The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1899-12-07

with Mr.. Player, who was the chief engi.
neerson construction, / was the general
manager OF the furnaces which we built
and put into blast.
| organized the labor and made any
quality OF iron required at the diferen,
places.
The first furnace Organized was for the
Cumberland Coal and Iron Co. at Frost.
burg, Nd. The coal used at this place
was known as the Peacock Coal and was
dug from twelve foot vein near the fur
mace. This coal, taken from the mines
and put in heaps, was cooked in the same
manner as the South Staffordshire Coal in
England. The coke worked very success
fully in this furnace.
To show the value Of this coke, | will
give the burden carried on this furnace
with the Player Hot Blast attachment and
Improvement
BURDEN on CUMBERLAND COAL AND IRON COM
rANY's FURNACE, 1865. ONE CHARGE.
~ cwt Coke, Coke yields iron % =
G5 - Brown hene,ie ore: ore :" ~ =
32ia'' Limestone. Limestone -" 81 ~
Iron In this charge 39002j lbs.
FOUNDRY IRON.
Iron in Bias, Furnace Clnder or Stag, ies.
All stock charges 22+O lbs. to ton.
This furnace made 80 tons per day, an
improvement Of % tens per day as made
at Mt. Savage.
From Frostburg, Md, Mr.. Player and |
went to the Cranberry Iron Works, at
Johnstown, Pa, for the purpose OF remod-
elling the four blast furnaces and putting
in the Player Hot Blast Here we met
with great deal of difficulty, as it was
la rd to convince the Company how much
improvement we could make, how much
we could increase the quality and quantity
of the iron with the addition of these i'm
provements. After trying for over six
months, we made contract with the
Company in which they agreed to let us
remodel one furnace, if we could show
them that we could save two dollars and
half $3.50 a ton either on the pig iron
and puddled iron or on muck bar made
from the pig iron, or improve the working
of the furnace and the quality of the pig
iron worked into muck bar, so they could
save two dollars and half $3.50 Il ton.
We began this improvement between 1861
aud 1878, during which time Mr.. George
Fritz was general superintendent and
signed all OUT contracts.
The first changes we made were on No.
1 furnace, All old furnace whose outside
work was built Of stone. 1t was 10 feet
high, with u foot hearth, 40 foot base
and l.? foot bosh.
They had been working all native ore
and native coal, CLEARING the coal on the
grounds and making coke III heaps AS
charcoal is made.
On top of this 40 foot furnace, we put a
81 foot iron shell, making the furnace 10
feet high with Is feet bosh and feet
hearth We put on all the latest improve
ments including II bell and hopper charger.
This fuanace made double the amount
OF iron daily after the improvements and
the ore yielded SO more pig iron than iii
the old furnace. We used the same coke |
and ore, but by improving the method Of
charring we improved the quality of coke
The new furnace was Il success. Up TO |
this time the Cranberry Furnaces had
made chiefly notified iron and white iron
and the cinder in the blast furnaces car
ried away 60 OF iron.
They thought at that time, that it re-
quired notified and white pig iron to make
hard iron rails. By making Gray Forge.
and No. or mill iron we proved to them
that better rails could be made and that
we lost but "A % in the furnace cinder.
This difference made about 60 more pig
iron from the same ore aud in the puddle
mills yielded so more bar iron from the
pig iron than in the old furnace.
The burden on the old furnace carried
pound aud Il quarter OF ore to a pound OF
coke. The burden on the new furnace
carried two pounds of ore to one pound OF
coke.
BURDEN on OLD FURNACE. ONE CHARGE.
80 cwt Coke, Coke yiededi iron AZ p
80 I" Calcined native ore, ore "a g
20 :" Limestone. LimeSone'' " ~ e
Iron in this charge II cwt. Iron mot
tied and white. This pig iron when pud-
died and made into muck bar yields JOM.
Iron in blast furnace cinder or Stag, GM.
This furnace made thirty tons per day
All stock charged 22iO lbs. to ton.
BURDEN on NEW FURNACE. ONE CHARGE.
10 cwt Coke, Coke yielded iron S0i
50 Z" Calcned native ore; ore - Z" ~.
~ - Limestone. iImestODe'' - SVs
Iron in this charge 32 cwt. Iron Gray
Forge and Mill Iron. This Iron puddled
and made into muck bar yields 9S%. Iron
IN Blast Furnace Cinder or Stag .l6%.
This furnace made 60 tons per day. All
stocks charged 2240 lbs to a ton.
This was the beginning OF the improve
ment of blast furnaces in America.
During the time of operating the Johns
town aud Maryland furnaces, we built one
for MendIehal and Co., at Newport, near
Cincinnati, which was equipped with the
Player stoves. and while in operation
warked very succes fully iu ma L In, Stnva
Plate lron for the Cincinnati market.
The next move was to the North
Chicago Rolling Mill Co., now the Illinois
Steel works. On or about this time, be-
fore the first furnace at this plant was
put into operation, Mr.. Player died in
Philadelphia This left all the business
for me to finish up. including the blast
furnace engineering at Chicago aud
Milwaukee.
1 started No. Furnace at Chicago,
April 1870. The difficulty we encountered
at Chicago and Milwaukee was the fuel,
AS we were requested in the first place to
design furnace to work Anthracite Coal,
MS that could be shipped by the Lakes.
Then we we're requested to design pair
of furnaces TO work Conceivable Coke aud
Indiana Coal. The furnaces we're designed
to work Connelsyille coke, part Anthracite
coal aud part Indiana block coal.
After it wns decided what fuel We were
to work, designed a furnace 65 feet high,
10 feet bosh aud = feet hearth, which
worked successfully with mixture OF
Connelsyille Coke, Anthracite coal and
Indiana block coal. The ore mixtures
were part Lake Ores, Iron Ridge, wiscoa-
Ia "A "a vary 6na aud Mill (s,udar Thfs