.
This great valley is drained by the waters of the North Cum-

'The massive sandstone capping Pine and Cumberland Mountains is the conglomerate
at the base of the coal measures.
295

RESOURCES OF THE NORTH CUMBERLAND VALLEY.

berland, the stream passing through a gap in Pine Mountain
at Pineville, the county seat of Bell county. The valleys have
an elevation of from i,ioo feet to i,5oo feet, and the moun-
tains an elevation of from 2,000 to 3,500 feet above the sea.
The accompanying photograph of Yellow Creek Valley well
represents the character of this region. The view is taken
from Cumberland Gap, looking northwest. It will be ob-
served that the slopes of these mountains are gentle, often
not too steep for cultivation, and that on the uplands are
broad, fertile plateaus many miles in extent. There is less
waste land than in any mountain region with which I am ac-
quainted. 'The mountains in this region are known by various
local names, such as Canada Mountain, Log Mountain, Little
and Big Black Mountain. In this report they will all be called
the Black Mountains. This region possesses such a remark-
able combination of soil, climate, water, timber resources, coal
and iron, that it needs but to be known to receive proper
attention from persons seeking desirable homes and a field
for profitable investments. I hazard nothing in saying it is
a region of unsurpassed resources.

SOIL.
I believe the name Black Mountains was given to designate
the deep, rich soil with which these mountains are covered.
The soils of this entire region surpass any coal-measure soils
within my knowledge. Dr. David Dale Owen, Director of
the first Geological Survey, says:
"The richness of the soil on the slopes, and even on the
summit of the Log Mountain, is a matter of surprise, sup-
porting a heavy growth of walnut, cherry, oak, poplar, locust,
and chestnut. The black, rich mold of the Log Mountains is
owing to prevalence of dark carbonaceous shales, which no
doubt contain more or less lime, either in the substance of
the shale itself, or derived from the calcareous segregations
-herein imbedded. The Log Mountain and its peculiar for-
mation extends into Harlan county, and is continued under

Volume I, old series, pages 222-3.
296

the name of the ' Big and Little Black Mountains' from south-
west to northeast, until it reaches the Virginia line."
The above attests the fertility of the soil on the uplands.
Dr. Robert Peter, Chemist of the Geological Survey, and
widely known for his great abilities as an agricultural chemist,
after an examination of these soils, says: "6The soil from
the plateau and summit is much richer than might have been
expected. Its large proportion of organic and volatile mat-
ters, as well as alkalies in the insoluble silicates, indicate the
influence of the primeval forest growth, with which it is cov-
ered, in retaining the elements of fertility on the surface.
The unusually large proportion of silicates, rich in alkalies,
in the rock material from which the soil was derived, may
have been another cause."
Mr. L. H. DeFriese, in his report on the forests of the
North Cumberland, after describing the depth of soil on the
slopes of the mountains, says:t "The consequence is, that
in the parts of the Black Mountains familiar to me, even on
the steepest slopes, there is a rich soil of from two to four
feet in depth. For this reason there is a growth of chestnut,
yellow poplar, black walnut, white and blue ash, birch, linden,
and white hickory that I have never seen surpassed."

TIMBERS.
As Mr. L. H. DeFriese has made the study of timbers a
specialty, the following extracts from his report on the timbers
of the North Cumberland" well attest the peculiar richness
of that section in valuable timbers.
Of a section made by him across the mountains, near the
line between Bell and Harlan counties, he says: -About 500
feet below the crest of the mountain I found a remarkable belt
of the finest old forest walnut timber I have ever seen.
The walnut is growing on a very rich, loamy soil, partly de-
tritus and partly decayed vegetable matter, about two feet

297

Page 35, Chemical Report, Part I, Vol. IV, new series.
t Page 5, Part IX, Vol. IV, new series, Kentucky Geological Survey.
I Part IX, Volume IV, new series, Kentucky Geological Reports.

