, 1869-01-04
An Important Epoch In the History
Of Chicago.
Establishment Of the First Blast
Furnace In the Garden City.
The Chicago Iron Company and it's
South Branch Works.
Visit 10 The Inktttutlon Yester.
day Afternoon.
The Manufacture Of Pig Iron--lnterasting
information.
Facts and Figures.

Facts and Figures.
Chicago Ia city within herself. She comprises |
nearly every thing that tends to the welfare and
cou,tcYt of mankind, aus, considering that the |
city ls the centre OF an immense region OF tesf1-
tory, II Il Necessary thst all the wants OF the pco-
pie should be supplied from the nucleus on which
they depend. Her commerce Ii extensive, c1- |
tending not only to all parts Of our country, but
further away, three thousand mites ACROSS me
ocean, to the distant ports Of Europe. |
Such IL our city, in theee, her
days Of puberty. and day by day
wc sec her growing and extending beyond the
dreams Of the most sanguine Of these who lived
ten years sgo. In spite Of her fapid growth and
extending influence. there have been men lacking
in faith who predicted that Chicago would .neret
amount 10 much. because her manufactures we're
not equal to her commerce, and thai her citizens.
being addicted principally to mercantile pursuits,
would not engage In manufactures, which tend 80
much to the greatness and prosperity OF every
people and place in whose midst they c1ist and
thrive. These prophecies, Ike those OF
caseandss, Of old, are destined never
to be 1ulhl|ed. Our manufacturing
ern has commenced. There are men Of enterprise
II our midst who helitvc in the Great future Of
their wotke. OF such atc the men who have
l1tc1y introduced
THE MAvC7Ac1uRE or IRON
Into the city They have been induced to do 50
BY the fact that there s used annually 10 tho city
10000 tons Of pig Iron. which has hitherto been
imported from Ohio. Missouri, the Lake
superior region, and even from remote
Scotland About 5000 tons have been
received ffom the latter country during the
past year, of which about 10000 tons camc and
were consumed in Chicago. This iron has cost
more than 1t ehonld, flr the simple reason that
The importaLt item Of freight IL added to the price
and, as usual, the consumers we're the eufefefs.
Even The freight on iron produced In ncfghhoE-
ing States IS q considerable addition to the
price. This will be evident from the folio ming
considerations: Ten JeaEs ago
7uE LAKE SUPERIOR AEa1oH
wAa comparatively unknown for the mineral
wealth that Is since made 1t famous Of lAte
years its vast RESOURCES have been Abu:dnnt1J
developed, and to.dsy 1t furnishes annually 50o-
0G0 tons Of iron ore, or one-toutsh OF all the
trc produced In tie United States, aud Il rap
idly increasing her production. It is csttna.e1
in the mex. dge years It will be 600 tons. OF
tits quantity. 800 eco tons 60 to Cleveland, Erie aud
other Lake E,le ports, but none worth speaking
Of has hitherto come 10 Chicago. The distance
from E.canaha, The shipping port on the late. to
Chicago, Is but 800 miles, while the distance
therce to Cleveland Is 500 miles. The difference
IN The direct freight Is at least 81 per ton
IL II ze5 neGr 9 casfS he s to 10 s s0a s9 .4 ct s i 4
sdsFe r. ore roes nom Gleys:
iact that Eastern bound flcignts, as 10 well
known, sIe the highest, while Western fre!ehts
are. comparatively, low, oeeanse there ts nothing
eels usually return from the Eastern pcrta laden
with coal or ballast and a. Esc.naba ls on the t1-
dss eqs s s &c !
oes I'D Ssns 1sf as IT. On '''s
necessity Of msking., Chicago ~ manu-.
ufns ws. wsl assccs sss ss'.n esnsc
tlemen TO embark In the enterprise Of endcavor-
ing to draw to the clY some Of tho Iron ore trade,
SUPP, sup the west ~ with Al, The iFen thst It needed
The ldea wss conceived By. NJ. A. D. Meekes,
| who, being largely engaged In the Iron trade in
asnt 81 i.s "a e. sod Of pig M
il re eiiy: All th,s -. i3p,stsa: ssd 4
should rot be zelf:producsivc, he deteFutued, In
conjunction with other capitalists, 70 Start blast
h sRs sec
| perior region and other manufacturing point
could not supply the demand, and. therefore, J!
| vas Necessary to make al home what could not
Re obtained from abroad. Lake Superior afford:
m unlimited quantity Of ore. but as charcoal !.
SsP
7nE cu1cAso icon ORE conrAxr.
| In March last, = company. cslled the Ehlcae1
| lion Company, was orc1ntzed. with the fol
loving gentlemen interested IN the nndsrtaE1ng
D~Ssiort0A Mesk.r G. L: Rqrlsp; d Il ,e,d, r 1
Gfee1e-A. 5. Meeke., President; 2. L. VOC
y-lte President; l. &. Yoc, Secretary and Treas
Sioethots<rs-A. B. Mceker, G. L. Dunlap, r
/: Voc, Gyms Bent ey; Geo; Asmous, ": "
j. 4. #. Buek. Jas. Z. Burtte. ]. Il. Wrenn, $.
