Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-09-02
.mbler Writes of Ruins Of Early Iron Works

The first cannon used by Maryland
troops against the English were made
/. 1876. authorized the council of safety
to lend the proprietors OF that forge
and furnace f2o0 common money fog
nine months to enable them TO prose.
and diligence" In Bishops History OF
Manufactures. published In 1854. one
may read what follows about this ana
Client plant and its cannon:
They had then nearly completed . contract fec
casting cannon for the state and were: few
Eress by letter from the convention. which
stated that Messr~. Hughes had been at much
frst guns did not stand the proof. the foundry
was then in condition to make very good ones
land would possibly require. They proposed e
enlarge their works II Congress would take all
A contract was made with them for . thousand
tons Of cannon. toward which $500 were ad-
snas va applied 70 consrs.. for ps Ut
to purchase cannon At Acsara Hughee' furnace,
on II @
non. In May. l777. Congress allowed them $22H
q ton. In addition to the sum mentioned In the
contract.
across the average cost OF producing iron
in these old Maryland furnaces that wero
fed by wood and the nre famed by water.
driven wheels. The statement Of one OF
2.45 tons Of ore. 142 bushels Of charcoal.
necessary lime and labor. the cost Of pro-
ducing ono ton OF iron was $2392. Up to
about 1890 only three OF the furnaces in
Maryland used limestone All the others
employed oyster shells. and OF this tho
old chronicler eaid: oyster shells are
more convenient and furnish a purer lime.
Ten bushels OF this article costing cents
per bushel. Is a dose for one ton Of crude
IRON
It was not until 1889 or 1910 that coal
Mr.. Alexander. Maryiand's topographic
engineer in 1870. in making his report to
the governor. wrote: The manufacture
Of iron with coal has been. within the last
is only ono furnace. that at LonAconing.
applicable for the purpose. The result was
one, I believe, of entire success. both ~
regards the facility and economy Of man.
ufacture. the quantity made in any given
time almost trebling and the actual cost
falling notably below the same items In
the charcoal furnaces Of this state
1t is an interesting fact that part
of the machinery for James Rumsey's
steamboat which was successfully
tested on the Potomac river at Shep.
herdstown. three miles above Antietam,
in 1887. was made at the Antietam
iron works. In the Arts and Indus.
tries building Of the National Museum
is large model of Rumsey's boat and
in connection with the boat Is a long
section of heavy iron chain, bearing
this label: piece Of original chain be.
longing to the machinery of Rumsey's
steamboat. 1887. Gift of A. E. Boteler"
In writing Of these old Maryland
furnaces the Rambler would not di-
minish the honor which belongs to
Massachusetts, in having set up the FIRST
iron works in America. That was at
Braintree and the year was probably
1912. for the select townsmen Of Brain.
tree on the 18th of the 18th Mo. 1913
granted unto John Winthrop Junr. ana
his parteners and to their heyres and
assignes forever 5000 acres Of the COM
mon land at Braintry for the encour.
up on the Monotocot river, the said
5000 acres to be laid out ADJOINING and
most convenient for their said iron
worke"