The Smoky Hill and Republican union. [volume] (Junction City, Kan.) 1861-1864, 1863-02-28

The manufactufe Of iron in the United
States may be divided into three depart
ments-6rst, the blast furnaces using an
thracite coal, charcoal, raw or coked bitum-
inous coal; second, bloomeries or mountain
forges, which turn ore or cast iron into
blooms or palleable iron and third, roll
ing mills converting these into bar, rod,
sheet aud nail plate iron, and into rails. In
1851 the works Of these kinds amounted to
about 1, 1Sl, namely, 12l anthracite furna.
ces, 500 charcoal aud coke furnaces, 800
forgcs, and 2l0 rolling mills and the
entire production Of iron was about 1885,
600 tuns, decrease upon the previous
year of 1926 tuns, for in 1856 the total
domestic produce of pig and Of rolled and
hammered iron was S56.235 tuns. In
1859 there we're only eight States Of the
Union destitute Of iron works-Mississippi,
Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Minnesota,
California and Oregon. The remaining
twenty-five we're employing $50 furnaces,
3s9 forges, 210 rolling mills /; in all, l, l59,
producing $4,000 tuns-an increase, in
two years, of twenty eight works and Of
81 900 tuns of iron. In 1856 the Penn
sylvauia iron works produced 243, ,4S4 tuns
Of anthracite iron in 1857, 237 ,3l3 tuns
in 1858, 1S5, 600 tuns and in 1889, 1885,.
332 tuns. To this may be added the pro-
duction of charcoal iron, amounting to
SO, 500 tuns. The fall in the manufacture
Of 1858 was caused by the crisis of the
previous year, produced by speculation
in the West. The quantity of iron of all
kinds, used in every form Of manufacture
in the United States, was calculated, in
1856. to be l,330,54S tuns. Of this
quantity 81, ,256 tuns were rolled and
hammered iron, 29S,275 trns of which
were imported, the remaining SIG, ,OSl tuns
being domestic produce. The domestic pig
iron consumed in the same year was 337,
154 tuns, and of foreign Sc, ,403.
| In 1859 there was marked increase in
the production of the Pennsylvania rolling
mills; large orders were received for rails
from the South and West. The railroads
in those parts of the Union had originally
been mainly constructed of imported rails
of cheap and inferior quality, which had
very soon become unfit for use, and it wa:
soon discovered to be better policy to pay 8
higher price for more durable iron. The
larger rolling mills for railway iron il
Pennsylvania are the Cambrian Mills al
Johnstown, the Phoenix Iron Company a,
Phenixvllle, the Montour Mills at Danyille,
the Lackawana Mills at Scranton. and the
Rough and Ready at Danville. The pro-
duction of rails in 1859 was 104, $50 tuns
in 1858, 65,50O tuns; in 1857, 10000
tuus; and in 1856, 76,300 tuns. During
the latter part of 1857 the mills were
wholly or partially closed. The activity Of
the iron manufacture in Pennsylvania con-
tinued during the first part of 1860, but
siuce October in that year it has Of course
experienced severe check Many of the
mills that had stopped work through the
secession movement have again resumed
active operations, especially those devoted
to the rolling of p!a,es. The demand upon
them for Government iron plated vessels
has been greater than the capacity of such
mills to supply.