The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-08
VIRGINIA PIG IRON.
Production Limited to Her Mine
Development.

gineering and Mining journal, Is an &C.
curate statement of the iron situation
in Virginia:
During the last few months consider
able attention has been called by Vir
ginia papers to the figures of the last
census, which tako Virginia from the
rank of seventeenth in 1880 to the sixth
place in 1890 as pig iron producer. In
the face Of many varied statements a
fow positive details may be instructive.
In the census year Of 1880 Virginia
had thirty-one stacks, producing 1906
net tons, an average of 57S tons per
stack. by curious coincidence, in 1890
she had also thirty-o stacks, but these
produced 302, 448 tons. an average Of
9,770 tons per stack. In 1890 the output
of charcoal pig was under $4,000 tons,
the enormous increase coming from the
operation of 12 coke furnaces, built dur
ing the last decade.
The rapid increase in production is
best seen from the following figures:
1886, 156,25O tons; 1887, 175,751 tons;
1888, 1873 tons; 1889, 251,3 tons;
and in 1901, ,44s tons. The coke
furnaces in operation in 1890, on the
line of the Norfolk and Western rail-
road were the Ivanhoe in Wythe county,
Pulaski in Pulaski county, the No.
Grocer in Roanoke county, and the
Shenandoah in Page county; on the
Chesapeake and Ohio railway, the Loo
moor and the No. Londale in Allie
ghany county, the Princess in Botetourt
county, the Victoria in Rockbridge
county, and the LYnchburg and Reusens
: at Lynchburg. ~ in all.
In 1880 Virginia was led by the seven
Southern States, Missouri, West Vir-
ginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Georgia and Maryland, In 1890 she had
passed them all, save Alabama, but was
closely pressed by Tennessee. In per-
centage of increase, Virginia loads
every State in the Union.
With the exception of Illinois, which
Increased it's production 66 per cent,
the notable increases were in the South
ern States of Texas, Tennessee, Ala
bama and Virginia, as shown by the
following table of output:
Tons. Tons. Increase.
Texas. ......... 1,400 $3.50 539
Tennessee ...47,S73 2SO,747 5O7
Alabama. ...62.336 S90,432 1898
Virginia. ..17,9O6 3O2,447 1850
The statement, which has been fire.
Quently made, that number of new
furnaces had been blown in during 1890
In Virginia is not true, the No. 9 Grocer
being the only new one included in the
census figures. The New Roanoke was
blown in November 30th and the Buena
vista early in December, but of course
the output from these is not included in
the above figures. That number of
new furnaces can go in blast during the
next six months is an assured fact, how
ever.
Eight new first-class furnaces are now
built or building. The Roanoke and
HunnQ hav hi
Graham, Tazewell county, and the
Salem, Roanoke county, are about done.
The Bristol is well along, but cannot be
( finished under several months The
Max Meadows, Wythe county, will be
ready by April or May Tho Dora, Pu-
lask1 county, ought to be done by early
summer. Tho foundations of the Rad
ford-Crane, at Radford, arc being rapidly
pushed. The two old Nlier furnaces
to Big Stone Gap; but this will take
considerable time. With these new
furnaces all running, Virginias annual
output will be:increased by $4,000 net
tons, probably
The foundations for furnace are in
Basic City, Augusta county, and work
has been lately commenced on one, and
possibly two, at Glasgow, Rockbridge
county, but under no circumstances can
iuOoO Uc ID ldCJOF Ill 1871.
There has been good deal of news
paper talk, in the n5erest of "boomed"
towns, of furnaces to be erected at vari-
GUS points, but no definite action has
been taken, and with the present condi-
tlon OF the iron and money markets it is
not at all likely that any will be built
In the near future. Such statements as
this, that in 1900 only one State penn
sylvania) will exceed Virginia in the
iron industry, is simply silly newspaper
talk by those who know nothing what
ever of furnace building and running,
or iron-ore mining. One county in
Alabama (Jefferson) has more first. class
coke furnaces than the whole State of
Virginia, either built or building The
total number in this State, is 80, and,
with the same average output as given
to the Virginia furnaces, will yield
l,2oo, 700 tons per annum, which is four
times V1rginias present output. While
Virginia is quadrupling her output, will
Alabama stand idly by?
Where Virginia is very weak is in her
available ore supply. Let there be no
m1sconceptiOn as to the exact meaning
OF this broad statement 1t is not
that she is without ample stores in the
ground, but she very seriously lacks
proper mine development. 1t is a very
S easy matter to lay out a furnace on
Npaper, and, if one has succeeded in get
ting together the large amount of money
necessary. to make a contract for its
building In, say, years time; but
neither experts reports nor paper esti-
mates. nor engineers plans will open a
mine in years time to run these fur.
naces when built.
Time is just as essential as plans or
money, or ore in the ground. twenty