History of the manufacture of iron in all ages, and particularly in the United States from colonial times to 1891. Also a short history of early coal mining in the United State ..

376 02M 1 GIFT OF MICHAEL REESE • TV -703 HISTORY THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN ALL AGES, AND PARTICULARLY IN THE UNITED STATES FROM COLONIAL TIMES TO 1891. ALSO A SHORT HISTORY OF EARLY COAL MINING «IN' THE UNITED STATES AND A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE INFLUENCES WHICH LONG DELAYED THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALL AMEKICAN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. BY JAMES M. SWANK, » / SECRETARY AND GENERAL MANAGER OF THE AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL ASSOCIATION FOR TWENTY* YEARS, FROM 1872 TO 1892. SECOND EDITION, THOROUGHLY REVISED AND GREATLY ENLARGED. PHILADELPHIA: THE AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL ASSOCIATION, NO. 261 SOUTH FOURTH STREET. Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1891, BY JAMES M. SWANK, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Printed by ALLEN, LANE & SCOTT, Nos. 229-231 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. IN presenting to iron and steel manufacturers and to others a second edition of the History of the Manufacture of Iron in All Ages I copy from the preface to the first edition, which appeared in 1884, the following sentences, explanatory of the considerations which led to its publication. " No historical record of the iron industry of the scope of that which is here presented has been undertaken by any of the authoritative writers upon iron and steel. Such standard works as those of Alexander, Overman, Percy, and Bauerman are more technical than historical, while the excellent his- tory of Mr. Scrivenor was published more than forty years ago, and relates almost entirely to the iron industry of Great Britain. None of the works mentioned devote much atten- tion to the growth of the American iron industry. Most of them, indeed, were written before our iron industry became especially noticeable for either enterprise or productiveness. The history of that industry, written from a sympathetic standpoint and with a full knowledge of details, and par- ticularly with a knowledge of its marvelous growth in the last few decades, had yet to be written, and this service I have endeavored to perform in the present volume in con- nection with the history of the manufacture of iron in other countries. I have aimed especially to preserve in chrono- logical order a record of the beginning of the iron industry in every country and in every section of our own country, and to follow this record with a circumstantial account of the introduction into our country of all modern methods of manufacturing iron and steel. Names of persons and places, exact dates, authentic statistics, and accomplished results have been preferred to technical details, although these have not been neglected. " In the collection of the materials for this volume I have been exceedingly fortunate in possessing a personal acquaint- IV PREFACE. ance with most of the leading actors in the wonderful de- velopment of our American iron industry during the pres- ent century, and in learning from their own lips and from their own letters many of the incidents of that development. It is the exact truth to say that, if the preparation of this history had been delayed for a few years, it could not have been written, for many of these pioneers are now dead." The reasons for the appearance of the first edition hav- ing been given above I now add that this second and last edition has been prepared because much new information relating to the early iron history of our own country and of other countries has come into my possession since 1884, and because seven succeeding years of great activity in the de- velopment of the world's iron and steel industries have been productive of important statistical and other results which are eminently worthy of preservation in a condensed and permanent form. The second edition contains 132 pages of historical details more than the first edition. In the first edition there were 48 chapters. Nearly every chapter in that edition has been in part rewritten. In the present edition there are 63 chapters. Among the entirely new chapters of the second edition is one relating to the early discoveries of coal in the United States, and another detailing the connec- tion of the Washington and Lincoln families with the manu- facture of iron in colonial times. All accessible statistical in- formation relating to the world's production of iron, steel, coal, and iron ore has been brought down to the latest pos- sible periods. Due credit is given in the text to the printed authori- ties which have been consulted. My thanks are due to the friends who have assisted me in many ways in the collection and verification of the fresh historical and statistical mate- rials which are now presented. I also express my obliga- tions to my proof-readers, Mr. William M. Benney and Mr. William G. Gray, who have with great pains assisted me to guard against all errors of a serious character. PHILADELPHIA, January 1, 1892. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. THE EARLIEST USE OF IRON. Iron first made in Asia and in Northern Africa— Evidences of the early use of iron by the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians— Iron and steel frequently referred to in the Old Testament— Known to the Medes and Persians and to the people of India, China, Japan, and Corea— Decay of the iron and steel indus- tries of Asia and Africa, Pages 1-10 CHAPTER II. THE EARLY USE OF IRON IN EUROPE. Grecian fables concerning iron and steel — Both metals frequently mentioned in the writ- ings of Homer, Hesiod, Herodotus, and other early Grecian writers— Evidences of the early manufacture and use of iron and steel by the Greeks— Made by the Etruscans and the Romans ; also in Scythia, Noricum, Moravia, and Hungary— The early iron and steel industries of Spain and the Basque provinces— Of France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and Norway, Russia, and Finland— The Krupps of Essen— The Russian iron industry in the eighteenth century, Pages 11-32 CHAPTER III. BEGINNING OF THE BRITISH IRON INDUSTRY. Iron known to the Britons before Csesar's invasion but not much used— Made by the Romans in many parts of Britain— Remains of Roman iron works still to be seen— Iron made in Britain by the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes— The British iron industry extended by the Normans— Greatly promoted in the reign of Edward III.