Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-05-19
THE BLAST FURNACE.

the ''Belmont Furnace Company" and com
menced operations on the 9th of last March.
The company is composed of men known
to possess the energy, know ledge, and
means that will insure success to any un-
dertaking. The ground where the Furnace
stands, with tract Of land running back
towards the hill, was purchased for SIS ,o0o. !
The buildings Immediately connected with
The Furnace, were erected at a cost of $685.
600. The company have in employ about
one hundred hands. Through this company
there is, in the aggregate, about 81 900 per
week put in circulation in Belmont county.
They are now manufacturing about one hun
dred tons of pig iron per week. using one
half native ore, the other half Lake Supe-
rior ore. The native ore yields about fifty
seven per cent. The foreign ore with which
they have been experimenting, is used in
consequence of the native being too hard.
But. as we were informed, it has been tried
in various proportions, and the probability
is that when arrangements are perfected,
and a better understanding had, they will
be able to make as good product of the a.
tive alone as they have yet made by the
combination. What has been sold thus
far has commanded the average market price.
They have manufactured up TO this date
about nine hundred tons. The ore is found
.here we visited the works in bed about
three and half feet deep, principally the
hemalite ore, which is considered the best
by iron men everywhere. The Black Band
ore, however, is found in large quantity,
and in edition there is foot vein of lime
stone ore. yielding from twenty to twenty
FIVE per cent, and as limestone is neces-
sary in the manufacture of iron To be used
in the furnace as "fux;" this can be used
with great advantage. Underlying the vein
of iron is stratum of coal five and a hall
feet thick, which is very clear of sulphur,
and consequently well adapted for the man
fracture of iron. 1t is used in calcining the
ore before hauling to the Furnace.
For full description of the Furnace we
quote from The Wheeling Inteil,9encsr, OF
March 18th:
The dist inguishing feature of the estab-
Ii. hment is the immense ."stack" wherein
| BY means of the shot blast" neat is gene
rated ten times fercer than that of Nebu-
chadnezzsr's fiery furnace. 1t would take,
we couldn't help thinking, a very special
| nierposition of Providence 10 put three
Shadrachs, Meshacs and A bednegos Through
the "Aurcra" fiery furnace and bring them
out without the "smell of fire" having pass
ed upon their garments. 1t is imposs ible
/ to stand at the top of the "stack" and look
in through the fuel doors and down into the
white hot abyss without nervously recoiling
and calling TO mind sundry texts in the
G uod Book which describe the situation oil
I those unfortunates whose fate it is to be
roasted and toasted over the lakes of liquid
fire.
The "stsck' is built Of fire brick chiefly
and cast iron. 1t is put up in most dura.
bic and substantial manner, the wall at the
base being made very thick, and taperins
gradually in offsets to the top. The greater
part of it is encased in vast plates of cast
iron, and where not thus strengthened, i.
bound with mighty iron bands--capable o.
resisting, apparently, any internal force
short of powder magazine, that could be
!. brought to bear. But it is necessary for it
10 be thus strong. The internal pressure
must be prodigious. The stack, we were
told, is capable of containing a hundred
tone of material, from bottom to top. 1t is
} twelve feet in diameter inside. Its heigh,
10 the "tunnel heads" is forty three Feet
and to the top fifty feet. These .mensions
will give, better than we can give in any
other way. to those acquainted with such
things, knowledge OF the capacity OF the
furnace The castings which encase the
, stack, of which there are about one hun.
dr-a tons. were cast in Mertinsvile, BY
Dessrs. Wiley g. Company, and are re.
sarded very superior. The stack is SIM
ply a huge chimney, excepting the fire
= places and slight differences in construction
Everything, coal, pre-, limestone, goes in al
the top and everything, too, comes out al
the boticm in the shape of glowing "fux, :
or molten metal as liquid as water. These
natcria :, which form an immense weigh,
: aud bulk are expediliously and easily ele.
2 yaisd 10 the platform at The top of the stack
oy means Of admirable machinery driven by
I sieam.
And ,his brings us 10 speak of the steam
apparatus of the establishment, and will
q help, al :he same time, TO finish out an ac.
count oi the stack. The blast of the fur.
mace, and from which il is named, is created
in this instance by a ninety horse power
: engine. The engine house is situated ON
one side of the stack and Oh the opposite
is Iurge strong brick furnace uf peculiar
construction, called the "ho: blast,' in
which TIE ore is to be heated. The bias,
10 driven by pondsrous piston working ia
chest of corresponding size, with valves
/ at tn top and bottom. and pipes connect.
, ing With each, into those pipes. These
pipes vhich admit considerable rolume
| al !. ir mass scross into and with pup,o