, 1870-07-11
THE IRON SUPPLY.

One Of the most frequent excuses given
l,y the iron-makers Of Pennsylvania for the
great cost of the pig they produce, is that
the Weld Of the sslcan ores" of Pennsyl- !!
vnnia is comparatively so small Already
Lake Superior and Missouri iron is largely
manufactured in Pennsylvania, and all over
Ohio, these ores being worked In with the
native product. The supply Of iron IN
Missouri is inexhanstible, and Of a qua1ity
uneaualled in any part Of the United States
The iron in Tennessee is Of the same gen.
srai quality, and from the presence Of coal
and the facilities for charcoal, can be pro-
duced IN pig form from six to eight dollara
per ton cheaper than it can be made IN
Pennsylvania, The iron of Missouri has
to be moved In ore form to
coal felds or the coal has to be
carried to the furnace. Southern Illinois
is vast bed Of coal, Of quality peculiarly
adapted to making iron. The furnaces at
OF near St. Louis get the ores from Pilot
Knob by rail, l12 miles, and the coal from
| Illinois, tho expense Of the product being
greatly increased by the unavoidable
transportation. But there has been dis
covered mode Of overcoming all this, and
| this mode is to bring the ore to the coal
| fields, and there manufacture the iron. The
nearest point on the Mississippi River to
The Iron Mountain il Saint Genevieve, and
there is now building railroad between
these two points which is only Il miles long
Opposite St. Genevieve lie theine1haustible
coal beds Of Illinois. This coal is found
within Is miles from the river, at depth
OF ten feet, and averages si1 to eight
feet in thickness. It is entirely free
from sulphur, and readily smaltz
iron in its native stats. The construction
Of the railroad from the Iron Mountain to
| the river has, of course, attracted attention
! to these coal fields, and route OF an add
tional railroad 1s miles long, on the Illinois
side, has been surveyed. and when That il
completed The iron Of Missouri can bE
anelted at these COIL beds cheaper than j
can be in any part Of the State Of Missouri
It will transfer to thnt portion of nlinoi
the great business OF producing pig irol
,, for the West An additional short roat
from the furnace to Contrnlia viii put tn
works IN direct rail aud water communica
ton with all the Western States, and iii
: nois pig iron will successfully compete il
: Pittsburgh with the monopoly Of Pennsylva
= MIA. Thus proceeding will be flank move
: ment upon the iron furnaces in the neigh
! borhood of St. Louis, to which both. til
! coal and the ore have to be carried Il i
!, | practically t1snsfer Of the 1uanufaetur
of pig iron to Illinois, and places the iron
when made, at least 100 miles of railroa
= transportation nearer the Eastern market.
~ The construction Of the road from Centrs
:, LA to St. Genevieve, viii moreover CIV
- Chicago another direct ronte through hi
!. sour, as far west as Fort Scott, to Ehic
point the railroads are now under process
. Of extension. All Southern and Southwes
e1n Missouri, aud Arkansas, will then be il
~ direct mil communication with Chicag
;, leaving St. Louis $50 miles distant fro
II the line Of travel
The inmediate benefits, however, fro
this enterprise viii be TO bring together Il
- iron and coal Of the two States, which q,
~ now only sixty miles apart, and in that pa
"a of Illinois buiId up an iron business whicl
=. IN time, will rival that Of any other part {
Va the country. The purity OF the Iron Mou
a tain one, and the peculiar adaptability (
the coal of that region for smelling pm
II poses, will render the union of the two il
y terests not only desirable but profitable.