New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-09-21
8 SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA
THE IRON ORES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.

AND TEN MORE AZ RfCEM0Ep -TBe NEW |
ROUTE FOR CUMBERLAND cOAI-CoL LAID |
DOWN IN NEw-YoRK AT A REDUCTION VI
FIFTY CENTS TUN.
MrRoERsBURo, Franklin Co., Penn, Aug 3d.
Having visited the iron deposits In Alabama Eastern
fennsyyania and In Missouri and explored the anthra
,,ts and Some OF the most important OF the bitumno
coal fields in the West and Southwest, heard with
Measure Of the hemattes Of Franklin County, hoping
TIM, by these daily repeated OF she
~ the irop Of tho country from Peunsy
.n,s might he rendered untrue There L. however. no
rohabty Of the furnaces there losing their trade or
OF those I'm the localities wanting for customers 10
long as our importation Of Scotch pig and other foreign
irons continues 10 increase But Pennaylvana has 30
long been looked upon the iron producer OF the
thst the friends OF fields now entered for oompeu
tim seemed think they must be descneo 70 usup her
,lace instead Of only taking position beside her.
Filled with these thoughts left NewYork taking the
CcAra Railroad of NowJersey, and passed. 90 many VI
the customers for IRON whom produced ths' an
enumeration Of them can hardly be outof place Whether
we consider the railways themselves whicn nave
bu,,t nm our rolling xhs the stove and other foun
dies which take the metal or the snan harowsro
manufactures OF Newark and Jersey Cy-they one anu
nil furnish market ready the hand OF the iron pro-
,uocr and coal miner. Jersey City with It's many WORK
shops and 900 workers. much part and parcel OF
NcwYork as familiar to all Its citisens, and % long
a. its prosperity based its manufactures cannot TALL
20 hold It's own with the best market In the country OF
its very One does rot among the raw pre-
dncers until he reaches Phlipsburg 50 miles from the
city, when the tall stacks Of the Trenton Iron Company
the Delaware RoNlng- Mil, and others come In sight
Here too extensive bolt works, pipe factories, and
rolling mill for sheet iron are placed The supply Of ore
near at hand and coal brought to the very doors by
three competing railroads. On the other side OF the
Delaware the old city OF Easton which outstrps
its Ncw-Jersey suburb In the number and variety
of it, manufactures. It's accumulated wealth Is eIh-
AuAa tia nlta frrid In
Lafayette College, which has been literally endowed by
many 81 its friends themselves practical men who have
attended to the applications Of their gifts and given to
the College technical character than 1t would
otherwise have had. MetalurGy has been made the
feature Of the course and less than $780, 600
has been given to the College TO make 1t polytechnic
school The various factories of the city are In themselves
practical school for the Students to which they are In
,od by the owners The rolling mill and wire manuiac-
tory at this point is Of the largest and has high
rputaton 1t is said to turn out 1900 to 1850 tuns an
nually and copper wire. On the Lehgh ore also
the Gcndon Works, aud on Bushk Creek many dis
tlce consuming 100000 bushels Of grain, and making
100000 gallons Of whisky In the neighborhood are the
Oxford Farnace Cooper's Furnace. the Lehgh cotton
factory aud Franklin Iron Works. Easton Is consider
able railroad center and also the line Of two important
ranss By these means II is put In communication with
III. coal regions north, and with the markets OF
rrwYOrk and Philadelphia especially, to say nothing OF
The local trade along the routes.
From Easton to Allentown skirting the Lehigh River
all the way with two railroads and canal always in
sight one passes q succession Of ironfurnaces rolling
ns lime Sllns zinc-works, etc They each models
az their Kind and their designers have boon called on to
hud similar works In other parts OF the country Ths
particularly true Of the Bethlehem rolngmill and
that ut Allentown. Tie coal for all these establishments
l. brought from the Lehigh region and sufficient compe-
tion among the miners there puts the minowners in
position choose their fuel and regulate to consider
able extent price. The for the furnaces 10 either
the property OF the furnaoeowner or from
miucs he has leased for the purpose pe older firms,
having the capital and foresight, have purchased or
leased all the ore-property for miles about, and
conner look we'll to his supply Of before he
builds his furnace. he will find himself reckoning
without his host AS he cannot owD the price
at which he purchase viii be fxed by
his competitor In tho finished pig-iron. Under
this demand the price of ore has gone up until II
has reached three dollars and more per tun This high
price Of material In tho Lehigh concentrating In
hands the manufacture of pig iron in this vicinity
New drns prefer to go the schuylk Valley else
where pay less for the in the ground and trust to
competition to cheaper the cost of Its transportation to
the furnace.
After passing Allentown enter upon the territory
controlled by the Reading Railroad the largest coal
the world This great corporation with Its main
from the Schuylkill coal field to tide water has
put out numerous branches of them the East Penn
.yvnna Ia the route by which Reading Is reached the
manufacturing center OF this valley which 1t at
right angles The beauty and fertility Of the valley, which
tskes varied names, the Shenandoah, the Lebanon
and the Cumberland has been celebrated in many
and brought prominently before the public during the
war II is this great natural pathway which ira
verses to reach Mercersburg Franklin County, Pennsy
wanna, within few miles Of the Maryland and Virginia
lines The Reading Railroad which takes fts name from
Reading its first terminus selected that place
~ the site of its shop locomotive works and rolling
mill for rerOlng Its rails The corporation en-
ploy about l9CO hands The wisdom of their selection
where coal from the Schuylkn anthracite basin
tho Of the Appalachian angeand whese the
great fertility Lebanon Valley affords cheap living
and hence low wages has been appreciated by others
needing similar conditions. Hence the Keystone
Iron Works. the Reading Iron Works. etc.; of the
furnaces here 10 reported to have annual capacity
of $500 tuns two charcoal furnaces have annual
yield Of over 900 there s COO tun forge and
cotton mill with capabiity of 5000 yards daily Many
millions capital have been invested here, and the
annual profits from Investments have been In the main
torrespondugly large.
In Lebanon County not far from Reading, ia the mag.
niee Mt primitive deposit Of known Cornwall the
property Of the Coleman family. At this point the print
tive Iron prorule through the formations IN places
aud hill Of several hundred feet high Is formed
Around the sides of this hill winds railroad laid
SOLID ORE into the Of winch the ore after having
dug with the pick 10 shoveled This orebed sup
plies several furnaces In the town OF Lebanon and its
ore largely transported to other furnaces where 1t
used for mixing. There three Of these iron hills
each OF which 10 named. One Of them alone has been
estimated contain NOT less than 4oooOo tuns above
surface OF the ground The yields about per
cent Of pure metal From the time Of leaving Allentown
whole route is bordered either side by carefully
titled FARMS substantial barns and Outbqildngs. In fact
these valleys the pride Of the keystone State and
justly. Nature has layshed here many natural ad
vsntages; great mineral wealth with fertility Of the SOIL
thrifty lsborious, and vrtuous population has deve
mall fra 0f 0tu IN fhQ fnO fha