Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-07-31
The Impetus to Iron Smelling


mace in smelling the ores of the Iron
Mountain with the bituminous coal
obtained in the Big Muddy river, in
Illinois, is having the effect which
the success of such an important x
pertinent might have been expected
to produce. In addition to the splen-
did double stock furnace the King
lanu Iron Company (Which will, we
learn, be ready to go into blast in
about two weeks), there are now in
contemplation, and the company Or
CARNATIONS perfected for four other
new furnaces, in this neighborhood,
all of which will be built in the
course of Year from this time. The
plans for two f these furnaces are
now in the hands of the enterprising
founders, Messrs. Collins & Holiday.
We refer to that Of one company
headed by Mr.. James Gordon IAN OLD
coal and iron worker of Pitts burgh,
and that of which Mr.. w. J. Lewis
is the leader. both to be located in
mer of which has already been Sc
cured under favorable franchises from
that city. Mr.. Gordon is familiar
with the business of ffurnace-running
and sees advantages here, in the
matter of ore and fuel superior to
those of any other point while the
sagacious mind of Mr.. Lewis-who
is interested in the Carondelet fur
nace-has comprehended the import
ance of the situation, seeing golden
future for any investment of capital
IN the production of iron in the West
MIR. u. b. Allen, of the Fulton
Iron Works, whose long familiarity
with the iron business gives him am
pie information by which he can act
advisedly in the investment, has be-
come associated with Mr.. Adolphus
Meier, thepioneer cotton-spinner of
st. Louis, who has shown that otton
goods can be manufactured as ch cap
IN st. Louis as in Massachusetts, and
the two intend to establish a farnace
in East ST. Louis, to supply iron for
their rolling-mill, located there.
Messrs. HOwa.d, Shickle & Har-
rison, the architectural iron-workers
and pipe-founders, we learn, have
already commenced work on the
machinery for a furnace they are
about putting up Kenmore twenty
miles below ST. Louis, on the Iron
Mountain Railroad where they have
bought ground. They intend to
smelt and roll iron to supply the
needs Of their OWE manufactures.
The amount of pig iron now used
in ST. Louis is estimated at 175 tons
per day, a mere moiety of which is of
home smelling. Ut is but right to
state, however, that a great deal of
the iron smelted here is exported on
account of its peculiar quality and
value.) When the furnaces above
referred TO are completed and run
ming, they willibe able tosupply the
present demand for pig-metal and,
putting down the 175 tons at S43 so
per ton-the price now realized-we
have the sum of 81, ,525 per day re-
tanned at home by having our IRON
smelted near at hand. In addition
to this, when the numerous rolling
mills and pudding furnaces are put
in operation-and there must ensue
in short time-all the bar, sheet,
wire and railroad iron now shipped
to this place will be manufactured
from the pig-metal smelted here, and
for which money is sent away at the
rate, we are credibly informed, of
$50, 900 day. We may thus form
some idea of the great emoluments
to accrue, because the consumption
of the metal will go on increasing as
the faculty of getting it from our own
furnaces and foundries is increased
when 175 tons per day are produced,
we may need twice that amount and
still be compelled to import.
Much of the iron now used here in
founding as imported from Scotland.
The cost of the pig metal at the yards
of the Clyde works is, per ton, Is l5s
sterling,or SIS Is 3-4 transportation
to New York, 50 IS duty, 50 90 /;
difference of gold and currency,
$40 81 commission, storage, trans
portation, &C., 81 40, making a total
Of S42 40.
The minimum cost of producing a
ton of No. iron here is S25, the
maximum S28 %. But the value of
our home iron is S43 50 per ton w hich
leaves profit to the manufacturer of
SIS 25.
These facts may we'll inspire cap
italists to spirit of enterprise in the
development of the vast iron re-
sources of localities contiguous to the
city.-.St. Louis Republican