Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-14
TENNESSEE PIG IRON.
why It Can BE Made for SI5.93 Per
Tom


Hedfeld writes from lockwood, Roane
county; in tins State, to the Cincinnati
C0ptmercidi:
Tie most important industrial enter
prise on tine lire Of the Southern road, from
Cincinnati to ChattanoOgs, - tie ROane
Iron Company's Works at this place. They
have a paid-in capital of one million OF
dollars. They own fifteen thousand acres
of mineral lands, two large blast furnaces
here, narrow gauge railroad to the Ten
pessee, am a rail mill at Chattanooga, six
hundred and thirty feet long, and with a
capacity of one hundred TINS Of bar iron
per day. The officers of this company
are: w. p. Rathburn, President; Gener-
al Wilder, Superintendent; II. S. Cham
berlain, Manager; s. B. Strong, Assistant
Manager; Willard Abbott, Secretary and
Treasurer, and ii. G.. Evans, Superintend-
ent at this point.
1t is large, successful and wealthy con-
cern, and has demonstrated the fact that
pig iron can be made cheaper here than at
any point north of the Ohio river. know
that this is disputed, and that each iron
State claims for itself superiority over all
its neighbors, but / efall present a few
cold figures in favor Of lockwood which
will bear the test of comparison with, any
body's Figures from any quarter. | don't
want to reopen the old pig iron controversy
which convulsed the nation until the panic
sunk pig iron so low that it was not worth
disputing about, but / do want TO call at
tention to the fact that the Cincinnati road
opens up one Of the finest iron manufae-
turing regions in the United States or out
Of it.
During the month Of May just past the
lockwood furnace did not have fair run,
yet they made pig iron all the month for
1888 per ton. The result of their opera
tions for that month take from the Looks
of the company, and it is correct. The
average cost of a ton of pig iron for May
was as follows: Ore Sj.25, coke SOL,
coal Sl.40, limestone &c, salaries SIC, la
Dor $1.99, stems of material 24c, teams l5c,
repairs, etc, SAC; total average cost of ton
ofpig iron Sl5.93. Every possible item is
included here, and the result. Sl5.93, is
about the yearly average.
In looking back over the books find
that for the twenty-siX weeEs ending Feb
ruary 20, 1872, pig iron was manufactured
here at a cost of but Sl4.63 per ton. The
amount produced in the twenty-six weeks
was 3,459 tons and 1891 pounds. The
total cost was $50, ,62S.93, or $l4.63 per ton.
The reason that pig iron can be manu-
featured so cheaply here is on account OF
rare contiguity of all material essential for
the purpose. Here is 4 vein Of coal one
hundred feet thick in places; here is a vein
Of sixty-three per cent. iron ore; here is
| limestone sufficient to make pig iron every
day for ten thousand years; here are large
springs Of pure water; here is sandstone
rock for the Prevails of furnaces; here are
tens Of thousands of acres of hard timber.
What more could Nature have done, even
had she contemplated going into the pig iron
business herself. The furnace is now
getting its ore delivered at its very mouth
for less than three dollars a ton, coal fol
five cents q bushel and limestone fol-
eighty-fve cents ton. What other spOt
can beat il?