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The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grfice d la g6n6rosit6 de I'dtablissement prdteur suivant : La bibliothdque des Archives publiques du Canada Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour 6tre reproduites en un seul clich6 sont filmdes d partir de Tangle supdrieure gauche, de gauche d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 D Subject to Jlevision. [ti:ansactions of the amkkican ixstitl'tk or mining r.N(;iNi:i:Ks.] THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN CANADA. UY JAMES IIERUERT BAKTLETT, MONTURAL, CANADA. (To be read at lliu llaliliix Mucting, Septuiulicr, issri.) ^ I. The Manufacturk of Iron in thk Pkovinck of Qri:m:c. The Sf. Jfauricr, Forges. — Tlie deposits of iron-ore in the St. Maurice district, in tlie rear of Three Rivers, were probably known to the Indians and Jesuits, but it is not till 10(57 that any discovery is re[)orted. The aff;»irs of the colony were then in the control of the " West India Company," who ainon2:st other monopolies had a right to all mines and minerals.* Specimens of the iron-ore were examined in Quebec in 1GG8 by the Sieur la Potardiere, who reported unfavorably on them. In 1(371, Louis de Bnade, Couite de Frontcnao, was appointed governor of La Nouvelle France; and in the original manuscrii)ts re- lating to his administration some allusion is occasionallv found to the St. Maurice iron mines. f In a letter to the Jm[)erial Govern- ment, dated 2d November, 1G72, he.-^ays: "The iron mine of which I have already spoken is of great conse- quence. I have visited it myself in order that I may be enabled to give a more accurate account of its nature. I am gratified to learn that another mine has been discovered in Champlain, which is much richer than the Cap de la Madelaine mine, and the ore is in greater al)undance. I apprehend that it will be next to impossible to exhaust this mine, as there is an extent of country of four leagues in length from Cap de la Madelaine to Champlain, whi(!h is covered with iron ore; all the streams indicate its existence. I had the curiosity to ta.ste the water, and I found it all strongly impregnated with rust and iron, but the miners whom I sent there render the affair certain ; they are now working there and if you have any intention of estab- lishing forges and a foundry, you may be certain that the material ' 1 * Smilli's Canada, IHfA — vol. 1, p. xlvii. f British and Canadian Review, l)y Macaulay. TUK MANUFACTURE OF IRON IX CAXADA. will not 1)0 wantinsji:. Thore are six ])ik's of nro, now lyinu: i\t Hip (k' in MiKlolaiiio which, accord in t; to the annexed report of the miner, woidd last for two castin;:;.s a day for four nxtnths. Tiie ini|)ortaiit qnestion i.s the j)lacin<;' of the fornjes. Af'cordin^ to inv opinion I sjionid j)rol"er hnildinti; them on Ivuisseau Pepin, which is in Cham- plain, rather than at the Cajie, where tlie Jesnit fathers have a mill already in operation. By thus plaoing th(; forces they would be between the two mines, and the material could be more easily con- veyed from both to the central establishment. When you have decided upon establish inii; the said forties, as the worknxMi you will send out will be com|)etent men, they perhaps can decide whether there is enonoh water iu the stream I have above n)entioned to work the wheel of the project(.'orded and on M-anyois rontenac, ie vicinity I wish blisbment wg and to lord, bow mine. In 10S5 the ^Farquis of DiMionville was ajipointed jx<>V(*i'nor, and on the 18th of Xoveuiher, the? followinjr year, in a despateh to the *rovernment of France, he says : " J have this year ajrain had the iron-mine near Three Rivers thorouirldy examined. 1 am convinced that there is a much Iar;ood quality and percenta«2;e, wish to have fifteen or twenty baricpies to give it a thorough trial as to(|nality; it would be well to satisfy tliem on this point next year. If our Xoi-tln'ru Com]niny should succeed there would l)e no r " La is XV, liom to J livros ar l)uilt iicessiou ocqiiiii't, French hods of I to liiive y on the 74:'), the Kind's ('built, in erect I'd a Extensions time, had •ount will Kcononiy her of the Hi vers in i^eeing the s. to view was pretty mountains )untry, lies reat forges, ;r the same everything 1(1 close to two French thither on within six ill, p. inclies or a foot from the surface of tlic ground. Eadi vein is from six to eighteen inclu's deep, and IjcIow is a white sand. 'J'lie veins are surrounded witli this sand on l)oth si(l(>s, and covered on the top with a thin mould. The ore is pretty rich and lies in loose lum|)s in the veins, of the size of two fists, though there are a few which are near eighteen inches thick. These himps are full of holes which are full of ochre. The ore is so soft that it may he crushed hetwixt the linuers. Thev make use of a jj^i'mv limestone which is broke in the neighborhood for promoting the fusibility of the ore; to this purpose they likewise employ a clay marl, which is found near this place. Charcoids arc to be had in great abundance here, because all the country round this [)hu!e is covered with woods, which have never been stirred. The charcoal from evergreen trees, that is, from the fir kind, are best for the l'org(^, but those of decidiu)us trees are best for the smelting-oven. The iron which is jiere mad(! is described to me as soft, plialth; and tough, and is said to have the rpiality of not being attacked by rust so easily as other iron ; and in this point there appears a great ditT'ei-ence