— Character- istics of the British iron industry in the 13th and 14th centuries— The smith in Eng- lish history— The first use of cannon in England, Pages 33-44 CHAPTER IV. THE BRITISH IRON INDUSTRY FROM THE FIFTEENTH TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. The manufacture of iron in England greatly extended about the beginning of the 15th century— Introduction of blast furnaces into England— " Many great guns" cast in Sussex-Wire first drawn by a mill in England in 1568— Invention of the slitting mill- Birmingham in the time of Henry VIII.— The art of tinning iron introduced into England from the Continent in 1670— Growing scarcity of wood for charcoal in Eng- land in the 16th and 17th centuries— Only 59 furnaces left in England and Wales in 1740— England a large importer of iron from Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries and from America and Russia in the 18th century— First use of coal in the British iron industry— Henry Cort's invention of the puddling furnace and grooved rolls— Other innovations— Beginning of the British steel industry— Sheffield in 1615— Biographical notices of some distinguished men connected with the British iron trade, Pages 45-55 CHAPTER V. THE IRON INDUSTRY OF WALES, IRELAND, AND SCOTLAND. Iron made in Wales under the Romans— Extension of the iron industry of Wales in the . 16th century— Merthyr Tydvil an iron centre— Iron made in Ireland in the reigns of V CONTENTS. Elizabeth and James I., and afterwards— The iron industry of Ireland extinct in 1840— Iron scarce in Scotland in the middle ages— Remains of ancient iron works in Scot- land described by W. Ivison Macadam— Beginning of the modern iron industry of Scotland— Carron Furnace— The Devon Iron Works Pages 56-61 CHAPTER VI. THE BRITISH IRON INDUSTRY BUILT UP BY BRITISH INVENTIVE GENIUS. The 18th century begins a new era in the British iron industry— Great Britain becomes the first iron manufacturing country — The inventions of Payne and Hanbury, of Darby, Huntsman, Smeaton, Cort, Watt, Stephenson, Neilson, Crane, and Nasmyth— Also at a later day of Bessemer, Mushet, and Charles William and Frederick Sie- mens Pages 62-64 CHAPTER VII. EARLY PROCESSES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL. Description of the rude direct processes of manufacturing iron which were used by the ancients— They are still used— Goatskin bellows— The present method of making steel in India — Methods of making iron in China, Cambodia, Corea, and Japan — Japanese and Corean bellows described— Iron made in Belgium and England in the days of the Romans without an artificial blast — A refinery forge described by Virgil — Diodorus and Pliny describe the early furnaces of Southern Europe— The Catalan forge of Spain — The first mention of coal — Used in Anglo-Saxon times — Were the Greeks and Romans familiar with cast iron? Pages 65-79 CHAPTER VIII. MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN PROCESSES IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL. Revival of the iron industry in Europe in the 8th century— The wolf furnace, or stuck- ofen, first mentioned — The osmund furnace — The blauofen and flussofen — The hochofen — The blast furnace in use about the beginning of the 14th century— The Catalan forge and the German bloomary in general use— Description by Dr. Parsons of an English blast furnace and refinery forge of the 17th century— Also by Walter Burrell— Puddling furnaces and coke blast furnaces not used on the Continent until the 19th century- Leather and wooden bellows for blowing blast furnaces— The trompe, or water-blast— Origin of the rolling mill— Slitting and rolling mills as "late improvements "—John Houghton describes a slitting mill— Mechanical features of the English iron industry at the beginning of the 18th century— Professor Akerman's account of the origin of the slitting mill and rolling mill— Various ancient and modern methods of making steel— Agricola describes the early German method— Thomas Turner's description of cemented steel— Percy, Griiner, and other authorities on steel quoted— Dud Dudley's account of the foot-blast— Ancient and modern methods of producing steel compared —The bauernofen, "... Pages 80-99 CHAPTER IX. FIRST ATTEMPT BY EUROPEANS TO MANUFACTURE IRON IN THE UNITED STATES. Iron made in northern latitudes only— Not known to the aboriginal inhabitants of Amer- ica except when of meteoric origin — First discovery of iron ore in the Atlantic colo- nies made in North Carolina in 1585— Iron ore sent from Virginia to England in 1608— An iron enterprise on Falling Creek, Virginia, undertaken in 1619— Destroyed by the Indians in 1622 before it had made any iron— No further attempts to make iron in Virginia for nearly a hundred years— The site of the Falling Creek enterprise de- scribed by R. A. Brock, of Richmond Pages 100-107^ CONTENTS. yii CHAPTER X. BEGINNING OF THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. The first successful iron enterprise in America established by Thomas Dexter, Robert Bridges, and others at Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1645, when a blast furnace was put in operation, followed in 1648 by a forge at the same place— Full description of these pioneer iron works— The site of these early iron works described— The first iron ar- ticle made in America still preserved— Joseph Jenks— Henry and James Leonard— "Where you can find iron works there you will find a Leonard "—A furnace and forge built at Braintree, in Massachusetts— The next iron enterprise in New England estab- lished near Taunton— James Leonard and his sons go to Taunton— George Hall— Other members of the Leonard family— King Philip— "John Ruck and others of Salem"— Iron made at Concord, Rowley Village, Topsfield, and Boxford, all in Massachusetts— The Whittington Iron Works— The Chartley Iron Works— King's Furnace— The Hope- well Iron Works— Iron works at New Haven established by Captain Thomas Clarke, John Winthrop, Jr., and others in 1658— Iron made in Rhode Island as early as 1675, when a forge at Pawtucket was destroyed by the Indians, Pages 108-119 CHAPTER XI. EXTENSION OF THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN NEW ENGLAND. The first furnace in Plymouth county, Massachusetts— Lambert Despard and the Barkers— The Bound Brook and Drinkwater iron works — The various enterprises of Hugh Orr — The first cast-iron tea-kettle— The first slitting-mill in the colonies— Douglass's descrip- tion of the iron industry of New England in 1750 — Extension of the iron industry into Western Massachusetts about 1750— Rapidly extended in Eastern Massachusetts— De- scription of Federal Furnace in 1804— The bog and pond ores of Massachusetts— The first steel works in Massachusetts— Eliphalet and Jonathan Leonard— Iron enterprises in Rhode Island before the Revolution— Stephen Hopkins, the signer of the Declara- tion, and General Nathanael Greene made iron — Hope Furnace— Cranston and Cumber- land Hill— The Salisbury iron district in Connecticut— Early iron enterprises at Lime Rock and Lake ville— Colonel Ethan Allen an iron manufacturer at Lakeville— Early iron enterprises on Mount Riga— Prominence of the Salisbury district— Milo Barnum and William H. Barnum— The Holleys— Other early iron enterprises in Connecticut- Connecticut the first of the colonies to make steel— Early iron enterprises in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont— The early nail and tack industry of New England- Nails made in chimney corners— The first nail-cutting machine Pages 120-135 CHAPTER XII. EARLY IRON ENTERPRISES IN NEW YORK. The early Dutch settlers of New York did not make iron— Philip Livingston establishes the first iron works in New York on Ancram creek before 1740— Lawrence Scrawley's plating forge at Wawayanda, in Orange county, built about 1745— Other early enter- prises in Orange county— The Townsends— The great iron chain across the Hudson in 1778 which prevented British vessels from passing West Point— The Sterling Iron Works of the Townsends described-Early iron works in Dutchess, Westchester, Put- nam, and Suffolk counties— Development of the Champlain district about 1800— Early iron enterprises in other parts of New York-John Brinkerhoff-Erastus Corning-The Piersons at Ramapo— Henry Burden and his inventions Pages 136-145 CHAPTER XIII. EARLY IRON ENTERPRISES IN NEW JERSEY. The first iron works in New Jersey established at Tinton Falls, in Monmouth county, about 1674— The Leonards of Massachusetts— Development of the magnetic ores of Northern New Jersey about 1710 at Whippany— Early iron works at Morristown— The Vlll CONTENTS. Dickerson mine — Many early iron works in Northern New Jersey described by Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle and Hon. Edmund D. Halsey— Peter Hasenclever and the Ringwood Company — Robert Erskine — Lord Stirling, John Jacob Faesch, and others — The Hiber- nia and Mount Hope furnaces— The Fords— Early iron works in Andover township in Sussex county — Whitehead Humphreys — Durham boats — The Union Iron Works, and Oxford, Sterling, Ogden's, and Mount Holly furnaces— William Allen and Joseph Tur- ner— Early iron works in Southern New Jersey — Batsto and Atsion furnaces — Charles Read— William, Jesse, and Samuel Richards— Mark Richards, or Reichert— Old Boonton slitting mill in the Revolution— Benjamin and David Reeves— The first rolling mill in New Jersey— Peter Cooper, Abram S. Hewitt, and Frederick J. Slade— Dr. Morse's de- scription of the iron industry of New Jersey in 1795 Pages 146-162 CHAPTER XIV. BEGINNING OF THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN PENNSYLVANIA. Iron not made in Pennsylvania until after the arrival of William Penn in 1682— Penn encouraged the opening of iron and other mines — First iron made in Pennsylvania experimentally before 1692, but at what place is not known— The first historic iron works in Pennsylvania established by Thomas Rutter, an English Quaker, on the Manatawny, in Berks county, in 1716— Rutter's enterprise was a bloomary, probably called Manatawny Forge— Coventry Forge, on French creek, in Chester county, built by Samuel Nutt, also an English Quaker, in 1717 or 1718, the second iron enterprise in Pennsylvania— Colebrookdale Furnace, in Berks county, built by a company, of which Thomas Rutter was a member, about 1720, the third iron enterprise— Thomas Potts, Jr.— Pool Forge— "A person named Kurtz "—Durham Furnace built in 1727— Other early iron enterprises in Eastern Pennsylvania established between 1725 and 1750— In 1728 there were "four furnaces in blast in the colony "—Reading Furnace on French creek — William Branson — Samuel Nutt, Jr. — Benjamin Franklin invents the Franklin stove in 1742— Warwick Furnace— The Vincent Steel Works— The Wind- sor Forges— John, David, and Robert Jenkins— Mrs. Martha J. Nevin— Valley Forge and its history— The iron enterprises of William and Mark Bird— Charming Forge- George Ege— Oley Furnace— A forge on Cram creek, in Delaware county, built about 1742, by John Crosby and Peter Dicks, which "ruined Crosby's family" — Sarura Iron Works built as early as 1742— John Taylor— "A plating forge to work with a tilt-ham- mer" in Byberry township, Philadelphia county, in 1750 — Two steel furnaces in Phila- delphia in 1750, and others built before the Revolution, Pages 163-178 CHAPTER XV. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN PENNSYLVANIA EXTENDED TO THE SUSQUEHANNA. Elizabeth' Furnace, built in 1750 by John Huber, a German, the first iron enterprise in the present county of Lancaster— Baron Stiegel one of its early owners— Robert Coleman a later owner— Pool Forge built by James Old about 1765— His other iron enter- prises— Biographical sketches of James Old and Robert Coleman — Cyrus Jacobs — Peter Grubb builds Cornwall Furnace in 1742— His other iron enterprises— His sons, Curtis and Peter — Martic Furnace and Forge — Hopewell and Speedwell forges — The iron in- dustry crosses the Susquehanna as early as 1756, Pages 179-185 CHAPTER XVI. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY IRON INDUSTRY OF PENN- SYLVANIA. In 1750 Pennsylvania was the most advanced of all the colonies in the manufacture of iron — Cornwall, Warwick, and Reading furnaces were large structures for their day — Description of these furnaces— Also of the workmen employed at the early furnaces and forges of Pennsylvania— The patriarchal character of early Pennsylvania iron- masters—" Good old colony times," Pages 186-190 CONTENTS. jx CHAPTER XVII. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN PENNSYLVANIA AFTER THE REVOLUTION. First iron enterprises in the Lehigh Valley undertaken after 1800— William Henry's bloomary forge near Nazareth— Hampton Furnace near Shimersville— The Heim- bachs— Samuel Helfrick and the Balliets— A rolling mill built at South Easton by John Stewart and others in 1836— Bloomaries in Carbon county— The Cheltenham Rolling Mill built in 1790— Benjamin Longstreth establishes the 'first iron enterprise at Phoenixville in 1790— Clemens Rentgen and his novel iron enterprises— Early iron enterprises in Schuylkill county— Federal Slitting MiU built by Isaac Pennock in 1795— Brandywine Rolling Mill and its successor, the Lukens Rolling Mill— Dr. Charles Lukens— Mrs. Rebecca W, Lukens— Mount Hope Furnace and other iron enterprises in Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties— The Reynolds family— Early iron enterprises in Adams, Franklin, and Cumberland counties— Thaddeus Stevens— The Chambers broth- ers—The Haldeman family— Michael Ege— Early iron enterprises in Dauphin county and in the Upper Susquehanna Valley— The Scrantons— The enterprises of Karthaus & Geissenhainer in Clearfield county— Other early iron enterprises in the Susque- hanna Valley— The pack-horse days, Pages 191-203 CHAPTER XVIII. THE MANUFACTURE OF CHARCOAL IRON IN THE JUNIATA VALLEY. The Juniata Iron Company organized in 1767, but it did not make iron— Joseph and Benjamin Jacobs— Bedford Furnace, at Orbisonia, in Huntingdon county, built in 1788, the first iron enterprise in the Juniata Valley— Followed by Bedford Forge at the same place in 1791— Centre Furnace, in Centre county, the second in the Juniata Valley, built in 1791 by Col. John Patton and Col. Samuel Miles, both Revolutionary officers— Other early iron enterprises in Centre county— Roland Curtin— Hardman Phil- ips erects a forge and screw factory at Philipsburg, in Centre county, in 1817— Bernard Lauth— Barree Forge, on the Juniata, and Huntingdon Furnace, on Warrior's Mark run, built in 1794 and 1796— The Shoenbergers, Judge Gloninger, George Anshutz, and other early ironmasters in Huntingdon county and in the present county of Blair— The Royers, Elias Baker, and Roland Diller— Martin Bell— Early iron enterprises in Bedford and Fulton counties— Also in Mifflin and Juniata counties— Freedom Forge, in Mifflin county, built before 1795 — Hope Furnace, in the same county, built by Gen- eral William Lewis in 1798, who also built Moiint Vernon Forge, in Perry county, in 1804 — Other early iron works in Perry county — Cemented steel made at Caledonia, near Bedford, before 1800 by William McDermett, whose daughter Josephine married David R. Porter, an ironmaster on Spruce creek, Huntingdon county, who afterwards became Governor of Pennsylvania— Henry S. Spang, John Lyon, Anthony Shorb, An- drew Gregg, George Schmucker, and General James Irvin early Juniata ironmasters— Juniata iron in high repute, Pages 204-212 CHAPTER XIX. THE EARLY MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN WESTERN PENN- SYLVANIA. First mention in 1780 of iron ore in Western Pennsylvania— John Hayden— The Alliance Iron Works, on Jacob's creek, in Fayette county, built by WiUiam Turnbull, Peter Marmie, and Col. John Holker in 1789 and 1790, and consisting of a furnace and a forge, the first iron enterprise west of the Alleghenies— The Alliance Furnace, which was put in blast on November 1, 1790, followed closely by Union Furnace, on Dunbar creek, in Fayette county, built by Isaac Meason in 1790, and put in blast in March, 1791— Other early iron enterprises in Fayette county— Jeremiah Pears— The enterprises of John Hayden— The Oliphants— John Gibson— The Brownsville Steel Factory, owned by Truman & Co., built before 1811— Jacob Bowman's Nail Factory, at Brownsville, X CONTENTS. built about 1795— The Plumsock Rolling Mill, in Fayette county, the first in the United States to roll bar iron and use puddling furnaces— Isaac Meason and his son, Col. Isaac Meason — An early iron enterprise in Greene county — Early iron enterprises in Westmoreland county— General Arthur St. Clair and Bishop John Henry Hopkins- Early iron enterprises in Somerset, Cambria, and Indiana counties — George S. King — The Cambria Iron Works commenced in 1853— Early iron enterprises in Beaver, Mer- cer, and Lawrence counties — The Crawfords — Early iron enterprises in other western and northwestern counties— The Great Western Iron Works, Pages 213-224 CHAPTER XX. EAELY IRON ENTERPRISES IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENN- SYLVANIA. Beginning of the iron industry at Pittsburgh about 1792, when George Anshutz built a small blast furnace at Shady Side — Proofs of the erection of this furnace, which was abandoned in 1794— The first iron foundry at Pittsburgh built by Joseph McClurg about 1805 — The first nail factories in Pittsburgh, Porter's, Sturgeon's, and Stewart's, in operation in 1807, their united capacity being "about 40 tons of nails yearly"— In 1810 "the manufacture of ironmongery" at Pittsburgh had "increased beyond all calculation "—The first rolling mill at Pittsburgh built by Christopher Cowan in 1811— Followed in 1819 by the Union Rolling Mill, on the Monongahela, which had four puddling furnaces, the first in Pittsburgh— Other early rolling mills in Pittsburgh— The first rolling mill in Allegheny City— Clinton Furnace, in Pittsburgh, built by Graff, Bennett & Co. in 1859, the first successful furnace in Allegheny county — Statis- tics of the iron and steel industries of Pennsylvania, Pages 225-232 CHAPTER XXI. THE EARLY MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN DELAWARE. The Swedes and the Dutch on the Delaware did not make iron— Iron Hill, in Pencader hundred, New Castle county, Delaware, discovered and so named as early as 1661— The Colonial Records of Pennsylvania mention its existence in 1684 — An account by Emanuel Swedenborg of early iron enterprises in New Castle county operated by Sir William Keith and others — Abbington Furnace — John Ball's bloomary forge — Early iron enterprises in Sussex county— Millsborough Furnace probably the last furnace operated in the State— Rolling mills at Wilmington and in its vicinity, . Pages 233-239 CHAPTER XXII. EARLY IRON ENTERPRISES IN MARYLAND. * The first iron enterprise in Maryland was a bloomary forge, erected at the head of Ches- apeake Bay, in Cecil county, a short time before 