SOIL-TIMtBERS.

8 RESOURCES OF THE NORTH CUMBERLAND VALLEY.

deep, almost entirely devoid of undergrowth. This
walnut-bearing belt winds along the mountain as far as I had
time to trace it. On the northern exposure opposite,
on the contrary, about thirty-five per cent. of the timber was
massive yellow poplar, many trees of which were six and
seven feet in diameter, with trunks sixty to eighty feet high.
The white hickory and blue and black ash rank
next in value, and they all abound in the Black Mountains
especially. The red maple, which is growing into
favor in cabinet work, also abounds in Bell and Harlan coun-
ties. The linden (Tilia Amnericana) is also found in large
quantities through these mountains, and is very valuable in
cabinet work," &c.
"After crossing (see page i5) into Harlan county, I made
a section to the top of Black Mountain up Gray's branch, and
came down a different way, so as to get two sections; the
results are here given in detail." I copy only a few references
from Mr. DeFriese's report. Ascending the hill at an eleva-
tion of ioo feet, he says: "The yellow poplars are five to
seven feet in diameter, with trunks sixty to eighty feet long.
The white ash is also extremely heavy, and the blue ash as
fine as I ever saw." At an elevation of 200 feet: " No per-
ceptible change in the splendor of the forest." The timber
remains of the same character, with such changes as are
noticed up to an elevation of Iojo feet, where he says: " The
splendor of the forest can hardly be imagined; the belt of wal-
nut before mentioned begins to show itself here, while the
yellow poplar, the chestnut, and the white hickory are of the
finest." "At this height (1,250 feet) crosses the curious belt,
twenty-five per cent. of whose timber is old forest walnut. In
size and quality these trees have no superior in this country, so
flir as I knowa." Elsewhere, speaking of this walnut belt, Mr.
DeFriese says: " One of the many magnificent walnut trees I
found in this peculiar belt was fourteen feet six inches in cir-
cumference, with a curling, but straight and beautiful, trunk,
sixty feet in length. In an area of twelve hundred and fifty
square yards in this belt, the principal timbers were:
298

TIMBERS-COAL.

Black walnut ........ 6; average diameter .... . 40 inches.
Buckeye ...... ........ 5; average diameter . . . . 29 inches.
White ash ...... ....... 3; one with diameter .. . 34 inches.
Linden.. ..... 6; average diameter... 23 inches."
In addition to the valuable timbers enumerated above, the
region described abounds in valuable white walnut, cherry,
elms, magnolias, sweet gum, beech, and other timbers. On
the slopes of Pine Mountain to the west, and Cumberland
Mountain on the east, are the timbers usually found on the
conglomerate sandstone - hemlock along the base of the
mountains, pitch pine (Pinus rigida), and the yellow pine
(Pinus mi/is), and chestnut oak, are very abundant and of
the best quality. Excepting the clearings in the valleys, the
timbers of this section remain almost untouched. The diffi-
culty of running logs over the falls of the Cumberland and
the Smith's shoals has been the cause of the preservation of
this magnificent timber region. According to the best esti-
mates I can make, at least ninety per cent. of this area is
yet covered with primitive forest growth. Taking the popula-
tion of Bell and Harlan counties as returned by the census of
1870, and the area as returned to the State Auditor, the pop-
ulation of these counties is 5.2 per square mile. The popu-
lation of Massachusetts was, in 1875, 211.78 per square mile,
and as this region is capable of supporting a larger population
per square mile by agriculture than Massachusetts, and the
manufacturing capabilities are as great, as will presently be
shown, it is reasonable to expect a great development in
the near future.