between the Spanish iron and this in ship-building. This iron-work was first foundc(| in ] 7-']7 by l)rivate persons, who afterwards ceded it to the King; tluw cast camions and mortars here of dirtcrent sizes, iron stoves which are in use all over Canada, kettles, etc., not to mention the bars which are made here. They have likewise tried to make steel here, but caiuiot bring it to any great perfection, becau<enses, which the Kinij must everv vear be at in maintainiiiLj it. They lay the fault on the bad state of population, and say that the few inhabitants in the country have enough to do with agricul- ture, and that it therefore costs great trouble and large sums to li tlio roiiiitrv at a low rate. In the eveniiiy; 1 returned aj^ain to Trois Rivic res." Tlierc! evidently was vei'v j2,()h(1 j^round for Kalin's suspicions, as tlic |)(('nIatioiis oC the Governwi-, liitendaiit, and principal ollicials were at this time notorious, and " comphiint alter complaint was despatched to France tonchinir the ruinous state of thin^-s they w<'re fast producin<^ in tiic iM-ovinee.""*' The (iovernor, the Manpiis dc la Jompiicre, was recalled, hut died in (^ndx'c, in May, 17o2. In that year an inspector, M. Fran(piet, was sent to visit thedilferent posts in La Xonvelle France, and the followinjj; is a ti'an^;Iation of a |)ortion of a French manu- scrij)t ace(»nnt c»f his visit li» the for<;es :t " M. Jiigot, Intendant oi' New Frani'e, who resides at (^iiehee, had reeommended me to visit the 8t, Maurice for<2;es, as the estab- lishment was extensive, and as he had no doubt that I would be l)leased to be in a position to give an aeeount of it. lly stop])ing at Three liivers, I could reach tlu; forges in two hours, so having settled upon that course, I requested M. Rigaud, who W!is then in charge of that post, to accompany me. We left Three Rivers at 5 o'clock A.M., with M. Tonnancour and other friends, whom AT. Rouville, director of the forges, had invited to aceomj)any us. In leaving the town, we ascended a hill covered with sand, crossed a plain, and j)assed through a wood of stunted trees, on emerging i'rom which we stood on a hill overlooking a valley, in which the said forges of the king are situated ; we crossed a wooden bridge built over a small stream, and disembarked from our conveyance at the dooi' of the Director's dwelling. After the first ceremony of re(!ep- tion by the Director, his wife, and the other employes, we jno- ceeded to visit the works. The stream whi( h drives the machinery is damm(>d up in three j)laces ; the first dam drives the wheel tor the furnace, the second and third each a trip hammer. Each dam has a water-pass to prevent overflow in high water ; it is supj)osed that the stream or water-power is sulficiently strong to drive two other la miners. buildi ings ot the post are irregularly situated on the th banks of a stream, and little or no taste seems to have been dis- ]>layed in placing them. The principal l)uilding is the Director's residence, a vei y irjxe es tabl ishment, l)Ut scarce! v larire enouy;ii tor di fo the number of emj)Ioyes who have to be accommodated. "On entering tiie forge, I was received with a customary cere- * McMiillin's CmwfJa, 1855, p. 10(5. f Macaiilay in British and Canadian Review. h c| SI tJ ions, us DlVicials lit Nvas (>y were U'll, l>ut L'tor, M. Fniiu'o, 1 IIIUIUI- le est ill )- ,v()ulV()- niachinery loel ibr the I dam has ii >j>()sod that two other iited on the /e been dis- e Director's enough for omary eere- TIIi: MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN CANADA. 7 rnony ; the workmen moulded a yU^ of iron about 15 feel lon^, for my special bcnclit. The processes very simph*, it is done by jihui^- in simi)le alVair, but rather an intricate operation; each stove is in six pieces, which are separately moulded, they arc (afterwards) fitted into ea(!h other, and form a stove above three I'cct hi^h. I then visited the shed where the workmen wen; moiddini;- pots, ketth'S, and other hollow- ware. On leavini;; this part of the forj^e we were taken to tiie ham- mer forges, where bar iron of every kind is hammered out. In cacih department of the lbr(i;es, the workmen observed the old ceremony of brushing a stranger's boots; in rctin-n they e.\|)ect some money to buy li(pior to drink to the visitor's lu^alth. This establishment is very (ixtcnsive, employing upwards of ISO men. Nothing is con- sumed in the furnace but charcoal, which is made in the immediate vicinity of the post. The ore is rich, good, and tolerably clean; it formerly was Ibiind on the spot, now the Direcftor has to send some distance for it. The management of these tbrges is economical. It must be readily understood, that owing to the numerous branches in which expenditure must be incurred, unless a comj)etent man l>e at the head of affairs, many abuses would be the consequence. Among other employes, His ^Majesty the King supj)orts a llecollct Father at this establishment, with the title of Aumonier. This iron is pre- ferred to the Spanish iron, and is sold off at the King's stores in Quebec at the rate of from 2o to .30 castors (beaver skins) per hun- dred weight. Jn oi'dcr to obtain a better knowledge of the i)osition of these works, I would refer to the notes sent to the Court of J'^nukc on this subje(;t, wherein will be tbnnd all details of their manage- ment. 1 may say, however, in c(jnclusi()n, that they are nnprolit- able to the King, and 1 am assured that if they were ofl'creil on lease at public sale, one hundred pistoles per annum might be pro- cured for them. After a splendid dinner at M. de Ilouville's man- sion, we returned to Three liivers highly pleased with our visit, and took supper at M. de Tonnaneour's. The distanc^e from the town to the forges is nine miles.""' It would ap|)ear as if the forges produced more iron than the colony could consume, and that, although some was exj)orted to France, the authorities there would not be convinced that it was fit * Taken from tlie British and Canadian Review, \'ol. i., No. 2, January, LSOS, by M. Maoaiilay. 