Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-06-02
IRONToN MO. THURSDAY. JUNE O. 1881
wounded are cared for and the crippled
aided by their employer,

wounded are cared for and the crippled
aided by their employer,
"And the work goes bravely on"
To connect the mines with the works
below, inclined plains are laid on Pilot
Knob and Shepherd Mountain; whilst
five well-constructed switches connect |
the works with the railroad.
When the ore is taken to the furnace,
1t is roasted in the old stack, and after
being we'll broken up, it il transferred to
the new stack for reduction. In this
place heat of 800 degrees can be pro-
duced, although $500 will reduce the
ore. This last fact is anything but q
merely incidental matter, because it
furnishes data to approximate the
depth in the earth at which was
formed that immense iron wedge that
split the crust of the earth at Pilot Knob.
Skillful metallurgists, as a class, ac-
cept the idea that all metals have one
base or elementary principle; so the
difference in metals does not consist in
a difference i'll their base, but In the
materials composing the structure erect
ed on that base. All admit that met
ais are formed in the vast laboratory of
the central heat and thrown to the sur
of the earth by volcanic action.
From this it will follow that the diff
tances below the surface OF the earth,
that its central heat has power to melt
and combine the materials Of their
lstructure.
An invariable rule governs this; the
purer and finer the metal, the greater
the depth of it's origin.
1t is known that as we descend into
the earth, the central heat increases
one degree for every six and one-third
feet. This will give an approximation
of twenty-six miles below the surface
r of the earth. as the point from which
the ore of Pilot Knob was raised by
volcanic action.
To those who think such engineering
, extraordinary more facts can be given.
At point barely out of sightOf Pilot
Knob, some years ago large amount
, of blue specular iron ore equal to the
best found at the Knob, was discovered
scattered over quite an extent of ground.
One party having strong eye to the
q practical gathered up that ore, and dis
posed Of it in a manner satisfactory to
, himself, whilst another trusting to in
dications, and indulging in the delu-
sions of hope, bought an adjoining
!, tract of land, and thought he had II
. all. Careful investigation discovered
that he had large section Of issure
through which the mineral had been
= expelled by volcanic action; and thai
! when the mineral was expelled it mus,
:, have been thrown into the air not less
than 75O feet. The mineral must have
,s been raised not less than twenty-five
miles. The balance of the deposit Il
# probably there yet, but when ther'
It will be another run from, that furnac'
n deponent saith not. But this IL a di
e gression.
il Having thus collected a number o
facts that were lying around loose, 1t j
n now proposed to furnish few Stats
e tics in regard to Pilot Knob.
d At this point the writer thankful.
e acknowledges his obligations to Mr.
,r Leonard Sutton, Sen.. an old citizen u
Iron county, who helped to build til
le first stack at Pilot Knob, and CAV
n many interesting recollections of tn
% early history of the work; and also t
Of NIessrs. Il. w. Craine, Superintendent
le and William q. Dilts, BoOk-keeper a
Y, the Knob, who with courtesy tina
ss doubled the value of the infOrmatiO
le given, furnished every desired item i
IS regard to work under their control.
At II may be promised that if strict al
ID curacy was required in the followia
it statistics, it would be needful to Civ
Dr detailed statement of each day
s. word separately, but as this could nc
a. be expected al approximation will b
N given.
Number of employees directly on th
is works, $50. Number Of tons Of OF
Y. mined per month. from l0, 900 to 2,O0
n Monthly pay rolls about 200. Ad
10. to these in the run of the year ITO chol
Ell pers aud colliers, handling 10000 cort
h. of wood, or million bushels Of coal. ,
on rates that pay the employees well.
k From these facts it will appear tn,
a the Pilot Knob Iron Company is
le- source of great income to this c0untr.
NJ and this income 10 in no sense m
Rl- nopoly. Any man that can cut COL
.e- of wood can have q share in the pr
to ceeds.
Almost all the money referred to r
"a mains in the country.in some shape {
70 Iother. But this is not all. This lare
ire population condensed on small spac
,er is not adequately supplied by the su
he rounding country. Money goes TO