Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-04-30
FACTS ABOUT EAST TENNESSEE.
The Iron works at OakdaIe.
no. CIV.

H..r. NO. CIV.
Our remarks last week as to the great
change wrought in the country about
lockwood by the grand industrial enter
prise of the Roane Iron Company, apply
with equal force to the new life and wealth
brought into the northeastern part of Roane
county by the iron works of the Oalzdale
Company Last fall a party of Eastern
gentlemen had the sagacity to purchase at
the foot of Walden's Ridge, near Winters
Gap, an exceedingly valuable body of
mineral land, favorably situated for the
manufacture of pig iron. The capital was
mostly gathered in New York, Boston and
other Eastern cities. Itdoubtless required
some courage on the part of monied men
to invest their capital in an enterprise to
be inaugurated so far from them i'm a To-
cality comparatively isolated, the mineral
wealth of which was not fully developed
or even understood. But with courage and
enterprise the work was undertaken. With
the advice and cooperation of Gen. Will
DER, who had built up the mammoth work
at lockwood, the location for the works
was decided upon. The company was or
ganized and began preparing for the con-
struction of the furnace last winter.
We visited Oakdale week before last, and
only those who knew the spot as it was
before these busy men began their opera
tons, and who can see the many difficult
ties to be overcome, can appreciate the pro-
gress already made. The building of such
mammoth works where every tool and
machine that could not be made on the
spot had to be brought from distance,
over rough roads and unbridged rivers;
where 1.-THE lumber and brick had TO be
made on the spot; where skilled workmen
had to be brought from distance, and or
binary laborers gathered from the sur
rounding country, was no ordinary under
taking. When all the difficulties with
which they have contended are considered.
their progress reflects the greatest credit
upon the energy and good management of
those having the work in charge.
EXTENT OF THE WORKS.
The Oakdale furnace is to have capaci-
~ of forty tons of iron per day. The
stack, which was nearly completed at our
visit, is 633 feet high, with bosh of 1G
feet, hearth of feet, and four tuyeres.
Inc motive power is supplied by two en-
gines, Tornado and "Tempest,u each
supplied with two blowing and two steam
cylinders, each 6 feet stroke. The boilers
are four in number, so feet long and AZ
inches in diameter. The buildings are, a
cast house, 12Ox40 a stack house, 1O0x5O,
an engine house, 6Sx50, and boiler house,
55X34 feet. The draught stack is so feet high.
The water supply comes from an unfailing
spring, at an elevation of 3S feet.
In addition to the above buildings all of
which are under way and some of which
are nearly completed, the company have
put up seventy-three houses for employees,
one hotel of twenty rooms, a blacksmith's,
harness and wagon shop, and steam saw
lnlll that turns out 1000 feet of lumber per
day. u. - ~
COAL, IRON ORE AND LIMESTONE.
The value of the location at Oakdale con-
sists principally in the convenience and |
economy with which the material used in |
the manufacture of iron can be carried to |
the furnace. As at lockwood, so at Oak |
dale, the coal is very convenient. The |
trst opening promises to be successful. 1t |
IS ABOUT one thousand yards from the fur
mace. The tunnel cut into the mouth of |
the vein is 80 yards and about six feet |
square. A tram road runs IS yards from |
the coal to chute, which is so constructed |
as 10 answer as a screen. A double track |
at the foot of the chute is arranged 40 that |
the lump coal is conducted into one car |
and the screening into another, the former
being dumped directly into the stock
mouse, the latter into the coke yard, where
1t is burned into coke. The coal is the
same as at lockwood. The vein now
opened is from to feet and of sunerior
lies in pocket over forty feet through.
Mr.. Alex. Allen, an experienced miner,
has had charge of opening the mine and
will superintend the mining.
Their veins of red hematite ore have been
opened within half mile of the furnace.
The company believe they have brown
hematite ore upon the property near the
furnace. With these two ores, iron of any
quality desired can be made. The ore is so
situated that when the horse railroad from
the furnace to Big Emory river, 3! miles,
IS built to carry the pig iron to steamboats,,
the empty cars returning can carry back
ore: 1t is estimated that ore can thus be
delivered at the furnace for one dollar per
ton. Lake superior ore costs Sl2 at Pitts
burg and Iron Mountain ore $3.50 at st.
Louis. The difference in favor of Oakdale
Is apparent. if with ore at Si.00 and coal
At about Sl.50, iron can not be profitably
made at Oakdale, where in the world can
It be?
The Limestone is of superior quality
and in great abundance within Que fourth
1f q mile from the mouth of the stack.
These are the advantages briefly enumer-
lted, we noted while AT Oakdale We can |