1 I • 1 r t 8 TIIK MANTrACTUUi; OF lUOX IN CANADA. for firearms; so it was j)r()|)<)HO(l to form a naval cstaldislimont in Canada and make use of this Canadian iron in sliipbuildint;. Orders were accord intjiy ^iven for erecting tlocks at (inohec for building mcn-ol'-war, l)ut notliiii}^ was in elfcct aocjomplished.* Wc next licar of these fori«;'ot, the Inteudant, and shall he embarked for France in the same vessel with him ; these; j)apei's shall not be examined." The Inteudant arrived safely in France, but was at once seized and iu)prisoned, and made to (lis(r()rIl entering; into a tive years lease and i>aying an annual rental of jCHoO sterliiisji:. This lapsed in 180(5, but they continued to hold it on sufferance till the 1st of January, 1810, when tliey secured a lease for twenty-one years, at 4: 500 per annum. At this tiin(> the manufacture of iron was the most im|)ortant industry in Canada,* there existinjjj then a consideral)le export of cast-iron articles, j)Mrticularly of stoves. From year to year the place had fjjrown. The followintz; aceoinit gives an idea of what it was : "The establishment is furnished with every convenience necessary to an extensive concern, the furnaces, the for;s, j)resent the aj)pearance of a tolerably sized villa;(>s, where he kept a stud of horses and a pack of fox- hounds, and when liis k'ase exjiired on the 81st of Mareh, 18»j1, he was ahle to 'reat many liands beinfjj reqnired at eertaiii pea- sons to dig np and l)rin mercantile failure of the enterprise. Qnchec Steel- Worh. — An attem|)t was made in (Quebec to work those sands. ISfr. V>. J. narrington, J5.A,, ]*h. 1)., in his "Notes on the Iron Ores of Canada and their Development," in the Geological Survey Report of progress ibr the year 187')-t, thus describes it: " III the month of June last, I had an opportunity of visiting the steel-works erected at (Quebec for the purpose of manufacturing steel ilirectly from the purified saiuls of the (Julf. Since the death of jSIr. Labroche Vigor, the works have ji.issed into the hands of anew company, the jnvsideut of which is Mr. Chinic, hardware merchant of (iMel)ec. The enterprise, so far as I could learn, has not been successfid, and at the time of my visit, nothing whatever was being done. The furnace is a well construct'Kl Siemens ro'gonerative fur- nace, with five gas-producers, and, except in the ccmstruetion of the hearth, which is j)orfectIy flat, and in one or two other minor details, resembles the (uic em|>loyed by Messrs. CoojK'r and Hewitt at Trenton, N. J., in the manufacture of steel according to the Siemens- Martin process. " In making steel, the sand, which had been purified by Dr. LaRue's magnetic machine, was mixed with tar and eharcoal-[)owder in a box containing revolving knives or beaters, and the mixture was then pressed into s(piare blocks by moans of a hydraulic press. The blocks were then ))iled upon the furnace- hearth and melted down to steel, which was finally tapped off into ingots containing about 200 pounds. "The cause of failure I was not told, but difficulty was pi-obal)ly ex))orienoed in obtaining a regular ;ind homogeneous product." Mr. Chinic subsequently stated " That further and rather more piiccessful exjieriments have lately been made with ^he furnace, and ten or twelve tons of steel produced. A good deal of diffi- cidty was experienced in pouring, and the ingots were frequently honeij-Gomhtd, and after forging were liable to contain flaws. Not THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN CANADA. 15 Dr. )\v(lcr lixture press, nu'ltod taming more tliaii 500 pounds of stool were produced at a nK>ltiiiiven by Thad. W. II. Lcavitt, in his history of the united counties of Leeds and Grenville.* A fory-e for the manufacture of bar-iron was built about the same time lor the same comj)any, and was in operation until 1812, when, from want of capital, and on account of the dei'angement to business conscfpient upon the war of that year, the place was shut u[) and never opened aj^ain. The ruins are still visible. f Ni^nnaiuhik' Far) (ice. — The next attem])t made was in Western Ontaiio, at Xormandale, then known as Potter's Creek, in the town- ship of Charlotteville, in the County of Xortblk, in the then London liistriot. The boundaries of the county were established by proclam- ation the 10th July, 1792, and the township contained 900 i)eople and l'V2 inhabited houses in 1817. In the year 1815, Mr. John ^lason, an En<»;lishm!in, undertook to nninnfacture iron, and in two years' time he had a blast-furnace in o[K'ration, which was "of a rude and ])rimitive description, entirely the labor of his own hands, with the exception of the machinery ibr the blast. The bellows were formed out of two hollow whitewood trees. It is thus that the spirit of enterprise and necessity, which has so truly been called the mother of invention, enables an individual in this young country to overcome difficidties which in other situa- tions would be considered insurmountable."