Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-03-18
E WHEE LING, VA, FRIDAY MORNING. .MARCH IS.

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ponderous piston working in a chest of CORES,
/ pOnding size, with valves at the top and bottom,
and pipes conheoting with each, into those pipes.
These pipes, which admit considerable vol.
ume Of air, pass across into, and with numerous
ramificatons through, the shot blast" (where
it is heated to such an intensity that its contact
| is sufficient to melt cold leal,) and then back,
entering the furnace in three places. The vol
ume of air is thus driven with great force
through these pipes, through the 'hot blast,
and into the furnace; so that those who under
stand the production of heat, or caloric, by the
combination Of atmospheric gases, as shown on
a small scale by the -blaoksrnith's forge, will
readily perceive hp@ intense must 10 the heat
produced by the driving of this scoruhing blast
into the bowels Of white hot furnace.
One more fcaturc.conuectcl with The stack is
worthy of meutioD. OF course, in supplying
| this furnace with fuel, great deal of coal is
consumed, and, as is always the case, vast guam
titles OF gas are liberated. In such establish
ments this gas is usually permitted to escape
with the smoke but here, by an ingenious con-
trivance near the top Of the stack it is collected,
aud carried Off by means of large pipe to he
consumed under the boilers of the engine. So
important an item Of fuel is this the engineer
assured us, that some days the consumption of
coal docs not reach five bushels, though the
presence of u certaip quantity is necessary to
keep the gas from ''fllng back, 'inLwhich case
an explosion would probably follow. The Quant
tY OF gas thrown off would be much greater If
| raw instead of coked coal were employed, but
as it is It's quite sufficient TO feed the fires
der the boilers. 7fssa
The Engine was made by Messrs. Sweeney of
this city, and is the first Of the kind ever manu
! factured here. 1t is regarded as perfect in all
lis parts. and a credit to the manufacturers and
the CITY. 1t was contracted for on the IIth day
or AUGUST last. and was ready for delivery in
NINETY DAYS -
This Furnacei is well situated for both coal and
oro Wotar il fnnnd i'm. ample7ouantities I'm the
,,.o,ra ., which /, Is byilt In the rear of il.
doc, from tho riverl Ii, one hnn,lred and TWEEN
tv acres Of coal onening. and fifty acres of ore
| land underIaid with about three feet Of henatte
and bIacl, band ores-the former Welding ahout
er,y.six nor cent,m and the latter f,rty-t three
Tho ore. is in the hill ON the north side, some
n, roo niles distant from the Furnace. aud is
calcined at the mine with coal from iive.and-a-
half foot vein, Immediately underlying the ore.
In addition 10 the regular vein of ore, there is
ono. afoot aud a half thick, of limestone ore,
little above. worth twenty-fOurper centum.1 As
liimestone is an important ingredient in the
manufacture of iron, this ore may be use, to
qreot advantage with tho other. This ore is
aannd on several adjoining farms but its extent
10 moi l,no,rn The cost of the orc delivered Mt
the Furnace is now less than two dollars per
ton. and when the arrangements are per fected i'll
is expecteL not 10 exceed one dollar aud half
ner ton. This is an important difference from
tho cost of transporting Lake Superior ore,
Which IS about eight dollars This Csuperior)
orc is however. much richer than native ore,
heinz over ei -bty per centum of pure iron. We
were shown snsoimons of ore native aud Lake
I.sunerior. raw and calcined. The ore from the
Furnace mines seems to be quite rich, while
the facilities for delivery at the Furnace
must make IL much cheaper to consumers here
than the Lake Superior or Missouri ore The
COMPANY find, however, that a better quality
of iron is made by mixture of Lake and native
ore, and they are now using one.,hird Of the
~ ,l,;ra. ~ ,Is Iotta, Tbe ,nct,I
NV, " 80 80