Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1872-07-13

ulSdStTOuS hhTS ttldt nave tdhcu pidCS
both in Europe and America.
The consumption in England has
risen to zoo pounds per head; in the
United States to $50 pounds, and in
the whole world TO 30 pounds. If the
consumption of iron, as Mr.. Hewitt
maintains, is in a measure to the pro.
gress of civilization, no more crafty.
ing record can be had than the above
statement. When the annual per cap.
ito consumption throughout the world
equals what it is at present in the
United States, more than 10000, ,00C
tons will be required. Mr.. Hewitt
earnestly believes that the beginning
of the twentieth century will witness
an annual production of even 10000
600 tons.
The history of trade and of the pro
gress of events shows that the great
bulk Of this will have to be made ulti-
mately in the United States. In fact
the United States with all the draw
backs that result from scarcity of la
Dor, has been the only country that
has kept pace with Great Britain in
the production of iron. In 1855, when
Great Britain produced $4,000, 900 tons,
this country produced 100000. In
1872, when Great Britain will produce
1000, 900 tons, this country will pro-
duce 2,000,000, notwithstanding the
immense destruction to the iron in
tercsts by failures, war, want of labor,
etc. It is estimated that we are only
twenty-five years in arrcar of Great
Britain, but as the latter country can.
not possibly maintain her rate of in
crease. there seems no reason to doubt
that this country will swell its produc.
ton to 10000, 900 or Is, 900, 900 tons be.
fore the close of the present century
This MEANS" says Mr.. Hewitt, that
25, 100000 to 100000 tons of iron
ore shall be annually extracted from
our mines and that our coal produc.
ton will exceed 100, ,0O0, 600 ton per an.
mum, required for iron and other
branches of industry. 1t means tina,
an investment of capital to the amour,
of 500, ,000, 900, and probably $1,000,
100000, shall be made in opening
mines, erecting works and supplying
the requisite machinery for produc
tion."
Col. George T. Tewis, of Clarks
vile, who has been engaged in the
manufacture of iron for thirty years
states that the time the war broke ou
, in 1861 there were in operation on thu
Cumberland and Tennessee rivers ant
their tributaries twenty cold bias
charcoal furnaces, producing annually
30, 900 tons of pig iron, ten forges pro
ducing annually 10000 tons of blooms
and two rolling mills producing annu
ally 5000 tons of bar, rod and plate iror
1.-The whole annual product being wortl
) 81 $3.50, 900, and the whole capital, em
ployed being $1,2l6,O00. The iror
made was of the best quality, inferior
as Col. Lewis says, only to the Swedish
iron. In 1925 sugar kettles made o
it began to compete with those mad,
of Pennsylvania and Scotch iron, il
, Louisiana, and in short tine drov
the latter out of the sugar districts
The annual profits of these mills aver
aged 18 per cent. They employe,
I about five thousand men, three fourth
of the number of slaves; and tn
> profits of the business made Nashville
the wealthiest city of its size in tn
South. 1t was the cheapness of slav,
, labor and the excellence of the Ten
nessce iron that enabled the owners O
, these blast furnaces and forges to com
pete with the Cincinnati and Pittsbur
> iron makers in their own markets an,
Col. Lewis thinks that if the convict
were put at the business, iron coul,
i, again be made in Tennessee, sent T.
Louisville and Cincinnati and sol,
there at good profit. Even with fre
e labor at full wages iron making in Ten
nessee would be highly profitabl
6 business. The cost of making iron i
Pennsylvania is estimated at s29.65 pc
ton; at Youngstown, Ohio, it is S33
g at Stubenville, Ohio, it is s3l i
| Pittsburg it is $50; in Indiana it j
i, $50; at Carondelct it is S32.05 O.
. the other hand, at lockwood, Tennes
see, the only stone coal furnace in tina
0 State, the cost of iron making it ia
below the lowest of these figure.
Gen. Wilder, the superintendent O
j. the lockwood works, in a letter t
Senator Spencer, of Alabama. in May
1870, said; My iron costs from 81
to % per ton; with capital il can b
!. made for sl5,' The estimate for max
e ing pig iron at Chattanooga is: Or
S3.40; fuel 81 limestone 80 cents
r labor and superintendence. 1854; in
terest and incidentals, S2.77; maxim
the total cost of ton of iron, Sl7 2l
: Col. Lewis carries his estimates int
, the higher departments of iron max
ing, and endeavors TO show that nail
n can be made considerably cheaper il
\ Tennessee than at Pittsburg. A to-
2 of iron made into l,S0O pounds @
r nails at Pittsburg, he says. would eos
/ $50. or 1888 per kcg Of 100 pound
each, while ton Of iron made int
; nails in Tennessee would cost onl
$62. 80, or S342 per keg. These esti
: mates whether minutely correct o
not. are sufficient to demonstrate tina
e in the mild climate of this State
= where labor and the cost of living ar
O cheaper than in the North, the manu-
! facture Of iron may be made profit
!. able business.
!. With this brilliant prospect for tn
: future of iron, we may c0ngratulat
0 ourselves upon the extent and richnes
/ of our ores, and the quantity aud quail
4 ity of our coal and timber. The fell
is open and we should rejoice to see
[ greater number Of our young men en-
, tering schools of industry and arts
: and preparing themselves to take ad
vantage of the situation. We wan
to-day in the State of Tennessee twent
: thousand young men who can gear ul
our streams, diversity our manfactur
' ing interests, and make Tennessee wha
! she should be the home of five millions
: of happy. c6ntented people, enioyin
all the benefits and blessing of ciyiliz
: ation--cheapcning processes witkou
: diminishing wages, so that all may en-
JOY the comforts and necessaries o