! Mr. J. Harris, 11. X., who furnishes the information, goes on to say in regard to the situation chosen for tiie furnace : " With respect to water they have a great advantage. I'otter's Creek, though not large, is a never failing stream. The works are situated at its en- trance, immediately on the shores of Lake Erie, iience the great con- venience of sending otf their weighty manufactured articles, or of receiving any supplies which they may recpiire, without the expense of land-carriage. Moulding-sand is abundant on the site of the furnace, and timber for charcoal is easily obtained and in great variety ; the hard maple is preferred." * Brockville, 1879, p. ()2. f I iuri iiitlel)te(l to Mr. S. McCameron, of Gan;mor|ue, sind Mr. E. C. Slater, of Sweets Corners, Out., for these purticuliirs. X Lieut. Badclely's paper in Lit. and Hist. Soc, Quebec, 1830. Vol ii., p. 4li0. 2 1' I 18 THE MANUFACTUItK OF IRON IN CANADA. Ill llohort Goiirlay's ^lafixt'icnl Acemnif of Upper Canada,* the following letter from Mr. JMasoii is to ho IouikI : PoTTKlt's CUKIOK, DfC. -I;ii, 1S17, "Sin, " Yon desired nie to ,t?ive yon ovpiv iiiforniiition in my power of tlio |iroIi- aliility or certaiDly of niiikiiii^ iron in this |);nt of tlii.' provinci". so ;is (o la- lioiu'liciiil to tilt' nianiil'actiirer.'MKl tlif piihlic 1 will state to yon wlial is for and wiiat ai,'ainnt these is aj^ainst tlie first l)et;iiiner. The lioj^-ore is scattered over the wiinle conntry, l)ut I do not know of any one i>ed of ore that will exceed- ItiO tply a small furnace for seven years; luit I helieve considerahle quantities within that space are not yet found. No rock ore has as yet heen fonnd in this part of the province, and if there is iiny, it must be at considerable depth from the surface of the gronnd and v.'ill be didicnlt to lind, as the strata lie hori/.nntal. Another ihin^ against iron-works is that it will ixMpiire many ex|>erinients before we can know the be>t method of woi-k- ing the ore, and there is not any stone in this part of the province that will stand tlie fire, and I believe it will be best if it comes from three diderent places in the United States. I want live or six pieces of iron, each MO cwt., the^c will come to an enormous expense. I intended to ask the (ioverimient to j;ive or lend me live or six di-abled cannon for this. 1 asket do ixicty -siiry, will l)t! II' the vernor tislied •iitrv II nie of the When ■1 ; this re than ry after ex('ei)t nd men Poor .loliii ^Fasoii novcr roapod any Ix'iicfit from hi ■ cutcvpi-isc MU'l porsevcraiK'O. lie liad only iiunlc a li'w tons of item wluii llio inner wiill ol' liis f'nrnatfo jxavc way aiixpendi(iiro of 8H()0(). The iron turned out was of e.xeellent (piality, tiiid the ore fairly rieli. It was bog-ore and was foinid in the swamps and marshes in the vicinity, beino; liaided in bv wa'j:oii-teams, a distance varying from six to twelve miles. The averaj^e consumption per (hiy was nine tons, prt»diicin<^ about three tons of pisj; iron. The furnace would l)e in blast about eio;ht or nine months oi\t of the year, runnino; nio;hf an b(>ino; no market for pig- iron; and as a consequence, the wants of the country at that time l)econiing overstocked, some was exjwrted to ]>ulf;ilo, and a vessel- load of stoves and castings sent to Chicago. The wares produced were disposed of along the shores of Lake Erie, from Fort Erie to Amherst Bay, and taken into the interior of the country by teams. Before the opening of the Welland Canal, stoves, kettles, and other iron-ware were sent very long distances by teams, particularly in winter, going as far as Chatham, Waterloo, and beyond St. Cath- erine's. After the opening of the Welhuxl Canal (the first vessels ])assed through in the year 1821)), places on the canal and L;Us and his kettles lor hoilin<>; the ashes gathered from the burninL? of his lo<»; iKjaps. At that timci the potash made fi'oni these ashes was the only cxi)ortal)!(> article which could be shi|)|)i'd to foniii^n countries and for which money could he obtained. There was in those days no money in the country, and bnsineso was carried on bv barter or exchauLjc of commodities. Anvthinu the jjcople had to sell was broni^ht to the furnace and cxchanj;-ed ior the wares in payment, or dne-l)ills were taken, payable in iron- ware. Due-bills were in this way used as a kind of cii'cnlating medium over a large section of what is now the Province of Ontario. At one time the booksof the establishment .showcil outstandinji over $oO,()00 of these demand due-bills for iron, and tluju for a time the practice was discontinued. At the expiration of five or six years, jVIr. .Tosej)h Van Norman, who was the managing j)artncr, and gave the name of Normandale to thiC locality, bought out his jiartners and took his brother Benjatnin into the business ; but lie retired after a few years, and the concern was carried on in the name of J. Van Norman & Son till 1847. By this time both fuel and ore were well-nigh used up in the neigh- borhood of the furnace, and it was aband ed. The firm had also a forge in the vicinity of Port Dover, where for some years they carried on the manufacture of bar-iron for horse- and sleigh-shoes. After the closing of the Normandale furnace, its owner paid a visit to the Marmora Iron-AVorks, which will now l)e described. Mdnnova Iron- Wofkn. — TheTownship of ^larmora, in the County of Hastings has long been noted lor its iron-ores. "In 1821 the township was first advertised for sale, but from the rocky and swampy character of a large j)oi'tion of the land it did not make much i)rogress towards settlement, and, in 185(3, oidy contained 503 inhabitants."