COAL.
The coal-measures have here a thickness of over two thou-
sand feet above drainage-thicker than elsewhere in America.
Thus far, only preliminary reconnaissance work has been done
by the Geological Survey, and the densely wooded condition,
with the depth of soil, is unfavorable for discovery of coal
beds; but enough has been done to establish the existence of
many beds of workable thickness and of very superior quality.
In a report on a reconnaissance in the Upper Cumberland sec-

TO RESOURCES OF THE NORTH CUMBERLAND VALLEY.

tion, Prof. A. R. Crandall says: " The thickness of the coal-
measures is greater by many hundred feet than in any other
part of Kentucky. The number of the coals is also greater.
The quality of the coals of this valley is most excel-
lent. The proportion of ash and sulphur is very low in all
that have been analyzed, with the exception of one cannel
coal, and the fixed carbon is high."
The following are analyses of some of these coals from
samples carefully averaged by members of the Geological
Survey, representing the entire thickness of bed. It must
be borne in mind that these samples were taken from imper-
fect openings, and cannot represent the coal at its best:

N.. No.. . No. 3. No.4. No. 5. No.6.No.7. N o.8.

Mote... . . . . . . ........... 36
Volatile combustible matter .. 35.70 30.06 3 .08 37 94 43.60 37.50 33.96 35.80
Fied cabon. 9.60 6e o859 4 58.40 47.80 57.90 55.559.54
Ash.3....0.3. .,, 3 46 0.36 o.r6 760 6.70 9.36 3.30
Total. on.o........ o ,oo.oo 1, a 10 o ,oo.oo ,ov.00

Coke.................. .8 .84
Solphur .......... o.7.6 o.6,8 0736 .o58 o55.o6- 6.674 6.975
Specific graity.1.289. 356 1;077 1260 1.602 1 .X76 '.304 0.280

No. I. Clover Fork coal, Harlan county, 54 inches thick.
No. 2. Skidmore Bank, Martin's Fork.
No. 3. Hignite Branch, Bell county.
No. 4. Clear Fork of Yellow creek.
No. 5. Cannel coal, Fork Ridge.
No. 6. Straight Creek coal.
No. 7, Fork Ridge; a four-foot coal above the cannel.
No. 8. Clear Fork, four feet thick.
As indicated on page 5, the line between Kentucky and
Virginia leaves the Cumberland Mountain about forty miles
east from Cumberland Gap, and traverses the crest of one
of the ridges of the Black Mountain, the divide between the
waters of the Upper Cumberland and Powell's river, so that
there is an area of coal measures in Southwestern Virginia.
A portion of this region was explored by Prof. J. P. Lesley

- Part XII, Vol. IV, second series, Kentucky Geological Reports.
300

in i871, and his report attests the value of the coals of that
section. He says, speaking of the six-foot bed: is At one
place, where the bed had been dug a little into, it yields the
best kind of bituminous coal, fat and caking, but friable, with
no appearance of sulphur, and making no clinker. It is a
good blacksmith coal, and no doubt will make a good coke.
A piece of ill-made coke shows that the best coke can be got
from it."
Prof. John J. Stevenson has recently made explorations on
the head waters of Roaring and Pigeon Fork of Powell's river,
near the Kentucky line, and reports coal of great thickness
and superior quality. The coals were analyzed by Mr. A.
S. McCreath, Chemist to the Geological Survey of Pennsyl-
vania. Referring to these analyses, Mr. McCreath says:t
" The above analyses speak for themselves, and indicate coals
of remarkable purity."
Prof. Stevenson adds: "This eight-foot seam will yield a
coke with considerably less than three per cent. of ash, and
with but little more than five-tenths of a per cent. of sulphur.
Such would be a marvelously rich coke, the percentage of
fixed carbon being somewhat more than ninety-six. The
Connellsville coke has somewhat less than ninety per cent.
of fixed carbon, the ash is between nine and ten per cent.,
whilst the average sulphur is about eight-tenths of a per
cent." I have a sample of coke carelessly made from this
coal which is excellent and of great strength.
An examination of the iron ores contiguous to the above-
mentioned coals will convey an appreciation of their value.
For purposes of comparison I give below analyses of the best
coals from neighboring States. These coals were sampled by
members of the Kentucky Survey in the same manner as were
the Kentucky coals, and were analyzed by the Chemists of
the Kentucky Survey. Dr. Robert Peter says: " Seven of
the best coals from the State of Ohio, two of the best of those
O Read before the American Philosophical Society April 21, 1871.
t Page 18, report to the Tinsalia Iron and Coal Company.
Page 146, Vol. 1, new series, Kentucky Geological Reports.
301

COAL .

