Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1908-12-03
The States Iron Industry
Incompetent Management Cause of
Its Unsuccessful Operation.

A. B. Blevins, vice president and
general manager Of the iron compa-
NY at Jefferson, Tex, was in Dallas
Saturday. Asked what he knew
about the iron industry at Rusk,
Tex, and the proposition OF John
L. Workman to lease it, Mr.. Bleyins
said:
Il believe l know all about it,
because l built two of the three
furnaces that are there now--that
is to say, | organized the capital
that built them. l have personally
known all the parties through one
Administration or the other for the
last eighteen or twenty years-that
is, the parties appointed through
the different Administrations to
manage the State industry.
LAS rule they have all been
capable enough, except that they
have tried to make pig iron with
charcoal, and, on account of the
scarcity of the timber and its char
acter, it has always cost them about
IS16.50 for fuel necessary to make
one ton of pig iron. That is to say
charcoal cost about 12c per bushel,
and on account of some of the wood
being hardwood and majority be-
ing pine, it was necessary to use
about 100 bushels of charcoal to
make a ton of pig iron instead of
100 bushels, provided 1t had all
been hardwood. Therefore, the fuel
costing $3.50 per ton made it pro-
hibitory.
when John L. Workman was APP
pointed financial agent he investi-
gated the conditions and stated that
he would not undertake to make the
iron industry a success unless the
State made an appropriation suffi-
cient to put in equipment which
was adapted for the use of burning
all mineral fuels, viz, coke. This
change meant only a great blast
in other words more engine power,
because it was explained to Mr.
Workman that the air alone con-
tanned about 23 per cent of oxygen,
and therefore air was cheaper fuel
than charcoal
I'm addition to additional engine
power MIR. Workman built brick
ovens That mean that the oxygen
and air that was blown into the
furnace was heated to about 1900
to 1,400 degrees heat, instead of
from 500 to 900 degrees obtained
by the old iron ovens.
I'm order to understand the diff
ference one must know that an iron
oven can not stand over 1,100 de-
greess of heat, because the pipes in
the oven will get rather close to the
, melting point and they become linn
Der and dang, Noussi therefore the
Use ,a.s BRIT. MhiIe iron
J WAS 3 III JStnS-5S - ppffce 6ufihE
Mr.. Wortham's administration, new
| ertheless, he made money, for the
State.
Il personally know that often the
: plant would be run on a profit Of
' $1,000 per day, and in very shor
+ time | will not say exactly the num-
9 from four to six. Mr.. Worthan
v showed a profit of $4,000.
t Nov, what the State of TeXai
2 should consider, since they CLAIM
that they are losing money on thu
f operation, is to get rid of that los
k and turn the plant over to Mr.. Wor
: than without charge, and that woul'
s only be complying with the law
/ that is to say, the purpose of tn
state was to build the furnaces, no
/ for the purpose of making money
d but to demonstrate to capital tn
values of the iron ores of Eas
Texas,
IF Mr.. Workman should operat
g the plant know by reason of hi
d ability and his experience in the iro
,e business that he can and will den
onstrate to capital that Texas ha
: an ore second only to the note
ID ores of Lake Superior, both on a,
o. count of the metal conditions an
II because of the low sulphur an
~ PHOSPHORUS contained.
y 81 have had over twenty years e.
as perience in the iron business in Tei
ut as, and l think | know what a.
ne talking about. Dallas News