The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-12-02

| for the immense water wheel, which,
when we was boy, lowered half intact
above us, and have covered by the de-
bris of the rear building in which it
was placed. The place where the char
coal was left at Allaire by the farmers
Of the vicinity was in front Of and be-
tween the old forge still standing and
the mill-wheel house, where it was left
until wanted
Other industries in all parts of the
country where the stone coal was found
were using it. Raw bituminous coal was
used for the same purpose in 1843, which
caused the death knell of the large iron
foundry at AHaire that had just been
completed
The iron works Of the 18th century
were OF the most primitive character,
as was Col Morris Tintern Manor
lr~nworkR or by his predecessor, Apple
gate, at Tna<an Falls. Such works. in
those days being called "blooIhary,"
or Pool Forge. The forge at that time
occupied a far more prominent position
than 1t does at present, being the great
means by which pig iron was convert
ed into the marketable article. This
work is now done by the rolling mills
In 1884 for es were beginning to stop
the manufacture of bar iron, leaving
it's production to the rolling mills, forc-
ed by it's many improvements in the
various processes which were made
continually in the manufactures of iron.
In 1885 furnace gases were first util-
lied for raising the heat of the fuel In
1888 the hot blast came into use.
The business life of the iron manufac-
a. HI I'D ff0r Ia IL
hard and precarious. His business was
open to such disadvantages and losses
that it early dawned upon the govern
ment that protection must be given to
this branch of industry in consequence
In 1886 corporations for the working
and mining Of iron, favored by legis-
Iative acts, and this is when the forge at
Allaire was put through. This was nee
essary on account Of the panic which
was approaching and because of the
strong alien influence at work, exerted
by the English iron workers, who were
at that time in more prosperous posi-
ton than the American competitors. 1t
has been stated on good authority that
scarcely an American firm enga red in
the iron industry made any money be-
tween the years 1886 and 1860, and
countless numbers Of firms were forced
to succumb. Except for the thinning
out of the forest to obtain the charcoal
for their furnaces there would not have
been a sufficient number of acres clear
ed to have allowed the farmer to do his
work satisfactory, for the farmer did
not have sufficient inddcemenL to do /
this work for himself. In conseq uence
agriculture would have Jagged There /
are some fields in the vicinity Of A lIaire |
that have grown up again. II it !
were not for the existence Of FORCES, fur |
naces and rolling mills also there would |
not be SO much indu cement for the inn
of the means Of transporta- |
ton. History shows us that canals were /
first used for this branch Of industry. |
Again the necessity Of larger quantity |
andbetter quality of fuel led the wav to
the introduction and utilization Of an
thracite coal. The history Of the coal in
dustry goes hand in hand with that of
ron.
The year 1887, which was followed
bv a period of intense financial depres- |
sion Throughout the country was felt |
most severely in the iron industry. 1t |
handicapped the iron workers, who were
already at disadvantage in COMPETE |
ton Wlbl Sfr6dL DIltidHs IL NC hluOuub VI 1
pig iron produced fell in one year to
sS3, 900 tons from $4,000 tons of the
J ear before.
1t was only by the proposition of q |
high protective tariff by the organi-
cations, with large amounts of capital |
to draw upon, and bv many favors of |
legislative actions that the iron business
was nursed until it grew to its present
colossal proportions. ~
2 Contrast the two great twin shelters
1T the Edgar Thomson's steel works at |
Penn, we visited when al
young man. We had only previously |
seen the small smelters about one story |
high in the ruins at Allaire, and the 9th
CIR one in the Freehold Iron Foundry.
The one at Allaire was considered one Of /
the largest furnaces in America at, the
time Of its erection and one Of the Won
ders of the iron industry 1t was prepar
ed with bog ore and chemicals on the |