Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-02-26

Pifih Lecture Of the series by j. T., john
SON. Esq, k&@2

| The lecture delivered by MI. JOAnSOl
last night under the auspices Of the Boart
of Trade was one OF the most interesting o
. the series and evinced Il perfect familiari
ty with the subject, which might have beer
expected from his opportunities for obser-
walton and his love for mineralogy and
geology. Ffs 10
The Board of Trade Rooms was we'll fill
ed with an sppreciative audience, and fire.
quent applause at the speakers happy hits
attested the interest felt The subject
though "dry one" as Mfr. Johnson would
say, was mterspersed. with spice enough
to make it interesting to all.
Starting out he delineated man in his
primitive state, before the use of metals
were discovered. His helplessness with-
out the aid of artificial means was shown.
Man was not naturally formed to exist
without recourse to his inventive faculties
and by the use of his mental faculties made
the animal and vegetable Kingdoms con-
tribute to supplying his wants and neces-
sites.
Trace back the smallest article Of neces-
sity or of luxury and there is metal some
where. Even that simplest of old fash
Toned utensils, the gourd, from which
most Of us have drank that simplest and
best of all beverages, cold water-is fash
Toned for its use with knife Of metal.
First and most useful Of all the metals
and better than precious stones, is
IRON,
Which enters into more general use than
any other. j have seen the most bewitch-
ing curls that adorn the brow of Beauty
unfolded from little rod of iron
and afterwards arranged in place
by little iron hair pins. Iron
and steel are ornamented and
manufactured into dozen articles sold
daily in the dry goods stores, as is we'll
known to every lady present. How are
your silks, worsteds, linens and cottons
made? A thousand spindles, shuttles and
needle II this base metal sing with their
easy task Of accomplishing more in one
week rs your hands could in a life time.
The tree is felled with an axe of iron and
steel {; tie Jog is made into lumber by a
saw of troll and steel; the iron nail pierces
it in obedience to the hammer of iron and
steel, and 10! beautiful house is the re-
suit. Is it not better than those minerals
which never lent their aid to clothe you, to
feed you, or to house you?
Iron is found in almost everything about
us and its presence is felt in our blood, 1
making 1t current Of life. Deposits are
found in the earth's crusts in various states
Of impurity, from the almost infinitessma
proportion which makes our East Tennes-
see soil 30 red, to the richest ore leaving
been found malIeable in the EARTH the
only samples of natural wrought iron
found being of meteoric origin. There are
many varieties of iron and each sub divid-
ed, 80 that classification would strike
most people as somewhat similar to
the catalogue of Indian names
given in previous lecture, Nearly all of
East Tennessee ores are either hematiteS
or limonites, the latter being more gem
orally known in this section as brown
hematite. Ats&
The speaker enumerated the various for
eign substances found i'll iron mining and
gave all account Of the process of manu-
facture. "'fE
We extract the following in regard to the
of
CLARK, QUAIFE & CO., u- .. !
in this city. These gentlemen are sineit-s
ing the ores of Carter county for making |
car wheels, which seem to be entirely free |
from phosphorus and sulphur, and some, |
also from silicon. They contain zine and |
which add to their value es-
pecially for the manufacture of steel, and |
this is the purpose for which most of them |
were intended. These are unsurpassed in
quality, some of them, however are less |
easily mined and prepared for the furnace
and not so rich as many other ores, and to |
be worked at large profit must be en-
ployed when quality is appreciated and
paid for. There are vast quantities OF |
these ores in Carter and Johnson counties.
The reputation of the Knoxville car
wheels is becoming wide spread, and it is
gratifying to see the rewards attendant
upon success being reaped by Messrs.
Clark, Quaife & Co. We all know that
they are not under obligations to any for |
the success they have achieved.
Comparative freedom from, phosphorus
is also a distinctive characteristic of the
ores of Washington county. The per cent
Of silicon is q little in advance of the Car
ter ores, but not so rs to be prominent
objection. These ores are somewhat rich
er attended by manganese and zinc, but
have the same drawback to full develop i
ment-a lack of transportation facilities.
The deposits of brown hematite in Green
county, contain much larger proportion
Of phosphorus aud also many other eie-
ments. There are two furnaces To-
Gated upon these beds 3 twelve miles
from Greeneville, from which point mar
row gauge railroad is in course of con-
struction. The Unaka furnace, in charge
Of w. f. Gleason, Of New York, is maxi
nS from nine to twelve tons Of pig iron
per day, and is the largest and best con-
structed charcoal furnace in East Tennes-
see.
The New York and East Tennessee
Furnac INV in charge Of Geo TAYLOR /
Esq, Of York city, has been out of
blast for so years until within, a few
months. L;m.not aware CT what recent +
may have done for it, but
t is small furnace at best. Probably on
completion of the new railroad this com
)any will increase its works. r.-- =a-at,
The ROane iron furnaces at Rock wood,
IN the great dyeTstOne or red hematite1
yein which extends with but slight inter- 1
'uptions from Alabama to Canada, are the
irst attempt at making pig iron in the
south with Unanimous coal and coke
The Roane Iron Company are well known
o many of us for theirs has been an ex-