New-York tribune., 1873-12-24
| PRIORITY IN MAKING WROUGHT IRON IN
FAIRLY CLAIMED ABROAD.


TO the Edttor OF The Tribune.
SIR: In your paper of the 18th inst, you
published the second part of Prof Bakes interesting
special report the and steel department OF the
Vienna Exposition. In this report Prof Blake says:
"The Burbach FurnaceW Works. near saarbruck, among
other articles In their display send series of girders
over 90 long, and hollow iron posts OF the
length and foot or more in diameter, made of four
construction but smaller diameter, remarkable
rgdity Ghtness aud strength, be seen in the col
lection or long girders apu rails sent Dy the scnessn
Company, Belgium"
1 am aware that America made rather poor show at
the Vienna Exposition-elther lack Of interest
other preventing manufacturers from sending
samples of their work for competition and therefore it
can hardly be matter Of complaint If many articles
OF long established in this country should be
displayed at Vienna by foreigners as novelties
The square and round post referred in Prof Blakes
report are nothing less than the well known
Ph9nix wroughtiron column invented and patented by
Samuel j. Reeves, President OF the PhGnx Iron Com
pany, June H. 1861 For moro than ten years this
column, post has been largely manufactured at the
PhUnix Iron Works, and many thousand tons
OF them have gone into the construction OF
wrought iron bridges, vaducs, depot warehouses; and
other structures In various parts Of the United States
Canada Nova Scotia and in South and Central America
All the tor chords and posts OF the IN the
Intsrnational Bridge over the Niagara River,
Buffalo, are made OF Phoenix columns. The
same can be said Of the Intercolonal and
all the new bridges the Grand Trunk Railway in
Canada, tho Augusta Bridge in Msne the Girard.ave
Bridge over the Schuylkil. the New River and Green
brier Bridges in Virginia the three wrouRhtron bridges
at Rock Island, ILL.,, ana scores Of Others. Many
important viaducts are composed almost
tirely Of these cOlumns-as the Lyman and
Rapallo viaducts In Connecticut the Lyon
Brook, Deep Gorge and Blockhouse in New
York, Bullock Run and Bank Lick in Kentucky, the
Aqua venugas in Peru Many OF these structures are
Of great length and depth the last mentioned being $40
feet long and crossing 252 feet deep which
the Lima and Arroyo Railroad is carried The overhead
Creenwichst. Railway, In New-fork CITY, rests on
coptnuous line OF these columns. though not ny any
means good type owing 10 their narng tops and bot
made 10 suit the peculiar notions of the contractor
OF the railway. ... .... LID.
What therefore, was great novelty al Vienna, you
viii perceiye turns out TO be an American invention
ana I'm common use here. Again to the diameter
thickness and length Of the columns displayed by the
6slsap Works: this would not be thought ex
traordinary here, where orders oan lie filled
upon demand for columns 100 feet long and from
inches to feet in diameter. and composed OF seq
mental pieces varying from eighth OF an inch 10 two
inches In thickness. Prot Blake quite right In sayin
that columns or posts OF wrought iron made IN this man
ner are remarkable for their rigidity, Ightness and
strength. Ion, ,;RIrrrn
Rentrritf, Penn. Dec. 20, 1878.