The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-05-22

uer the mistaken impression that our country
is at present capable OF producing sufficient
quantity Tor ats own consumption. e-s
Any thing that would tend permanently 10 ad.
vance the price of iron, by increasing the de-
maud, would tend to increase It's inscrlority in
point OF intrinsic value, for when any article ia our
markets ofhome manufacture produces the high
est price, and is in demand, ii is frequently hur
RED Oh hand IN a very unfinished and sloven,y
manner, even in such an imperfect state as would
not IN common times sell at any price-itis there
lore nece ssary, that our country should be pro-.
tected from Imposiiians OF this kind, and that in
stead OF prohibiting the importation of iron, as
some would have At, it should continue to be en-
couraged nnt'l we can he supplied at home with
less hazard-these occasion al remarks you can
think of, and if proper, use them to advantage.
{M)
BosToN, Aug, 1909,
The Importance in Massachusetts OF nail
machinery, and of all that relates to rolling
and Sitting mills. with which nail rnachin
cry is Immediately connected. REQUIRES
that particular account should be given of
them.
In old countries, nails are forged here,
they are cut, & 1t is curious to trace the pro-
crosses OF American genais. through the va.
riouS steps OF this invention. Twenty years
ago some men. now unknown, and then OBJ .
scnre. began by cutting slices out of old hoops
ana by common vice gripping those pie.
ces, headed them with several strokes of the
hammer Gradually Sitting mills were
ouile and the shares aad the heading tools
were perfcctioned yet much labor and cx
pence were requisite TO make nails. In
little while, Jacob Perkins, Jonathan Ellis.
and few others put into execution the
Thought OF cutting and of heading nails By
water Out more intent upon their machin-
cry tnan upon their pecuniary affairs, they
wers unable to prosecute the business
At different times, different men have spent
tor uses in improvements, and it may be
said with truth. more than million Of dol
lars but At least these joint efforts are
crowned with complete success, and we are
now able to manufacture at about one third
OF the eXpence that wrought nails can be
manutac tured for, nails which are SUPERIOR
to them for at least a of the proposed are
applied, and which tor s of those purpo-
ses to which are as good. The machine
made use OF by Od,crne, that lately inven
tea ny Jonathan Ellis. and a few others
present very hns specimens Of American &C.
MUS.
10 northern carpenters it is well known
that In almost all instances. it is nos neces-
sary to bore the wood before driving cut
nail All that is required is to place the
cutting edge across the grain o. The wood -
IL Is also true that cut nails will hold bet :
ter in the wood. These qualities are in some
Instances, worth twenty per cent of the va
lue OF the article, which is equal 10 the whole
expence OF manufacturing IT. For sheath
ing and drawing, cut nai.s are full as good
as wrought naiis. Oily in one respect are
the best wrought nails little superior to
cut nails, ann that is where it is necessary
they should be cliuched. Ihe manufacture
n ~ ~ aS
and has within its bosom advanced through
all The various stages of infancy to manhood,
and no doubt we shall be soon able, by re
ceiving proper encouragement, TO render
them superior to wrought nails i'll every par.
ticuiar.
The principal business of rolling and slit
ting mills is rolling nail plates. Fhey also
serve to make nall rods, hoops, tires. sheet
iron. and sheet copper In this state, we
have not less than twelve, viz.
AT D1ver--one owned by the Boston iron
and nail factory. which is composed OF John
aud Samuel Weiies, aud x. Whiting.
AT Piym1uth-One owned by Samuel
Spear. w Davis and Nath Russell.
At Dover, Beverly, Amsbury-One each.
all incorporated companies, owned in part. /
presume, by William Gray, Samuel Gray *
Osgood.
Al Newton--One owned by Rufus Ellis,
gen. Elliot and others.
AT NOrton---~Ope.
AT Taunton---Three owned by Leonard
and Croker and others.
At Two.
These mills could roll and slit 7 900 tons
OF iron year. They now, it is presumed,
roll and Slit each year, about 8 500 tons, 2,
200 tons OF which, PROBABLY are cut up into
nails and brads These 500 tons sen tor
as much as 700 600 dollars, and we may call
American labor and profits 5. 5 OF it, when
foreign iron is emp Dyed, and the whole Of
IL, when our iron Is made use Of
1t is not useless to observe, that the con
sumption OF cut mails has Increased in pro-
portion as their manufacture has been brot
TO perfection. As late as ten years ago. il
was very small, and the increase has been
much less rapid than it would have been had
the rivalship' offoreIgn nails not stood in the
way.
lhe English iron imported into this coun
Try, either IN bars or IN nail plates, Z, in nail
rOds, or IN hoops, is not good for any thing
nor are tires manufactured with it OF any use.
Out OF the ore they roll the iron into bars.
without hammering it. which saves them
much eSpence but the consequence is, that
although the ore be good, ana although tile
iron looks well, yet il is not compact AZ all
mas no strength and good as the raz0rs OF
refer fInddr, "to sell but not TO use. - The
TACT is the British never employ il i'm their
OVID Country, nor can man while ne is buy
ing hsOp, or tire, or a cut nail, distin
guISh whether IL wac made mr. of r.