The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-11-04
The Low Moor Iron Company of Va

We transfer co our columns from Hotch-
kiss Virqinias. the following descriptive
account of the recently erected Furnace at
Loor Moor. Allegheny county, va. 1t is
the purpose of the company, we have been
Informed. to erect another Blast Furnace
in the near future, to be followed by a
Rolling Mil at the same point. Tliis. il
true. will be interesting intelligence to the
people of this section of country, as it i'm
plies the employment of large number OF
workmen. good market for the neighbor-
hood. and the Inauguration of an era of
iron industries, which is to make Virginia,
eventually, the Iron Centre OF the United
States. The Virginias says:
On Monday, Oct 18th, 1885, the largest and most
thoroughly well appointed blast furnace ever con-
siructed in Virginia West virginia. that OF the
Lowmoor Iron Company of Virginia, at Low Moor
station of he chesapeake ONO Kallway, l9' miles
from Richmond ana Z24 from huntnSton,-Was
blown in and new era in the manufacture OF iron
in these states inaugurdted.
The slow Moor Iron Companyof virginia" was
organized under charter granted by the state OF
Virginia. July 5th 1873 ito mine, ship and sell iron
ores and to manufacture iron and steel In all Its
branches Its minimum capital stock was liked at
divided of the par value of s100
EACH and it hold real estate up 10000 acres.
Its principal Office is located at Staunton, va
The .'owners, corporators and directors" OF this
company the time OF its organization were, ana at
the present time are John Means, of Ky President;
Mai. II NJ Bell of Va, Vice Presidents A. A. Low, OF
LYMAN OF N Y, and A. S. Winslow of Ohio, Dtrec-
and George L. Wickes OF Va, Managing D1rec-
tor John f. Winsow is also chairman Of the Exc
cutive Committee.
John Means is the president of the company that
the Ashland, KY, furnace OF which he is man
ager, which has annual capacity Of $4,000 net
TONS he was also the president of the Lexington
Big Sandy X. H.. which has recently become part
OF the Eiizabethtown, Lexington Big Sandy X. R.,
the westward extension of the Chesapeake Ohio;
he is also connected with other large iron works In
Kentucky.-AIaj. II. NJ. Bell is well-known law
yer of stanton, Va, member of the enterpr1s1ng
hrm of Echols, Bell Catlett, which he represents
in this company, firm that has been more success
full than any in the Introduction OF capital into
the iron and coal regions of Virginia and West Vfr
ginia and in the establishing OF manufactures, eS-
pecially on the line of the G. o. R'y-A. A. Low,
the head of the great importing house OF A A. Low
Bros of York City, extensively and success
fully connected with the China and Japan trade,
who has recently given fresh evidence OF MS sagac-
iy by purchasing thousands of acres OF coal lands
in West Nirginia.-E. H. X. Lyman, OF New York
City. is also prominent member of the house Of A.
A Low Brothers; he has also invested in West Viz
ginia coal lands.-John L. Winslow, or PoughKeep-
sic, N " of the founders and presidents OF the
noted Rensselaer, Polytechnic Institute, OF Troy, N.
Y long the leading spirit OF the great steel
works at Troy, N. Y, and was a member OF the firm
of Cornell Wnslow, hat purchased the right for the
Bessemer Process in the United States, introducing
this country that great Industry the manufacture
of Bessemer steel, in which we now rank the second
in the world, producing yearly over lIoOUOo TONS
A. s. Winsiow, brother OF John F., is yicepres1dent
Of the First National Bank of Acknowledgement L.