I I

12 RESOURCES OF THE NORTH CUMBERLAND VALLEY.

of Illinois, and three of the celebrated 'Black Coals' of In-
diana, used there for iron smelting, &c., were submitted to
similar processes of analysis with our Kentucky coals. We
give results as follows: "

No. Volatile Fixed carbon Per cent. of Per cent. of
States. analyzed. comb. matter in coke. ash. sulphur.

Ohi o.... .. . 7 34.59 55.17 6.43 1 494
Illinois.2 31.95 59.06 5.96 1.924
Indiana... .. _ 3 35-93 54.24 7.23 1.946
General average.12 34. 13 56.12 6.54 1.768

Iron ores not so rich as can be had near the Upper Cum-
berland coals are carried hundreds of miles to be smelted by
the above coals in the three neighboring States.
Taking for comparison analyses of five celebrated coals
from the reports of the Second Geological Survey of Penn-
sylvania (Report "H. H."), as follows: "Cambria Iron Com-
pany's Mines," "1 Coal A, Woodcock Mine," " Kittanning Coal
E," " Cambria Coal and Coke Company," and the celebrated
"coking coal near Johnstown," as analyzed by the Chemist
of the Pennsylvania Survey, gave respectively of ash, 6.930,
5.750, 4.75o, 6.163, and 8.83, and of sulphur, 2.843, 0.567,
2.728, 2.352, and 2.78. The coals of the Upper Cumberland
Valley are not only very thick, but are above drainage, and
can be opened at small cost and mined very cheaply.
IRON ORES.
The position of the rocks, and the relation of the Clinton
Group, in which this ore, known as ",Clinton," "Dyestone,"
and "Fossil" ore is situated, to this region is shown in the
section on page 5. This Clinton ore extends irregularly along
the eastern escarpment of the Alleghenies from Canada to
Alabama. it is the principal source of local supply for the
furnaces of Pennsylvania, and is the source of supply for the
furnaces of the Roan Iron Company, Tennessee; the furnaces
in the Sequatchie Valley, and most of the furnaces in Eastern
Alabama. This ore is very persistent, and of good workable
302

thickness along the entire eastern edge of the region under
consideration, from Elk Gap in Tennessee to and beyond Big
Stone Gap in southwestern Virginia. The ore at Elk Gap
can find easy access to the coals of this region by way of the
proposed extension of the Knoxville and Ohio Railway down
the Elk Fork of the Cumberland. There has been a develop-
ment of this ore near Speedwell, in Tennessee, where it has
been smelted in a charcoal furnace. The ore can be brought
to the coal by tunnelling the Cumberland Mountain at one of
the gaps near that place. At Cunmberland Gap and eastward
there is a large deposit of this ore, well shown in the accom-
panying plate, taken from Mr. P. N. Moore's report on - The
Iron Ores in the Vicinity of Cumberland Gap." The several
beds of ore in this section, near the Gap, range in thickness
at from 22 inches to 27 inches. Eighteen miles east from
the Gap it is found 52 inches thick; at Pennington Gap, yet
further east, 35 inches thick, and at or near Big Stone Gap
the several beds range in thickness from 25 inches to 7 feet
2 inches.t
The quantity of this ore along the eastern outcrop of this
coal is unlimited. In quality an examination of the following
analysis will show that it is superior to the Clinton ores of
other localities.
SAMPLES AVERAGED BY MR. P. N. MOORE AND ANALYZED BY DR.
ROBERT PETER AND MR. JOHN H. TALBUTT, CHEMISTS OF THE SUR-
EV'.

