Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-08-21
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.
Egypt-CoaI Resources-Iron Fur
naces = Railroads Political In.
dustrial-CrOps.
CARBoNDALR, JACKSON County.
August Is. 1872.

August Is. 1872.
EGYPT.
EDITOR PUBLIC LEDGER: During the
cheated tern" your correspondent has
been enjoying the delights of Egypt
and traversing its rich bottom and high
fruit lands. Hemmed in between two
great rivers-the Ohio and Mississippi
it is indeed region of beauty and fer
tility. There are no towering noun
tains nor extensive ranges of rocky
hills in this Eden of America, nor vast
caverns, except those from which are
extracted the tons of coal that are
yearly sent down the Mississippi to
Cairo, Memphis, and other ports on that
grand tributary. In this delightful Sec
ton of Illinois cotton and tobacco are
cultivated pro6tably, and all the cereals
of the North and South produced, and
the vines of the grape, and trees of the
apple, pear, peach and ounce, yield
bounteously in their season.
COAL.
Near Murphysboro' containing two
thousand inhabitants and the county
seat of JACKSON, are the extensive
Mount Carbon Coal Company's Works,
employing three hundred aud fifty
miners, and shipping daily over one
thousand tons of coal. Besides this
company's works are other shafts worked
on smaller scale.
]. Harris, of Missouri, A. c. Dryden
and A. Conner, of Carbondale, recently
purchased nine hundred acres of the
most valuable coal lands near Murphys-
boro'. 1t is the intention of this COM
pany to bring the ores of the Iron Noun
tain in direct communication with the
vast coal fields of the county. In view
of this, company has heen organized
and road will be built from the Iron
Mountains to Grand Tower.
II. Gartside, of St. Louis, las pur-
chased FIVE hundred acres of coal land,
and will sink four shafts; and William
Lewis four hundred acres, who will sink
two shafts.
The ranges of hills in Jackson county
are penetrated with rich strata of coal,
from which much profit will be gained
by those who, in the future, develop their
hidden wealth; and since the completion
of the Cairo and st. Louis railroad has
become fixed fact, lands contiguous to
it are fast increasing in value.
IRON FURNACES.
The Grand Tower Company furnaces
are situated below the Devils Oven, on
the face of the bluff known as the
Devils Backbone, and are strung along
the Mississippi river several hundred
yards. Their main motive power is OBJ
tanned from two low-pressure horizontal
engines, twelve hundred horse power.
The iron turned out of these furnaces is
considered the best in the United States.
H. V. Olyphant is superintendent of
the works, the capacity of which is sew
enty tons, and employs two hundred
operatives.
The Big Muddy furnaces capacity
fifty tons) are one mile south of Grand
Tower, and are superintendent by Jas.
E. Mills. Their power is low-pressure
hy-wheel beam engine, the walking beam
weighing ffty-three thousand pounds;
cylinder, three feet in diameter, with
seven feet stroke; air-cylinder, eight
feet in diameter and nine feet stroke,
throwing eight hundred and forty-two
cubic feet of air at every revolution, or
seven to ten thousand cubic feet in a
minute. The fy-wheel weighs fifty-six
thousand pounds.
These furnaces are among the best on
this Continent, and elicit much atten-
ton from iron capitalists throughout
the country.
RAILROADS.
The Cairo and st. Louis narrow
gauge railroad, passing through this
county, is being pushed forward with
rapidly. Its iron rails will weigh forty
pounds to the yard, over which will run
twenty-six engines and corresponding
amount of rolling stock. 1t will ran