Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-12
ABOUT MAKING IRON.

To the Union and American:
NASHVILLE, Sept. IL, 1S73-Mr. 5. l..
Sigman replies to what l have said in the
Banner about making iron 10 Nashville, by
q communication 10 the UNION AND AMER
IcAN of this date. Unless Mr.. Sigman
could afford to state my proposition cor
rectly, and to state the facts which l have
at various times presented about making
iron, be ought to have submitted his COM
munication to the same readers who hid
seen my communications. If he had done
this there would have been no necessity of
any r ioinder by me, as his readers would
all be aware 4 the fact that l had
made 20 proposition for using con-
victs in working the contemplated furDsee
and r Ill mill al Nashville. II ne had sub
mitted his reply to familiar readers, | should
have felt assured that the response would
come from the reader and need not come
from ne.
For more than five years l have written
and spoken against bringing conVicts IN
competition with mechanics. No man con-
nee, et with the contemplated Nashville en-
terprise has thought of putting convicts iGto
it. l believe cOnvicts ought to be put to
digging coal and digging iron ore, and that
every stout, agle bodied man In the State
prison, Ought to be put at this work, for
various reasons.
l. This is drudgery and not mechanism.
9. 1t is a kind Of drudgery greatly in
need Of labOrers in Tennessee.
8. Instead of bringing him in competi
ton with the mechanic, he is made to
help the mechanic by furnishing him the
raw material to work on.
4. The wealth of the State can only be
developed by having fxei aud uniform
labor under ground, IN mining coal and
iron ore, and from among the free men in
Tennessee this fixed and uniform labor
| can not be had.
If any man in Tennessee desires to see
the couvicts cooped up in solitary conhne:
ment, doing no work, but fed and clothed
| at the expense Of the State, LEI him spe K
but if not, can a mora suitable labor for
him be chosen than digging coal and ore
| | should feel much discouraged II l
thought all who have read my articles on
! the manufacture of iron had read them with
| no more scriminatnn than Mr.. Sigman
| The process Of making iron has never been
| discussed By me. The question L havs
De IN discussing is a commercial one. This
! | believe the people of the country gener-
ely have intelligence enough to understand
Your correspondent is in favor OF improV-
ing the State Of Tennessee, but makes war
on coke and iron making. The iron, he
says, MT be made at Nashville because
| of the heavy transportation or ore.
If Mr. Sigmsn will do what have done
be will be prepared to write aoou'
facts and not theory; that is, WISH the ore
beds in Tennessee and ascertain the cost OF
digging the ore, and putting i5 on the cart
and its value by having It Analysed, then C
to the railro DIS and find what they viii
carry the ore TO Nashville for; then 30 tt
Pennsylvania and comp re the cost with tbt
cost Of ore at Pttsburg, and other places IN
wes5ern Pennsylvania, he will understand
what he seems now to have put lite In
formation about.
He will find that the ores OF Tennes
see in the aggregate are frs rate
That they will cost delivered al Nashville
from 1915 70 81 per ton.
And he will find that all
iron men of Western Pennsy Iva
mia are paying Sl4 so and $3.50 for ores
and that they bring their ores from 7OO Il
| 1000 miles, while at Nashville the ores
would he broueht from 30 10 100 miles,
Patience is a great virtue and being some
thing of a philosopher, l do not get out
patience with gentleman who undertakes
even to inform the public on subject d
knows nothing about.
Does Mr.. Sigman want to grind any
body ak in trying to keep Nashville iron
manufacturing iron and making cokeP
A. >. COLLAR.