* The village of INIarmora is situated on the Crow river, 41 miles from Pcterboro, 32 miles N.N.W. of Belleville. Iron-works were first commenced at Marmora about the year 1830 by a Mr. Hayes, w ho, after si>ending a large fortune and the fortune of his wife, had to give up the property to his creditors; the late Hon. Peter !McGiIl, of Montreal, to whom over £40 000 was owing, * Smith's Canada, 1851, p. 246. THK MANUFACTIJIIK OF IRON' IX (JANADA. 21 liles in this way caino into possession of tlic |)lac'o, and tlio works were for a ti mo carried on in his interest, nnder the tnanrj^enient of a Mr. ^NFanehan, wlio representccl Kinj^ston in the Upper Canada Parlia- ment; hut they r«>sulted in a heavy fmaneial h)ss. In 1847 Mr. Van Xorman visited the works and was temj)ted hy tli.i apj)eai'anee of the <;reat ore-heds in the immediate vicinity (the Jiiairton IJij^ Bed) and the t^enei'al appearance of the |)hiee, to con- tinne to Montr(>al and see Mr. Mcdill ; lie did so, and honuht the l)roperty for .^21,000. In the fall of the same year ho moved to ATarmora, and after ex- pending:: a largo sum in fittin<^ up the furnace, puttinj:; in machinery, ovens, hlowin<»:-apparatus, erecting and repairint]; buildings, cutting cord-wood and making it into charcoal for fuel, everytiiing was finally ready and the furnace was started the following summer. The result was a bitter disai)pointment, for after being used to an easily reducible bog-ore, Mr. Van Norman now had to tr(>at a rock- ore, very rich in metallic iron. The amount of charcoal used \)v\' ton of iron was conserjuently very large, and nothing but loss at- tended every effort he maelleville, over rocks and "corduroy" roads so rugged that the wagons were constantly breaking down, and even the shoes of the horses were pulled oil', roads existing merely in name. It was found absolutely necessary to get some now route, so a road was opened from the works to Ilealey's Falls, on the river Trent, a distance of nine miles, and the iron taken from there by steamboat to Rice Lake, and carted thence twelve miles to the dock at Cobourg. Up to this time iron rangcnl in price from $30.00 to $05.00 per ton, and found a ready sale at these prices. In 184S, however, the St, Lawrence canals were completed, and England had adopted the principles of free trade, the consequence being that pig-iron was brought up and sold in Belleville and Cobourg at !•? 16.00 per ton. Tin's settled the question of making charcoal pig-iron for Mr. Van Norman, who quotes these prices. He had to stoji the works and lose everything, not having even money enough left to get away from the ])lace. Relief came, howev^er, unexpectedly in the shape of a letter from Mr. MeGill, expressing regret at his failure and in- closing a cheque for £100. We shall again hear of ]\Ir. Van Xorman in iron-manufacturing enterprise, but must first complete the story of Marmora. The next proprietor was a local concern from Belleville, called the ' ' O) TIIK MANUFAtTl'Hi: OF lllOS I.N CANADA. ^^ilnll(»^il l'^)nn(liy ('<)in|>;iiiy. A ;;i'Mtlc'iiiiiii connected with tljo t;orn|iiiny liirnislicil iIk; followint^.'" "A cniiiiiany was formed in llellevillo for tlic |>nr|)ose of puirlms- inj;' the |>i'(»|it'rty and nialvin;:; another atteni|)t to woik the mines. The Marmora Iron-WorUs, the |no|K'rty of the Marmora l"\)nndry Company, are sitnated on h)ts Xos. {) and 10, in the; liinrlh eon- cession of that town-hip. The woi'Us, which arc erected on the hank of the Crow Ivivci', a short distance from the foot of Crow Lake, arc wry extensive, and con>ist of two hhist-fnrnaces of e at any time when the operations of the company may l)e resnmcih The hlast (whi(!h is called the " hot-hlast") is furnished hy a new and im|)roved cylinder a]»paratns with air-heating ovens on tiu; mo>t apprctved princi|)I(', and is driven by a powerful and never lailiiij^ stream of water. This furnace has been in hlast but for a short period, and that only ior the pnr|)ose of testinund that the i)robable cost of manufactiu'c, in a blast of longer (hiration would not exceed three pounds, or three pounds live shil- lings i)er ton. "Owing to some diflu-idty between the directors and a jwrtion of the stockholders, who had refused payment of their stock, the works were stopped after this experiment, and will not [)i'obal)Iy be resumed for a year or two unless the company succeed in leasing the premises to some practical j)erson, a course which they would prefer rather than carry them on in future on their own account. " The premises of the company are very extensive, and comprise (in addition to the blast-furnaces and several large houses for storing charcoal) a large stone building with trip-hanii. r, for the manufac- ture of bar-iron, several stone buildings and houses, used for shops, boarding-houses, etc., and about twelve frame dwelling-houses occupied formerly by the work-people of the establishment, which are now rented out to various parties. There are also a flouring- * Smith's Canada, 1851, p. 247. THK MANUFArTUUE OK IKON IN CANADA. 