Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-03-05
noARn OF TRADE LECTURES.
fifth Lecture of the series by J. u. john
son. Esq.

last night under the auspices Of the Board !
of Trade was one of the most interesting Of
the series and evinced perfect familiarl
ty with the subject, which might have been
expected from his opportunities for obser-
walton and his love for m!neralogy and |
geology
The Board of Trade Rooms was well fill |
ell with an appreciative audience, and fire.
uuent applause at the speakers happy hits
attested the interest felt. he subject
though "dry one" as Mr.. Johnson would
say, was interpreted 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-
stiles.
Trace back the smallest article of neccs-
city or of luxury and there is metal some
where. Even that simplest of old fasll-
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 | 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
daily in the dry goods stores, as is well
known to every lady present. How are
your silks, worsteds, linens and cottons
made? A thousand spindles, shuttles and
needles of this base metal sing with their
easy task of accomplishing more in one
week than your hands could in life time.
The tree is felled with an axe of iron and
steel the log is made into lumber by a
saw of iron 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 i'll our blood,
making it current of life. Deposits are
found in the earth's crusts in various states
of impurity, from the almost infnitesslma
proportion which makes our East Tennes-
see soil 50 red, to the richest ore leaving
~ per cent. of metallic iron. 1t has never
been found malleable 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, so that q classification would strike
most people rs somewhat similar tC
foil of names
given in a previous lecture Nearly all OF
East Tennessee ores are either hematite:
or limontes, the latter being more gen
orally known in this section as brown
hematite.
The speaker enumerated the various for
.eign substances found in iron mining ant
gave an account of the process of manu-
facture.
We extractthe following in regard to th'
mandatory of
CLARK, QUAIFE d co.,
in this city. These gentlemen are smelt
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 zinc anC
manganese, which add to their value, es
pecially for the manufacture of steel, ant
this is the purpose for which most of then
were intended. These are unsurpassed il
quality, some of them, however, are les
easily mined and prepared for the furnac
and not so rich as many other ores, and t
be worked at large profit must be EN-
played when quality is appreciated ant
paid for. There are vast quantities q
these ores in Carter and johnson counties
The reputation of the Knoxville ca
wheels is becoming wide spread, and it
gratifying to see the rewards attendan
upon success being reaped by MessrS
Clark, Quaife d Co. We all know tina
they deserve it and much more, becaus
they are not under obligations to any 70
the success they have achieved.
Comparative freedom from phosphoru
is also distinctive characteristic of tn
ores of Washington county. The per cent
of silicon is little in advance of the Cal
ter ores, but not so as to be a prOminen
objection. These ores are somewhat rich
er attended by manganese and zinc, bu
have the same drawback 70 a full develop
ment-a lack of transportation facilities
The deposits of brown hematte in Gree
county, contain Il much larger propurliG
of phosphorus and also many other eli
ments. There are two furnaces lC
Gated upon these beds twelve mile
from Greenevlle, from which point a ma
row gauge railroad is in course of col
structiou. The Unaka furnace, in charg
Of w. +. Gleason, of New York, is maxi
ing from nine to twelve tons of pig iro
per day, and is the largest and best col
structed charcoal furnace in East Tenne;
see.
The New York and East Tennessee
furnace, now i'm charge of Geo. Taylo
ESD of New York City. has been out