LETTER

HON. CHAS. B. MITCHELL.

IN RELATION TO

THE IRON BUSINESS

ALABAMA,

i—fr«»»«

SELMA, ALA.:

MISSISSIPFIAN STFA1I BOOK AND JOB OFFICE,

1864.

L E T T E E.

Shelby County, Ala., April 26th, 1864.

Hon. CHARLES B. MITCHELL,

of the Confederate Stales Senate :

Being informed by a member of the Shelby Iron Company
that you solicit information in regard to the iron business
of this region, with a view to important measures contem-
plated, having reference to, the military service ; and having
a similar solicitation from another source, also entitled to
consideration and respect, the undersigned, constituting the
Board of Directors of the above-named Company, while
responding, as they do with pleasure, to your solicitation,
will embrace this opportunity to set forth as succinctly as
practicable the information they possess and the knowledge
they have acquired by attention to the subject d's.ingtho
two last years. They do this the more readily 'from t/io
conviction that the subject is not so fully and generally
understood, and appreciated, as its great and vital impor-
tance requires.

The present supply of iron is inadequate for the public-
service, while the people are generally cut off from all
sources of supply. The agriculturalists are generally with-
out iron to repair their old and worn-out implements, new
ones being out of the question, while there is danger that
railroads, on which such vital interests depend, will lose
much of their already impaired efficiency, for want of iron
to keep their machinery in repair, and for the construction
of the additional machinery greatly needed. A large and
_>_r early increase in the production of iron must therefore be
7— regarded as a matter of the highest necessity ; and- this
^ region probably must be mainly relied on for this increase.
]L. Before undertaking to show, as we propose to do, how this
^ increase may be brought about, it will be proper to take a
*• brief gurvey of the past, in connection with the natural
*^ resources of this region in the materials for tb, e production

of iron. Probably no country on the globe possesses supe-
rior, if equal, natural advantages for the production of iron
of superior quality on an extensive scale. In a wide extent
of country, intersected by the Alabama and Tennessee
Hirer Railroad, commencing at the city of Selma, on the
Alabama river, and completed 135 miles in the direction of
Rome, in Georgia, iron ores and mineral coal, both of supe-
rior quality and conveniently accessible, exist in inexhaus-
tible abundance. These minerals, if not in juxtaposition,
arc yet in such proximity that they may be regarded as
practically lying side by side. With these unsurpassed ad-
vantages, how is the 'comparative smallness of the produc-
tion of iron to be accounted for?

At the commencement of the Avar, very little had been
done to develope the mineral resources of this section or
State. There was but one small blast furnace and a small
and inferior rolling-mill in operation in this section, and
none elsewhere, that we know of, in this State. Our people
were content to draw their supplies of iron from England
and the North, while overlooking, or perhaps ignorant of,
the greatly superior natural advantages existing in their
midst, for the production of iron of far better quality than
most of that derived from abroad. Hence, tne country was
without the knowledge and skill, derived alone from experi-
ence, in 'the business of manufacturing iron, as those seem
to have been to whom was committed the important duty
of calling forth and directing the capital, and energies to be
embarked in the business. The mode of making iron, con-
demned and abandoned by Englnnd and other countries
more tkan a century ago. was taken up and exclusively pur-
sued ; that is, the use of charcoal, instead of mineral coal,
as fuel in the production of pig iron. All the contracts of
which we have any knowledge, made with the Government
for pig iron, call for charcoal pig alone, giving a decided
preference in prices to that which is made by the sloweit
and most difficult process : that is, the cold blast charcoal
pig. And here a brief reference may be allowed to the his-
tory of the manufacture of iron in England, whose mighty
power and prosperity had their rise in, and are mainly sus-
tained by, the two minerals heretofore so neglected, uot to
say despised, in the South — coal and iron.

A well-informed and intelligent writer, whose production
shows that he had given very close attention to the subject.
in enumerating the essentials for the successful prosecution
of the business of making iron, states, as the first and most
•mportant : " An adequate supply of the requisite raw ma-

terials— ore, limestone and mineral coal — for charcoal, can
only be used to an insignificant extent." In illustration of
this, the same wriier states : "It surprises the inquirer, 10
find that in the year 1740, the tptal production of iron in
England 'amounted to not more than 17,350 tons. The
destruction of wood caused by this insignificant product
was so rapid, that the business of making iron was likely to
be extinguished, when the evil which was dreaded gave
bir,th to a remedy which imparted new life to the produc-
tion, and has enabled it to reach its present gigantic pro-
portions " — then (1S55) estimated, or rather stated to be
3,585,906 tons. " This remedy was the substitution 6*f pit
or mineral coal for charcoal." This stupendous result was
attained in England with ores much more difficult to be
mined, and known to be greatly inferior in richness and
o'her qualities to the ores which aboun 1 in this region.
The ores of En Aur.d and Wales, it is stated on good au-
thority, yield only about 30 per cent, of iron, while the ores
of this region, with which we are most familiar, yield from
50 to 60 per cent., and iron very greatly superior to the
generality of that produced in England or Wales.

