It is stated by the Commissioner of the
General Land Office, in his report before referred to, of November,
1860, 'that an acre of coal, three feet thick, is equal to the product
of 1,940 acres of forest trees; and each acre of a coal seam four feet
in thickness, and yielding one yard of pure coal, is equivalent to 5,000
tons, and possesses, therefore, a reserve of mechanical strength in its
fuel, equal to the life labor of more than 1,600 men.'
This statement of the Commissioner is made on the highest authority, and
proves the vast natural advantages of Virginia over New York. Virginia,
also, has far more abundant mines of iron, more widely diffused over the
State, reaching from tide water to the Ohio. She has also these iron
mines in juxtaposition with coal and all the fluxes. Virginia, also, has
valuable mines of gold, lead, and copper. New York has no gold or copper
mines, and produced in 1860 but $800 worth of lead. (Table 14.)
HYDRAULIC POWER.--Omitting Niagara, which thus far scorns the
control of man, the hydraulic power of Virginia very far exceeds that of
New York. It is to be found on the Potomac and its tributaries, and upon
nearly every stream that flows into the Chesapeake or Ohio. The superior
mildness of the climate of Virginia makes this power available there for
a much greater portion of the year.
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