Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-03-05

To work well, successfully and continuous
~, must be built with some reference to
the kind Of fuel and ore that we propose
using. We could not think of burning
oal i'm wood stove or coal oil through gas
pipes, but we have in Tennessee, fur
naces, and remnants of furnaces, which
have bankrupted their owners and
then "caved inn themselves, which are
now piles of rock work, built with no
thought except the general proposition
that they are going to make iron in them,
and seemingly with no recollection of the
many improvements made in the iron
business since the pupils of Tubal Cain
forged pillow moulds six thousand years
ago. No wonder that you old East Ten
nesseeans flight shy" of the iron business.
But Gen. Wilder has set you a better eS-
ample.
Many of us remember the day five years
ago when Gen. Wilder set out from Knox
Vile a flat boat with n few men and axes
and few necessities of life, such rs
dozen sides of bacon, n barrel of crackers
and box of cheese-nOthing stronger, for
the General is temperance man; he nei-
Their drinks, smokes or chews, and dislikes
very much to swear, but says that he
sometimes finds its necessary in the iron
business.
That little fiat boat expedition cleared
away the underbrush where now stands
the flourshing town OF lockwood and laid
| the foundation for business probably
now approXimating $4,000 per day in all
| its branches. The lockwood ores contain
larger per cent. of phosphorus and sill
! lea but with the banks patent pudding
| furnace this is so far driven out, neutraliZed
and controlled us to make an iron unsur-
passed for railroad rails which the COM
pany are making at Chattanooga.
There are numerous deposits of ore of
which have no time to speak, but can
not pass them without referring TO the
Telico ores of Monroe county. l have no
analysis of them, but an average judge of
iron ores would at once pronounce them
both of excellent quality and probably a
larger yield than any brown ores of East
Tennessee.
They would make an iron suitable for
all purposes and probably make as good a
car wheel as the Garter ores. These ores
have "never seen the cars" visited the
speculum on beds of Cooke county, which
you have heard of through one or two cor
respondents of our city papers. These ores
are rich and if in quantities as supposed by
many, will be very valuable. Silica is the
greatest Objectionable feature and it is so
abundant rs to probably exclude them
from successful competition with the ores
of Carter, Washington and Monroe, for
many purposes.
The amount of iron ore in East Tennes-
see is large, but most of it is distant from
the present railroad lines.
hundred furnaces could feed from the
crib of the great dyerstone vein, and here
and there are Especial deposits of nature
some of which would support numbers o
furnaces and make an iron unsurpassed il
the markets and at a cost of but little more
than Pittsburg pigs for the ores before they
are smelted.
, Iron is n grand instrument toward tn
advancement of civilization. Through it
: sinews and electric nerves, we bridge dis
| tances between kindred and friends ant
e make the commercial transactions of da.
= greater than three weeks of old time bust
e ness.
D The iron wheel spurns hill and vale.
$ from beneath its crushing burden and set
f a foreign market down at our elbow as j
) were Iron is an emblem of life, energ
= aud strength, as we'll rs an instrument {
4 death and destruction, and yet iron is de
pendent upon coal.
: Disposing of the iron question, he allud
i ed to coal. Iron, though powerful, had t
= bow to the sable "queen Of diamonds.
He alluded in his peculiar way to our vas
G deposits of coal and their great value. II
then discussed copper lead, zinc, marble
&c, &c.
The delivery of the lecture occupie
: about one hour and quarter, and was re
: garded with interest throughout. DR.
I science was so touched upon rs to reliev
:, it of its dryness to unscientiiic minds
u Many passages were characterized by
:, humor that would 10 honor to Mar
u Twain. 1t was Mr.. J0,Neon's first ello
II in that direction, but we trus. it will M
II be his last.
IS The Board of Trade gave Mr.. Johnso
< their thanks by a rising VOTE Is the col
. clusion of the lecture.