These facts and others similar, which cOtild be adduced,
show clearly, we think, that' wo have set out upon and are
pursuing a wrong policy. Even if the iron produced by
mineral coal were not so good as that produced by charcoal,
still it would he better to have iron not quite so good, than
not to have it at all. But it has been recently proved, by
experiment made by this Company, that ircfn. of superior
quality can be made from our ores, by the use of. the mine-
ral coal of this region exclusively as fuel, in the whole pro-
cess from the ore to bar iron. The result of this experi-
ment was every way satisfactory. The iron was subject el
to severe tests, and exhibited remarkable strength and
toughness.

Asa further and practical illustration of this subject, we
will state something of the operations and experience of-
this Company. Unacquainted with the business as they
were, ihey commenced, some two years ago, with the idea
of constructing three, four or five blast furnaces, expecting
to make some ten thousand tons or more of iron per year,
after completing their arrangements. But the first furnace
built by them had not been long in operation, before they
discovered that it would be a hard task to keep that single
furnace ill full and constant operation With charcoal, even
while the wood from which the coal was obtained stood
within convenient proximity to the furnace. The forests

which stood near have, in a great measure, disappeared,
materially increasing the difficulty of procuring fuel. From
this and other causes growing out of the condition of the
country, such as want of laborers, the scarcity and dearness *
of provisions and all other necessaries, the impracticability
of obtaining teams -to put in the places of those worn out
by hard and constant service, the business is attended with
many more difficulties now than in the early part of last
year. "With great exertion, the Company were able to
make and deliver to the Government last year, counting
from March to March, only, about 3,500 tons, including what
they used in improvements and repairs. Small as this
quantity may appear, it exceeds what any other Company
in this State made within the same period. The difficulties
attending the business now, being considerably greater than'
heretofore, this quantity is not likely to be increased, but
rather diminished, in the future, under the present system.
But we presume this system Aviil not be adhered to. We
are about making propositions to the Nitre and Mining
Bureau at Bichuiond, looking to changes which, as they in-
volve no loss or* expense or inconvenience to the Govern-
ment, while promising a large increase in the production of
iron, we can hardly doubt, will receive the proper sanction.
If this is done, we propose to complete a new furnace, com-
menced last year, construct a railroad from our works to the
Alabama and Tennessee River ro;:d. about six miles, on
which the work is far advanced and in progress, and make
other necessary arrangements for obtaining a full and regu-
lar supply of mineral coal. This being done, and. substitu-
ting mineral for charcoal, we have great confidence in the
ability of the Company to increase the manufacture of iron
more than a hundred per cent., without increasing the num-
ber of laborers required* in their present business, and with
one-fourth the number of wagons and teams now employed.
Tt is deemed unnecessary to go into a statement of particu-
lars to show how this* result can be brought about. The
great advantage consists in dispensing with a large number
of hands and teams required in the production and hauling
of charcoal, and in the increased amount of iron which an
equal quantity of mineral'eoal will produce. It is estimated
that the hands required in. the production and delivery of
charcoal for one furnace, are sufficient to mine coal enough
for two furnaces. This Company propose to mine the'r own
coal, having one mine opened and being eugaged in opening
another. What is practicable for this Company, may be

fairly presumed to be so for a portion at least of the other
Companies of this region. , .

The business of mining coal is being largely extended,
and under the arrangements completed and in progress, the
prospects are that the supply of coal will, ere very long, be
ample. The principal difficulty to be apprehended in the
successful prosecution of the plan of Instituting mineral
coal for charcoal, in a large degree, is the want of railroad
machinery for transporting the coal. The present ma-
chinery is insufficient, but we understand that arrangements
have been made to bring upon the road considerable addi-
tional machinery*.

We will now proceed to give you, as nearly as we can,
the special information you desired.

