Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-11-16

y
unless she is supplied at home, we must labor
under the disadvantage of buying our matcri
al from our competitors at the North. Success
to the adventures and the enterprise.
ARM0RY IRON WORKS.
! In connection with our statistical tables, We
propose giving our readers description Of the
principal manufacturing establishments of this
. city, in order TO encourage our cntcrpriSin9
citizens, and to exhibit our ability and capacity
to the people of the South. We shall not,
however, confinc our cndcavors 10 the capital.
We shall, as heretofore continue our cxcrtions
until We succeed in awakening spirit Of en-.
terpriSc throughout the State worthy Of its
extent. its mighty resources and timc-honorcd
name.
But the central position Of Richmond, her
communication, by water and rail. with almost
every part Of Virginia and surrounding States
her ability TO concentrate, to attract and dis
tribute; her inSatiatc markets for almost every
kind of produce her means Of export and i'm
port, and her magnificent location for all manu-
featuring purposes, give her a pre.cminencc
over nearly every other American city. Next
to her world-renowned Touring mills. are her
iron manufactures, to the capacity Of which, if
encouraged and promoted, their would he no
present limits. The flour of Richmond coin
mands the highest price in market; yet such
is its quality, that 10 increase Of production
would limit the high standard Of an article
which is universally acknowledged to be Sill
pcrior The same may be said of our iron.
Wherever it has been tried, in competition
with the iron of the North, or with foreign
iron, it bears off the palm in acknowledged
superiority.
Wherever strength and durability is required
in guns, chains. bridges, rails, &c, we claim
an advantage for Virginia iron, and chal'e"ge
tie ,corM to competition. Our manufacturers
have been neglected 10y the State, by our rail
road companies and by our citizens generally
though they only ask a difference in price equal
to the difference in quality, just the same Us
our millerS will ask one price for common
brands and another for extras, and they are
willing to submit their products to any practl-
cal tests. Rail road companies will order To-
comotvcs and cars, and wheels and axlcs from
the North. because they may occasionally save
few dollars for the moment and yet ultimate
ly lose thousands by untinely decay, and I'M
fortunate disasters, subjccting their passengers
to danger and their property TO depreciation
and destruction.
We intend, in this article, to 20 through the
Armory Works, which, though less in extent
than the Tredegar, will still be found interest
ing. Those works are situated between the
,rinory and the Trcdcgar and extend from the
James River and kanawha Canal to the james
river. covering All area of about two acres
They are now operated By Archer Il Co.. and
were established in 1926. Their capacity, at
present, when in full operation, is about
$3.50, 900 per year. and can give employment
to from $50 TO 200 men, The capital invested
is about 100000. There are, in this cstab-
lishment, in running condition, nine pudding
furnaces, and four heating furnaces, capable Of
turning out, when in full blast, 5000 to 5000
tons per year; two trains Of rolls, for produ-
cling rolled iron Of all scription-rncrchant
iron, round and square, flats, bandS, hoops,
scrolls. &c. Also r"ilrood aries, chain cdbtc,
bridqe bolts horse shoe iron. &c. all from the
best Virginia charcoal met"l. They also ma
nufacturc railroad chains, bridge bolts ready
cut, plough plate to II inches, screw mouldS.
axe iron, &C., &c. The machinery is driven
by water from the James River and kanawha
Canal, with fall of 25 feet, erected on wheel
which is % feet in diameter, and 20 feet breast,
or face, which gives motion to the trains oil
rolls, creates the blast, and propcls the other
machinery Of the establishment.
CABLE IKoS. &c.--A large quantity OF cable
and other iron. used for ship-building purposes,
haye been manufactured at this establishment,
for the United States Government. From the
report of the officer who tested this iron, Tor
entirely satisfactory. The inch and one-eighth
round cable, stood breaking strain of GS,95O
pounds to the square inch, and the inch and
quarter stood strain OF 70,0T0 pounds {" tie for
square inrh This is an extraordinary strain for
common rolled iron but we have heard Of more
severe tests which this iron have stood, show
ing a still greater degree Of cohesiveness or
tcnscity. In fact, there is but little il any
! difference, in the strength OF Our mountain
iron, as compared with the best Swedish or
Russian. OF the same material the MesSrS.
Archer manufacture their bolt iron for bridges,
ships, buildings. &c. They are now manuiac'
turing cable and bolt iron from onc-and-a'
quarter to two.and.a-qu quarter inches diameter,
and of all lengths, ready cut and screwed for Use
1t is evident. if this iron is superior for cable
il must also be superior for all other purposes,
and particularly for bridges, where so much
depends on the strength Of the material used
A large quantity of bridge bolts have been
manufactured at the Arrnory Works and tho
Tredegar Works. for various Southern improve
rncnts, and, in few instances, for the North
The Armory Works are now turning out about
twenty-five tons per day of bridge bolts anc
chain cable.
/ RAIL ROAD CnAIXs-Mr. r. Archer has in
vented very simple, yet ingenious ma
chine for manufacturing rail road chains. -
His improvement consists in simplicity, econo
my and effect. \ specimen of the chain pro
duced at those works, was on exhibition at the
Mechanics Institute during the recent Fair
which. taking into consideration the excellence
of the iron. and the uniform evenneSS Of th'
article. cannot be excelled.
The Mcssrs Archer have obtained the con