The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-26
THE GREAT STEEL CENTER.
The Opinion of English Experts on the
Future OF this Section.

AhC OpintOh III IuSiiSu LNpcTtS TIC
Future of this Section.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn, Oct. 25.-[ Special
William Whitwcll, the great English
iron master, gave utteranco to several
opinions while in this section, which
cannot fail to attract the most wide
spread attention. His statement that
pure article Of fuel mixed with the Gram
berry ore ''will produce equality of iron
as near perfection as it is humanity pos
siblo to make it," comes from the rccog-
nized fountain-head of information on
such matters.
Mr.. Whitwell had not examined the
coking coal and coke itself of the PCca-
hontas district, nor the Big Stone Gap
district, both of which are in very close
proximity to the Cranberry ores, so he
qualified his statement. by this time,
however, he has had the opportunity of
testing both the quality and quantity of
Pocahontas coking coal, having gone
there direct for that purpose. and will
be able to repeat his words without
qualification. Pittsburg iron masters
admit that Pccahontas coke is Just as
good as the Conncllsvllc coke. and
English iron masters agree that Con-
ncllsvillc coke is quite as good as their
own make. so now there is no question
that Mr.. Whitwcll spoke correctly, and
his conclusions will cause CONSERVATION
IN certain pretentious iron producing
quarters.
The distinguished speaker said
further that tho force Of circumstances
would make the East Tennessee valley,
lying as it does between the Cranberry
ores and the coling GOALS, the future
center of the iron and steel making
center of the United States. Prof. w.
j. Rattle, the renowned motullurgist of
Cleveland, Ohio. who joined the party
at Cranberry, agrees with MIR. Whitwell.
He says:
'Thcre is only one iron ore in the
United States that will compete WIKI
the Cranberry ore, and that is found in
the Lake Superior district. Much of the
Lake Superior ore runs as high as 20 per
cent. in metallic iron. Ore Of that guam
tity will bear transportation a long dis
lance by water or by rail, or both, and
can be used to supply the furnaces at
Cleveland, and oven as far away from
the mines as Pittsburg and Ironton; but
the docks along Lake Superior are
loaded down with ores that average only
40 to As per cent. of metallic iron, about
the average Of the Cranberry ores, and
these cannot be transported 700 to 1000
miles and worked at a profit. Thus, one
can readily see that the Cranberry dis
trict, with supply Of fuel at no greater
distance than one hundred miles, and
furnishing an ore that runs even as low
as forty per cent. in metallic iron, al
though l believe the average should be
placed considerably higher, has no dan
gcrous rival in iron and steel pro-
duction.'
Another distinguished Englishman,
who examined the Cranberry mine, and
who Is perfectly satisfied with what he
saw, i'll referring to the Basic process of
steel making, said 1.-The Basic process
can never compete with the Besscmcr
process in making steel rails. The
Cranberry ore will undoubtedly mako
Bcssemcr steel of superior quality. and
in the production of steel rails you, of
this section, need fear no competition. =