Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1916-05-14

by ALBERT W. ADT.
Vice-President and Treasurer OF the
John b. Adt Co,

A few decades prior to the birth OF
your worthy paper. seventy-nve years
ago, Baltimore, town OF one tenth
its present population and the coun-
ties adjacent. could even then boast
OF being the leading community in
the manufacture OF iron.
During the years 1900 to 1851 the
local annual output amounted to
few thousand tons only and pro-
duced at plants located at Gwynns
and Jones Falls and other nearby
points under ownership OF Messrs.
Russey, Evans Tasker, Giles. Carroll
Delaney Principle Co.. and others.
The ores being obtained at Wbet-
stone Point
Baltimore's exportatiop OF iron to
England in 1852 was $500 ions,
whereas England's entire production
in that year amounted TO only 300
tons.
Proximity OF iron to the surface
cheap labor and an abundance of
readily obtainable wood (coal in the
early part OF that century being un-.
known) made 1t possible to produce
this article cheaply and export IT,
Up to the year 184l, the birth year
OF your paper, iron products were not
so very extensively In use, the advent
of the Engine was but recent, Steam
Boats and Railroad communications
had barely reached maturity. the era
OF power printing presses had just
begun, quickly followed however, by
the appearance OF the sewing
machine, mill machinery and general
machine expansion between the years
1870 to 1860.
After this period the products OF
steel and iron came into more gen
eral use, and with rapid strides
reaching into almost every fiield OF
industry, large tonnage OF this metal
being used in building bridge CON
struction, railroads and other branch
es resulting in the immense total
production in this country alone, OF
29,9l6,000 tons for the year 1915
and the leader in output compared
to half million OF tons, fifty years
ago.
During these decades OF ever-in-
creasing use OF iron and steel Bal
timore likewise kept in step with this
progress. and whereas it had num-
Der OF iron furnaces and rolling mills
from 1850 to 1850 known as the
Abbott, Stickney. Canton, Baltimore
and Cedar Point furnaces and one of
which rolled the plates for the mon
itor, the first turreted iron clad war
ship in the world, there is today
within its confines and vicinity the
great enterprise at Sparrows Point,
immense railroad shops, several
structural iron and bridge building
enterprises and a large number OF
manufacturers OF machinery. several
of them OF some magnitude. and
working up into shape a very large
tonnage OF steel and iron.
A short time ago, about near the
middle age OF your publication, but
one iron front building existed in
Baltimore and but few OF them in
the entire country, now however,
steel and concrete construction is
getting to be almost a universal
building operation.
Iron and steel has no doubt been
one OF the greatest factors in the
development OF industries and the
present day diversity Of manufactur-
ing, the shortening Of distance made
apparent through rail and boat trans
portation and telegraphic commune
cations, proving this metal to be one
OF the greatest benefactors to man
kind and increasing the prosperity,
and comforts enjoyed by the people
OF the present day.