The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-22
INDUSTRY IN the WEST END.
The Big Furnace Soon to go in
Blast.
The Machinery MI In Place and has Been
Establishments Industries That VIII
add Much to the Growth of Roanoke@,
Pudding and Rolling Mills Going Up.

The Roanoke Iron Company will begin
active operations within ten days, and
another industry will have been inaugur-
ated in Roanoke which will provide en-
ployment for 700 or 500 men.
Situated In the extreme west end of
the city, on the left bank of tho Roam
ole river, this great workshop will
necessitate the building of hundreds of
houses to accommodate the families of
those employed there.
The works of the furnace proper are
ready to start up, the machinery having
been put to the test of active operations
and found not wanting in the slightest
particular.
AS is we'll understood by all foundry
men, the problem of transportation and
housing of ore, coke, and limestone, is
one first to be entertained in consider
ing tho manufacture of pig iron. Here
that problem is admirably solved. The
materials arc in tho immediate vicinity
in incxhaustiblo quantities. The Nor
folk and Western railroad traverseS vast
fields of these precious minerals only
waiting the arrival of cars whercon to
be laden and transported to the furnace.
This road has constructed over Il mile
of side tracking to facilitate the hand
ling of the cars and the unloading
coal orc, etc, in the stock yard and
house.
This stock house is n model of it's
kind. A trcstlc for the car tracks runs
it's entire length, and over it is daily
running cars which arc unloading ma
terial to render into iron by tho thou
sand tons.
Around the stock house, forming an
ellipsis, runs a regular cablo car line,
with all the labor saving points of that
system utilized for the first time in tho
history of iron-making.
This track is so constructed that the
cars may run either forward or back
ward, and they are quickly loaded by
reason of tho fact that the track is sunk
until the top of tho car just reaches
tho top OF the platform whcrcon reposes
the material as it is dumped from the
trestlo work above.
When these cars arc loaded one OF the
laborcrs boards the ltaded car, adjusts
the grip-levec and starts it on it's journey
to what is known as skip-hoist, being
hugo iron tub running upon tracks up
an inclined plane to the Unsuitable NAV
Of the blast furnace, one hundred feet
up in the air.
The cars are unloadcd automatically
into the slip-hoist and moved from over
it, Then, by an ingenious arrangement,
Il section of the track upon which the
car had just rested is raised to allow the
skip hoist to pass on it's skyward
Journey. This section of track does not
resume it's place until the huge tub is
in it's place to be reloaded. The move
ments OF tho tub are much faster than
tho ordinary elevator. and saves an
enormous amount OF labor at either end
of its journey up and down.
70 the unmechanical eye there is no.
thing OF particular interest in the east
house, with its battery Of seven double
boilers, or in tho engine room, which
contains two enormous upright blast
engines. But those whose knowledge
of tho finer and more intricate details
renders them efficient Judges pronounce
the two rooms marvcls of engineering
skill and invention.
The blast engines are among the most
powerful ever constructed. They were
built by the Robinson-Rea Manufacture
ing Company, Of Pittsburg, and can de-
vclop 500 horsepower each. Each of
them is capable of making thirty-fve
revolutions per minute, and attached
to machinery, the Brown steam indica-
tor whereby the number of revolutions
per minute can be Immediately deter
mined.
The output OF the furnace will he $50
tons of pig iron each twenty-four hours.
TO provide for the manufacture of this
great quantity of iron, the company is
daily aiding TO their stock to hold as Il
reserve
They have now on hand 900 tons of
iron ore, about as much limestone. and
5000 tons of coke, and yet they have
scarcely begun to ill the stock yard and
house, which have 4 combined size of
two and u half acres.
In addition the company is erecting Il
pudding mill and a rolling mill, the
dimensions of the first to be 332 by rs by
20. Of the second 304 by 81 by 26. The
contracts have been let for these build
ings and the foundations are approach
ing compl etion. The Berlin Bridge Com
pany, OF East Berlin. Conn, has the
contract, and they will begin work the
first Of the month.
An ore and brick shed will also shortly
be erected. to be 200 by 70 by SO. All these
buildings will be constructed on the
modern fire. proof idea, and the works
will be the most substantial to be seen
anywhere. Mr.. T.. III. Lent is superin-
tending their construction.
The company is otlicered as follows:
Joseph III. Sands, general manager of
the Norfolk and Western railroad, presi-
dent: James f. Porter, secre tary; Henry
King. general manager. Tho directors
are William Bury, Shamokin, Pa; j.
Allen Watts, S. Ii. IIa ,pt, James s.
Simmons, c. O'Leary, j. II. Sands, and
Henry King, of Roanoke.
w. G. Cowgirl, OF Cambridge, Ohio,
10 IN the citu in tho intnrncfc Of tho