Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-08
FEW FACTS ABOUT IRON.
Hts Character. Uses, History and the
Sources OF its supply.

From the American Protectonis.
The manufacture of iron implements and the
extraction of the metal 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 artiicer in brass and iron"
Travellers have found iron in positions indoat-
ing its use in many of the earlier structures of
cities ancient of the east. There is hardly a
country of the present day. however uncivilized,
but that the people are skilled in the use of
primitive iron-smelting furnaces, and they pro-
duce many articles for agricultural and house
hold purposes. 1t is well 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
cnders left by the wasteful habits of the in
Vaders are being worked over again with profit
TO the present operators,
The chemical nature of iron and its combna-
tions are as universally known as it is widely
distributed, entering largely into the coloring
matter of hum an blood, and abounds in plants
and minerals, and the red color of some earths
and rocks is due to its presence in tact, COM
mon clay is composed OF oxide Of iron and
part from which ordinary alum is extracted
Iron and pla tina are the only metals that are
capable of being welded at red heat; the union
OF iron and steel is seen in the manufacture of
axes, where the steel is joined to the main por-
ton OF the axe which is of iron. In the process
OF handling iron i'll the several processes Of
hand forging. annealing and tempering we of
| this day can lay claim to no superiority to the
EhIniclaaS. Arabs and PeTSianS of long ages
past. But when We look at the enormous guam
titles now produced throughout the globe we
see the many uses to which it is put, and the
prominent part it plays iii all our commercial
and industrial enterprises One chain Of mines
alone. the Lake Superior iron mines at Mar
quette, are producing 100000 tons of ore
yearly.
New Jersey. we believe. has the credit of
being the first state where bar-irOn was made
from the ore. lii 1914 iron works were estab-
lishCd in Shrewsbury. Monmouth county: and
from 1125 TO 1115 many FORCES were built in
Morris county, some of which are still operated.
These served valuable purposes to the American
cause in the war for independence in the cast
ing OF cannon balls and other implements of
warfare. In 1915 Peter Cooper, the almost CEN
tenarian. engaged in the iron business at Tren-
ton. and erected the largest IT Hing mill at that
time in the United States for e manufacture of
railroad iron. Now we have immense mines OF
iron ore in several of the New England states
while New York is largely represented in the
list, some of the most extensive producing
mines being found in the Empire state.
Pennsylvania, Of course. is prolific in this re-
sp2c1. ana IN most OF the southern states iron is
produced in large quantities. 1t needs only that
the general government act in a generous man
ner 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
prosperity to the whole people.
The consideration of tine Inultifarious uses to
which iron is put points to the fact that the sup
ply must needs be immense to meet the demand.
Ali our ships OF war and ocean steamers are now
constructed of iron; many large warehouses are
almost wholly built of this material: while the
endless list of mechanical. agricultural ard
household articles only bewilder the mind in en-
deaYoring to compute the quantity. We need
only add that in the bowels of the land in our
own country lie mbedded enough of the ore for
every conceivable demand of the merchant or
manufacturer.