Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1855-11-24
PHGNIxvILLE IRON WORKS.

! track road. The hrSt rails rolled III this cour
try, were made, we think. at Danvillp. Pa
! This was in lS45. The Peter Cooper mill .
/ Trenton, y. } commenced shortly after. II
1916, the Phoenix Iron Works, (then in III,
principal ownership of David Reeves, Esq.
commenced rolling rails also. The extent ant
| regulation Of these works warrants, therefore
some general sketch Of them. ........
The ore used at the Phnnixville Works is
| gathered in from 8 to 35 miles from the works
furnishing six different varieties. Among the
ores used is the Warwick. from the old War
wick mines, which are said 10 be the Oldest in
the United States, having been opened as
early as 1909. These ores have been worked
over sixteen acres Of surface, and to a depth
OF one hundred and fifty feet. They furnish
a primitive ore, yielding GO per cent of iron.
Another ore is a hematlte yielding 40 per ct.
Aroiher is primitive magnetic ore, yielding
! 90 per cent aud containing small quantity
o! lime, which is an advantage in smeltng.--
4!no,her is the Oakley ore from Reading n
primitive. not magnetic. and free from Sui.
phur This ore gives 38 to 40 per cent
From $4,000 IT, 10000 tons of ore are used
yearly, making over 10000 tons of pig iron,
SosideS which 10000 tons Of pig are purcha-
sed yearly from other manufacturers. From
1900 TO 1000 tons of anthracite coil are used
weekly, or so, 900 tons yearly.
There arc three hot blast furnaces, IL, l3,
and IA feet diameter respectively Mt the bo-
shes and 38 feet high of stack. These turn
out, together from 300 to 335 tons II week.
The blast is supplied by two steam engines
and blowing cylinders. The blast is kept
at from to pounds pressure, per inch as
required.
There are 10 steam boilers suspended over
the blast furnaces and heated hy the burning
gas thereiron. There are also three 40.inch
boilers below, which are ninety feet in length
being probably the longest in this country -
These boilers are also heated by gas led
through fine from the furnaces. There are
also six boilers rs inches in diameter and 81
feet long. which are heated with coal whpnev-
er the other boilers were not in use. Thus,
then, the cntire steam power of the concern
is supplied with waste heat, except at times
when the gas does not work well, or the gas
burning boilers are under repair The steam
is carried from The boilers. many hundred feet,
TO several of the steam engines about the
works.
The rail mill and East and West pudding
mills occupy space 444 by 1872 feet
There is also the North pudding and mer-
chant mill, 100 by $50 feet. In all the mills
are equal to 65 single pudding, furnaces, ma
ny being double, and II heatinr furnaces.
Over these furnaces are. in all, 40 boilers
TO supply the engines which works the rolls.
These boilers all feed into one main steam
pipe, which makes the circuit of the mills.
All the pudding furnaces have heating
oven. In this oven the pig iron is heated
with waste heat preparatory to pudd!ing.--
. This saves over II per cent of the time which
would be required in pudding from cold iron,
as in the old manner the puddlcr took but
five heats day, while he can now take siX.
In each Of the three pudding mills is ro-
tnry squeezer in which the Stag and cinlcrs
CT the puddled balls are worked ont The
balls are afterwards taken to the puddle rolls
and worked into bars. of II feet in length
and GO or 20 pounds weight each. Allarouud
the pudding mills is an overhead rail or tract;
from which is suspended travelling platform
ON which is piled the pig iron for stocking the
different furnaces, and for carrying the puddle
bars TO the shears, and thence to the re heat.
/ ing furnaces In stocking the furnaces par.
/ ticularly the overhead track. with two men,
does the former work of 3 men with horse
and cart
/ The puddle bars coming from each furnace
are kept separate, and the product Of each
days work OF furnace is weighed at one lift
and moved on the travelling truck
! The pnddiing furnaces produce 450 tons o
ruddlel bars per week, using 800 tons of pig
the loss of weight being from 10 to II per CT
Most of the iron worked at Ph9niXyille, is
Of the red short" quaity-that is, brittle
while hot, and tough while cold This is bet
ter and stronger for most purposes than colo
short iron which has opposite qualities. il
forming pile for rail. bars are laid up I,
form pile 6 inches wide and inches high
On the top and bottom Of this pile are laid ;
bar 6J by inch.
The whole pile is finally heated and put
through the rOughing and then through The
finishing rolls, there being grooves in The
former aud only four in the latter. The raj
is then carried to the saws and cut of at The
ends. From thence it is drawn endwise to i
hot strengthening plate, where it underSoe
that operation, and is then pushed on to th'
hot bed TO cool after which it is transporter
by an overhead railway TO the cold straight
ening machine. This has powerful mOvin!
die worked by an eccentric. The rail is lal'
upon the machine. aud man sights the rail
and brings any discovered bend under the die
a swedge, of wedge shape form, is held he
tween the rail and the end of The die, and th
latter coming down slowly and with grea
nower. brings the end into a straight line
Rails were formerly Strengthened by hand witt
heavy slcdges. lahOriouS and imperfect pro
cess indeed. The Welsh mills have quit
lately adopted the power straightner 1t i
very useful in strengthening heavy shafting
the bars for which are made al PhGniXvlie
and an idea may he had of its power when W
add that it has broken square of six inc
square bar of iron, quite cold.
The rails are next Clipped and fled smoot
at their ends and afterwards carefully in
spected, punched, and piled up for delivery,
The works run night and day, aud emplo
over 100 men and boys in all, one half Tim
number being at work at time. The moutl
ly payments of wages are over $4,000. III
entire cost of the works, with stock at an
time on hand and working capital is nearl
81 100000. There are 225 tenant houses
occupied by the workmen, and belonging t
the property.
These works are now turning out 400 ton
rails, 100 tons merchant bar, and 20 to 2
tons railroad spikes and wrought irou chain
per reek. .. ....
Rails 25 feet, (66 lbs. TO the yard,l hav
been rolled continuously at the rate of on
. per minute.
Ia the entire works there are ten steal
engines. .... ...i~.. a...t, 1
,, These works have also large machin
shop, foundry, sWithy etc.
, The whole establishment is the property