Specific gravity......... .. .. . ... . .. .. . 3-942 3.914

Iron peroxide ....................... . 77.380 73-935
Alumina.5..7.
Manganese oxide............ . .. . 3.941 5.776
Lime carbonate........... ........... .420 4.510
Magnesia.. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . . tr. .266
Combined water ...................... . 2.500 3.850
Silica and silicates .5........ . ... .. . . .... iS.960 11.730

Percentage of iron ............. . . .. 54-.166 51.750
Percentage of phosphorus... ..... .. .. .. . .. . . 140 .140
Percentage of sulphur.t.... .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. . tr.

303

Part V, Volume IV, second series, Kentucky Geological Reports.
t Report of Prof. J. J. Stevenson, page 13.

IRON ORES.

1 3

14 RESOURCES OF THE NORTH CUMBERLAND VALLEY.

The following are analyses of ores from the Big Stone Gap
district-No. I the Clinton ore, and No. 2 a brown hematite
-by Mr. McCreath:

No. x. No. 2.

Metallic iron ............. ......... . 600 52.556
Sulphur . 01.8 0.037
Phosphorus.. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. . 0.116 0.051
Insoluble residue.18.140 7.840

For purposes of comparison, the reader is referred to the
analyses of the Clinton ores in Pennsylvania, in volume ", F,"
"Second Survey of Pennsylvania."
During the high price of iron in i872 the Clinton ores were
carried from Alabama to Louisville by rail, carted from the
railway through that city, and loaded on boats, and carried to
furnaces in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.
The excellent ores described above can be delivered to
furnaces along the Eastern border of the Kentucky coal-field
at prices ranging from 50 cents to 1.50 a ton. Prof. Steven-
son estimates' that pig iron can be made at Big Stone Gap at
8.25 per ton. The above is but a small part of the ore sup-
ply to be relied on by this region. The writer, in a report
made to the Kentucky Legislature in the winter of i875, says:
"The great Pine Mountain fault, extending across the State
from Pound Gap to the eastern portion of Whitley county,
brings the level of this ore (Clinton) above the drainage, but
it is so covered by the talus from the mountain that the ore
has not yet been seen. If this ore extends so far west, we
can reasonably expect to find it by drifting for it near the base
of Pine Mountain. The dislocation of the rocks in Elk Fork.
Tennessee, and the Sequatchie Valley anticlinal bring up this
ore and prove its westward extension, and as these disturb-
ances are but an extension of the Pine Mountain dislocation,
the evidence is strong that the ore is in place along the base
of Pine Mountain." Fragments of this ore have been found
in the valley of Straight creek, along the base of Pine Moun-
tain.
304

In addition to the above ores, the great thickness of coal-
measure rocks will undoubtedly yield a large supply of carbo-
nate ores. Little search has been made for iron ores in this
region, and the rocks are so covered with the deep soil and
luxuriant forest growth that outcrops of such ore would sel-
dom be seen. The fragments of such ores are numerous in
the streams, and some workable beds have been discovered.
The following are analyses of ores from the western part of
the region under discussion, made by Dr. Robert Peter for the
first Geological Survey:

A B C D E

Carbonate of iron.73-35 73 13 .. . . 67.72 63.60
Oxide of iron.3.36 4-94 8o.o 6.99 .....
Carbonate of lime..88 1.15 .18 3.38 .....
Carbonate of magnesia 2.67 1 59 . . .. 10.15 .
Carbonate of manganese. 1 49 3.74 .... .70 ...
Alumina.. . . .. .. . . .58 .79 X.88 I.'8 2.98
Phosphoric acid. . .63 16 . .76 .31
Bituminous matter.... . .... 3.25. .... ...... ... . .
Silex and insoluble silicates.. 9.88 9.95 2.48 8.48 17.25
Moisture and loss..... . i. X6 .63 12.66 o. 56 13 75

Percentage of iron.... . 39.20 38.81 56 37 37.60 44-53

A. Carbonate of iron, Log Mountain, Whitley county, Ky.
B. Carbonate of iron, under Cumberland Falls, Whitley county, Ky.
C. Limonite, headwaters of Mud Creek, Whitley county, Ky.
D. Carbonate of iron, mouth of Poplar Creek, Whitley county, Ky.
E. Limonite, south part of Pine Mountain, Whitley county, Ky.

