The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-09-10
FRIDAY, SEPT. 10, 1873.
TuG BELMosT FURNACE, which was

THE BELNoST FURNACE, which was
blown in last Saturday, is working admi.
rably, even beyond what is usually expect
ed Of new furnace. The blast is now up
to four pounds, and three casts are made
daily Of fourteen tons each. The grade
Of the iron is No, l Foundry. The furnace
being located almost in the heart Of the
city naturally attracts much attention.
Every day hundreds Of people, to whom
the manufacture Of pig iron has hereto
fore been an unsolved mystery, gather at
the works to witness the castings, and
they look with kind OF awe upon the
fiery stream Us it PUSHES out like molten
lava from volcano, and spreads itself in
TO the recesses Of the casting floor. Long
time as our people have been accustomed
~ look ut the vast machinery connected
with our nail factories, there is TO most OF
them something not only new but almost
beyond apprehension in the workings Of
the punderUus euginery connected with a
furnace, II il little less wonderful to them
that aIl this Titanic machinery should
DO controlled by one man, just as the magi-
clans say, by slight turn Of the wrist,
The Belmont furnace is one Of four in this
country built by Messrs, TAFT Il Bird, the
others being the Top Mill Of this city,
aud the Lucy q Soho OF Pittsburgh, all
having Taifs improved Hot Blast,
Measrs. TAFT & Bird are from the Cleye'
land district in England, where the
greatest Improvements were first dis
covered and applied in the construction
Of furnaces. A valuable gold medal was
conferred upon Mr.. TAFT by the
British government, for the construc-
ton Of the first successful iron furnace
ever built in India. The Belmont Furnace
from the first to the last was constructed
under the immediate supervision OF Mr..
TAFT, and Ia fitted with the latest and best
appliances known to iron manufacturers.
TWAS a year in building and was COM
pleted in March last, and since that time
there has not been the least pcrCeptible
settling Of any portion Of the structure.
The chief pride Of the Vice President of
the company (Mr, Dubois) is that all the
machinery is exclusively Of home manu-
fActure. The castings were made by Gull
bertson, Wiley & Co., Of Martins Ferry,
Ohio, and Mr.. TAFT suys,they are tho truest
and smoothcst large castings he ever saw.
The engine was built by l.. Spence & Co.,
also Of Martins Ferry, and its elegance
Of finish and perfection in working are
evidence Of master workmanship. The
three batteries Of two boilers each, II Is
sufficient to say, are thework Of that vet
Gran boiler maker, Mr., Moorchead, Of the
firm Of Moorohead & Son.
The iron iacketing is the work Of
Messrs. Hobbs, Taylor Il Co., the we'll.
known constructors OF river engines.
All the pipe work was made and put to-
gether by NEessrs. EIibberd & Thompson,
the Market street plumbers, and in all
the range Of their work there Is not the
sign Of leak. The masonry Of the fur
mace proper is the work Of Thomas TAFT,
brother Of the Superintendent.
Az present the furnace gives employ
ment to twenty-five persons, OF whom
Mr.. TAFT Is General Superintendent,
George Whima, Founder, John Scott,
Chief Engineer, Nick Reister, Labor
Boss, and Philip Henry Moore, Weigh.
master and Clerk.
For the benefit Of the general reader
we may close our remarks by saying that
In lighting this immense furnace there
wers used about twenty cords Of wood
and thirty tons Of coke.