The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-08-01
THE CALIFORNIAN,
Correspondence of the Caledonian
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES by a
Traveller.

First,is the Broad mountain, the summit OF
which is pine plain about three miles wide
Next, Locust Mountain, and then the
Biz Mountain, through which is a notch
called Bear Gap, that seems to have been left
nv nature on purpose for road. The stage
passes through in the night, occupying about
twelve hours in the passage, but route for u
Rail Road has been surveyed which by making
many circuitous windings is intended to con-
meet Potisvlle and Dnnville.
Dnnville laws on the North bank of the
North branch fthe Susquehanna, and is cell
cbrated for its iron works. Iron is found in
.rreat abundance and excellent quality through
district twenty miles long and several miles
wide. The veins lay in an inclined plane, be
tween the layers of rock, and is of two kinds,
the hard ore which is readily broken off in
blocks, when the soft stone, above and below,
is removed and the ore, which is a mixture
of clay, shale and iron.
Montour Mountain in which these several
deposits are abundant, rises directly north
west of the village of Danville, and the Mon
tour Iron Works are situated at its base. The
company have three anthracite furnaces which
have now been in blast about two years, from
which they make thirty three tons of iron dali
", or twelve thousand tons yearly. They
have Rail Roads running directly to the drifts
in the mountain, whence the is procured,
none of which is transported over half a mile.
Their coal is brought through the North
Branch Canal from Wilkesbarre-ffty miles
above, and is discharged from the boats within
n stone S throw ofthcir furnace. They have n
new furnace nearly completed which is de-
signed to do much business their two
largest now in operation.
The Rolling Mill belonging to the same
company for the manufacture of rail road iron
is situated near the furnace and covers nearly
l-2 acres ofground, 1t contains eleven pud-
ding furnaces, (from each of which are taken
about fifty loops day,) and ten heating furna-
ces The pig iron is taken from the furnace
and subjected first to a refining process by melt
ing. Enough ofthe metal is then put into n
pudding furnace to make about ten loops,
which is subjected to an intense heat, & work
ed over with bars, until it is rolled up into mass
es containing from 100 to 1875 lbs These loops
are then taken to a machine for pressing
them, very much resembling the jaws Of an
dlHdloT III WHICH tney are NnuHCHeu anu CneW-
ed, with all the ease that man would chew
quid of tobacco, until it assumes a cylindrical
form about twenty inches long and six to eight
inches in diameter. These monstrous Jaws are
kept in constant operation AS soon one
loop assumes the right shape another is thrust
into them,a and when one furnace is exhausted,
the contents of another are ready to undergo
the same process.
These rough hamme red masses of iron are
next placed IN a heating furnace, and from
thence are passed through the rolling mill,
and made into bar iron. The bars about an
inch thick and six or eight inches wide, are
cut into pieces about two feet long, by a pair
of shears which clips off the bar as easily as a
merchant cuts off piece of tape. Enough
of these pieces to make rail twenty feet long
are placed together and laid in the heating
furnace until they reach welding or white
heat, when they are taken out and passed
through several rollers, revolving with i'm
mense power, until they are drawn out into
the regularly shaped rail, weighing $50 to
400 lbs each. AS finishing process the rails
are placed on a carriage and passed up to two
circular saws, which cut offthe rough ends,
and the bar is then ready to lay in the track.
In this way about thirty tons of rail are man
utactured in a day. or some ten thousand tons
ayear, which the company now selling at
their works for eighty five dollars per ton
Both the rolling mill and flu rnaces are work
ed necessarily, and two sets of hands are en-
ployed, day set and a night set.
lhe consumption of coal in these works is
immense About eighty tons is used daily in
the furnace and about as much more in the
Rolling Mill, equal to Sc, 900 tons in yeur.-
About three hundred hands are employed in
the rolling mill, and about many more in
mining, in the furnace, and in and out of door
work about their works Add to these six
hundred, those who are employed in digging
the coal and transporting it to the works, and
IN freighting their manufactures to the places
where they are used, and the number cannot
be much less than 1000, who are dependent on
this company for employment. Most OF them
have families averaging four or FIVE, so that
IRON five to six thousand. are supported by
their wages. These are all consumers, and
serve in turn to support other mechanics, and
the produce OF no small region of country is
requisite to supply the wants of so many
mouths. The advantages of this manufactur-
ing establishment to the country are obvious.
In addition to the vast amount of agricultural
products which here find ready and good
market, and the employment which it gives
to numberless other mechanics, there is nearly
million of dollars saved to the country which
would otherwise be sent to England for the
purchase of rails. In other words, the Rail