Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-13

amount Of information that will prove in.
| valuable when the intimate history Of iron
| making and the story of steel is told in
| coming years.
Very recently an effort has been made
| to give the credit TO New Jersey for the
| first manufacture Of iron.
At Highbridge, n. j., TIE Taylors started
| little iron foundry $50 years ago.
1t was in 1I42 that Allen and Turner set
| up foundry there and employed Robert
Taylor TO manage II.
subsequently the business passed into
Taylor's hands and it is conducted by his
descendants of the fifth generation today.
TT MAY be claimed that this establish
ment was foundry.
The Taylor biographers describe how
iron ore was discovered in the rugged
hills of Western New Jersey early in the
eighteenth century. There was abundant
timber in neghboring forests for charcoal.
Water power was close nt hand
That is a description of the requisites for
smelling iron.
If it is intended to prove that New Jersey
took the first steps in its manufacture, the
contention cannot be sustained according
to Mr.. Peters Investigations.
Prior to the beginning Of the eighteenth
century iron needed by the American COL
onics was imported largely from Shropshire,
England.
Before the first quarter Of the century
had passed. Pennsylvania was exporting pig
iron to England.
1t was transported to Philadelphia in
wagons, whore it was loaded on ships.
The completion of two centuries Of iron
smelling in Pennsylvania has been Mr..
Peters inspiration for assembling a mass Of
historical data on the subject.
1Nl1E first iron works in Pennsylvania
were established in the year 1716 on
Manatawney Creek, near what Is now Potts.
town.
Thomas Ruttcr and Thomas Potts in that
year built the Pool Bloomery Forge.
The first blast furnace to reduce ores
by that method was completed by these men
in 1920.
They called the plant Conlbrookdale. in
honor of an English Quaker ironmaster
named Adam Darby, whose establishment
beyond the seas was known by that name.
An additional reason. perhaps, was that
both Potts and Ruttcr were themselves
Quakers.
MIR. PETERS says that while this old
AVA furnace has long disappeared. direct
descendant of Thomas Rutter. the first IRON
with n large furnace plant within few
miles of whore his ancestor founded Penn
sylvania's iron industry.
\ fact not generally known, save perhaps
to experts like Mr.. Peters. is that William
Penn himself was interested in iron manu-
facture in England and did not under esti-
mate the value of iron ore deposits on his
property hero.
Benjamin Franklin. in the course of his
varied Investigations and philosophical re.
searches, looked into the making of iron.
He invented the stove bearing his name |
which, with notifications, is used to this
day.
GOVERNOR WILLIAM c. SPROIIL,
~ Mr.. Peters points out, comes of a race
of ironmastcrs.
The Governor himself is engaged in that
industry as president Of the Lebanon Iron
Company.
His son. Captain Jack Sproul has recently
added III" fifth generation by entering the
mills of this company.
Governor Sprouts great grandfather,
Charles Sproul. was forgewright. lie sub
scpuently owned a forge himself on one of
the smaller water powers in the Schuylkll
Valley.
His son James. up to his death in 1S47,
conducted large forges and blOomPries along
Octoraro Creek. rs well as charcoal
furnace in Lancaster County.
He was one of the largest land owners
in Lancaster and Chester Counties. Much
of his property was forest from which he
made charcoal.
William II. Spronl. the Governors father.
was an official of the Chester Rolling Mill,
which operated blast furnace at Chester.
CIiESTER COUNTY produced the first
" boiler plate made in the United States
in 1910.
Sixty-four years before that. though. in
1I46, there was small rolling mill in
operation in Thornbury Township, now a
part of Delaware County.
In Center County today are two stone
stacks conducted as were the earlier ones
of u quarter Of century ago.
The Hecla Furnace at NIilosburg, which
was built as late as 1864. continues to make
charcoal iron with its blast engine operated
by a water wheel.
Governor Curtin's father. Roland Curtin,
built blast furnace in 1917 which is now
managed by great grandson of the original
builder.
STEAMBOATS on the Yukon today stop
- Mt wood yards at regular intervals in
their progress up and down the great river
for fuel.
The primitive furnaces of two hundred
years ago had also to cease work at times
to renew their supply of wood used ms fuel
They were operated for about nine months
of the year. After that they were put out
of blast, usually in the autumn, 50 the work
men could cut wood for charcoal burning
during the winter and early spring
During this period Of idlrness new
hearth was usually put in place, generally
hewed from solid sandstone
NThis method of operating iron furnaces
continued with but slight variations un-
til 1899.
That year witnessed the Introduction Of
the steam blowing engine as supplied for
smelling purposes.
The same wear also initiated the period
of anthracite IRON making.
A FAMOUS toast was born about this
"A time. II was proposed by William I.v-
man. nn irOnmastcr Of Fottsvillc on the
occasion of celebrating the successful maxi
Ing of pig iron with anthracite. 1t was:
cold PENNSYLVANIA. Her sons. like her
soil. rough outsid" but solid stuff within;
plenty of coal to warm her friends, plenty
Of iron to cool her enemies"
\ tour through the iron and steel districts
of Allegheny County discloses the curious
fact that the great blast furnaces Of today
are invariably known by names instead ~