1716— The iron enterprises of Ste- phen Onion & Co. and Joseph Farmer at North East and its vicinity — Merged in the Principio Company, an English corporation— This company built Principio Furnace, the first furnace in Maryland, in 1723 and 1724, and a forge at Principio in the same years— Both probably at work in 1725— John England superintended their erection and their operations for many years— The Principio Company, through Mr. England, builds a furnace on the lands of Captain Augustine Washington, in Virginia, in 1725 and 1726— Further history of the Principio Company, which was for many years the leading iron company in America, and was active until the Revolution— "A certain Mr. Washington "—George P. Whitaker— The Ridgely family— The Dorseys— The Snow- dens— Early iron enterprises in Queen Anne, Frederick, and Washington counties— The Johnsons— The iron industry of Maryland greatly extended before the Revo- lution and also afterwards— The Avalon Iron Works "built by the Dorseys" about 1795— Development of the manufacture of coke pig iron in Western Maryland in 1837 and immediately succeeding years— The first heavy iron rails in the United States made at Mount Savage, in Western Maryland, in 1844— A bog-ore furnace on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1830— A furnace at Georgetown, D. C., built in 1849— Government iron works at Washington, Pages 240-257 CONTENTS. xj CHAPTER XXIII. THE IEON INDUSTRY ESTABLISHED IN VIRGINIA. Revival of the iron industry in Virginia about 1715 by Governor Spotswood and a colony of Palatinates— The first furnace in Virginia built at Fredericksville, in Spottsylvania county, near the North Anna river— The next furnace in Virginia built in Orange county, on the south side of the Rapidan— An air furnace at Massaponax, five miles below Fredericksburg, on the Rappahannock— Accokeek Furnace— All these enterprises described by Col. William Byrd, the second, in 1732— Mr. W. H. Adams fixes the exact location of the first three of these enterprises— The connection of the Washington family with the iron industry of Virginia and Maryland— Extension of the iron in- dustry of Virginia into the Valley of Virginia— Zane's Furnace and Forge, on Cedar creek, in Frederick county, were "built before any iron works in this region"— Fol- lowed by Pine Forge, in Shenandoah county— Henry Miller's furnace on Mossy creek, Augusta county, built about 1775— Other early iron works in the Valley of Virginia and in Southwestern Virginia— Jefferson's account of the iron industry of Virginia in 1781 and 1782— Ross's celebrated iron works— Household industries in Virginia about 1790— Great expansion of the charcoal iron industry of Virginia— Many furnaces and forges enumerated by Lesley in 1856 — The first rolling mill in Virginia built on Cheat river about 1812 by Jackson & Updegraff— Wheeling a prominent iron centre before the civil war— Its first rolling mill built by Dr. Peter Shoenberger and David Agnew in 1832— The Tredegar Iron Company at Richmond— Statistics of the iron and steel in- dustries of Virginia and West Virginia Pages 258-271 CHAPTER XXIV. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN NORTH CAROLINA. Iron made in "Carolina" as early as 1728 and exported to England— Virginia and Caro- lina hoes sold in New York before the Revolution— Iron enterprises on tributaries of the Cape Fear, Yadkin, and Dan rivers before the Revolution— That event stimulated the establishment of other iron enterprises in Guilford, Cleveland, and other coun- ties—Before 1800 there were many iron enterprises in Lincoln, Stokes, and Surry counties— After 1800 the iron industry was still further extended in Lincoln county, which had in 1810 six bloomaries, two rolling and slitting mills, and two naileries- It also became a prominent industry in Burke and Surry counties— Extended into many counties before the civil war— Bloomaries and the water-blast in general use— The iron industry of North Carolina now almost extinct, Pages 272-275 CHAPTER XXV. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN SOUTH CAROLINA. The first iron enterprise in South Carolina established in 1773 by Mr. Buffington in the northwestern part of the State— Followed by other iron enterprises after the Revolu- tion—The Era and Etna furnaces and forges in York county— The water-blast in use in this State— Nine bloomaries and other iron enterprises in South Carolina in 1810— A rolling mill for making sheet iron in this State about 1815— In 1840 there were four furnaces and a number of bloomaries, rolling mills, and other iron enterprises— In 1891 there was no iron or steel enterprise in South Carolina, Pages 276-278 CHAPTER XXVI. THE EARLY MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN GEORGIA. Georgia has no colonial iron history— The first iron enterprises in this State established probably after 1790, and near the Atlantic Coast^-In 1810 there was a bloomary ii Warren county, a forge in Elbert county, and a nailery in Chatham county—] and Sequee bloomaries, in Habersham county, built as early as 1830 and probably a an earlier day— Other bloomaries established after 1830 in Bartow, Union, Murray, Walk- er, and Dade counties, and abandoned before 1856, but other bloomaries were then ii operation— Sequee Furnace, in Habersham county, built before 1832, probably the first Xll CONTENTS. furnace in the State— Etowah Furnace, in Bartow county ; Allatoona, Union, Lewis, and Cartersville furnaces in Cass county ; and Clear Creek Furnace, in Walker county —Later charcoal furnaces— Only six furnaces in 1891, two of which used coke— The first rolling mill in Georgia was probably Etowah, in Cass county, built about 1849— In 1891 there was only one rolling mill in the State— Rising Fawn Furnace the first furnace in the United States to use the Whitwell hot-blast stove— Description of the various Etowah iron enterprises as they existed about 1859— The iron industry of Georgia not now prominent, Pages 279-281 CHAPTER XXVII. THE EARLY MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN KENTUCKY. Bourbon Furnace, often called Slate Furnace, the first iron enterprise in Kentucky whose history has been preserved, built in 1791, on Slate creek, in Bath county — Complete history of this furnace by V. B. Young, Esq., of Owingsville, Kentucky— Sketch of its projectors and builders— In 1810 there were four furnaces and three