| From the Yorkville (S. C.) Enquirer |
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| March 25, 1863 |
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| Magnetic Iron Works of So. Carolina |
| These fine works, situated on
Broad River at Cherokee Ford, being now in full blast, present a busy
and cheerful scene. |
| The property consists of
upwards of ten thousand acres of land, abounding in rich magnetic,
hermatite and limonite iron ores. |
| The works on Broad River
consist of: two high furnaces, (cold blast), one pudding oven, two
re-heating ovens, one rolling mill of great power, one large foundry
for castings, one large machine shop, one blacksmith shop, one flour
and grist mill, one saw mill, one set of ore stampers, store and dwelling
houses for superintendents and operatives; also, a fine nail factory
of seven machines, capable of turning out thirty kegs of nails daily. |
| The machinery is all propelled
by water power, each department having its own separate water-wheel.
The wheels, eight in number, have been thoroughly rebuilt and repaired
during the past summer by that skillful milright, W. R. Reid, Esq. The
water-power is abundant at all times, the Company having a fine dam
across the river, by which the whole of Broad River could be turned on
the machinery. Iron is made by two modes at these works. That by the
high furnace is called smelting into pigs; the iron ore is broken into
small lumps, and the furnace kept filled alternately with the ore and
charcoal, mixed with some limestone for fluxing, this by the cold
blast will produce about 4500 pounds No. 1 pig every twenty-four
hours. This has afterwards to be puddled in the puddling ovens and
made into blooms. The other mode is by bloomery fires direct from the
ore. The ore made use of in blooming fires goes through the
preliminary operations of stamping and washing, by which the ore is
reduced to something like coarse powder. Two hands attending to one
blooming fire will produce from 800 to 1000 pounds of No. 1 blooms
every twenty-four hours, which are afterwards re-heated and rolled out
into bar iron and nail plate. It requires a very superior article of
iron ore to produce blooms direct from the ore, but the Company has an
abundant supply of this ore on their lands. |
| It is the intention of the
company to add to the manufacture of iron that of cast and blistered
steel, for which their iron is peculiarly adapted. |
| The whole number of mechanics
and operatives at present engaged at the works is about one hundred
and fifty, under the superintendence of A. M. Latham, Esq., who has
had charge of the property for the past twelve years. |
| We understand that the
Carolina Cotton and Woolen Factory, chartered by the Legislature at
the last session, will be located on the opposite side of the river,
and we doubt not in a short time thriving manufacturing villages will
spring up on both sides of the river. |
| The Shelby & Broad River
Rail Road passes through the works, and it is now in the course of
being put under contract from Shelby, which will give the furnaces
mineral coal, and enable the manufacture of iron and steel to be
increased to any extent. |
| The Directors of the Company
are: G. S. Cameron, President; A. S. Johnston, Wm. Lebby, John
Ferguson and J. F. Taylor. W. B. Heriot, Secretary, office 179 East
Bay. |
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