The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-03-10
THE ERA OF IRON MAKING begun.

Early in the Eighteenth Century. vhethcr
about l7i3 or 1875 seems in doubt, Abra.
ham Darby used coke successfully in the
manufacture Of pig iron in the Colebrook.
dale furnaces. From this dates the later
history OF iron making. Ia coke he found
!uelthat not only equaled charcoal for blast
furnace work, but surpassed it III economy.
in efficiency, in chespness. With the
stronger blast that Watts steam engine.
shortly after invented, placed at furnace
mans disposal, tie foundation wac laid
Tor that rapid development Of the pig iron
Industry Of Great.Brilain that is one OF The
.%narvels OF industrial history, the produc.
ton increasing from the 1850 tons OF
l74O to S,493,2S7 tons in 1882. y
There are no reliable statistics of the pro.
duction OF coke in the United Kingdom,
In the tables Of Mr.. Huut's Mineral Sta
tic" coal and coke are mixed up in a most
provoking-manner. 1t is well known,
however, TINT within a few years the pro.
duc'ion OF this fuel, owing chic fly to the
development OF the iron industry and the
demand for coke for locomotives and for
export, has largely increased. MI. j, S.
Jeana, tho able Eecretory Of the British Iron
Trade Association, puts the total consump-
ton OF coke in iron smelling in 1882 at a
minimum Of S.064 $50 tons, requiring IA
l20.b27 tons Of coal in production. 10
this he adds 1000, 900 tons consumed for
foundry and other purposes, and the e1-
port trade, bringing up the consumption
Of coke to fully 10. 600 tons in round
figures. OF this quantity very nearly one
bali is produced in the county OF Durham.
where l4,oo0to $4,000 ovena, chit fly bee
hive, are built for its manufacture. The
average yield per oveu throughout the
country over tue whole year may be taken
at about $50 tons, which would give a to.
tai Of 80. 800 oyenH, and represents a total
capital expenditure Of over Of CO, 900, 900
sterling"
WHERE COKE is MADE IN ENGLAND;
From this 1t will be seen that the most
important OF tie coke producing districts
Of Great Britain ia the South Durham.
Coke is made in Yorkshire, Cumberland.
Lancashire and South Wales 10 a consider.
able amount, but in none OF these districts
is the industry 80 extensive nor the quality
OF coke as good as in Durham. This Dur.
ham coke is low in ash, extremely hard
and capable Of sustaining the weight Of a
large column Of materials. This hes Der.
mitted Of q great iucreaae in the dimen.
sionH Of blast furnaces 10 which the cheap.
ening Of the cost OF iron in Cleveland is 90
largely due. The coal Of the Durham district,
from which this coke is made, described In
the first OF these letters February y skirts
the borders oil the great deposit Of
Cleveland iron stone, described in nv
fourth letter February 22}. The develops
ment Of this body OF iron ore, and the e..
tablishment Of the Cleveland pig.iron in.
dustry is largely due to tho nearnes, Of this
cheap and efficient fuel, while on the other
hand, it has been the use OF the Cleveland
iron stone that bias developed the South
Durham coke trade. Prior 10 1850. the
date Of the first Cleveland furnace, this
coke was not in great demsud, 1t selling as
low as 81 As a ton. In 1852, the average
price was 3 Is per ton. As q matter OF
interest to coke manufacturers, I give the
following table of average prices Of Dur
ham coke for the past thirteen years.
Highest, Loretst and Average Prizes Of Durham. Cox
from 1870 10 1852