Lawrence County Continuation of History of Early Times

              .THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1004.
^ LAWBEHGE COUNTY.
'OOliTiiiUATlON OF HlaTOfiY OF lARLTlIMES.
tttlulj Fnrnaoes—The First Ubb
of Hot Blast and its Sacodss.
huailiar Names.
-. iCopjrigbted by Thcu). A. Waflon.) Pine juroveL_Iun»ace   was   built, in 18S8 by Andrew Ellison, sr., Andrew nUaoD,   Jr.,   and   Robert  )Hami|toD, whp from a tour through the coun¬ try.In the fall of 1827 became convinc¬ ed that there was ore enough to jus- llCjr them  in   building and  therefore ¦elected the site and made entries of laad.     Whether    t£eir    Investments proved profiUble  may be  told  here¬ after.   The  difficulties  of building a furnace at that time and of getting things from a distance, we will not here  state.     The   furnace   was   fired Jan.  1, 1829 and blowed January 13 1829.  Up to the ^ear 1832 the busi¬ ness was carried on under the style •f  "iniison   &   Hamilton,"   then   the flrm changed to "ElUaon Hamilton & Co." About the year 1834 Andrew El-
liaon, Jr., died and the property was rented to Robert Hamilton at an an¬ nual rent of seven thousand five hun¬ dred dollars. Up to 1834 most of the iron was made into 8to\es and cast¬ ings. Sundays however were devoted to the making of pig iron exclusive¬ ly. The furnace made three or four tcms of iron in 24 hours and sometim¬ es thirty tons per week of seven days. In 1837 a new theory dawned on the iron business, the Introduction of heated air into the blast. Some three or four fumaee men met at Vesuvtus fomace carried on by Hurd, Gould ft Co., and there agreed that they would test the hot blast principle, employ a man to put up a hut Blast at Veauvius and if it proved to be a satisfactory •zperiment Hurd, Gould ft.Co., were to pay all the expenses, bnt If a fall-
are the ^penses ^^ere^ to be divided . among  the   agreeing   parties.   Wm. TUmstone put np the hot blast and it phnred   satisfactory  to ; all   pander. This was the introduction of hot blast into Lawrence county. Mr. Hamilton immediately had a set of pipes, very different from those now used made ' and put np at Pine Grove; although it was contended by those opposed to tlie principle's that the iron waa weak¬ ened by the hot blast and made unfit for caaliag purposes   but the  result prored that it was the very best kind o( iron  that  foundries   wanted.   Mr. Hamilton  rented  the entire  propevly ¦atil   1840  during  Ibe  last  year  he made nothing but pig Iron,    in 1840 'he  )»ecame  the sole owner and  a»- •oeiated with him as partnors, John ¦Ulson. J,  A,  Richey and Joseph g. Peebles under the style of Hamilton a   Co.    ThU   partnership   continued three years to January, 1844, and dur tag that time made 4500 tons of pig iron.  Mr.   Hamilton now having the antire property determined to try the eiperlmeot  vhlch he had  long desir¬ ed to try, the stopping of the furnace OB the Sabbath.   It  proved a success and from December 20, 1844. to .lan- oary e. ISYT Mr.  Hamilton carried on the furnace on his Individual accounL - Hmg enough lo satisfy him tha^ ther.' was no neoil of blowinR a furnace on the  Sabbath  day.   AI<out   tho   1st   'f Jannarv \&i'_ Mr    l!a?«tl! m a -"n-in'- ed with hln> John G.  PcoMcs. .Ii>hh V" Bte«le.    and   Samiiil   H.   Ilciniisicinl, tne Rriil  a^  iiiana^i r  of ilic  Imviukm'. the hectind  ar oli-rK   and  ilii>  la-^t   rs rl?er  a>;vi;t  a\   Wnuv.ww:   Hm-^.   iiiiOt r tke   Ktyl."   of   K     Haiiillion ,  Ai:     C i. Thih firm coiitini I'll uiiMI Ociniicr "T.. 1860 wh«-n Mr.  Sior-lr ilicil. wfn'ii tl.i- othir   imrtut-r.-   imrchaM il   \\\<   inii r- est   and   thi^   (\ria   iKcainc   llainilinit- I*eelli.s &. Co.
On   tlu'   Isi    of    March    Is.'.l    .Mr Waiii\'iioi\   sjI.1   nil. .|,..!i   I'l    111.   1 11- nare i*> John d    IV-dilcs. .Iuh.   ri'i'l.- les and Samuel Colfs uinlcr th.   Iirin nanie of Hamllion-IV'i'hles Ai  Cn.
I'nlon   Furnace   v^a^   \i\\\\\   lu   is.':'. by   Jas   Kodfjers.   .luhn   Mi-air-.   .l'.",.ii Sparks an('._VaU'utii.e  l"i iir    Th'-  rn;ii; name was    Jas.    Utnlvcrri \-  (Vi      it went Into blast in ISJT, aml.thi' t\ist are in It was Unlit hy Tims   W . M>;in-, the henlor nu>ml>er of MeHii>, K.\lf \ Co.. of Hanglitg KoeU. Dhio      li i)ri).' llurt'ii   but -a   toti   daily   nf   cold   ha-l ' charcoal  Iron,  !>tit   iiic eM'ti.isii      •[, the managerH ratsfi) il.e pn'ihiimi'i ;o .two anU"ir''half lon.s dally which was "considered  aH doing  vrry   well    K;rnr! name was afterwardiTcTftHmetl f) .Ini>. Bparks & Co.. afterward.-; owned  by j Thoa.   \V.   .Means and   David  Sininii.^ firm name SInton A Means.    The fur-, nace is now dismantled and the land | osraed by .Meafin. Kyle & Co., who! own also  the  Pine  Grove  ani)  Ohloj fomaeea  and   the   property   attached j thertto. 'in those days wages were j _^,4(j6f.    Wood was cm for 25 cents per! ifM: oom cost 12V4 cents per buah-l e):  hav from |4 to |C per ton. and. wkiskev was the almost necessary adr | Janet to every bargain and contract, j Abii«r,DmBy~worttiBrd~ar"tho"~Ui5lOTr ftamaM M a'rouster or general hand about the furnace for |6 per month. A. ycdce ot ox«i was worth from ISO