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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 47

Iron Mining. — Steel Company of Canada

Iron Mining.

Steel Company of Canada.

The works of this Company, at Londonderry, now present a more complete appearance, and the operations of making and working iron have been extensively conducted. One of the two new furnaces was lit and kept in blast 44 weeks; the foundry was busy using about 100 tons of metal per month; puddling was once more resumed, and a rolling mill erected and ran.

To the courtesy of Mr. Jamme, the manager, and Mr. Louis, the analyst, I am indebted for the following data:—
1877. Mined. tons. Smelted. tons Metal Produced tons.
Iron ores, 16,879 20,270 9,863
Ankerite, 1,724 1,850 9,863
Limestone, 5,164 6,520 9,863
Coke, 15,970 9,863

The best weekly yield was 297 tons.

The furnace in use is 65 feet high and 19 feet in diameter at the boshes. The blast has a pressure of 2—4 lbs. heated in three Cowper Siemens' stoves 800° to 1100° Fahr.

The blowing engine has the steam cylinder above the blowing cylinder, which has a stroke of 5 feet and a diameter of 6 feet.

Water is brought in a flume 3,460 feet to the blast furnace, and 4,060 feet to the rolling mill.

There have been built 6 single puddling furnaces and one double, 2 more double furnaces are in process of construction; and there is one heating furnace; in all having a capacity of 20 tons of finished iron per day.

There are two trains of rolls, one 9 inch and one 16 inch trains; two steam hammers, one 20 cwt. and one 50 cwt.

The bar iron made, according to Riehle Bros, tests, is "ductile and fine grained Tensile strength 60,000 lbs. per square inch, and elongation 33 per cent. The "Best Best" iron has been used to replace Lowmoor and Swedish iron.

The principal mining of late has been at Martin's Brook, and the chief source of ore was the slopes above the shallow level, under 80 to 100 feet of cover. These levels are in about 2,000 feet each.

From the furnaces to the mines there is a narrow guage railway, and the ore trucks are moved by a locomotive. Captain Bryant, the manager, states that the average number of miners employed was 34, labourers 40, mechanics 10, boys 5. About the furnaces and workshops about 100 more men were employed. (Report of Dept. of Mines.)