forges in Ken- tucky—First furnaces in the Hanging Rock region of Kentucky built about 1817 and 1818— Names of the Hanging Rock pioneers— Extension of the iron industry in the Hanging Rock region— The first rolling mill in Kentucky appears to have been built at Covington in 1829— Present condition of the Kentucky iron industry— Many new iron and steel enterprises, Pages 282-287 CHAPTER XXVIII. THE EARLY MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN TENNESSEE. A bloomary at Embreeville, in Washington county, built in 1790, the first iron enterprise in Tennessee — Other early enterprises in the eastern part of Tennessee— Ross's Iron Works, on the Holston river, in Sullivan county, built before 1800— Other early iron enterprises in Tennessee built before and soon after 1800— Cumberland Furnace, in Dickson county, built by James Robinson in 1792— Yellow Creek Furnace, in Mont- gomery county, built in 1802— The iron industry of Tennessee greatly extended— De- scription of the iron industry of this State in 1856 by Lesley— Chattanooga the pres- ent iron centre of Tennessee — Account of its early iron enterprises — Bluff Furnace — James Henderson— The two Rockwood furnaces— The Roane Iron Company— Lewis Scofield— S. B. Lowe— The iron industries of Knoxville— Present condition of the Tennessee iron industry, Pages 288-292 CHAPTER XXIX. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN ALABAMA. * The first furnace in Alabama probably built about 1818 west of Russellville, in Frank- lin county— Abandoned in 1827— Early furnaces in Calhoun, Cherokee, and Shelby counties— Horace Ware— Early bloomaries in Shelby, Bibb, Talladega, and Calhoun counties — Many of them blown with the trompe, or water-blast — Iron enterprises in Ala- bama during the civil war— Furnaces and rolling mills built at Brierfield and Shelby- Discovery of coal in Alabama — The first iron enterprises at Birmingham and its vi- cinity—Later iron and steel enterprises in Alabama— Statistics of the production of pig iron in Alabama and other Southern States from 1880 to 1890— Wonderful progress in ten years, Pages 293-296 CHAPTER XXX. PRIMITIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUTHERN IRON INDUSTRY. The wonderful development of the iron industry of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee many years ago an interesting fact-Furnaces blown with one tuyere and wooden tubs— " Thundergust forges"— The trompe in general use— Bar iron used as a medium of exchange — Never many bloomaries in Virginia — Old methods of making iron have passed away in the South, Pages 297-300 CONTENTS. Xlll CHAPTER XXXI. THE EARLY MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN OHIO. Hopewell Furnace, in Mahoning county, the first iron enterprise in Ohio, commenced in 1803 and finished in 1804 by Daniel Eaton— Montgomery Furnace, built in 1806, also in Mahoning county, by Robert Montgomery and John Struthers, the second iron enterprise in the State— The first hammered bars in Ohio made at a forge at Niles- town, Trumbull county, in 1809, by James Heaton, who also built a furnace at Niles- town 011 Mosquito creek about 1812— The iron industry of Ohio extended to the shore of Lake Erie about 1825 — Rebecca Furnace, at New Lisbon, Columbiana county, built in 1807 or 1808 by Gideon Hughes— Licking Furnace and Forge, near Zanesville, built by Moses Dillon about 1808— Early iron enterprises in Licking and Tuscarawas coun- ties— The Zoar Community — Early iron enterprises in Adams county — Beginning of the manufacture of iron in the Hanging Rock region of Ohio— The Hanging Rock pioneers, John Campbell, Thomas W. Means, and others— Description by Mr. John Birkiiibine of Olive Furnace, a curious structure— The good quality of Hanging Rock charcoal pig iron— The old charcoal furnace of the Hecla Iron and Mining Com- pany—Early forges on the Ohio river— The first rolling mill at Cincinnati— Crucible steel works at Cincinnati built in 1832— Introduction of raw bituminous coal in the blast furnaces of the Mahoning Valley, first at Lowell, in 1846, by Wilkeson, Wilkes & Co.— Introduction of Lake Superior ores in Ohio blast furnaces— First shipments of Brier Hill coal to Cleveland made by David Tod in 1840— Mill Creek Furnace, the first iron enterprise at Youngstown, built about 1835— Beginning of the iron industry at Cleveland— Henry Chisholm, Pages 301-313 CHAPTER XXXII. EARLY IRON ENTERPRISES IN INDIANA. A "nailery" in Indiana Territory as early as 1810— In 1840 the census mentions a furnace in Jefferson county, one in Parke, one in Vigo, one in Vermillion, and three in Wayne county— A bloomary forge in Fulton county also mentioned— An early fur- nace in Monroe county— An early forge in Marshall county built about 1845 by Charles Crocker and a partner— Mishawaka Forge, in St. Joseph county— Other char- coal iron enterprises in Indiana— Development of the block-coal district of Indiana and the erection of furnaces to use this coal— The first rolling mill in Indiana built by R. A. Douglas, at Indianapolis, in 1857— Present condition of the iron and steel in- dustries of Indiana, Pages 314-316 CHAPTER XXXIII. EARLY IRON ENTERPRISES IN ILLINOIS. Illinois Furnace, at Elizabethtown, in Hardin county, built in 1839, the first iron enter- prise in Illinois for the manufacture of iron of any kind— No furnaces in opera- tion in Illinois from 1860 to 1868— Development of the Big Muddy coal fields and the erection of furnaces at Grand Tower and elsewhere in Southwestern Illinois— Be- ginning of the iron industry at Chicago in 1857, when Captain E. B. Ward and others built the Chicago Rolling Mill— The first furnaces in Chicago built in 1868— Present condition of the iron and steel industries of Illinois Pages 317-319 CHAPTER XXXIV. EARLY IRON ENTERPRISES IN MICHIGAN. Charcoal furnaces in Michigan before 1840— From 1840 to 1850 the iron industry of Mich- igan made no progress and possibly declined— From 1850 to 1860 three bog-ore fur- naces were built in the southern part of the State — The development of the Lake Su- perior iron-ore region commenced with the first discovery by white men of the iron ore of this region in 1844, near the eastern end of Teal Lake, by William A. Burt— In 1845 the Jackson Mining Company was organized at Jackson, Michigan, and in 1847 it commenced the erection of a forge on Carp river which was finished in 1848, XIV CONTENTS. and in that