So much for the ores of the Eastern Iron Region.
38 lines✦
3. Its Furnaces and Forges. Statistics <^ these are given in thetables at the close of the article on Iron. There are nine furnaces, and all, but Tellico, cold blast ; of these,five were in operation in 1854, and produced 1855 t<ms of cast-iroik^ —Tellico and Pleasant Valley producing by far the greater part. The forges are much more numerous, there being thirty-nine, ofwhich thirty-two are bloomaries and seven refineries; making alto*gether, in 1854, 912 tons of bar-iron, and 480 tons of blooms. IBON. 89 <* In additioa to these, there is a rolling-mill in connection withPleasant Valley Furnace. For remaining statistics, reference can be had to the tables. 64. SemarkSy etc. Although the actual production of this ironregion is considerable, yet it can be and ought to be greater. Hitherto,a serious difficulty has been the want of a suitable market. The rail-roads of East Tennessee, however, and a fresh and yigorous enter-prise, are about^ in a great measure, to remove the difficulty. Thereis one suggestion, nevertheless, which we must be permitted to make,and that is with reference to an outlet for the iron of Johnson andCarter. A good macadamized road, leading from Taylorsville down one ofthe valleys to the Watauga, thence out through Elizabethton to thenearest railroad ddpdt, with strong and good bridges over all thestreanus, is very much needed ; it would give new life to the ironbusiness in these counties, and, without doubt, quadruple it in a fewyears. As a matter of policy, the State, perhaps, ought to aid in thisenterprise. We desire to see several furnaces and a rolling-mill inJohnson, and with such a road, in a few years there would be. 65. We now pass to the western part of the Valley of East Ten-nessee. The middle part — ^that included between the iron regions —has not, as yet, afforded any very extensive banks, or localities ofiron-ore. Small deposites of the brown ore, however, are very numer-ous. They can be found upon most of the cherty ridges, which arebased on the limestones of Formation IV. The ore occurs, withinlimited areas, scattered though the soil. At some points enoughoould be obtained to supply a bloomary for several years. No forges,however, nor furnaces, are located in this part of the valley.
✦