We have no sufficient data on which to state the quantity
of iron produced in this State during the last twelve months,
say from first of March, 1863, to March, 1864 ; but probably
it was considerably less than 10,000 tons. There were in
this region but three blast furnaces in operation during the
first half of last year, and one on the Coosa river, the iron
from which goes to Rome, Ga. Three other furnaces were
started, one in June or July, ancfe two others subsequently.
If these seven furnaces shall be kept in regular operation,
adhering to the use of charcoal, it may be reasonably cal-
culated that they will together produce from 300 to 320 tons
per week, or from 13,000 to 14,000 tons per year, presuming
they will run forty-four weeks in a year.

Four or five additional furnaces are expected to be in
operation in the course of three or four months, and one of
them may already be in operation. These furnaces will be
of greater capacity than the average of those heretofore in
operation. Should they commence operations, say four of
them, by the first of July or August, and run bight or nine
months up to the first of March, the average product of the
four may be reasonably estimated at from 210 to 220 tons
per week, or from 6,500 to 7,500 tons for the eight or nine
months. This, added to the estimates given above for' the
other furnaces, would give about 20,000 tons from March,
1864, to March, 1865. These estimates are deemed reasona-
ble, under the supposition that the furnaces referred to be
kept in regular operation with charcoal for the periods
mentioned. It would not, however, be safe to rely with ful>
confidence on this result under existing circumstances, if the
exclusive use of charcoal be adhered To in the production of
pig iron.

But presuming that {wo or three of the present furnaces,
and two of those to be completed, embracing the largest of

8

the furnace's, shall be operated- with mineral coal for seven
*or eight months prior to the first of March next, say for
thirty weeks, the increased production from them might he
reasonably put at from 280 to 300 tons per week, or from,
8,000 to 9,000 tons per thirty weeks, which is probably more»
iron than was made 1^ all the furnaces of this region for
the year ending the first of March last.

"VVe come now to speak of the rolling-mills of this State.

This Company have one, the capacity of which, with the
addition of two or three more puddling furnaces, Avhich
could soon be constructed, may be estimated at 30 tons per
day of gunboat plate, and proportionably of smaller sizes,
making an average of about twenty tons per day of various
sizes.

There is a large rolling-mill at Selma nearly completed,
and expected to go into operation in May next. The ca-
pacity of this mill is estimated at thirty tons per day of
gunboat plate and other large sizes, being constructed with
the view of making gunboat plates, boiler plates, etc. The
same Company, we understand, are making preparations for
the construction of a mill for making small and ordinary
sizes of iron.

There is a small rolling-mill at Montgomery, but we are
not informed of its capacity; but it is probably from three
to five tons per day.

The Government own a rolling-mill on the Alabama and
Tennessee River Railroad. It is new and represented to be
a very good mill. It is adapted, we believe, for the manu-
facture of small and ordinary sizes only. We are not in-
formed of its capacity. •

Arrangements are in progress for the erection of two
rolling-mills on- the Central Railroad, which connects with
the Alabama and Tennessee River road. It is understood
that one, if not both, of these mills wilLJbe of large capacity,
belonging to a large and strong Company.

It is doubtless a reasonable estimate, that the mills now in
operation, and the one in iSelma soon to be completed, can,
if supplied with the requisite number of proper workmen
' and the necessary materials, make iToni fifty to sixty tons of
iron per day, including from thirty to forty tons of gunboat
plates and other large sizes. The other mills referred to,
when completed and in operation, would 'probably increase
the quantity from thirty-live to forty-five tons per day.
These est mates are based upon the presumption that the
mils would have a full quota of compel ent workmen'and an
ample supply of the necessary materials. To the Extent

that these may be lacking, the product of course would be
diminished.

There being yet wide, unoccupied fields, other establish-
ments may, and doubtless under proper encouragement
will, spring up for the manufacture of borh pitr and bar iron.

A branch railroad is being constructed from the Alabama
and Tennessee JRiver l'oad into a portion of what is consid-
ered one of the niost valuable coal fields in this State, where
the coal seams are said to range from three and a half to
six feet and upwards in thickness, and well situated, many
of them for cheap and convenient mining. One vein, said
to measure twelve feet in thickness, has been d scovered:
It is estimated that the region to be penetrated and devel-
oped by this branch road, which it is intended to complete
at the earliest day practicable to an extent sufficient to de-
velopc a large portion of the coal, will afford many millions
•of tons. A good many hands are now at work there, open-
ing mines or getting out coal, which is done entirely, or
nearly so, with negro labor. A comparatively small number
• of experienced and skilled miners, to lead in and direct the
work, would greatly improve and facilitate the operations.