year the first iron made in the Lake Superior region was manufactured by Ariel N. Barney — History of subsequent iron manufacturing enterprises in the Lake Superior region and of the development of the iron ores of Lake Superior— The first use of Lake Superior iron ore in a blast furnace occurred in Mercer county, Pennsyl- vania, in 1853— History of the Sharon Iron Company which used this ore— Statistics of the production of Lake Superior iron ore — Captain E. B. Ward, .... Pages 320-328 CHAPTER XXXV. THE EARLY MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN WISCONSIN. Prior to 1859 there were three charcoal furnaces in Wisconsin — No others were built until 1865, when a charcoal furnace at Iron Ridge, in Dodge county, was built by the Wisconsin Iron Company, which was soon followed by several other furnaces — Wisconsin had no rolling mill until 1868, when its first mill was built at Milwaukee by the Milwaukee Iron Company — Present condition of the iron and steel industries of Wisconsin, Pages 329-331 CHAPTER XXXVI. EARLY IRON ENTERPRISES IN MISSOURI. Ashebran's Furnace, on Stout's creek, about two miles east of Ironton, in Iron county, built about 1815, probably the first iron enterprise in Missouri — Followed in 1819 or 1820 by a bloomary forge on Thicketty creek, in Crawford county, built by William Harrison and Josiah Reeves — Blooms hammered at this forge under a spring-pole hammer— Springfield Furnace, in Washington county, built in 1823 or 1824 by Ever- sol, Perry & Ruggles, the next iron enterprise in Missouri— Maramec Furnace, in Phelps county, finished in 1829— Development of the iron-ore deposits of Iron Mountain and Pilot Knob in 1836 and subsequent years— Furnaces built in this re- gion—Commencement of the iron industry of St. Louis in 1850— Further history and present condition of the iron and steel industries of Missouri, .... Pages 332-337 CHAPTER XXXVII. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN TEXAS. Texas had one blast furnace before the civil war, located in Cass county— Erection of other furnaces and of several bloomaries in Texas during the war— Charcoal furnaces built in Texas after the war and in recent years— The first rolling mills in this State built at Houston and at Fort Worth— A promising iron future for Texas, Pages 338-340 CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN VARIOUS WESTERN STATES. The first blast furnace in Minnesota commenced in 1872 but not finished until 1880— Later iron enterprises in this State— A bloomary built and in operation in Lawrence county, Arkansas, as early as 1857— Iron once made in Carroll county, Arkansas, in the hollow stumps of trees— The undeveloped iron resources of Arkansas— Early iron enterprises in Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska— The first iron enterprise in Colorado was a small charcoal furnace at Langford, in Boulder county, which was finished and put in blast in 1864— The first rolling mill in Colorado was removed in 1877 by Will- iam Faux from Danville, Pennsylvania, to Pueblo, and put in operation in 1878, the product being re-rolled rails— Later iron and steel enterprises in Colorado— A forge in Utah Territory, east of Salt Lake City, built as early as 1859, but the Mormons had made iron many years before— Later but abortive iron enterprises, . . . Pages 341-345 CHAPTER XXXIX. THE IRON INDUSTRY ON THE PACIFIC COAST. First furnace and rolling mill in California— The iron and steel enterprises of California fully described— The iron enterprises of Oregon and Washington, . . . Pages 346-347 CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER XL. THE FIRST IRON WORKS IN CANADA. Description of the pioneer iron works in Canada, located near Three Rivers, in Quebec, and known as the Forges of St. Maurice— Commenced in 1737, when a blast furnace was built which was in operation as late as 1883, Pages 348-351 CHAPTER XLI. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON WITH ANTHRACITE COAL. The distinctive charcoal era of the American iron industry ended about 1840, when both anthracite and bituminous coal began to be used successfully in blast furnaces — More charcoal iron made in the United States to-day, however, than in 1840 or any preceding year — Anthracite coal used experimentally in many American blast fur- naces between 1815 and 1840, generally in connection with charcoal— Dr. Frederick W. Geissenhainer's experiments— Granted a patent in 1833 for the use of anthracite coal in the blast furnace — Builds Valley Furnace in 1836, and makes a feAV tons of pig iron exclusively with anthracite coal in the fall of that year— George Crane's ex- periments with anthracite coal in the blast furnace in South Wales in the same year— He successfully uses it in 1837— Visited in that year by Solomon W. Roberts, of Philadelphia, upon whose advice the Lehigh Crane Iron Company was organized- Mr. Crane's patents — Details of various attempts in the United States to make pig iron with anthracite coal between 1836 and 1839— Pioneer Furnace, at Pottsville— William Lyman— Anthracite furnaces in 1840— First anthracite furnace in the Lehigh Valley built in 1839 and 1840 by David Thomas for the Lehigh Crane Iron Company— Successfully blown in on July 3, 1840, and first cast made on July 4th— Biographical sketch of Mr. Thomas— Rapid growth after 1840 of the anthracite pig-iron industry— The first use of anthracite coal in connection with the manufacture of finished iron in the United States dates from 1812— First used under boilers in 1825 and in puddling in 1827, at Phoenixville, by Jonah and George Thompson, Pages 352-365 CHAPTER XLIL THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON WITH BITUMINOUS COAL. Remarkable that the use of bituminous coal in American blast furnaces should have been so long delayed — Experiments in the use of coke in blast furnaces in this country all unsuccessful until 1835, when William Firmstone was successful in substituting coke for charcoal at Mary Ann Furnace, in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania— Sketch of his life— F. H. Oliphant successful in making coke pig iron at Fairchance Furnace, in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1837— Various unsuccessful experiments to use coke in blast furnaces in Pennsylvania-rSome successful experiments— Henry C. Carey— First notable success in this country in making pig iron with