23 mill, u siiw-iuill, and a ImiMiiii^ fonncrly a taDiicrv, l)iit now al)<>Mt to lie convt'i'ti'd into a olotliin)^- and liillinjiliiftory, all driven Wy tlio .same stream (wliieli is capable of propellin;;' tliri'u or lour times as niijcli mac'liincrv IVnm llie same head) ov(.'i* wliieli a very handsome and snilaUle l)ritlu,x( was hiiiji last year. A ehiireh (llonian Catholii') built ol'st()n(> and of very neat eonstriietion, is situated nearly oppo- site the bridij;e, on (he western bank of the stream. All of these bnildinj^s are on the property (»f the company and form together a compact and llourishinj; village, ui which is a post-ollii^e. On the norlh side of the villajije, and also on the |)roperty of the company, u town-plot has been laid out, and a few l(»ts sold, on which biiilil- inj^H are now beinj^ erected by the piirc^hasers ; but the whole of the grounds on which the buildint^s above describeil stand is intended by tlu! company to be i-eserved Ibr the juirpose of leasing' to tenants. On the youth side of the villaijje is a well cultivated farm, with hand- some (lwellin;:;-houses and suitable out-houses, j^ardens, etc., also the pioperty of the company. "The ore-bed (or rather the main ore-bed from whiiih tlu; furnace was supplied, for there are many valuable beds of majj;netic iron-ore in the neighborhood and some of bo' it a j)refercnce to the best Swedish iron. Marble and lithot^raphic stone are also on the j)ro])erty ol' the (jompany; sanxples of the latter were sent to the is given of it, i)ut they " k".\\' not much good will result." Tht; exi)eriments were not com- mercially succes. Countv, New York, took some iron-ore from Madoc, in the Townshij) of Madoc, County of Hastings (not very far from JNIarmora), and tried it in his furnace at Wolcott, and two years afterwards built a blast-furnace at Madoc. He was never able to produce much iron, but succeded in losing all his means, and his partner having been killed in the mine, Mr. Seymour closed up, and the place has never since revived. f Houghton Jron-Workf<. — We now hear again of Mr. Van Nor- man, and with him of the last smelting-enterprise in Province. After his failure at Afarmora, he returned to his old home at Nor- mandale. About this time the Great Western Railway (now G. W. Div. G. T. R'y.) was under construction. Messrs. Fisher and Mc- Queston, of Hamilton, Out., were furnishing car-wheels to the Company and had a great deal of trouble to get charcoal iron suit- able for making car-wheels. The iron formerly made at Norman- dale was just the kind which was wanted, and an offer was made by thetn to Mr. Van Norman, to take all the iron he could make, at a price which proi^ised to pay well, viz., $45.00 per ton. A contract * Can. Geol. Sarvei/, 18(;:], j). ()7(), and ISOC), p. 108. t Cun. Geul. Survci/, 18G3, p. 67-'), and IStiO, p. 109. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN CANADA. 25 was entered into, a clause belnjjj therein inserted, providinj:; that the iion shoukl be suitable for the manufacture of car wheels. A person was at once sent into the Township of Houghton, in the County of Norfolk, to prosj)ect for boo; iron ore, and on his having reported that it could be found in sutticient quantities, a blast-fur- nace was at once built and placed in operation in the fall of 1854. In the following spring, 400 tons of iron were shi|)pcd, but upon being tested this iron was rejected, as it would not chill. Ft had to be sold and oidy brought .^2*2.00, which was below the cost of jn'oduction ; so the works, which had cost about 8'5O,O00, were abilndoned, and i\Ir. Van Xorinan's career of over thirty-four years in the blast-furnace business ended, he having unfortunately lost at Marmora and Ho jjhton all that had been made at Xormandale. Fitrnacc Falls Iron Company. — After an interval of eighteen years, during which time a number of projects had been talked of, a blast furnace was commenced in 1H82 by jNIessrs. Parry and Mills, of Chicago, at a place they named Furnace Falls, on the Burnt River, in the County of Haliburton; but, after an expendi- ture of about S'35,000, the works were stojiped for want of capital to complete them, and they still remain in this uutinished condi- tion. Apart from blast-furnaces, a number of other iron industries have, at various times been, and some are still, in operation. They may be emunerated as follows : Toronto Rollinr/ Milla and Iron- Works. — About 1860 Messrs. Gzowski and Macpherson, of Toronto, started a large rolling-mill in that city for the special purpose of re-rolling iron rails; some bar-iron was also made out of scrap. The works were situated in the east end of the city, on the south side of South Front street. About 1873 the place was closed and dismantled, and the land is now owned by the Grand Trunk Railway Company, it being at present the site of their car repair-shoj)s. The cause of the mill being closed was the substitution of steel for iron rails. In 1800 the Steel, Iron, and Railway V/orks Company was organized in Toronto and a charter granted by the Ontario Legis- lature.* The authorised capital stock was .SI 15,000 and the special object of the comininy was to operate a patent granted to a Mr. Hugh Baines, and dated 27th July, 1805, "for making railroad crossing points, and for putting steel ends or sections on railroad I I 'I I * Cap. 110, 20-30 Vic. 26 THE MANUFACTIIIE OF IKON IN CANADA. rails." I'lie works were situated in tiie west ciul of Toronto, on tlio west s'deof'.Straelian Avenue;, alongside the Great Western (now (J. \V. Div. G. T.) Railway, and tlieir oj)erations were eonlined to pateliin^ iron rails and niakinsjj some fori^ings. 