Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1847-05-24
"sAIsy Is. 1886
From Hunts .Nercbanis' .Harn.ine.
MANUFACTURE or RAILROAD IRON IN
THE EMITTED S'rATkS

WE give place 10 the owing communication from m
intelligent correspondent residing AT lynchburg Va and
| large stakeholder in The "Icd,yar Iron Company y
Of that State Our correspondents it will he seen refers
TO an extract from the 'Niners' journal publ shed in
the Merchants Magazine for January 1876 in which il
Is stated that the first railroad iron was made in ISti
and 10 correspondent in subsequent number Of our
journal. who states that the Great Western Iron Com
Pany on the AllrSahy river produced IN 1872, TWO
hundred ions OF railroad iron:
10 The Editor Of Ike hcrciauis .N'aga.ine and Com
mercioi Rcrie,r:
Sir-ln the January number Of your truly yanslle
work lind an article the manufacture of III road iron
taken from the Miners journal. in which il is stated
that only Two years have elapsed since the first ton Of
railroad ron made in this country; and AGAIN in
your February number, this subject is noticed s tn he
lt expressed that the credit is due 10 the '.Great Yves
tern Iron Company Of Pennsylvania fr int nenr ia
Important branch If the iron business into Cur cunrv-
Both OF these statements erroneous. doubtless unn-
entionay so. have no doubt that the nst railroad
iron made in the United States Was manufactured by The
Ire egar Iron Works, at Richmond, Va The evidence
will offer to sustain the claims Of Richmond. is think
pretty conclusive give ii in extract from lrttrl
Of John T. Tanner Esq. secretary Of the Iedgar Iron
Company, dated Richmond, LIST February. lsi6 10 HON
made Application Tor accurate information after reading
you, January number, lest my memory shpud mslcad
me. Mr. Tanner says. "the first railroad iron nadn al
these works was manufactured In (lS?1) eighteen hun
dr'd and thirty seven. In 1893, made consi,lera-
bic quantity for the Richmond Fredericksburg and Pc
tomac Railroad Company ard other roads in tbs y att,
Ever since that period, occasional orders for railroad iron
have been executed at these works he reeopar work,
were erected in 1867; commenced operations ihink
the 9Th May, 1887 They were built by Edward Gun
bingham, j I'm a. Cunningham, and Francis b Deaue
Jr, who conducted them on private account till lst Jan
uary 1888; whena joint stock company WIS formed nm
der charter obtained from te legislature at the scs
sion Of 1887 g; To which company Mossrs. Dcane <
Cunningham sold their works. Soh would seem tina
The individuals " no projected and Completed the Iede
gar rolling mill were the pioneers in the manufacture O
railroad non in the United States
Tie capital stock of the TIodegar Iron Company j,
S2so00; the annual product turned out about S$5OO0t
coal consumed, from 10000 10 20O,UOO bushels; PIG
non about 1000 tons; Annual payments for labor, from
$1,000 10 bo,0d0 dollas. THIS establishment manuac
lures as great variety OF sizes Of bar iron rods hoops
bands. extra SIZES rounds and squares. locomotive en-
9lnos, screw noulds, boat plates and rods fer vesse-
as any other III the Union. The quality Of It's praduc-
iinn equal 10 the best iron found markets. Of I'm
glsh or Amer ian manufacture. Besides the extensive
works for making mallcabe iron u almost every d,scrip
lion which the wants of commerce require there is attach
ed to them very large foundry with machine shofe 6
ted up IN the best manner with lahes, Sc. for budino
steam engines sugar mills and indeed machinery Of owe
ry description. Also, large boring mill and all neces
say apparatus for finishing odance ID The largest size or
ordinarily used. either n army or navy From the
Iredegar iron foundry castings Of excellent quality and
great variety are annually HTnrd oHt. Tho ordnance
maze teIc Is re- ardeu equal 10 the best which the Cuv
eminent procures elsewhere, Of which fact the recor
Of the war and navy department will afford ample les
timony
feel much confidence in claiming Ter the l'ndcpa
works the credit OF Introducing several other in poran
branches OF IRON manufacture well railroad ron-
believe locomotive rolled axlcs were first made th,rr
and if my information be correct they have 10 grea
extent superseded the English aud American hammere,
aS'es. The same may be said Of boat rib irons; thes,
were also first made at the Trodegar works. aud an
told that even now, there dc scriptons of this por
,an article used by government in bndine iron vessel
which can only be procured al these works
Without intending any dsparagement 10 other works
or thecnerprise Of my f'nw citizens in the Northern
States. am induced 10 make his communica iion-Grs
that correct information may be placed before the pub
lc and secondly, that 1t may be known that the unri
vailed advantages possessed by Virginia, for the manu-
acure OF iron. are not 50 entirely neglected as many be
/ lieye them to be-
n Stockholdcr cfHe 7icdcgar Company
Merchants Magazine for Feb. lSi6, Vol. XVI, No
2, page 2l2.