coke accom- plished at Lonaconing Furnace, in Western Maryland, in 1839, followed in 1840 by equal success at two furnaces of the Mount Savage Iron Company in the same part of Maryland— Slow progress after 1840 in the use of coke in the blast furnace— Its use increased after 1850, and very rapidly after 1865— First coke furnaces south of the Potomac— The use of raw bituminous coal in the blast furnace successfully inaugu- rated in 1845 at Clay Furnace, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, by Himrod & Vin- cent—This was a charcoal furnace— Mahoning Furnace, at Lowell, in Mahoning county, Ohio, the first furnace built expressly to use raw coal— Successfully blown in in 1846 for its owners, Wilkeson, Wilkes & Co., by John Crowther— Sketch of his life— Water power in general use in blowing furnaces down to 1840, . . Pages 366-375 CHAPTER XLIIL STATISTICS OF PIG IRON PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES. The production of anthracite pig iron in the United States passes that of charcoal pig iron in 1855— Bituminous passes charcoal in 1869— Bituminous passes anthracite in 1875— The production of pig iron in the United States in 1890 exceeded that of Great Britain in 1882, her year of greatest production, Pages 376-377 XVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XLIV. THE MANUFACTURE OF BLISTER AND CRUCIBLE STEEL IN THE UNITED STATES. Steel manufactured in a small way in several of the colonies both by the cementation process and "in the German manner"— The first steel in the colonies probably made in Connecticut in 1728 by Samuel Higley and Joseph Dewey— Steel made by Aaron Eliot, of Connecticut, in 1761, from bar iron which had been made from magnetic sand— In 1750 Massachusetts had one steel furnace— First steel made in New York in 1776 by Peter Townsend — New Jersey had one steel furnace in 1750 — Pennsylvania had three steel furnaces in that year— Condition of the American steel industry in 1791, just one hundred years ago— Slow growth of the steel industry of thfc United States— Report on the state of the industry in 1831 by John R. Coates, of Philadel- phia—Cast steel not then made in the United States— From 1831 to 1860 the steel in- dustry of this country still continued to make slow progress — Full details of the establishment at Cincinnati in 1832, by William and John H. Garrard, of the first successful crucible steel works in the United States — Analysis of the crucible steel made at these works— Statistics of the steel industry of Pennsylvania in 1850, with the names of all the manufacturers — Pioneers in the manufacture of blister and cru- cible steel at Pittsburgh— Hussey, Wells & Co., in 1860, and Park, Brother & Co., in 1862, the first persons in the United States to meet with complete financial as well as mechanical success in the manufacture of crucible steel of the best quality — Full history of the Adirondack Steel Works— James R. Thompson— McKelvy & Blair— Sta- j tistics of the production of crucible steel in the United States, Pages 378-394 CHAPTER XLV. THE INVENTION OF THE BESSEMER PROCESS. Brief description of the Bessemer process— Beginning of Sir Henry Bessemer's. experi- ments—Patents granted to him in England in 185£ and 1856— Robert F. Mushet's invaluable assistance in perfecting the Bessemer process— Bessemer's patents in the United States granted in 1856— William Kelly's claim of priority in 1857 conceded by the Commissioner of Patents— Mr. Kelly's own account of his invention of the pneu- matic process— His experiments with a converting vessel at Johnstown in 1857 and 1858— Full account of Mr. Mushet's application of spiegeleisen to the Bessemer proc- ess—The first Bessemer steel rail ever laid down was made by Mr. Mushet— Sir Henry Bessemer's letter to Sir James Kitson in 1890— Sir Henry's immense profits from his invention— Mr. Mushet's pathetic complaint— Mr. Goran Fredrik Gorans- son's account of his part in perfecting the Bessemer process— Invention of the basic process by Sidney Gilchrist Thomas, Percy C. Gilchrist, and George J. Snelus— Also by Jacob Reese— Experiments in the elimination of phosphorus by James Henderson and Colonel J. B. Kunkel— The Clapp-Grimths and Robert-Bessemer processes— Joseph Gilbert Martien's experiments— Hon. Abram S. Hewitt's report on Bessemer steel at the Paris Exposition of 1867— Biographical sketches of Robert F. Mushet and Sidney G. Thomas Pages 395-408 CHAPTER XLVI. THE BESSEMER PROCESS IN THE UNITED STATES. The Kelly patents controlled by a company— Experimental Bessemer steel works built for this company at Wyandotte, Michigan, in 1863 and 1864, by William F. Durfee— First Bessemer steel made in the United States by Mr. Durfee, in September, 1864— Bessemer steel next made by A. L. Holley, in February, 1865, at experimental works built at Troy in 1864 by Winslow, Griswold & Holley— Consolidation of the interests of the owners of the American patents of Bessemer, Mushet, and Kelly— List of the Bessemer steel works built in the United States down to 1876— First Bessemer steel rails made in the United States were rolled at the Chicago Rolling Mill in May, 1865— Statistics of the American and British Bessemer steel industries down to 1890— Biographical sketches of deceased American Bessemer steel pioneers, . . Pages 409-417 CONTENTS. XV11 CHAPTER XLVII. THE MANUFACTURE OF OPEN-HEARTH STEEL. The open-hearth process briefly described— Its advantages— Invention of the Siemens re- generative gas furnace— First patent granted to Frederick Siemens in 1856— Experiments by Dr. Charles William Siemens in 1861 in the manufacture of cast steel with regener- ative gas in an open-hearth— Experiments by Emile and Pierre Martin in France in 1864 — Their principal patent granted in France in 1865 — Subsequent operations of Dr. Siemens and the Martins— Their different methods described— Introduction of the regenerative furnace into the United States— Names of the pioneers who first experi- mented in its use— First open-hearth furnace in the United States built for Cooper, Hewitt & Co., at Trenton, New Jersey, in 1868, by Frederick J. Slade— First use of the regenerative furnace in the United States in the puddling of iron — Various direct processes— The production of basic steel in the United States—Statistics of its produc- tion—Also of the production of open-hearth steel in the United States and in Great Britain to th