Wilmington daily gazette., 1872-12-11

""t"yton D0ard of 1rade, on Iuesday epen.
M?, a1ec lOth, 1872. an answer to Tie question.
us Wilmington good Location for thc Mann,
tactWe of Pig Ironr
"ls Wilmington . good location for the mann.
faeture OF Pig lronr"
Being neither speaker or writer, regret you
dld not call upon some one who could have done
Justice to the subject Of iron manufacturing. in
sae establishment Of which l am an interested
worker
In answer it will be necessary to reve,t IN y j..
commencement OF manufacturing this metal m,
Lasterh fennsylvania, the present blast-furnace
ent time. " '"e PA''-
:. Before the age of steam power, when water was
the only available motive for furnishing the r.,
qulred blast to smelt with, the forge or furnace
was located by some stream, and contiguous to a
favorable ore deposit of either magnetic or hema
Ute ores, while the surrounding hills covered with
the primitive forests, furnish the fuel.
many OF these charcoal furnaces were brought
INTO existence during revolutionary times to sup-
ply the war demands Their consumption OF stock
was very small, as they used only the best select
cd lump ore Of the mines.
. AS the hills were shorn OF their crop of timber.
tnese charcoal furnaces had with the introduction
ot s.ea power, and anthracite fuel to be changed
or Abandoned; with the change, the wagner and
MS team were no longer able TO furnish The needed
supply OF ore or fuel, but had to succomb to the
canal and railroad, which stretched out their net
work OF easy communication to the more distant
mace.
AS the change from charcoal to anthracite was
eifected. the iron master sbored through a season
OF great trials and disappointments; with the in
crease OF power and more abundant fuel the yield,
though enlarged, deteriorated IN quality This,
with the increased amount of ore which was re-.
Jected at the mines as being too tine or too intl-
mateiy mixed with clay and earth to be used IN
the furnace, demanded a remedy or the abandon
ment OF the anthracite furnace.
IL was at this time some inventive genius intro
aucea the washing machine which utilized the
whoie yield or the hematit, mines and has in
many instances for long time maintained the
prontable situation OF furnaces by reworking the
old banks and large deposits OF line ores; which
had to be rejected III the earlier mining.
a marked improvement IN the quality of the
yieid was attained in the use of clean stock, and
with this improvement two others OF equal I'M
portance were introduced, the utilization of the
waste gases ut the tunnel head Tor top of the fur.
nace) tor generating steam and heating the bias,
by hot blast stevss
With these changes. the size and height OF the
furnaces were Increased, and the refractory ores
which had to be discarded in earlier times. were
made to yield their quota Of iron to the unsuitable
NAV OF the never ceasing blast furnace
WIN these enlargements greater supplies were
demanded, and the original ore bed, which had
determined the location of some of the laroes,
their location were the artificial ones which they
had developed around them
Experience soon taught the Importance OF mix
lures Ut stock, which caused the manufacturers te
draw their supplies from distant mines As the
expenses attending this were direct charge ON
the tons carried, they sought those ores contain.
Ing the greatest amount OF iron, and from sup.
plying the furnace with hematites and red shor,
magnetic ores, most abundant around them, the
quality and yield were much improved by using
tne cold short ana nentral magnetic ores from the
distant New Jersey and Lake Champlan dis
tricts
The changes in the manufacturing of pig iron
have all occurred since the Introduction of anthra
cite fuel tor smell ing purposes, about 36 years
ago. space of time scarcely sufficient to open
up the iron business aud teach the observant oper.
ator the requirements and best locations fol
carrying OH the same.
Evidently 1t Is business of handling large
quantities, as the stock charged into the best
East Pennsylvania furnaces producing from 25t
to 700 tons per week Averages ores. one and
three quarters to two tons. Coal, one and three
quarters to two tons Limestone, three quarters
to one and halt tons. beng about five tons OF
material, to one OF yied this is dependent upon
the quality ot the ores used. These should be
selected by aid OF chemical and practical know
LEDGE often from widely different localities, as
those large deposits, in some few fayoured
places rarely contain all the essentials for pro-
ducing the highest grades Of iron
With the AID Of chemistry the IRON master can
now with certainty arrive ut results in profit abb '
mixing ores to assist the smelling which was form
ery attained by the expensive process of actual
experiment. The importance Of a wide field to
select his stock from, is apparent, and cannot be
be over estimated.
The furnaces working on forge irons generally
have their yield worked up in the mills connected
with them. they in turn reworklng the cinder and
scales OF the mill.
Those making foundry irons, we are most in.
terested in, the cost Of making the best grades
with We'll selected stock, Is but trihe over that
OF the lower grades. the market value being some
dollars greater per ton Besides commanding
reader sale in the great manufacturing centers.
In tho Introductory Of "Kohn on Iron and Steel, y
ne says that those districs in England which con-
tain hemitle or spathic ore, are rapidly rising in
population, wealth and importance; an industry
OF unprecedented rapid growth 10 spriaQ,ng un
IN those places which can conveniently draw Their
supply Of ore from them, while the old established
manufactures OF the coal distlicts are slowly and
gradually going down, showing conclusively it il
the facilities OF procuring ore, not coal, which
influence the cheapest Of product. the same prin-
cples hold good here. Pittsburgh with its cheap
coal has to draw large percentage Of her ores
from Lake Superior, which now cost lad down ut
their furnaces $l7 per ton of ore.
With this hasty survey Of the improv ements in
the mode Of manufacturing and requirements OF
supplies, &C., we will look at our situation in
comparison with the inland furnaces which are
nearer fuel and certain kinds Of ores.
Situated upon tide water with three compet-
ing Railroads centering here We can command
our fuel by water or rail, from either of the great
anthracite regions which in this age Of strikes is
OF especial importance, as the operation Of both
districts rarely 60 out togsther at poes so little
IN advance OF that paid BY furnaces upon the
main coal avenues, that the difference is fully
saved, BY having the market AZ our doors.
Tho Wilmington and Reading in addition to its
penetrating the Coal Regions in composition with
the older coal routes. opens the mineral wealth Of