The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-11-19
The SOUTHERN
IRON INDUSTRY
No Workable Furnace Unable to Make
Pig Iron at a Profit,
DORMANT FURNACES IN BLAST.
The Virginia Iron. Coal aud Coke
Co. Rcsuscitating Those in
Virginia, Kentucky ana
Tennessee.
DORMANT FURNACES IN BLAST.

BALTIMORE. Nov. 1G-Special-In be-
ginning with this weeks issue OF the
Manufacturers Record series Of ar
ticios on the developments during The
past year in Southern iron industry, Mr..
Edward III. Sanborn, Of Philadelphia,
noting that there are blast furnaces in
the South that have continued success
fully in operation throughout the severest
depression OF recent years. aud haze re-
turned profits 10 their owners without
interruption, sketches The restoration or
the Virginia blast furnaces TO The ranks
of active pig iron producers, ana says.
This has been made possible and even
I easy of accomplishment by the eNtraof-
binary advance in the price % PIG IRON
/ and the comparatively Insignificant IN
crease I'm the cost of production and the
Unsuitable demand for every ton OF iron
that can be made There g. probably
no furnace In the United States IN work
able condition that could nor MAKE ana
sell pig iron at a profit under the con-
ditions which now prevail. The revival
Of the Virginia furnaces, however, should
not be viewed I'm that ligh. for what has
been done has been undertaken with fore
sicht and system and as part Of a very
comprehensive plan to carry out ID
practical business way the purposes
which were overthrow by speculation
| early in the nineties.
IN VIRGINIA
"The extensive undertakings Of the
! Virginia Iron. coal and coke Co. i'm its
resuscitation and consolidation o. dor
nant furnace plants. ifs important oper-
| atoms i'm ore. coal and coke and IT'S rail-
road enterprises, form the most con-
! spicuous and most interesting feature OF
! The Virginia iron industry At present
and the probable result Of It al Is the
| subject OF no little conjecture and
prophecy among those who have some
| knowledge Of the conditions which must
/ be met.
"Rrieny stated. the undertakings Of this
! company embrace the following.
Twelve coke blast furnaces in Vir-
| ginia. Tennessee and Kentucky
Three charcoal furnaces in Tennessee
and Virginia.
| Niddlesborough, Ky.
zone rolling mill and horseshoe factory
/ al Max Meadows, Va.
zone cast-iron-pipe foundry at Rad
| ford. Va.
zone hundred and thirty-two thousand
acres Of coal land in Virginia, with mines
! having an approximate daily output Oh
| 5000 tone. ,.,--,-,.
| "Five hundred coke ovens In Virginia.
S.Two hundred and twelve thousand
acres of ore lands in Virginia, fennessef
/ and Kentucky, with some thirty work
| ings. having an approximate daiy OUT
/ put of 1000 tons.
Extensive limestone and doiomlte
/ quarries. 49, 20
| general work. IL -,
etandard-gauge railroad, with passenger
and freight equipment and in regular
operation.
"Thls property is the basis OF an au-
thorIzed capitalization Of S2oWo'oo0 in
canal portions of stock and bonds.
ONLY \ TPYE.
This Virginia enterprise Is typical or inc
General movement which has developed
through the iron regions Of the South from
the Tennessee and Alabama centre. Even
I'm Alabama the story Of iron has. accord
ina TO the views Of experts, only begun 10
be told The furnaces I'm the Birmingham
district have practically sold their Output
for the rest Of this year and the hIst nam
of 1900. and It IS estimated that under
talSings. now on foot will possibly double
the capacity Of the furnaces IN that heiu
within the next five wears
With its iron resources being developed
under the spur of a persistent increased
demand with cotton bringing from ten 10
fffoen dollars more a bale than IL ala 80
This time last year with cotton mills
busv with orders for this country ana
foreign nations. with plans unfolding for
the Transformation Of water powers INTO
electrical energy. with phosphate deposits
beine rapidlv uncovered I'm new and old
colds with the lumber business expanding
and with The railroads scramDllhS Tor
co~s "a meet transportation necessities the
south Is on an upward trend, with nothing
i'm SIGHT AZ present likely TO interrupt Ns
steady, healthy progress
NEW ENTERPRISES.
Tie usual weekly reports OF new lndus-
trial ENTERPRISES rs made 10 the Mthuii'-
turers' Record included the Following
items:
FIFTY thousand dollar iron mining COM
,an,. cotton-seed oil mill I'm Alabama;
S-o 0oO ice and cold storage plant, Meloo
manufacturing company, le-ton cotton
coed OIL mill I'm Arkansas. $4,000 naval
stores compgnv. knitting mill in Florida;
IN ooo s,indie cotton min. $4,000 hardware
cor,,an,- seOOO0 cotton factory in Geor-
el,. s25 COO tobacco factory in NentucAy'
$1,000 Woodworking company IN Louisiana
s0OC0 box factory company. 10000 safe
works i'm Maryland 5000 water ana
electric light plant $1,000 water works
I'm Mississippi: sl0ooo lumber company
10000 shirt manufacturing company in
North carolina. si5 con rice company. So
1oo telephone COMPANY. $1,000 hardwood
companv in South carolina: $1,000 lumber
comnanv. 5000 manufacturing company
s-o an iro, works $1,000 iron mining COM
many. $500 clothing factory company
q 600 900 iron MINING company In Tennes-
see. SEQ 600 oil mill company, slooooo truck
tts,or ,,anrfactfwing company 10000
electric light plant 5000 lumber COM
pany. 10000 Improvement company in
Te exs $1,000 cenu'ose factory. 9o-ton
cold storage and 15-ton ice plant $1,000
toicnbone company in Virginia. $4,000
coal mining COMPANY, 10000 brewery ad-
6ition. 81. ocooco brick works company. So
So lumber company 100000 oil company
I, 600 600 roller Gin company in West Vir-
ginia.