The Indiana State sentinel., 1879-04-30

The Antiquity OF the eManufacture-TheF First
Works in this Couutry-Interestine Facts
The First Cannon and Musket.

The Antiquity OF the SIanufacture-The First
Works in this Couutry-Interestins Facts
The First Cannon and Musket.
Boston Commercial Builetin.l
The Sacred Record informs us that one of
the rivers that watered the garden of Eden
compassed 1.-The land OF Havilah, where there
is gold, and the gold OF that land is good
In the early ages of the world, gold, silver
and copper, pure or allOyed, subserved many
of the uses for which iron is now employed.
The wise ECONOMY of nature in covering
her most abundant deposits of mineral
treasure with the largest growth of wood
and the richest measures of mineral fuel
has been often remarked. Iron ore is too
refractory to be easily subdued, and the
metal, therefore, in the natural process of
clearing the land by setting fire to the forest,
remained longer undiscovered.
Whatever may have been the original sig
nificance of the poetic idea of succession
of ages of gold, silver, brass and iron, 1T ap-
pears to have had a real as WE'LL as allegorical
foundation in the worlds history. We have
fallen on the iron times, when the arts of
life have rendered that metal much more
valuable than even gold, apd susceptible OF
becoming IN the hands of the artifcer many
times more precious, weight for weight,
| than the finest gold
Tubal Cain was in his day "boss' in
| structor in the manipulation of iron. OF
the different nations of antiquity who pos
working in iron and steel, the people of
| Chalylia, between Judea and the southern
| shore of the Black sea, were the most cele-
| brated, and especially excelled in the manu-
facture of steel. The northern iron," mem
| toned by jeremiah, and the ''bright iron"
of Ezekiel, IN which the Tyrians traded were
no doubt the product of that country-"the
mother of iron" as Scythia was called by
| Greek poet.
The early Britons are supposed to have
4 .oI <I,a
source, and were also probably taught the
art of smelling it py the Ph9nicians, who so
early traded IN this Pontic iron which they
bartered for the tin of Britain. There is
little mention of iron works under the Hept-
archy. In the sixteenth century large guam
Titles of iron were imported from Germany,
| Spain, Sweden and other countries. During
this period the consumption of iron had in
creased with the progress of the earth.
The patent for subtituting bronze in the
the close of Eizabeth's reign, and for cast
ing. cannon-ball, with that of
| expected in the statutes ab olish-
ing monopolies. At the date of Anglican
colonization in Americ, ,athe demand for IRON
was greatly on the increas h production of
the British furnaces was declining with the
decay OF the forests.
The manufacture of iron in the English
colonies is assigned date about 100 years
|
aed the first iron works here were erected in
1919 on Falling Creek, branch of James
river, not far from Jamestown. the first set
tlement IN the colony. In 1862 an attack
was made upon the villa ge where the works
stood by the savages, and the whole COM
pany with their families with the exception
of boy and girl who escaped, were masss.
cred. Iron works were not attempted in
Virginia for many ysars.
The expectation of iron from the colony
- e.
well as other minerals, was encouraged in
New England in 1923 by the court of assist.
ants in London, who arranged tho emigra
grafton to Massachusetts, Bay in 1880. No
steps were taken toward the manufacture of
iron until about Is years later, although the
metal had been found in considerable
quantity.
The first New England furnaces were
erected in 1913, and it was long subject OF
doubt whether the first forge was at Brain
tree or at Lynn, where iron was found in
what is now known as Saugus. The sub
stance found was bog iron ore, which was
deposited in numerous peat bogs and ponds
throughout eastern Massachusetts and sup
pile the early furnaces of the colony.
The general court was asked to encourages
pany of Undertakes for the Iron Works, v
] as it was called, the exclusive privilege o.
making iron for 81 years, provided they
made, after two years, sufficient iron for th
counrys use. The undertakers and taei
agents were exempt from all public charge
and taxation upon their stock and them
: selves and workmen from trainings"
i In his history of Lynn. Lewis declares tina
p the first iron works in New England weri
|, erected on the west bank of the Saugus
upon land purchased OF Thomas Hudson
s near q chain OF small lakes abounding in ore
!, The village was called Hsmmersmith, afte
the native town of England of several OF tn
q principal workmen. Operations were con
e tinued here with varying success for 10
? years.
n to the Lynn forge was Mr.. Henry webb
]: who came from Salisbury, England, in 1856
t and afterward became a wealthy merchan
of Boston. Among his numerous benefac
j tors the "Webb estate" with houses there
q on, which was long occur pied by the firm o
Little, Brown & Co., publishers and book
s sellers, on Washington street (and whie
e ancient building gave place il 1861 to fin
granite structure for the use of the firm
d was given, with ESQ IN money, to Har var
College about the year 1860, and now yield
. a handsome revenue to the university. tn
e rental having risen from f12 in 1778, ST, 10
in 1881, SIS 900 in 1861, and about $4,000 a
Y the present time.
Il In addition to the Lynn iron works beln
y a great monopoly, the company were allowe
IS to export any surplus to any part of tn
world, Except to enemies" A few day
d previous to this grant the first purchase {
e land for a forge at Braintree was made from
y one George Ruggles by Thomas Leader. VIII
# came from England as general agent of th
}. company.
In 164S Governor Winthrop wrote fror
l, Boston to his son Pequod in relation to th
e Lynn forge:
o "The iron work goeth on with more hop,
1t yields now about seven tons weel
There is great man OF good fashion com
now over to see how things stand here. 3
is one who hath been exercised in iro
'e works."
- Two workmen, Henry Leonard and Josep
q. jerks, who probably accompanied Winthro
: from England, were held in high estinatio
= on account of their ingenuity as artificsri
:, Leonard helped to make the first castings
- America, at Braintree, and he afterwar
! ~ established with his brother forge at Bay
- ham. and was one of the first of long raj