The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-05-06
OUR IRON.

into use for this purpose. For yea
IL has been known that our mcu
talns abound in iron ores of eve
variety, but comparatively lit
metallic iron has been reduced fro
them. The late Bishop Pet
is Vaughan, of Cache Valley, was
T.; sensible of the importance of IL
iron industry, that he sent pare
Is Of iron ore from northern Utah I
st. Louis to have it tested, an
- some of the pig iron reduced frol
it was returned to that gentleman
e with statement that any amount {
that kind of iron ore would find
ready market in that city. But
was TOO far to send it, and the ledg
OF sixty feet thick of fine micaceoU
d hematite remains untouched. 1t
7, true that this particular iron or
would not have been sent so far t
be tested, but it was fondly hope
that a large percentage of silVe
would have been found in it, an
; thus thenorthern part of Utah woulr
Il have become as famous for its sill
yer mines, as the most favored part
|. of Utah; but there was no apprecI
able quantity of the "argentifer
Gus" and the vast body of valuabl,
iron ore was considered of no pre-
sent value.
Next, it was discovered that the
iron ores of Ogden were hematiteS
of value because they contained
some silver. y horseshoe was
; forged from the ore and exhibited
in triumph as a specimen of what
could be done in iron manufacture.
| However, it was found to be too eX-
pensive a process to make iron at a
blacksmith's forge, after the man.
ner of the HindOos', and the max
| ing of iron in quantity was reserved
for some future period. Ogden,
with a laudable spirit of enterprise,
began in earnest to erect suitable
plant for the reduction Of this valu-
| able but stubborn metal-the most
| sensible step that has been taken
here in recent times to manufac-
ture iron. But even this praise
worthy zeal in the cause of native
industry has not resulted in all that
was anticipated.
Iron has, however, been made
some twenty-five years ago, in very
small quantities, in our southern
settlements, not without great ex-
penditure and very little to show in |
return. That metallic iron was |
produced is much to the credit of |
the late Nathaniel Y. Jones, who |
visited Europe to obtain the
necessary information respecting
the various processes in iron |
N anufacture. Several gentlemen
residing in southern Utah, assisted
in the early iron industry, Mr..
Adams and others, who are still
workers in metal in our territory.
More recently pig iron has been sold
in this city that was made "dOwn
SOUTH" and many useful articles in
fire CRATES, ciSterns, pailingS and
other things of fair manufacture
have been made at our fOundries.
1t has recently been shown in this
journal how numerous are the pros
pectiYe advantages that will result
from the iron industries, and that
the railroads now in existence, and
others that are projected, are all in
favor of this territory as a centre
for the manufacture of iron. 1t is
therefore gratifying to find that in
the list of industries for conSidera- s
lion by lions Board of Trade, l
Manufacture of iron and coke, our t
ron fOundrieS," are the first propo- i
3itiOns to engage attention. The I
,Ogent reasons advanced in the COM C
DTehensive circular in behalf of the ]
ron industry must command the c
notice of every thoughtful person t
who IS a well-wisheT to Utah. c
As to coke manufacture, although
DUr coal is that known as "ignite," a
here is much of it that can be pre- C
Jared for use in iron manufacture, t
f properly handled. The common S
sas coke is not prepared specially G
or smelling iron. The coke
S residuum from the gas il
works. In coke manufacture s
he value of "by products" should I
De made a subject of consideration. d
When coal is made into coke in L
hallOw stoves, with very little &C C
.eSs of air, and the smoke is con- 2
lucted through horizontal tunnels Q
% large chamber kept cool by a 2
stream of water passing over it, t
although crude, substances
Ire produced by condensation. These f
hOuld be cared for and utilized, as a C
et-Off against the expenses of man
fracture. Gather up the fragments G
hat nothing may be lost" was the t
ointment expressed by the great
eacher who knew the value of
rganic substances too well to allow ,
NY to be wasted! When the distin- .
pushed Professor Pepper exhibited =
he first crystals produced from the =
efuse Of the gaSworks of the great
metropolis of England, he was
,reeted with plauditS that proved
low appreciative the public were of
he valueiof the laborS of the scien- o
ist who had made substances that II
we're worthless and obnoxious into | p
ats of value, from which the most d
eautlful colOrS were manufactured Z
or use in the arts. v
As to the magnetites, the hema- u
ties, the iron ores in every useful
ariety, they need not be named
ere; they are well known to exist
4 ineXhauStible quantities. The
clays and materials for t.
furnaces and suitable fiuxes are N
ere in abundance; the skill is mere, S
DO, if rightly directed. From the c
me when the mountains of Sinai a
-ere opened to obtain iron ore for b
of tools to construct p
ne great pyramid Of Egypt, to the p
Of the colossal iron Il
rorks that have raised our most G.
magnificent cities to their greatness, II
nd made their merchant princes, l
ION has always been a difficult metal 6
D reduce. 1t is so to-day; but /
IS production will give us a pre- {
minence we can never hope to P
tain without it, As to the ochres Il
nd pigments, they will take care p
f themselves; with increased po- t;
ulation there will be demand for
hem. The hydrouS oxides and
of iron are almost ready n
or mans use, so lavish has nature
cen in this region in preparing her
hatmineral paints abound
the territory. As a mat
-. ,.oanr.I no -+ofoI kh.A