The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-12
TO BUILD A FURNACE.
A Company Being Formed to
Smelt Iron Ore Here.
MOTHER OF MANY INDUSTRIES.
Eastern Iron Men wasn't Local Men TO
Back Words With Cash-Othe1
Industries WIN Follow.

A movement has been started by num-
Der OF local capitalists to organize q COM
pany for the erection of blast furnace In
this city. The projectors realize that the
only way to get something done towards
the production of iron in Seattle is to put
their shoulders to the wheel and begin the
enterprise themselves, SO they have taken
steps to organize . corporation for the pur.
pose.
Tho capital stock is to be 500. 900, of
which practical iron men in the East have
promised to subscribe $4,000. The re-
mainder is to be subscribed locally, and
several leading men have agreed to take
5000 worth of stock each. Two sites for
the furnace have already been offered as q
donation. both accessible to railroads and
tide water. Reliable men have offered to
contract at any time to supply ore con-
tanning 60 per cent. of iron and practically
free from sulphur and phosphorus, from
mines already sufficiently developed to
begin shipping as soon as the demand
arises. A contract can be made for 100 to
100 tons day OF either magnetic or hema-
tite ore at very low figure. The existence
of an abundant supply of limestone and
coking coal ready to lay down at the fur
mace as soon as it is built is we'll known, so
that the materials for the establishment of
the industry here on a profitable basis are
at hand; all that remains to be done is to
provide a blast furnace IN which to bring
them together in the production of pig
iron.
The cheapest and best deposits of iron
ore to be obtained are on tide water on Van
couver island. which are already consider
ably developed. The Lake Cushman
mines can supply hematite ore, and the
owners stand ready to build q railroad
from Hood canal to the mines as soon as
they are secured market for the product.
The Denny mines would furnish ore when
ever the Northern Pacific extends the Lake
Shore road to them, and the Connor mine
at Hamilton will also be developed to .
producing basis when there is assurance of
q market.
The men. who have taken this enterprise
in hand are confident that the iron indus
try can be established here in all its
branches, and will be indefinitely ex.
tended when once it has been practically
demonstrated that all the raw materials
for the manufacture of pig iron exist here
in large quantities and Of good quality.
All that is needed is q beginning to give
practical proof that the industry can DO
successfully carried on here. Eastern iron
men have repeatedly told Seattle people
that they are prepared to take it up when
this demonstration has been made. but
they LOOK to Seattle to prove its confidence
in its own assertions on the subject by
making the beginning; they call upon the
local men who are directly interested in
the development of the resources of the
country to do the pioneering, and they will
follow their lead.
Eastern iron men of lifelong experience
in the business are positive in their asser-
tons that pig iron can be made ct profit
at $l4 q ton. while the lowest price at
which it has been made in Western Penn
sylvania is $11 and in Alabama 81. As SO
to SIS q ton has to be added to the price
for freight from the East and South to the
Pacific coast, there is room for an immense
reduction in price before the estimated
cost of production is reached. 1t is pro-
posed to put up furnace of a capacity of
100 to $50 tons day and this output would
find . ready market on the Coast. The
iron mills at San Francisco consume $780,
600 tons year and large quantities would
be consumed by the local foundries, 50
that no difficulty would DE experienced in
selling 500 tons day.
The experience of other countries and
other sections of this country is that
after the smelling of iron comes the es-
Enlistment of all other kinds of manu-
factories in which iron is used-rolling
mills, stove works, foundries. bridge
works, architectural iron works, steel
works, rail mills, machine shops, pipe
foundries, and ultimately the manuiact-
ure of cutlery. files, tools and all the
other products of iron. even to needles
and fish hooks. All these industries have
centered around the cities where the
smelling of iron is carried on.
The necessity of the encouragement of
manufactures in the city has never been
forced home to the minds of the bankers
and br ;iness men as it is now. They look
around and see nail factories and paper
mills rising in other cities. They look at
the statistics of shipping and see where
the bulk OF the lumber and wheat comes
from9 An opportunity is now offered
them to secure the establishment Of the
industry here which an Eastern iron man
SAYS would fill every office and business
block in the city in three months and
would bring manufacturers of every
product of iron here by the dozen, ready
to put up plants without asking to have
sites donated to them.
Men with practical knowledge of the
business are ready to come here and invest
their money and experience if the men Of
Seattle will back their faith with their
money by taking their share Of the stock.