New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-05-30
EngIand'S Iron Resources.

Every geographical observer who inyesti-
gates the distribution of the Goals and iron
ores Of America, and the facilities which ex-
ist for bringing them together, must arrive
at the conclusion that before the lapse of
another generation, the United States will
be the great iron and steel producing coun-
try of the world. This country is now at the
head of the iron interest, having some GOO
furnaces which annually consume upward of
IL 100000 tons of ore, and bring out pro-
duct in pig metal of 5,5OOOOO tons, valued
at over 9l3, 100000 sterling. In going back
single decade, we find that in Great Britain
the rate of increase has been only about Al
per cent, while in the United States the rate
has been at least 120 per cent. There are
causes in operation which will prevent any
rapid expansion of the iron industry of this
country, while in the other the great sources
OF that industry are comparatively untouched
Among these causes may be mentioned the
limited supply of good ores in Great Britain,
the necessity which arises each year of sink
ing deeper for the fuel to smelt them, and,
consequently, the increased expense of rails
ing it.. The great body of British ores is de-
rived from the coal measures and the las.
These formations occur in the districts of
4orkshire, Derbyshire, North and South
Statfordshire, Warwichshire, and Shropshire.
They are argillaceOus in character, and yield
about 26 per cent. in the furnace. Turning
to Percy's great work on the "Metalurgy Of
Iron," where the assays of 100 specimens of
these ores are given, we find that in every
instance he detected the presence of phos-
phorIs, and while the average amount reached
.63 per cent, in some instances it went up to
l.l2. No. metallurgic skill has thus far been
able to eliminate this deleterious ingredient
from the ores, or prevent it from passing into
pig-irOn, nor isRit wholly extirpated from the
manufactured bar. In the Bessemer pro-
cess it adheres to the iron in every stage and
in undiminished quantity. With l per cent.
of PHOSPHORUS iron becomes fit for but few
purposes. Sulphur is also present in these
ores, which is to some extent expelled by
calcination and the subsequent process of
pudding, but sufficient remains to render the
iron unfit for conversion into the higher quail
tiles of steel. These nOxious ingredients APP
pertain to the coal measure ores the world
over; as though the organic matter which
formed the coal, being charged with these
substances, communicated to the iron ores.
In the districts of DartmoOr and Devonshire
there are limited deposits of magnetites, but
they contain about per cent. of phosphorus.
which renders them nearly worthless. In
the carboniferous limestone of Cleator Moor
Cumberland, compact, pulyerulent, unc-
tuous ore is obtained, yielding &c per cent,
and free from deleterious compound; at Lin
dale Moor and Ulverstone, Lancashire, a
hard, compact h9matite is obtained, Welding
Us per cent. and of an excellent quality.
These are the most highly priced of British
ores and so great is the demand for them to
be employed in the Bessemer process that
within two years their price has advanced 50
and even 20 per cent, and the product of the
mines has been contracted for up to the year
1873. Another significant fact showing the
deficiency of England in ores suitable for the
higher qualities of steel is this that. not
withstandng she is the largest exporter of
iron in different forms, she is at the same
time a very considerable importer from
Sweden and Russia of pig metal made from
specular and magnetic ores, similar in COM
position to those derived from Lake Superior
and Missouri, and daily used by the iron
masters OF Indiana for ordinary purposes. A
Sheffield steel manufacturer will pay ESQ a
ton for this iron, when ordinary British pig
can be had at price five or six times less
These importations reach $4,000 tons year.
Here are considerations which ought to ar
rest the attention of American statesmen and
political economists in reference to the future
growth and grandeur of that country. In
Indiana there is a vast body of fossil fuel
which has all the merits of charcoal as q re-
duclng agent; in Missouri and on the borders
OF Lake Superior are vast deposits of iron ore,
Tree from noxious ingredients and eminently
adapted to the production of the highest
grades of iron and Bessemer steel, and the
natural and artificial communications are such
that the union between the coal and IRON can
be effected as cheaply as in any region of
the earth.-LondOn Mining World.