The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-02-19

stone at the very minimum of cost. Theil
furnace has all the advantages of location
that the country can give it. There is
tine dope Of dumping ground TO the south
at the foot OF which Is creek that will as
sure them an abundance Of water. Indeed
their furnace grounds, including. stock
house and coke ovens, are exceptionally
well drained, and am within limits when
say that they will make iron at least one
dollar per ton less than their competitors
and, In my judgment, s. per ton less thar
those OF them that are buying coal and
hauling ore over one or the other OF the
two railroads to which l have referred
Mr.. Woodward estimated In hts day thai
be could make iron on his site ut s., and
see no reason TO doubt it
The, company in which his two sons W.
FL. and J. II. and his estate, own CON
trolling interest, own about 5000 acres ol
grouud'ot which 740 are Red ore and lime.
stone in juxtaposition, 24O acres OF Brown
ore, and 200 acres Of coal, and the bal,
ance In woodland and farming land, and
inclusive OF the embryo town OF Wheeling
As yet they have sold no ground, but, in
stead, have built and are building houses
at their own expense and renting them to
operatives at rates mutually satisfactory,
They also own and run the company
store, and the store isa success. MIR. Joe
Woodward has Just completed and moved
into O very comfortable dwelling in q
pine grove, where he and his es-
Unable wife and little family are enjoy.
ing life in quiet but substantial way.
His brother Will, less fortunate, Is
living in an ancient cottage in consequence
OF his new house having burned down a
short time ago. The capital stock OF their
company Is about s50O,0OO, OF which
Messrs. J. N. Vance and W. L. Hearne, OF
Wheeling, hold over one.ftth: Those two
gentlemen preceded my visit by few
days, and after spending part OF a week in
examining the developments now ap.
preaching completion left for home with
very satisfactory impressions Us to the tu.
ture OF their investment. Speaking Of It's
future, the company will probably be in
full tide OF operations by July. Their only
real hindrance to immediat operations Is
the putting down. OF coal slope oil 200
feet, which is being drilled through solid
rock.
DIAMOND DRILLING.
Speaking Of drilling through solid rock,
did you ever see the Diamond drills at
work. Such as they use in the ,Comstock
lode? When visited the Lake Superior
mines in 1873, in company with Mr.: W. l..
Hearne, our ears were assailed in all the
mines by the interminable clink Of the
hammers striking the drills-hammers
swung at times by men OF unsteady nerve,
and fraught with great danger TO the poor
fellows who manipulated the drill in their
hands, in case OF miss lick. All this is
changed down here by the employment oil
the Diamond drills run by compressed air.
| was in the Strauss mines, adjoining the
Woodward mines, the other day, where
thirteen OF these drills are at work in close
proximity, all run by pistons striking a
hundred times per minute, and each one
doing the work Of dozen hand'drills.
Nothing that ! have seen about these
mines impressed me more than the great
reduction in cost. labor and risk effected by
these compressed air drills. Idoubt II the
cost OF mining here exceeds % cents per
ton. This is due OF course to the easy access
to the ore at the foot OF Red Mountain,
where the entries are driven in and rooms
opened as the coal banks are opened in
Wheeling hill. Their first openings ex.
pose ten to fourteen feet OF ore-"fosil-
ferrous red hematite ore, as it is called-an
ore that is "cold short" in its character but
that in connection with their Brown
hematite here makes neutral iron-one
that is said to make very iair nails, and
which by the Basic process for extracting
phosphorus will yet make steel nails.
THE COAL AND THE ORES.
Icould write long letter.in regard to
the singular combination OF raw material
in this region for iron making. 1t is un.
doubedly the most wonderful in this coun,
try. They have ore, coal and limestone
here in great abundance close together.
The limestone is hetter, more abundant
and cheaper than with us. The coal com.
prises a vast field known as the Warrior
and Cohobo Goals. The Woodwards have q
six foot vein, which analyses 6S per cent oI
fixed carbon, the only draw back being 8
per cent OF ash. This coal, when coked
costs the furnaces at Birmingham that buy
their fuel about s. so to s. 70 per ton ol
2,26S pounds, and 1 am told that {, ,40C
pounds OF II have made ton OF iron
which would be the equivalent as to guam
tity and cost OF about 60 bushels OF Con
nelsyille at Wheeling. The furnaces here
are using the Whi.well stoves, and Mr.,
Miller, Of the Eureka, says they have re-
duced the fuel per ton OF iron In his fur.
mace from 900 to 1000 pounds, and the
cost OF iron from Sl2 to 50 so.
The future Of this region can scarcely fail
to be one OF great prosperity. All they
need is a community OF large consumer
for this cheap pig iron. As II is, it Is
Obliged for the most part to seek market
at Cincinnati and Louisville, where it sells
to-. day for $40 after paying freight OF S. q
per ton. Freight to those points is arranged
on sliding scale based on the price OF pig
iron. When iron sells at the furnace here
for SIC the freight is s. 20; at Sl5 itis$2 70
at Sl7 1t is s. So, at SIS 1t is s. so, and sc
on up to $24, when the freight is 81 10.
The railroads seem to be working in har'
mony with the iron interests. For instance
all the heavy material used by the Wood
wards was brought from Pittsburgh at %
cents per hundred. This has enabled them
in conjunction with their trained methods
OF dealing to get a full dollars worth fol
every dollar expended, They have made
their experience count.
The Alice iurnace-a 90 ton furnaces
said to have cleared Sl00, 900 last year. The
company are putting up second furnace
as are also the Strauss. Their great trouble
Is lack OF fuel. They both depend on
the Pratt mines, and the Pratt, although
getting out 1000 tons per day, is behind
the demands upon 1t. These are the mines
which Debartleben sold for million dol
lars last year, and which | am told that he,
as one OF a company, iswilling now to buy
back at million and half.
There is legitimate room down here fol
perhaps twenty-five furnaces, but the mum
ber Is us yet limited 70 nine, and these
nine have bought up the coal and ore as
far as they were able TO command II. They
have material enough 10 average them