The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-12
THE TREDEeAa IRON WORKS.

nected with every industrial process, ant
is so largely concerned in everything pro-
duced for human use, and in so many ways
affects our comfort and well being, that nc
one has a right to be Indifferent to the
prosperity of iron manufacture. Locke
has told us "that he who first made known
the use of iron may be truly styled the
Father of Arts and the author Of Plenty"
and in our own day, Hood thus wittily
sums up its multifarious applications
"The universally of the employment Of
IRON, is SO manifest, especially in this coun-
try, that if any period has deserved the ti-
tie of the Iron age, to none can it be SC
Enthusiastically applied as the present.
The seas are traversed by iron ships; the
land travelled over by iron carriages upon
iron roads. We have iron engines employed
for nearly every mechanical purpose. -
Water is brought along our streets by iron
pipes, and all our thoroughfares illumined
by means Of gas, conveyed to us through
similar channel. Many of cur houses have
iron floors, and iron roofs, whilst the win
dows are closed with iron Shutters. In short,
from the gigantic steamer which crosses
the Atlantic, to the smallest of ornamental
shirt buttons, this metal has become SO
prevalent, that the country ought to be
ticketed like laundress' window, with
Ironing done here But the wealth and
comfort arising from this state, make it
equivalent to the much more lauded ad-
vantages of the Golden Age" Every
civilized man has most vital interest in
the improvement and cheapening of iron
every step in this direction increases vastly
the power Of man over the material world
and gives new weapon to civilization.
ss The Tredegar Works of this city is one
of the most important and extensive of
its kind in the United States. Under the
able and judicious management CT Gen.
Joseph R. Anderson, it has rapidly en-
larged its capacity since the close of the
war, and is still expanding, to meet the
rapidly growing demand for its products
The works are advantageously located
on the banks of the James, opposite the
rapids. The river furnishes water, and
power to drive the blasts and machinery.
The rolling-mills contain twenty-five
puddling furnaces, fourteen reheating fur
naces, four trains of fining rolls and one
forge train. 1t is capable of producing
three hundred and fifty tons of railroad iron
weekly.
When running on small products, as
spikes, chains, &c., it can produce eighty
tons in twenty-four hours. t
The foundry contains three air-furnaces
and three cupolas, capable of running out
eighty tons daily. The foundry work is
now mostly car-wheels and bridge cast
ings. Two Of the air-furnaces are of i'm
m'nse capacity and equal to the heaviest |
demands of the government, corporations,
or private parties, upon the works. They |
enable the manager to control fifty. tons Of |
melted iron in a mass, and are adequate to
cast the heaviest ordnance now used.
The car factory is very extensive and
. complete, and produces from fifteen to
eighteen freight cars week. These cars
are sold to roads all over the South and
West, and it is notable that each car goes
,ut loaded with the products of the Tred-
sgar works.
The blacksmith shops contain thirty /
torges, and are principally devoted to fin
shing cars. ..,s -
The machinery in all departments of the
works is of the most improved character,
Tod every effort is evidently made to keep
Up with the rapid progress of the trade
indeed, some economies are effected which
We do not remember to have seen before
n any Northern mill. Thus the bars run
rom the fning rolls are so rapidly and
lexterously handled, that they are carried
% the spike machine at a high tempera-
ure and run through, coming out red hot
pixies, of uniform quality, superior to
my we have seen elsewhere.
The crude or pig-iron used is partly OBJ
aimed from the charcoal furnaces of Vir-
,inia, but mainly from the North. 1t is
loped to obtain full supply from Vir-
,inia sources when our communications
|
re mora fully established, and capital is
nore abundant. We hope to see extensive
last furnaces yet erected all along the
ames, supplied with our own coal aud
res, so superior aud abundant, and fur
ishing crude iron to all our manufactures.
)ur coal answers well in the cupolas,
and reheating furnaces, and we
annot doubt the feasibility of adapting it
D the manufacture of pig.iron, either in
IS raw condition or coked.
This coal is now used by the Tredegar
1t costs $4 per ton at the works,
ut Improvements in mining and commu-
ication will no doubt cheaper it. This is