, 1864-02-06
'Qt)tfago Grtbnue.
SATURDAY., FEBRUARY 6, 1854
IRON mANUFACrUREFpEL,

IRON MANUFACTURED =
In our Inst we give some facts showing the
adaptation Of Illinois coal to smclt iron ores.
We proceed now to consider the cost Of min
ing, coktng, and transporting these Goals 70
Chicago TO meet the Iron ores OF Wisconsin
and Lake superior. Extensive depos.s %
coal arc found With one hundred miles OF t4ls
city, The best known mines arc thoSe o4 A0
Sale. Morris and Dnnrillc. The seams vary
In thickness from two and half TO ELK 1eeE-
They present great variety in character, not
on}v n betyeen each other, but also at differ
emf points on the game seam; but al belong
tn the class Of 1oft coal As a whole, they
asc highly bituminous, and largely impreg-
mated with sulphur. In some cases, how
ever, the sulphur Is hardly petceptible, and
the coal is less bituminous than those usedfn
iron works elsewhere. The Illinois coal oc-
ours in basins slightly disturbed, usually, thu
strata dipping gently from the outer rim, and
becoming nearly horizontal In the eentcr.
This arrangement greatly facilitates WORKING,
as the miner Is subjected to few interruptions
and Is relieved of much Of the risk and IN
certainty encountered In more disturbed ana
mountainous dist1icts. The surface OF the
country il gently undu1ating and favorable to
cheap construction of roads. It Is covered
with fertile soIl affording eheap living atau
tlmes. II possesees, also, this decisive ad-
vantage over many other localities where coal
lis mined, viz that means Of communication
are already constructed. The products OF
the mine can thus be readily and chcaply put
into the market. Railroads and canals In
tcrsect the cosl fields. The coal can he
v1fno nj
upon the track laid dowa for ordinary trade
and travel. In many localities East, roads
are often built many miles to mines, the cx-
pensc Of building being charged to the mine,
md forming an item In the cost Of the coal
Coal ought to be furnished as chcnply here as
anywhere in this country, and will be when
the mines arc fairly opened, and the mining
work is properly organised. Where the roof
and pavement Is good, q five foot coal seam
should be mined ut llty to seventy-dve cents
per ton, and three foot scam at one dollar
At the present high rates Of labor, as high rs
one dollar and sixty cents is paid at some
mines; but these rates cannot last, and we
a1e safe in assuming one dollar per ton as the
cost Of mining Illinois coal during series OF
years. For interest on capital, superintend-
cnce, &C., say fifty cents per ton, Transports
tion one dollar and a half per ton, which lays
the coal down ut the furnace in Chicago at
total cost Of three dollars per ton. At this
cost also the coal should be brought, not ns
nov, mixed with sulphnr, slate and other me-
chanica1 impurities, but carefully sorted. It
may be found necessary to coke the coal, OF
portion Of it, nnd we must therefore attend
to this item Of expense. Tho coking Of
coal In this country has not received that at
tcntion which it's great importance demands.
The Eastern furnaces SO generally use anthra-
cite OF bitnminous coal raw, that they are ex-
empted from the necessity of mixing coke
Coke has generally been made in small ovens,
or in small heaps. The latter process is waste
full: the former expensive, nnd neither pro.
duces the best quality Of coke. Amethod Of
coking has recently been applied Mt some Of
the large iron works in England,
which unites the advantages Of
both methods, and produces good coke
at trifing cost. The coal Il
put into ovens open at the top, and large
enough to hold $50 tons each, and is kept
under an intense heat from five to seven
days. This prolonged heat drives Of most o1
the sulphur, and greatly increases the densi
t. Of the coke, property Of great import.
snce 10 the iron e.nelter. The cost of these
ovens does not exceed $500 each. They arr
80 arranged TINT the coal is run up on tracks
from the mine, directly over each oven, and Il
cheaply handled. The large quantity cooked
produces pressure which renders the coke
more dense and dfmfnishes materially the
cost Of the product Coal can be coked in
this manner ut cost not exceeding 25 cents
per ton Two tons Of coal, including waste,
will be required to produce ton Of coke.
Reckoning the coal at 81 50 per ton, dellv.
cred qt the coking oven, the cost Of ton oi
coke made BY this method will be 3.50!s;
adding $l50 for rt1ansportation,g gives us $500
rs the cost Of coke ton In Chicago. One and q
halftons Of coke arc required to make ton
OF iron from our ores, which at the above
rntcs will cost $3.50. Two and half tons OF
raw bituminous coal do the same work, which
cost, at $500 per ton, precisely the same.
Tie quality of the coke iron Is, however, su-
pe1ior, and the cost being equal, 1t will al
ways have the preference.
We are prepared now to estimate tho cost
OF making pig iron in Chicago, using Lake
Superior and Iron Ridge ores, mixed in equal
proportions.
ton OF Lake Superior ore......--..-...-.-..-$5.M
~ Iron Ridge orc.-.--..- -...-.---... so
IL tons oI coke-...--.. 70:
Lhbor. -