'J'he a(loi)tion of steel rails elosed tlie works, but they were rt^snsciitaled in 1872 l)y bein<>: merged into the Canada Car and Manufacturing; Company, a concern chartered by the Provincial let2;islature,* with an authorised capital of two million dollars, for the manuiacture and leasing of railway cars. "On the 9th of Auijust 1872, a contract was entered into by the Government of Ontario and the Canada Car Company of Toronto, untler which the (Government leased to the said company for a term of seven years and a half I'roni 1st January, 1874, the labor of all the prisoners sentenced to the Central Prison, exee[)t such as was required to carry on the domestic work of the prison. '* This contract provides that prisoners shall not be sentenced to the prison for a shorter [)eriod than three months, and that they shall not, throuti'li physical or mental defects, be unfit to perform an ordinary day's labor, consist inii; of ten hours i)er day, less two hours every week. The Government is to furnish snllicient workshop space (with foundations for machinery and other permanent fix- tures) jtroperly heated and li<»;hted, to enable the industry to be carried on, and the boilers, engines and shaftinti:: required for motive purposes, not exceeding one hundred horse power, — the engineers and firemen to be provided by the Company as well as the fuel for the furnaces. "The Company is to employ the prison-labor thus leased, in the manufacture of railway-cars, in all its various branches and i-e(|uire- ments, as well as in the maufacture of nails, bolts and sj)ikes of every description, etc. " For the jirison-labor thus leased the Government is to receive from the Company the sum of fifty cents per day f(»r each and every prisoner during tlie first two and a half years' existence of the con- tract, for the second two and a half years fifty -five cents, and for the third and last two and half years the sum of sixty cents per chiy."t ^ The Company's premises adjoined those of the central j)rison, which was in course of construction. The pris(»ri l)uildings were * Cap. 114, ;W Vic. t Kxiracts from report of Inspector of Prisons, etc., for 1871-2-3. Sess. Papers, Ont„ No. 27, 1874. THE MANUFACTUKE OF IRON IN CANADA. 27 not (li'signt'd for this class of iimmiflu'turo, l)iit wcro altorcd and iDade to answer, several rail\vay-si«lin<«;s were laid and the appli- ances put in were ot" the latest description. There were also intro- duced a i'or^^c with four lar<^e beam -hammers, and the necessary furnaces uid |)lant for the manufacture of locomotive and car-axles, and lari2;e forgin!i;s out of scrap-iron; several small hammers, a wheel foundiy e(piii)ped to turn out 120 car wheels per day, a lari;e foundry for soft castings, and shops and machinery for muUing bolts, nuts, washers, together with a variety of iron- and wood-work- ing tools. Large stocks of wood, iron, coal, etc., were laid in for an extensive l)usiness. From 200 to 350 prisoners were now ready and their wages of lil'ty cents per day had to be paid. About this time a period of very sev(!re depression set in, and orders for cars were not to be had at any price, and after building about 100 or 200 cars, and altering some trucks for the Interc(donial Railway, the Conjpany collapsed, and the place was subse(]U(Mitly dismantled and sold. Hamilton BoI/lmj-MUl. — About 18()4, the Great Western Railway Com|)any erected a rolling-mill at Hamilton (which cost about ^107,000, and had a capacity of about 7000 tons j)er annum*), to j)atch and re-roll iron rails; it continued in operation till the roposod also to make bar-steel Hat." and rounds, coil-sprin(!;s and the best qualities of bar-iron. In 1884 a new puddiinii; furnace was l)iiilt and steam-hammers put in, to make stool and semi-steel by a now process but, these followin<; in the wake of their predecessors, the concern failed and the place was closed. Forf/r (it Ihiinilton. — The Hamilton Iron Foi'i^insj;; Company, of Hamilton, Out., make car-axles and forpage of the blowing-engines for a few hours. With the object of saving the charcoal, the furnace was "banked" by piling sods on the top of it; there was a large " receiver" between the two blowing-engines, and by some mistake, the air-valves were left open, gas generated in the furnace, which being " banked " i)revented its egress to the out- side, and caused it to " back up " through the open valves into the * Mines and Minerals of New Brumwick, by Prof. L. W. Bailey, 1804, p. oo. THE MAXUFACTUKK OF HlOX IN CANADA. 29 air-pipes and rccicivor. After a stoppage of about foiir hours, tlie engines were started again, and on the second revolution an expU)- sion took place, which wrecked the furnace and buildings, and ruined the Conij)anv. Mr. Vernon Smith, C. E., who kindly furnished most of the tbregoing particulars, came out from England al)ont 1854, as the agent of Mr. Charles Sanderson, of Messrs. Sandei*son IJros., of Sheflield, for the })urpose of making iron to be used in the maiuifae- ture of steel, as, owing to the war with Russia, the sui)ply of iron from that country was sto])pcd. The works were now rebuilt, and remained in operation for about eighteen months, during which time about 1,()(J0 tons (kf iron were made. They were then closed and remained idle for some years. In 18G2 the property passed into the hands of Messrs. Morris Best and Ellis Smith, who worked it as ''The Woodstock Charcoal Iron Company." White pig-iron was made and exported to Eng- land, and was used by Messrs. John JJrown and Co., of Shellicld, in the manufacture of armor-})Iates. Although the iron made is said to have been of superior quality, the cost of the production was too great, and as a consequence the place was closed and has not been operated since. The Woodstock ores are very lean and contain a large proportion of phosphoric aciid, besides being very difiieult to concei trate The furnace was situated in the