Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-01-29
FACTS ABOUT EAST TENNESSEE.
O.XCIV.
No.'XCIv.
TENNESSEE IRON INTERESTS.


AS the facts concerning the cost of man
ufacturing iron in East Tennessee become
known, heavy iron capitalists are coming
here to invest and develop our mines.
Gen. Wilder was the pioneer of this great
interest, which is now becoming so inn
porvant to our State. Roane county is
now literally noisy with the hum Of this
growing industry. In addition to the in
crease in the capacity of the Roane Iron
Company's blast furnaces at lockwood,
three other companies are preparing to
manufacture iron in the same neighbor-
hood. Some time ago, the CHRONICLE
published n letter from New York con-
corning the operations and prospects of
the Oakdale Iron Company, whose fur
mace will blow in sometime during
this spring. A Youngstown Ohio COM
pany have made purchases near lockwood
and propose building furnace soon. An
agent of heavy English capitalists is pros
pecting in the same vicinity, thus far most
favorably impressed. This is all in Roane
county. Some days ago we published n
letter from o. G.. King, of Messy Creek,
reporting the sale of some iron property in
Cooke county to n Philadelphia firm
There are still other valuable iron mines
in the same neighborhood for sale, of
which we will write hereafter. All these
facts are gratifying indications that iron
men have at last come to appreciate tho
richness, cheapness and unsurpassed adj
vantages for the working Of our iron ores,
The information that has awakened this
deep interest in our iron mines has been
largely furnished by General Wilder. We
have seen a late copy of the american
Manufacturer, published at Pittsburgh,
which contains the following valuable
letter. More information of importance
to this great interest could not
we'll be put into less space.
The letter is editorially introduced in
very fiattering terms, and the opinion eX-
pressed that in the future Pittsburgh iron
would look largely to Tennessee for their
ores:
RoANE lRoS Co, RocKwooD, TENNn
November nd, 1872
Joseph d. H-eets, Editor:
DEAR SIR-Your favor of November nth
reached me here In answer have 10 say That
the paper spoken of has not come to hand; rs
soon MS received it shall receive attention, we
are working here a vein Of dry semi btumln Gus
coal, varying in thickness from ~ to 40 Feet ana
IN some places much thicker. The VAIN isVery
much disturbed one entry is three-fOurths ef n
mile long We work the lump coal raw ana
coke the slack Have been running four years
with one twenty ton furnace; will blow IN our
second stack in February, of torty'hye tons ca
pacity The vein of coal lies on top OF the con
glomerate sandstone of the lower coal measures.
Will only coke when pulgerized and wet works
splendidly in the furnace when raw; Weus9 inc
red fossiliferous ore without mixture IL Is loui'u
IN o ridge running parallel TO ana close NJ Ihe
foot of the Cumberland Mountains; have two
veins, one varying from two to I'VE rect thlGk'
and the other three to fifteen feet thick INC
limestone for huX is between the ore ana coai
and is two hundred feet thick, SUP carDohiler-
ous Ores cold short; coal and limer very pure,
Coal costs ut furnace 81 50 per ton, ore 81 to D
per ton, lime So cents per ton. 1t required las'
year 2S5-l00tons coal mined for each ton OF Pig
made Ore ut surface yields about AZ per cent.
under ground or mihe ore 81 TO &c per cent. we
use 20 per cent. of lime for tiux; these are the
working results in the furnace by the year. Inc
ore veins begin down in Central Alabama ana
run continuously up through Chattanooga INTO
Virginia; in Alabama they yield from 30 to "a
Der cent There is also another vein OF orc, not
so rich as those nsed by us, near here varying
in thickness from to 20 feet. This company
IRE now running marrow gaugeroad to IT. FOR
four hundred miles from Central Alabama, up
through Tennessee into Virginia the ore, coal
. and limestone are contiguous and persistent
some sections oft better and thicker than Others
With the Cincinnati Southern Railroad nnlshed
70 Chattanooga via Emory Gap, Pittsburgh can
get her cheapest supply of ores from this region
as the road will run along the ore beds Tor a.
miles Of its southern end. Mr.. Devln, OF the
firm of DeVin IL McCulla, of Pittsburgh, went
over large section of this country in Septcm-
her last, and can verify these statements.
] am very respectfully,
j, T. WILDER, Sup'tR. I, Co.