180 Journal of the Mitchell Society [March 



Brown properties of the "River Belt"; the Waughbank, the 



Graybeal, the Ballou-Piney Creek, Francis, McClure, Poison 



Branch, Falls, and Red Hill properties of the "Poison Branch 



Belt"; and the Kirby and Sturgill properties of the "Helton 



Creek Belt." 



River Belt 



The principal property examined in this belt is known as 

 the Calloway property, the mineral interest of which is owned 

 by Mr. Uriah Ballon. It adjoins a portion of the old N. B. 

 Ballon property, the mineral interest of which is now owned by 

 the Virginia Iron, Coal and Coke Company. The iron ore ont- 

 crops at the top of the hill, and has been developed by means 

 of cuts and tunnels, so that the ore is exposed at various points 

 from the top of the hill to the creek, 150 feet or more below. 

 The principal development work on the Calloway property is a 

 tunnel that was started about 140 feet below the top of the hill. 

 This tunnel was extended in a N. 35° E. direction for a distance 

 of 103 feet, when it encountered the iron ore. A cross-cut was 

 made in order to determine the width of the ore, and it 

 exposed a width along the cross-cut of 27 feet 8 inches, which 

 would give a width across the vein of about 20 feet. The strike 

 of the vein is approximately N. 45° E. The cross-cut, after 

 penetrating the ore, was turned IST. 70° E., and then 60° west, 

 followirg the hanging wall until it again encountered the ore, 

 which it followed for a distance of 17 feet 8 inches without pene- 

 trating the ore body. This gave a horizontal distance of about 

 30 feet along the vein. This same ore body outcrops at the sur- 

 face at several places between this level and the top of the hill. 

 By means of float and a few cross-cuts this ore belt can be. traced 

 in a southwesterly direction for a distance of about a mile across 

 what is known as the Davis property and the ISTeaves property, 

 when it crosses the north fork of New River. The deposit nar- 

 rowed considerably, but where it crosses the river it is reported 

 to have a width of 12 feet. On the Calloway property it is esti- 

 mated that there is a distance of 450 feet of the vein from the 

 tunnel to where it crosses onto the property owned by the Vir- 

 ginia Iron, Coal and Coke Company. Average samples of the 

 ore as exposed in the tunnel were taken across the vein, where 