Cobb; teEyH Smith, Je1oms Beschsr u u :ar
| kiEs, 4. .. DobbIns, and others.
| TIE CAPITAL eTpcK.
The capital stuck va. *250,000. The coEapan
sn sGs 'ssitle ste Il she iunet,on q Archss
of The fivcT, on the Chicaro s Attn Road, the
wo.Rs were ready iar operation on Monday last.
| AT TIE wohKs.
: As the irsasuratton # the htst b'art iu'
, lance. the company Invited many prominent c!tl
,cna 10 w,.nes; me furnaces IN operation. AZ
fu9Dsiss e9s;uitoasi7 % py tse thcsso. Al On
st. 1tuts Eatlrosd. len the depot at the corner
Madison aEd Canal streets: a After ma9y ~, ssn1
tIe new works. uhen the company .disembaske
| and proceeded to insp.ct theE.
r 4
The f}rat place, into which they were conducte'
I was The casting house, substantial hr,ck bull
tnc, eri fett los K 50 feet wide and % feet hte
: I 1he roo! ts Of ces1ucatcd iron and shc en9a.c
!. ard ali tho others are tlrc.rroof Here Is the maj
j, furnace and tho casting floor
4 THE BOILERS. -.-
;. The party we're next conducted to the boiler
eight in numter, placed in palrs. 20 ns to be ust
). tetm,ne. Th.y wero ouilt by the Eagle Aa1afa
t. turing Works Of this city. T. ", Gates. Pre-
r dent, and are s1etitaote s2eeme22 rs 9i nan nan
e The fur1 aces, As they are kept Going By the wa
"a gas from the top OF The PRINCIPAL furnace.
Is TnE EsdlsEs: A.,
a. cecded. II Is roony and neatly suit aph
OF Eent, SUCH room as c~retal cnsiueef, who
I'D Of his ~ III s kse? IT, s9od e'a
no IS feet high. The engine fs splendid piece
m. msctitety. The steam cylinder Is 81 inches
n i he
'So rcst ever cast In this city. AL thts mach,n
v. xxss hui I by the Northeastern Manu:actnr
se Src psad i IN every respee. Worthy Of 1ua ,ae
n, tahl,shuent- A smsllcr engine uscd lor rails
~ she e'eya'o:. is supll!ed %t':l steam nom
to'icia. Both we're "or.ing easily and
IL. cltntly.
- 1nK EopCs orERASp1.
a. i viii DC proper here to dcsczlce the functt
IA OF he large CT ciEc. 1t IL not used as II r
on works, as a motive poxes. dnstng shafts.
wheels. and rtn.on:, but fqs & fo.cins It, at 'n;o M
.,, | 1Mu.c .cDse blast CT lEder. tolluW1aG tnfs ait,
as w whole process of iron hlssilnE may be seen.
a. mir Gofs through the tot blast pipes. which AZ
tic Tol:ocke pstent, ard ,he larfes; Of the kin
,UM nn. Hr T. <. Holders Pho,rtx Foundry, who
kct taa thset az ~ LIZ -. pnt ot Ut
to the air. which all this lime has been pass
thrtuen these hot bles: pipe. ,by eight other p,
ter aud the tarne uu er of tuyetes into the fl.i
has e;scE whcrc meets with the fuel, ore and !!
op- slole. 1bese latter arc poured IN q. the 10
d-F the stacE. in regular proportions, dcpent
,ely upon the oua!ity Of Iron TO be made. They
ON. lttcrse heat OF the hot All coming from the
md, pi1cs. and heated up to 900 degrees Of heat
aud chemical Toetss Is as follows: The oK51el
tain the h1 as meets tic otc limestone aud cox
IN coal, which are technically caltcd the "tto
by and combustion eLeucs, the pro
has being. gasca, which, oFinK ~ tnetf
spsea;e Ssavlty; a.se;a 1avt1s s'ns
ved oxygen Of the ores producing carnontc o.
hl0 I his ca1ht MIC oxide leayes carbon. ana u
NJ, peculiar Circumstances. hydrogen ms7 oc
-sn ta1ued. The carbontc o1tda, absorbing OF,
ptid from the ore. ieases mealHc oxide or proto1
salt which is prcetpitased together With much for
matter. Tie iron being the heavier, desc
Into the bottom OF the uucibir, and
hip foreiQn msticr or "slae' fosts on top.
foreign matter istepped every hour, and fun.
ped, in a molten stream. The iron 1s tapped I
i ~, fu1rovs. Of ssnd, Technically called $50
Lais AID hence the term pigs" OF sons OF 81 30
a7S7 | ID, ny ppt very natural derivation. Tho
" 9Ss cuet row IL sf tous each cast er slightly OF
5,so9 tons dsiE. tits is larec, considering. the
were n. Is Of tho rnsch3t cry and the TING the f1
per ~ been IN hlaet. The maximum capacity {