village, about three miles from the ore-dej>osits. li o/7>'.s' for the MdHufddiu'c of Wroiif/Jif-lron, dc. — The most im- portant of ttiese was incorporated in 1878, as the Coldbrook RoU- ing-Mill Company,* with a capital stock of $],000,0(H), for the manufacture of bolts, screws, axes, rails and railway-iron, boiler- plate, rivets, tools, im[)lements, machinery, etc. A rolling-mill was built at Coldbrook, three miles I'rom St. Johns, N.li., on the Intercolonial Railway, and a nail-factory in connection with the mill was situated a mile or two away on the hill-side, and driven by water-power. Old iron rails and scrap-iron were the raw mate- rials used and were converted into nails, sj)ikes, bar-iron and ship- knees. The works were in full blast for some years, when the Company failed, and the ])lace lay unused and idle till last year, when the pro- perty was purchased by Messrs. I. and E. R. Burpee, of St. John, who are now working it. They advertise that they are now prepared to supply common, refined and horse-shoe bar-iron, nail-[)lates, mine * Cap. 121, 36 Vic. 80 THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN CANADA. rails \voi<;liin<2: eiglitcon pounds jier yard, an<^lo-iron, (i-li-platos, and sliip-knees and straps. Iron-]\^orIcs in Sf. John. — Tlie Portland Ilollin^-Mill makes nail-plato, foriiint!;s, car-axles and sliip-knoes, etc., out of wron^lit scrap. The mill is in Portland, a suhnrb of St. John, and is owned by Messrs. James Harris and Co., the car-hnildcrs who manu- facture, amoni2:st a variety of other things, the Washburn |)atent car-wheel, which has a steel tyre, cast honioiieneously on a cast-iron centre. ]\ressrs. J. A. and W. A. Chesley make forj^ings, ship-knees, etc., at their rolling-mill in Portland, St. John. IV. The Manufacture of Iron in Xova S''oTrA. A discovery of iron-ore was made in the year 10O4, by the Sieur de Monts, who had been a[)])oiiited the previous year Lieutenant- General of Acadia, by Henry IV of France. He sailed from Havre de Grace the 7th April, and arrived at a harbor on the southeastern side of Acadia. After some explorations around the coast, he doubled Ca|)e Sable, and anchored in St. Mary's ])ay. Here they remained several days, and, while surveying the coast, discovered a vein of iron- ore.* At St. Mary's J-Jay, west of Digby, titaniferous iron-ore is found as sand, forming bands of ii-rcgular extent in the beach, the indica- tions l)eing extensive.f ''The first attempt to manufacture iron Mas made in the first decade of the ])resent century, when a sniall quantity of !)ar-ir(>n was made in a Catalan forge from the ores at Xictaux.";}; Moose Jiircr Iron- Works. — The next enterprise is thus described, by Ilaliburton in his History of Xova Scotia : § " In the year 1825 an association was formed for the manufacture of iron, called the Annapolis ^Mining Company, with a capital of XlO,0()(), divided into one hundred shares of £100 each. An Act of Incorj)oration was passed by the Legislature, and the Governor was authorized to grant to the Comj)any a charter under the Great Seal of the Pro- vince. It was also protected by a clause of the Act, which j)ro- vided that no stockholder should be liable for any debts contracted * The Pioneers of Fnnire in the Xew World, Parkinaii, p. 2'20, Also oonipure Jlistorji of Nora Scotia, Ilalilmrtoii. 18'J1), p. I'J. t Mines of Nora Scotia, Gilpin, 1880. t Nova Scotia il/mes lieport 1877, p. 43. ? 1R29, p. 1G2. THE MANUFACTURE OF IRO.V IX CANADA. 31 by tlie Cotnpaiiv, boynnd tlio amount of iiis sliaros. As a fiirtlior enooiirai>;(MiU'nt, two Ixmiitics of 4;()()() oadi wciv offcivd for the niamifu'tiire of a certain qnantity of liollow-ware and bar-iron. 'J'lie associates iinnicdiately ])nrcliascd an extensive and valnal)le vein of ore, situated about three and a half miles from the month of th(( Moose River, and another of equal imjiortance at Xictaux, in the nj)|)er part of Annapolis Township, with one or two of smaller extent in other places. The local superiority of the former place oave it a decided superiority over anv other ])art of the coun- try, heiufi; distant only eight miles from Annajxilis, twelve from J)i objects into effect, they have inci'cased their capital to more than twice its original amount. The quality of the ore has now been ascertained, and the only part of the exj)eriment yet to be decided is, whether they can compete with the English ware, or whether the cost of production will not exceed the value of the article when manufactured, a result wirch must depend very much upon the economy and skill with which the establish- >5 ment is managed, The works were oidy in operation a short time when "they were suddenly susj)ended, owing to political causes, but not before excel- lent iron had been pnnluced, both pig-iron for foundry [lurposes and refined bar-iron. "f For thirty-three years the works were closed, and when oj^erations were resumed, it was for a short time only, to be again neglected ibr ten years more. In 1872 one hundred and sixty tons of j)ig iron were made and shipped to Jjoston, but since that time '^othing has been done. ExperhncntH in Picfoii Count i/. — In 1828 an attempt was made by the General Mining Association to smelt some clay-iron-stone and East river ore, in a foundry-cupola, at the Albion Mines, Stellarton, and, as might have been ex[)ected, the experiments were not a sucx'ess. * Mines Keitort, 1877, p. 43. t Mines Report, 1877, p. 43. 32 THE MANUFACrrUE OF lUO.V IN CANADA. Xictdu.v Fiinutcea. — Two blast-fiiniiiecs wore built at Nictuux (one in 1