Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-01-04
MInerala in DeIswsre.
IRos ORE Is sussEX tutAlt FoRIl
YEARS AGO.

EAhu At''s
As our business men nte alive tn the
Importance Of ere ting, 10 this city, blast
furnaces to supply tho growing demands
Of the iron consumers in our midst, We
think the following, which Wo clip tfom
the Adyerhssr, Of Milford, will prove IN
tercstlng reading. If the orc to be found
in Sussex county is superior to that OBJ
tainable at a greater distance from home,
and is iuexhaustable in quantity, why
should II not be used, when our blast
/ furnaces are built, instead Of the ore found
| ir the South, OF elsewhere This is the
article in full -
Forty years ago Sussex county, in this
State, had several iron blast furnaces,
bloomeries aud forges, aud manufactured
from the ore of her own mines very
superior article of both cast and wrought
iron. We remember that even thirty yea
ago hammered bar iron Of a very snreiiur
quality wac Slapped from that county to
the Baltimore aud Philadelphia mari cts.
L. was emelted AMI hammered at what Is
sill known a. Collius' Forge aud vas
celebrated for Its duclility, maj .eab'ltY
and strength. Az Millsboro, also, Col.
VIM. D. NAPLES and Samuel Wright had
a furnace and iron foundry and manuiac-
tured stoves, plows and other castings
from this ore. This ore produced such n
quality of iron that II was largely Ia
demand for use in other States t1 mix with
ores that produced non with lees duetiliy.
The ore in those days was smelt'd with
charcoal and run into blooms or ples, and
made into bars under the trip hammer.
Though the product sold at the highest
price. this industry was finally destroyed
bv foreign eompHition. Now that the
iron business is revived under the b neil
cent operation Of protection, why oanno
, this mining smelling aud manufacturing
, oil iron be r. susciiaied
AT a later period, and after these fur
nnces had all suspended, aud the sound o
( toe trip hammer was no mo~e heard in the
, county, thousands Of tons OF this ore was
[ raised and transported to other States fol
) smelling. Milford and Millsboro for sew
r era years shipped large quantities ol It
/ for this purpose, aud at a comparatively
! recont date only has this transportation
ceased. There is plenty Of ttis orc still
/ in the county and probably millions o
Z tons are awaiting the resurrection OF en-
{ tcrprisp that shall restore this lmportan
c business to our people. Blast furnaces
} rolling mills, iron fOundcriCs, steel worR'
E roaring in Old Sussex Why not w
g have plenty Of ore, charcoal can be mad'
/. In the county in iuexhausiiblc quantities
and the area oil llnOer VIII DC ltutNV'
I spontaneously faster than II can be con
= sumed, labor Is cheap, Cvtrythingis favor
D able, why cannot this industry be restored
s to an hundred-fU.d greater eNtcnt thai
= before The orc aud the coal can ID
y brought at cheap rates To the doors Q
G furnaces on tho Mispilliou, the pigs rolle
Q nto bars of soft malleahle metal In mil
4 by the side of the furnaces, and tues
= again wrought Into the higher products o
,- manufacturing skill 10 60 out into tn
c markets Of the world and bring wca 4
It anil high prosperity to the cntorprisln
n and ssgaeious men who shall be tn
!, pioneers IN the business. Ii anthract
Q coal is required In the work IL can he dc
It llvcred here by water carriage from Rich
1t mond, Pa as cheaply rs in Wilmington
Heie is magnificent field for the eniel
n prise of our citizens, aud as the iron bus
5 ness is now profitable In this country, an
Il sure to remain 30 for many year. tn cont
10 these remarkable facilities that lie in ou
C own hands should receive immediate a
Ie tentlon.
)f Communications are invited from ot
&C citizens who have personal knowledge {
IN this industry In Sussex, aud also upon ih
present condition Of the iron mines in III
country"