Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1872-11-23
Blast Furnaces for Wilmington.

Blast Furnaces for Wilmington.
One Of the most encouraging signs of
the times, the one which promises most
for Wilminglon's future, is the great and
growing interest manifested by our bush
ness men in projects for the establishment
Of blast furnaces here. These furnaces
are the very foundation of the iron inter-
ests and more than any thing else insure
permauence and growth for iron industry,
and there is no reason why Wilmington
should not have not merely one,but many
Of them. We do not speak thus from the
mere enthusiasm which oils most OF us
newspaper men with "gush In behalf of
enterprise and belief that our own par
tlcular city Is the best place for every
thing, but from a sober conviction of the
truth of the statement, founded on the
knowledge of men with far better means
Of judging than we could have.
This is a transition time in the iron
business, as well as one of exceptional
growth for the Interest In this country,
and there is not only a quiet revolution
going or, which is slowly but steadily
transferring the supremacy In iron manu-
facture from Europe to America, but
there is still another quiet revolution
going on, which is paving the way for
the establishment Of new centres for this
industry in our own country. Many OF
the ore deposits which originally de.
termined the location of come of the
greatest of existing furnaces are well
nigh exhausted, so that the only present
advantages of their situation are the ari
dcial ones with which they have sur
rounded themselves, and ore is now being
transported from North Carolina and States
further South, and fIom New York State
and Northern New Jersey, at great
expense, to furnaces in the interior oil
Pennsylvania.
Again, the more thorough and general
knowledge of chemistry as applied to net
tallurgy has enabled iron workers TO ar
rive with certainty and dispatch at many
results in the way of the profitable mix
ing Of ores for smelling, which were only
imperfectly attained before by the slow
and expensive process Of actual expert
ment, and ores are now brought together
from more widely separated districts, so
that the question of transportation enters
more largely than ever before into
the matter Of successfully manufacture
Ing pig iron. For these reasons not few
manufacturers now owning aud operating
extensive furnaces in the Schuylkill valley
and other interior regions of Pennsyva-
mia, say unhesitatiDgly that had they to
build again, they would undoubtedly To-
cate on tide water.
This, then, is the tendency, and If a
location on tide water be desired where
could better one be found than right
here at Wilmington We know practical
iron mon who omphatically answer mo
whetc" We have easy access to the coal
regions by two lines of railroad and by
water, and can obtain coal at a cost but
the yeriest trlhe over that paid for 1t at
the furnaces in the SchuyllSill valley. We
have much better and cheaper access than
such furnaces to the ores brought by water
from the rich Champlain and other regions
Of the North, and from the equally rich
and vast deposits in the Southern States.
These ores can be brought here at
cheaper freight than to almost any other
point On the whole Atlantic coast. They
must be brought north to be worked, for,
hough ii would probably cost no more to
AXE the coal to them than to bring the
lre to the coal, the climate and other
,auses prevent the Successful establish
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