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2,093*23° liec lons*Down to 1838 all the blast-furnaces in the United States, with the exception of a few coke furnaces, used charcoal for fuel. In that year pig-iron was successfully made in Pennsylvania from anthracite coal. We present below a complete account/if the first steps that were taken to use the new fuel in blast-furnaces. In 1840, Jesse B. Quinby testified, in the suit of Farr and Kunzi against the Schuylkill Navigation Company, that he used anthracite coal at Hartford Furnace, Maryland, mixed with one-half charcoal, in 1815. He believed himself to be the first person in the United States to use anthracite coal in smelting iron. In 1826, the Lehigh Coal and Naviga-Company erected near Mauch Chunk, a small furnace intended to use anthracite in smelting iron. The enterprise was not successful. In 1827, unsuccessful experiments in smelting iron with anthracite coal from Rhode Island were made at one of the small blast-furnaces in Kingston, Plymouth County Massachusetts,. These experiments failed because the blast used was cold. About 1827 a similar failure in the use of anthracite took place at Vizille, Fiance. Doubtless other unsuccessful attempts than those here recorded were made to smelt iron ore w ith anthracite coal, but these were probably the earliest.In 1828 James B. Neilson, of Scotland, obtained a patent for the use of hot air in the smelting of iion ore in blast-furnaces, and in 1837 the smelting of iivn ore anthracite coal by means of the Neilson hot blast was successfully accomplished by George Crane, at bin ironworks at Ynyscedwin, in Wales. Mr. Crane began the use of anthracite-with hot blast on the 71li of February, 1S37, in a blast-furnace, obtaining 36 tons a week. In May of that year Solomon W. Roberts, of Philadelphia, visited the works and witnessed the complete success of the experiment. Mr. Crane had taken out a patent on the 28th September, 1836, for smelting iron ore with anthracite coal. Upon the recommendation of Mr. Roberts, after his icturn from Wales, the Lehigh Crane Iron Company was organised in 1838 to manufacture pig-iron from the anthracite coal of the Lehigh Valley, In that year Eiskine Hazard went to Wales for the company, and there made himself acquainted with the processof making anthracite iion. lie ordered to be made such machinery as was ncccssaiy, under the direction of George Crane, the inventor, and engaged David Thomas, who was familiar with the process, to take charge of.the erection of the woiks and the manufacture of the iron. Mr. Thomas arrived in the summer of 1839, and to his faithful and intelligent management much of the success of the enterprise is due. The first furnace of this company was successfully blown in on the 4th July, 1840. But it was not the first successful anthracite furnace in this country, as will presently appear.On the 19th of December, 1833, a patent was granted to Dr. F. W. Geissenlieimer, of NewYork, for smelting iron ore with anthracite coal by the application of heated air. Dr. Geisscn-heimer made experiments in smelting iron ore with anthracite at the Valley Furnace, north-west of Pottsville, but they were not successful, although the results achieved were regarded as highlyencouraging.In 1836-7 Tohn Pott experimented at Manheim Furnace, at Cressone, in Schuylkill County, with
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Iron
London, Middlesex, GB
Sat, May 18, 1878
Page 21
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