Wickes, brother-in-law Of f. Winslow, and an en-
gineer graduate of the Rensselaer, olytechnic is
from New York, but has been connected with min
ing Operations in N. and elsewhere he has, from
nrst, had charge of the extensive operations,
both of mining and construction at Low Moor man
aging the fairs of the company with great energy
and skill.
| The Low Moor Company began by purchasing some
4,llS acres OF mineral and farming lands lying on
the western ranges and slopes OF the Rftch patch
| chain OF mountains, where broken and drained by
| Karnes' Greek, and extending to Jacksons River
| and crossed by Chesapeake Ohio KY In tllegha-
ny county, Va. After extended explorations OF the
extensive iron ore beds that there outcropped, ii
! constructed branch railway, OF standard guage,
~ miles long, from Low Moor station of the q. u,
| southwark its mines, where we'll ilt.mining
! village soon sprung up and where machinery fof
washing large quantity of ore erected.
Regular mining operations, on large scale, began
in 1915, the company making and selling of ores Its
business From that time to the present 1t has min
ed 5000 tons of brown hematfte iron ore a
| arge portion of which was sold to Quinn1mont
Furnac on the C. x o. Ry, 81 miles farther west,
| and Wheeling, SteuDenvile, the Hanging Rock
region, and other points onthe Ohio About $500
shipped in 1875, g and T. but little in 1878,
| and some 1000 tons in 1879
In 1878 this company decided to build frstclass
modern blast furnace nearly ii not quite, as large
| md about equal in capacity to any in the United
| states. Having purchased 800 acres of land, ad-
Joining the first purchase, $50 OF which are in
| 4 broad bottom extendi & to Jackson's River ano
ntefsected by the c. n o. R'y furnishing the best
Of for furnaces, rolling mills ETC., and for
| manufacturing village; it increased its capita
stock to a60D00O all paid up and procured plans for
the furnace and its appurtenanceS. In July, 1879,
the work of collecting materials and of construction
began, and has been continued almost uninterrup pit
ediy-so favorable is climate for out of-doors
md aiI-the-year-round operations-to the recent
completion OF this extensive blastfurnace plant
| representing expenditure of some 100000 in
about Is months The result is 100-ton furnace in
olast 10l coke ovens, A of which are In operation
aeatly built comfortable looking village of lis
houses a large depot, store shops, numerous rail
way tracks, Storage platforms for ore d bins for
coal, ETC., etc, all constructed and finished in the
oest manner. The furnace made IS tons on the Sth
lay after IL WAS blown in.
The furnace is an iron cased-stack, 70 feet high,
having an inside diameter of9 feet at both bottom
and top; it cast iron ring supported by &
columns 1t is 18 feet the bosh and has tueyres.
Che lining is two-thirds Mt. Savage and one-third
Sciotovil1e fire brick. There are Whttweu hot
blast Stoves brick-lined sheet iron cylinders with
| vertical fueS. 1t has engines and II cylinder
boilers; the steam cylinder is the 1T in diameter
the blowing 81 inches, stroke, it.; the 2 fly
wheels are each 10 it. in diameter The elevator is
IS it high, made by Otis Il Bro, New York. The
casting house is 60 it, by 116 and the engine 81
oy 40 Six large weighing scales are in use. About
miles of railway track belong to the place, az Of
which lead to the iron mines and the limestone
| III rry. Water in abundance, is obtained from
iacksons River by about 1000 ftof II inch iron p1pe
elevated about 100 it,, the other storage In
| the yard Some AGO laborels are employed in min
ing quarrying, transportation, furnace and other
work.-The assistant manager, IN charge OF the fur
mace, is Mr. Richards, from the Edgar Thompson
| Furnace near Pttsburg.
| The ore beds, decayed stratihed deposits and
strata in place, the companys land 2 miles,
by rail, from the furnace; the limestone1s Of a
mile in the same direction. The company makes
it's own coke, having built 104 beehive ovens having
capacity for tons each day, alongside the fur
mace, and purchasing coal from the Elm Coiery of
Beury, Cooper q Williams, at Elm station, of the
g. o. Ry, 118 miles farther west, at of 81 81
per ton delivered at the analyses of this
coal and the coke made from ii are given elsewhere
in this number