There are good carbonates and limonites in Pulaski county,
Ky., near the head of Indian and other creeks, which can be
brought into this valley by the proposed railway (to be dis-
cussed hereafter) connecting the Cincinnati Southern with
the Cumberland river above the falls.
It is evident that this region has an abundant supply of ores,
and that only transportation to the markets of the country is
needed to insure the building up of an extensive iron industry.
In no region in the United States can iron be produced cheaper
than in this area between the Pine and Cumberland Mountains.
Second Chemical Report, page 276, Vol. 11, old series, Kentucky Geological Reports.
VOL. VI.-20 305

IRON ORES.

16 RESOURCES OF THE NORTH CUMBERLAND VALLEY.

A discussion of the advantages as an iron-manufacturing cen-
ter would be incomplete without reference to the very rich
and pure ores of the East Tennessee and Western North
Carolina section. I believe it will be found that no ores of
like richness and purity are to be found so convenient to pure,
cheap coals as are these ores.
The imports of iron ore to meet the extraordinary demands
for Bessemer pig-iron was, for the year ending December 31,
1879, 284,141 tons, mostly from Spain and the Mediterranean
ports.
It is estimated that the furnaces of Western Pennsylvania
will this year draw 500,000 tons of ore from abroad,+ mostly
from Spain and Algeria. The Lake Superior region produced
I,414,i82 tons last year, nearly all of which was carried to the
furnaces in the Apalachian coal-field, as was the product
from Iron Mountain, Missouri.
The production of steel in this country is not sufficient for
the increasing demands, and the importation of steel and
steel-making ores from abroad is largely on the increase.
In i879 thirty-four per cent. of all the iron produced in this
country was made into steel. The nearness of the very pure
ores of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina to the
pure coals in the Upper Cumberland region are an assurance
that, with transportation secured, that region will be one of
the great iron and steel-producing centers of the world. As
it requires about five tons of coke to produce a ton of finished
bar iron or steel, it is evident that these ores will be brought
to the coal, and for this reason we have an interest in the
quality, quantity, and future development of these ores.
The scope of this report will not permit anything beyond a
mere mention of some of the principal ores of the Unaka and
Blue Ridge section. The ore of most importance is probably
the celebrated magnetite ore near Cranberry, North Carolina,
and the extension of same ore in Carter county, Tennessee.
Prof. W. C. Kerr, State Geologist of North Carolina, says

Annual report of Secretary American Iron and Steel Association for 1879, page 17.
t Report of Prof. W. C. Kerr, on visit to Pittsburgh, made to the Governor of North
Carolina April, 1880.
306

IRON ORES.

of this ore: " In quality this ore is unsurpassed by any iron
in the world, and in regard to quantity, the bed much exceeds
the great deposits of Missouri and Michigan, and at least
equals anything in the Champlain region, so that it has not
probably an equal in this country."
The quality of the ore will be seen from the following
analyses:

No. I. No. 2. No. 3. No- 4- No. 5.

