The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-01-29


AEl and to say that the
t@-SES year 1890 was one of
<Esnz14 the most remarkable
w. periods in the material
history of the Southern States, is but
giving utterance to a potent fact that
is recognized and appreciated by all
who are in any measure acquainted
with the marvellous expansion which
has been going on in that section dur
ing the past year. The per centages of
increase in the various departments of
business and manufacturing efforts. are
SO notably large that they almost be-
wilder the average business man from
the staid and quiet communities of the
North and West.
While the business growth of the
South has been large in every line, it
has been notably so in the production
of pig iron and the establishment of
iron manufactures.
The increase in pig iron production
has been nearly 500 per cent. over
that of 1850, while long step for
ward has been made toward the estab-
lishment of the steel making industry.
During the year 183,625 tons of
steel were produced, being more than
1900 per cent. increase over the pro-
duction of 1880, degree of growth
probably never before equaled in any
line OF industry anywhere in America,
if, indeed, in the whole world.
A great future is dawning in the
South in the line of steel exploration.
Within the soils of Virginia, Western
North Carolina, East Tennessee, a por-
ton of South Carolina and in Western
Texas there are ores that are especially
adapted for steel-making, and during
the year of 1891 will be brought under
greater degree of development than
the year of 1890 has witnessed.
The famous Cranberry ore of
Western North Carolina, for years
noted for its rare metallic purity, is
destined within this and the coming
years to almost revolutionize the in
dustry in at least the Middle South.
A large number of ore cars are now
being constructed at Johnson City,
Tenn, to ply between Johnson City
and Chattanooga and the mines at
Cranberry, bearing in greater volume
the famous ore to the furnaces at the
two places named, where it will be
metamorphosed into incompatible pig,
which will in turn produce a quality
of Bessemer steel that will be the
means of establishing, at least at Chat
tanooga, great tin-making industry.
Within the past few weeks sheets of
steel made from the Cranberry ore
have been rolled out by the Southern
Iron Company's new steel plant at
Chattanooga, and have been shipped
to St. Louis, where a large in-making
plant has experimental with them in
the manufacture OF tin sheets. The
experiment terminated in the most
satisfactory manner, and the st. Louis
concern has already contracted with
the Chattanooga plant for a continu-
Gus supply of steel sheets to feed their
tin-making industry.
To every intelligent mind the
natural conclusion will come that
Chattanooga, in course of time, instead
of shipping her steel product to dis
tant points, will utilize it herself, and
thus in course of time great tin man
utacturing industry will become estab-
| lished in that city.
The tin industry promises to secure
a strong foothold in the State of Vir-
ginia where a large English syndicate
has already taken steps to establish, at
Savernake, on the Shenandoah Valley
Railroad, an immense tin-plate plant.
Within the past month ores, re-
ported by State geological authorities
to be remarkably rich and abundant,
have been found in West Texas, where
efforts are now making looking to the
development of the newly discovered
source of wealth.
The Sou.h's cotton manufacturing
industry stands next to that OF iron IN
the ratio Of increase. The past decade
has witnessed a very extraordinary
growth in the textile industry, and the
past year has been characterized by an
even greater degree of development
than ordinarily. In 1880 there were
I6I cotton mills in the Southern
States. There are to-day 336, showing
a rate of increase of f;:lly 1o7 per cent
These $50 mills contain $4,000 1
spindles against 54a,o4S spindles in
1880. The increase of spindles dur
ing the past year is equivalent to
nearly one half of the entire number
reported in the South by the census o
1880.
The value Of the manufactured pro
duct Of the Southern cotton mills il
1880 was over $40, 100000. Thi
amount has swollen into more thar
S45, ,ooo, 900 to-day.