West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1897-09-30
HISTORY OF IROXDALE FURNACE
A Monument to Protection and the
Gold Standard.
DROPPED DOWN FROM $500 900
TO $4,000 SINCE SILVER WAS
DEMONETIZED.
what Fall There Was, MY
COuntrymen
Written specially for The ANGUS.

September IS, 1897. (
II you will grant me space in
your valuable paper, will give
you q short history of lrondale
Furnace.
AS some of our Republican
friends are getting it in shape to
suit their notions, they say that the
ore is exhausted and is the cause OF
the property selling 80 low.
To commence with, letus go back
to 1857, when George Hardman did
the first prospecting for ore where
Irondale now stands. In the late
fall Of that year he commenced to
build a furnace and cut cord wood a.,
and began to build houses. In the
spring of 1853 he commenced to
make charcoal, and the 23rd day of
August, on Sunday morning, 1853,
the blast was put into the furnace,
and the plant was named Franklin
Furnace. The furnace made a fair
blast for those days and the iron
sold as high as $110 ton, accord
ing to grade. Mr.. Hartman pros
pered, and in the summer Of 1859
he commenced to grade and build
railroad from the furnace down
Three Fork Greek TO intersect with
the b. & o. r. Il. This took Mr..
Hardman, with his limited income,
until the spring of 1862, when he
began to ship iron and coal over
his road.
Please remember that James
Buchanan was President during
this time, and we had the free AMI
unlimited coinage Of gold and sill
YER at that time, and Mr.. Hard man
never, from the time he commenced
to build, paid less than SI.124 per
day for common labor. In those
days wheat was 81 per bushel, corn
60 cents, oats 80 cents, and every
body seemed to get along we'll In
September. 1868 Mr.. H.rdmrn
bought locomotive and ptil $40
900 for it. The same engine was
offered for sale fow days ago;
800 bid for it was all.
la 1867 Mr.. Hardman sold his
entire plant for something like
$4,000 to what was c,lled the
Franklin Iron & Coal Company.
They operated the plant about one
year, and failed and turned the en-.
tire plant over to the Ocean Bank,
of New York City, which shortly
went into the hands of a Receiver.
1t was turned over 20 the Bank to
secure a debt of S18j,OOO. Mr..
Hardman then leased from the Re
ceiyer the entire plant, with an
agroemsnt to run it and sell the
property and pay to the Receiver
the amount coming to the Bank.
In the month Of July, 1872, Mr..
Hardman agreed with Pittsburg
Company to sell to them the entire
plant for the sum of 5000 900. The
arrangements were made for both
parties to meet in Wheeling and
sign the contract, the Pittsburg Co.
to pay One-half down and the re-
mainder in one years time. Mr..
Hardman refused to meet the Gem
pany, and said it was not enough
money. He could have paid the
debt that was against the property
and his own debts, aud bad nice
fortune Of $500, 900, and the Glade.
vile Furnace all clear Of debt.
In 1873 the panic came and
prices in iron began to fall very
rapidly. Nearly all the furnaces
in the country stopped. Mr.. Hard
man continued TO run until the 4th
day Of March, when ne failed This
was too much for him to bear and
he went insane over tho matter,
and the 18th day Of May, 1873,
died, and Irondale laid idle till the
fall Of 1877, when the property was
sold to Col. Nemcgyci, Of New
York, Tor the sum Of 100000
Mr. Nemegyci made a short blast
IN The spring or 1878, and then PIT
tworty-ono feet OF brick stack on
the old stone stack and consider
able other improvements, and run
the furnace FIVE or six years, and
tore tho old stack down and built d
new one, put in p new blast engine,
new stoves for the bot blast, and
started the new plant with good
success and run IL until the first OF
November, 1890, and blowed out
the furnace just when the McKin
ley bill was in full blast. SIR
Ncmcgyei tried hard 20 sell tho
property. While The Wilson bill
VAS In force, DO is claimed that hC
refused $50. 900 for the property
On the 2Olh day Of September,
1897, together with all improve
ments and over 800 acres Of land