Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-12-02
THE MEMPHIS MUTUAL AID SOCIETY
Have a RESERVE FUND IN BANK Of nearly $4,000.
A FEW FACTS ABOUT IRON.
Its Character, Uses, History and
the Sources OF las supply.
American PrOtectionist.

ANNNNAANAAFAH
The manufacture Of iron imple.
ments and the extraction OF the meta
from iron ore reaches back to the
earliest record Of the race. The Book
OF Genesis tells US that Tubal Cain
was an instructor Of every arti6cer 10
brass and iron" Travellers have found
iron in positions indicating its use in
many of the earlier structures Of cities
of the ancient East. There is hardly
country Of the present day, however
uncivilized, but that the people are
skilled in the use of primitive
ron smelling furnaces, and
they produce many articles for
agricultural aud household purposes.
Il is we'll known that during the
Roman occupation Of England many
rich beds OF iron ore were worked on
an immense scale, while the rich
deposits OF debris and ciDders left by
the wasteful habits of the invaders are
being worked over again With profit to
the present operators.
The chemical nature OF iron and its
combinations are a. UNIVERSAL, Known
IS 1t is widely distributed. entering
largely into the eo'oring mt er Of
human blood, and abouad, 10 plants
and minerals, aud the red color OF
some earths aud rocks is due to its
presence; 10 tact common clay is
composed Of oxide OF iron, and a
part from which ordinary alum
IS extracted. Iron and plantina
are the only metals thai
are capable Of being welded a. red
heat the union Of iron and steel is
seen in the manufacture Of axes,
whore the steel is joiued to the main
portion of the ak. which is Of iron.
ln the process of handling iron 10 he
several processes OF handforging,
anneaIing and tempering, We of this
day can lay claim to no superiority to
the Ph@necians, Arabs aud Persiars
OF long ages past. But then we look
at the enormous quantities now pro-
duced throughout the globe, we zee
the many uses to which il is put, aud
the prominent part it pl.ys in all
our comm rCial and industrial enter
priseS, One chain OF mines alone, the
Lake Superior iron mines at Mar
quette, are producing 2,0O0, 900 tons of
ore yearly.
New Jersey, we believe. has the
credit OF being the first State where
bar iron was made from the ore. In
1914 iron works were established in
Shrewsbury. Monmouth county, and
from lf35 TO l776 many forges were
built 10 Morris county, some OF which
are still operated. Thsas served val.
pab!s purposes to the American cause
In the war for Independence, in the
casting of cannon balls and other i'm.
plemelts OF warfare. In l845 Peter
Cooper, the almost centensrian, en-
gaged in the iron business at Trenton.
and erected the largest rolling mill
at that time In the United States for
the manufacture Of railroad iron.
Now we have immense mines of iron
ore in several of the New England
States, while New York is largelyrep-
resented in the list, some of the most
extensive producing mines being
faupd in the Empire State. P,nnsyl-
vania, Of course, is prolific in this
respect, and in most of the Southern
States iron is produced in large guam
titles. 1t needs only that the general
government act in a generous manner
towards this industry to attract to It
still more attention, when capital will
be found to ably second labor, and the
result will be Of the most magnificent
proportions, bringing increased pros
perity to the whole people.
The consideration Of the multifari
GUS uses to which iron is put points to
the fact that the supply must needs be
immense TO meet the demand. All
our ships Of war and ocean steamers
are now constructed Of iron; many
large warehouses are almost wholly
built OF this metal; while the endless
list Of mechanical, agricultural and
household articles only bswilder the
mind in endeavoring to compute the
quantity. We need Only add that il
the bowels Of the land 10 our country
lie embedded enough Of the ore for
every conceivable demand of the
merchant or manufacturer.