Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1874-02-28
of the New Anthracite
Furnace at CatOCtin Iron Works.

EAASco AoA Pi6 AVN Vim
assuming more expansive and salts
factory character, when prudent men
can see their way clear to commence
operations on large scale. Mr.. JOHN
B. KuNxEL, Proprietor of Cotoctin
Furnaces, has put bis large, new and
elegantly constructed Anthracite Fur
mace into full blast. This Important
event occurred on Saturday Feb. 7,
at II o'clock, when Mrs. Deborah
Kunkel, wife Of the Proprietor, ap-
piled the torch to the heating appar-
atus-the Furnace in consequence will
be named "Deborah- Catoctin,' in
honor of this excellent Lady. Its ca
racity for turning out some OF the
best iron in the country on scale COM
mensurate with the great business de-
mands of the United States is no
longer a matter Of speculation-it is
an accomplished fact. The flare up
with Jay Cooke Il Co. and the North
Pacific Railroad Bonds, and the Panic
which ensued Immediately after, sem
sibly affected the iron trade through
out the Union. The "panic" in the
money market closed some of the lar
sgest iron manufactures in Pennsyl-
vania and New Jersey, aud caused a
Auctuation in prices which depressed
all kinds Of manufacturing industries.
But now that the clouds and vapors
which hung over head are clearing
away, and brighter sun and brighter
FREDER1cX, ND, February 81, 1874.
Colonel J. Baker Kunkel, proprie-
tor of the Catoctin furnaces, in the
northern section Of this county, has
Just completed the erection of new
anthracite furnace for the manufacture
of pig iron, in addition to his other
facilities in this business. -'he engine,
built by Denmead & Son, Of Baltimore,
is Of one hundred and fifty horse
power; the blowing cylinders are five
feet in diameter, with five,foot
stroke. The boilers, four in number,
are Of forty or fifty horse power each,
The stack proper consists of eight iron
colu ms, twelve feet high; height of
furnace fifty feet, and total height to
top of stack seventy-Gve feet, the
whole encased in the finest boiler
iron. The "hot blast oven is Of the
patent Of Raymond & Campbell,
Middletown, Pa. There is also a
hosting engine and an elevator on
the scale principle, si1ty-tve feet
high, II by II.
The engine house is SO by 50 feet.
The stock house $50 by 40, with a
railroad track running IS feet above
the floor, from which the ore is dump
ed. The capacity Of this highly
creditab,e enterprise, erected at a
cost Of more than $3.50, 900, is from 20
to 80 tons per day. The use of the
coke has been abandoned, and anthra-
cite coal used, of which 1000 tons
are required to be kept on hand as a
stock. Around and about the mines
is a perfect network of railway tracks,
over which the iron ore is hauled IN
cars by mules to the furnaces,
The Catoctin ore banks were dis
covered about one hundred years ago,
and the first furnace commenced on
small scale by Col. Baker johnson,
of Frederick. The ore is said to be
equal to any in the country, and is o
the brown hemetite and magnetic
varieties. Iron from these furnaces
was used in the construction of the
first monitor The whole tracI
now owned by Col. Kunkel compri
SEES $4,000 acres, containing vast bed
of iron ore and timber fer charcoal
1t is surprising that more persons dc
not engage in the development of thu
mineral resources of this county
which are very great.
Already the iron rails made from
the Pig Iron manufactured at Catoc
tin Furnaces spans the track of tn
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad through
Ohio, Indiana, etc.; and soon viii
stretch across the vast prall1es am
alluvial soil of Illinois, until it reache
Chicago. We are only anticipating
few years when it will sweep acros
the Mountains and valleys of Calitor
mia.
sss- In connection with the opera
ton of the Iron works, the proprleto
employs on an average the year roun'
from 325 to $50 men-that is to say
to cut IS to 10000 cords Of wood
convert the same into charcoal on tn
eround-to mine the ore at the bank
!, to quarry limestone and smlthing
wagon making, milling, clerking, ete
Operations of furnace and meltln
, ores on a scale to keep these furnace
in ENTHUSIASTICALLY augmented
400 men-and capable of producin
from 1000 to 10000 tons of pig lro
, of the best quality per annum. Their
/ is time when more men are employ
ed. From 1900 to 100 person
counting men, women and children
derive their support and nourlshmer
from these works. Besides it opeI
no "home market" in the viclnit
: for miles around to our farmers an
| mechanics to dispose Of their produc
AID implements ofindustry. Pig ire
and the iron horse-the grand locom
f tive-are the great ciylllzers an
christianizers Of the age. Enough Z