The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1890-02-13
WORK COMMENCED
On a 125-TOn Blast Furnace The
First Built In East Tennessee.

AhSN DuiAV ~ Auhb AthuUeacGe
The COMET has repeatedly said that
Johnson City would be q great iron
manufacturing city and that blast
furnaces would soon make night for
the Queen City of the Central South,
a thing in name only AS evidence OF
our faith in this belief we have had
heading engraved from an original
design and blast furnace is one OF
the principal features.
The predictions of the COMET and
the fondest hopes Of our citizens are
rapidly being realized, The Carnegie
Iron Company under the guidance of
Gen. ]. 7. Wilder, its president, and
the man who built the first blast fur
mace in the South, has commenced q
125-ton blast furnace in Johnson City,
and as soon as it is finished compan.
ion of the same dimensions will be
commenced
Everybody in Johnson City is hap
Ply to-day, and the COMET shares in
the good feeling. We don't mean that
there is to be meeting Of the direc-
tors and locate the site of the furnace
or elect officers, or that there has been
a telegram received that the compa-
ny will build at once, but that work
has actually begun, Mr.. Harry Har-
grave, OF Birmingham, has the con-
tract and he is here and has about
completed the draughting and Mon.
day masons will begin work. Prelimi-
nary work is now going on and an Of
fee building for the superintendent OIL
construction was begun to-day, and
will be completed in ten days. A
number of small dwellings have beer
let to contract and will be put up al
once near the furnance for the work
men. Mr.. Hargrave will occupy The
Hampton dwelling on Myrtle street
Mr.. Hargrave is an experienced fur
: mace builder, although quite young
man. He has built "A furnaces in thu
! last twelve years and before two year
more, will have made the total OF 26
3 the last two under contract for tn,
: Carnegie Iron Company.
AS soon as the furnace gets well un
der way, employment will be givel
to about 500 men and the two fur
T naces when completed will emplo
s about one thousand men, mostl
= skilled laborers. In the meantime
! the five hundred men required t
L build it must be fed, clothed an
e housed and all the money they ear
IS must be spent in Johnson City an
+. according to the estimate of Mr.. Hal
J. grave the combined earnings of tn
men will be in the neighborhood {
100000 month. The furnaces are t
J. be models in their way and will
g modern in construction and max
f. pig iron by the Bessemer process.
= To give you an idea of what ~
n ton furnace is, it is only necessary
4 state that these will require four blov
l. ing engines with 40 inch steam cylil
g. ders and 81 inch blowing cylinde
% with 60 inch stroke. 80 boilers 81 il
ot ches in diameter and 81 feet lon
le Stack houses 500xS0 feet and ca
houses 175x6O. The highest smol
10 stack will be 100 feet and s feet in
i. ameter. The furnaces are being bui
=. on the King farm recently purchase
N by the Carnegie Land Company, al
ID will occupy twenty acres.
q This is only the beginning OF VIII
70 is to be done and Johnson City is ri
~ ing on the tidal wave to prosperit
~ With such men as Gen. Wilder
q. direct them is no danger OF not reac
~ ing the goul in safety.