If we have transcended what was expected, and gone
more at large into the subject of your inquiry than was an-
ticipated, let it be attributed to our deep impression of the
importance of the matters referred to. And as we have
studiously endeavored to confine our observations strictly
within the limits of practical truths bearing directly on the
subject, and to avoid the presentation of all impertinent
facts and considerations, we cannot doubt that our response
In the unexpected shape presented will be acceptable.

The facts herein brought to view cannot be too w< 11 or
widely known, and there is reason to believe they are very
imperfectly known, even to the comparatively few usually
well-informed on all subjects relating to the important in-
terests of the country, whose minds have been engrossed b?
other more directly pressing, though not more important,
subjects.

There is a matter connected with this subject, too impor-
tant to be passed over without special notice. We allude to
the want of rolling-mill workmen. Everything else may be
possessed in abundance, but bar iron cannot be made with-
out competent workmen. The possession of a sufficient
number of these is indispensable for any considerable in-
crease in the production. There are barely enough of the^e
workmen for the present limited business, and there are but
few in the country, unless they are in the army. If they

10

are there, we think that systematic steps should be taken -ttv
ascertain where they are, so that they may be detailed wheals*
they are most needed. The comparatively few men of this-
class, who would hardly be missed from the ranks, cobM..
render the country better service in making iron, doubtless,
than ten times their number in the army. If the}- canasofr
be obtained in this way in sufficient 31 umbers, we wo»M'
suggest the importance of measure- to induce them to cob*?/
from abroad, and to retain the:::, here. We have no doaM
of the entire practicability of this, if proper and judicious •
agents were sent abroad empowered to give satisfactory
guarantees of perfect exemption from all military service-,..
and prepared to offer pecuniary inducements, such as o®jr
enemies do not hesitate to do for men far less valuable &®&.
important to them. If they can afford to lavish millions- sdF
dollars, not to procure artisans necessary to their service,,
but to lure to their ranks of death, to be hurled against ovx
citizen-soldiers, thousands and tens of thousands of stalwart
peasants of Ireland and other countries, cannot our Govern-
ment, in aid of its sacred cause, in comparison with whiclr
mere money should be counted as dross — can it not afford
to expend the amount, whatever it may be. necessary tc
obtain and secure such number of competent artisans as ixs-
service absolutely and imperatively demands ? Men of thfe-
class, more, probably, than can be found in the Confederacy...
are indispensable ; and, in our judgment, no pains or ox.*-
pense should be spared to obtain them, with as little delay
as possible.

While on this subject, we would call attention to soaae
important matters relating to it. which seem to require au-
thoritative attention. Rolling-mill workmen arc a some-
what peculiar class. They are hard-working men. W«
would not go among them to find criminals nor law- breakem.
There is a sympathy among them toward each oths^,
amounting almost to clanishness. They do not meddle tnudb
with public or governmental affairs, and are probably njcsre-
cosmopolitical than almost any other class. Where tbear
business is, there is their country. There are, of couyssv
exceptions in this case, as in all general rules. These allu-
sions are necessary for a proper comprehension of the fos*««
of what follows. Knowing the importance of men of tfeog-
class to us, our enemies, it is stated, have adopted a cora®&
intended and well calculated to draw them away, and thes*
efforts have not been without considerable success. &%
least many of these men have left, some doubtless under
enticements from the enemy,, and some from apprehensions-

11

of conscription (unacquainted with the laws on the subject) ;
or, as there is reason to believe, to escape the frequent an-
noyances of oyer-stringent enrolling or conscripting officers.
jBe this as it may, it is certain that these officers have caused
much, and, it is believed, unnecessary annoyance to persons
and Companies engaged in manufacturing iron, and their
employees, in this way, doubtless without intending it,
they have seconded the schemes of the enemy to deprive us
of these valuable men. We have information, deemed re-
liable, that a circular, under high authority from the enemy,
has been circulated among rolling-mill workmen offering a
large pecuniary reward and other inducements to such of
them as would leave this country and go to the enemy, the
main motive, of course, being to deprive us of their services.
Under this double influence of repulsion and attraction, it
is not to be wondered at that many of these men should have
disappeared from this country. One of these forces may
be neutralized and the other should be Contracted, if possible.

Yery respectfully, yours,

A. T. JONES, President; '

J, W. LAPSLEY,

J . M. McCLANAFAN,

HOEACE WARE,
E. T. WATTS,

Directors.

~J',

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