GEOLOGY OF GILES COUNTY, VIRGINIA 
363 
through the washer, the concentrates were hauled in trams 
from the plant to the base of Wolf Creek Mountain. From this 
point, the ore was carried to First Ford station by means of an 
incline railroad. Here, it was transferred to standard cars for 
shipment. Of necessity, this transportation method greatly in- 
creased production costs. 
The deposit is in the Giles sandstone which is probably of 
Oriskany age. The sandstone appears on the surface as well 
as in the workings. There are pockets of ore and sandstone 
fragments up to ten feet in width, which extend down to some 
twenty-five feet. These are thought to be zones of fissuring in 
the anticlinal arch of sandstone, which have become impregnated 
with ore formed by the accumulation of residual materials in 
the fissures as the rock weathered. 
Scattered masses of ore at the surface indicate that the de- 
posit extends east and west some nine hundred feet and north 
and south a little over three hundred feet. A drill hole seventy- 
two feet in depth is said by Mr. Stange to have found the ore 
continuous at least to that depth. The minerals are manganite, 
pyrolusite, psilomelane, the last named being most common at 
the surface. Pyrolusite is the chief mineral found at depth. It 
is of a fine grade, suitable for metallurgical purposes. The mine 
has by no means been exhausted, and future developments may be 
expected as soon as present transportation difficulties are over- 
come. 
Other Prospects 
No other prospect for manganese in Giles County approaches 
the Stange mine in size or possibilities. Pyrolusite float can be 
found here and there almost any place in the county. On account 
of this fact, when the war boosted manganese prices, attempts 
were made to develop a number of prospects which were without 
commercial value. 
Laing Prospects 
This prospect is two miles northeast of the village of Newport. 
Newport is a village in the southeast corner of Giles County, a 
mile south of Sinking Creek and 7-8 miles east of Eggleston. 
A group of openings has been made on a hill top about a mile 
north of Sinking Creek. The elevation is 2600 feet and seems 
to mark the level of a former peneplain, now largely destroyed. 
The prospect is underlain by Shenandoah lime (Knox dolomite 