Magnetic oxide of iron... 94-37 91-45 85.59 80.77 91.89
Oxide of manganese.... . 0.29 o.o6 0.24 1.42 0-32
Aluminam.. .... 042 0.77 0.11 0.52 1.03
Lime. . .. . .. . .. .. 0.43 1.01 0.72 x.o6
Magnesia.. . .. . .. . . 0.36 0.53 0.33 0.23
Water.. .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. 0.44 1.53 8.21 1.15
Silica, pyroxene, &c.4.16 5.74 11.48 9.08 4.02

Metallic iron..... .. .. 68. 34 66.22 61.98 58.49 66.58

The first four of these analyses are by Dr. Genth, who
says: "The first three samples contain neither titanic acid
nor phosphorus and sulphur. The fourth contains a trace of
phosphoric acid." No. 5 was analyzed by Prof. Chandler, of
the Columbia College School of Mines, New York City, who
says: iI This is the best iron ore I have ever analyzed. It is very
rich in iron, and very free from sulphur and phosphorus."
In Carter county, Tennessee, near the State line, is an
extension of this wonderful deposit. There are also in John-
son and Carter counties other valuable iron ores. The fol-
lowing are analyses of some of these ores: t

No. t. No. 2. No. 3.

Combined oxygen.25.60 22.07 24.29
Water. .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . .. 0.22 5.41 o.67
Silica... . .. ... . . .. . 2.17 10.32 6.30
Sulphur.. . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . o.o6 0.03 o.o6
Phosphorus.... .. . .. . .. .. . .. . .. 0.003 0.09 0.07

Metallic iron.. 97 51.50 63.72

'Geology of North Carolina, Vol. I, 1875, page 266.
t See description of these ores, "i Tennessee, Its Agricultural and Mineral Wealth,"
Nashville, 1876; Dr. Safford's Geology of Tennessee, Nashville, 3869. 307

i8 RESOURCES OF THE NORTH CUMBERLAND VALLEY.

A system of railway already under contract will, within the
following year, bring the above-mentioned ores of Tennessee
and North Carolina in connection with the coal under discus-
sion. In Greene, Cocke, Blount, and other counties of East
Tennessee are high grade ores, which will be briefly referred
to in discussing the railway system of this region. The fine
deposits of ore in Bompass creek, Washington county, are
described in a paper read by Prof. J. P. Lesley before the
American Philosophical Society, May 3, 1872.
A remarkable deposit of iron ore is found in Rockingham
and Guilford counties, North Carolina. This ore is not only
valuable for the manufacture of high grade iron and steel, but
is highly prized as a lining for puddling furnaces. Five tons
were sent to the works of Mr. Nathan Rowland, Kensing-
ton, near Philadelphia, and, upon trial, this ore stood up three
times as long as the Champlain ore. Prof. J. P. Lesley, in
summing up the results of his investigations of this ore belt,
says: -It is an advantage, therefore, that while many Can-
ada ores hold 25 and 30 and 35 per cent. of titanic acid, your
company's ore has less than i5, leaving the percentage of
metallic iron over 50. At the same time you have all the ad-
vantages which the presence of titanium affords: iSt. Making
the ore so firm that it is the best possible for lining puddling
furnaces; 2d. Making the iroaz tougher and harder, like the
best Sweden iron; and, 3d. Imparting a certain quality (the
cause of which is not yet understood) which adapts the iron
especially for the manufacture of steel. The quality
of ore, although various, and suited to at least two branches
of the iron manufacture, is of the very first rate; none better
in the world.
."The soft ores will smelt easily and make magnificent
iron; absolutely the very best-perfectly malleable, tough,
and strong.
"The hard ores will command a high price for puddlers'
linings; will be in demand for mixing with poorer ores of
other regions in the blast furnace, to increase the quantity
'The Tuscarora Iron Ore Belt in North Carolina:" Philadelphia, 1871.
308

IRON ORES-TRANSPORTATION ROUTES.

and quality of their pig metal, and will have an especial value
for the Siemens and Bessemer processes and the steel manu-
factures generally. The quantity of the ore is limitless."
In Chatham and Orange counties is another remarkable
deposit of iron ores. The Chapel Hill ore, a dense, steel-grey
hematite, specular in part, slightly magnetic, is from 7 to 30
feet thick, has 65.77 per ce