Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-08-15

WHICH fiVsOuTg presents 10 them, IN the hope
that instead Of aiding to destroy the tariff. they
will look to the many points, equally well stu.
ated, with coal and iron round them, upon
which cities may be made 10 grow up, and. like
it, become market for the vast agricultural
products Of their fertile regions.
The next most important product Of Penusyl.
vania is her manufactures of iron. i.s
by the census Of 1910, the number of fur.
naces in Pennsylvania wss2I3. Returns were
procured in ls42 from large number Of them
showing them TO be capable Of producing l52,.
600 tons Of pig metal. The tarif'of 1s42 found
the fires OF nearly all these furnaces ex,inguish.
ed, their workmcn idle, and their families in
many cases without the means of subsistence.
And it is melancholy truth that many debts
then contracted for the means Of living are stilI
unpaid from the savings Of years Of hard labor.
Since the passage of the bill of ls42 more
than 100 new furnaces have been built, which
produce 1880 tons of me,al-more than 100
per cent. Of an increase.
The investment Of capital to produce one ton
Of charcoal pig metal is estimated at $41, and
for anthracite pig metal $25. These sums
multiplied by the amounts Of charcoal and en-.
,hracite metal annually produced by the fur.
naces that have been erected since 1912, shows
a capital of sc OOO 600 invested in the business
since that time. This and the ca pita previous-
ly invested, with the amount necessary to put
the metal in the castings, &C., makes the whole
investment about s2O,OOO0OO This is Who'll.
ly independent Of the current expenditures ne.
ceseary to produce the iron.
The metal produced by these furnaces annu.
ally, in it's raw state, is worth $ll,OOO.0OO. II
one.halt Of it, which 10 probable, is converted
into bar or other coarse iron, it cannot be done
for less than an expenditure Of $9.O00. 900 T;
and If the other half be put into castings. it will
cost S4.000OW. Thue showing an actual ex.
penditure Of 24DO0UOO of dollars annually in
the neighborhood Of the furnaces the greater
part Of which is paid to the farmer, the labUrer,
and the mechanic. of the surrounding country.
A careful estimate shows that ABOUT seuen-
teen thousand men are necessary to produce
the iron made in Pennsylvania this year, in the
capacity of laborers and mechanics, in come
xion with its immediate production. Allowing
six persons TO . family, and we have ocer a
hundred thousand persons Immediately con.
ucc,ed with the labor OF theee furnaces. The
labor necessary to convert this metal into bare,
hoops. casting. rilwuy iron, &C., &c, would
fully equal sno,hes hundred thousand persons.
In thi. estimate there is no account taken o
The Thousand upoa thousands of persons enga
ged in the various pursuits growing out Of, and
indirectly connected with, the manufacture o.
iron. i n-al' f.-H rt ft-s.a .-tf
have given here statement of the manu-
facture Of iron in it's first stages only. hav,
no means Of estimating The number Of person,
or the amount Of the capital employed in con
verting i, into machinery, mechanical user ant
the endless variety of fabrics into which il en-
tiers.
Every vil.sge in the State has one or mor'
foundrics; every large town has it's machine
shops and the sound Of the steam engine greet
your ear at every turn. have not had time Il
pursue this Investigation in oil its minor details
There is no means Of estimating the variety O
use TO which Il 10 destined to be applied.
is already used extensively in boats, and to som
extent in ships of the largest class and it j
the only material of which ships engaged il
the commerce Of the gulf can be made proc
against the destructive character of the marin
worms of that region.
Wha, have done has been with view q
showing the great Importance ofthis trade, nov
} threatened with destruction with no motive
, that can see, unless il be TO build up in tn
south !urdly aristocracy WHO have no concep
, tion Of the dignity Of labor. II shall no. b
, said hereafter that this calamity was brough
> upon the laborng men Of my country withou
oil the effort In my power to prevent it. NJ
, sympa,hies are with these people. corn
. from among the children Of toll, and, by cor
$ slant application and honest labor, have reach
/. ed the proud position l occupy to-day. TIL
. best legacy could desire to leave my chldre
would be the fact that | had contributed To d.
feat measure frsught. ss believe this Is. viii
. calamity to those with whom have mingie
1 ali my life. These lsboring men are mostl
= democrats. Their employers arc frequentl
Q otthe opposite politics; yet, with the freedo,
9 and Independence that hope will ever chara,
g terize the yeomanry Of this land, they vote eI
J. tirely untrammelled. They will be surprise
% to be told now that the doctrine of a protecti,
J. tariff. which they have slwsys believed in At
d sustained, is not democratic.