USA > Tennessee > Williamson County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 30
USA > Tennessee > Maury County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 30
USA > Tennessee > Rutherford County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 30
USA > Tennessee > Wilson County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 30
USA > Tennessee > Bedford County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 30
USA > Tennessee > Marshall County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 30
USA > Tennessee > History of Tennessee from the earliest time to the present , together with an historical and a biographical sketch of from twenty-five to thirty counties of east Tennessee, besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, reminiscences, etc., etc. V. 1 > Part 30
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plishment of which they had any knowledge were crude in conception and often very difficult to obtain.
The iron industry of Tennessee, however, made steady progress after the opening of the present century. Both furnaces and bloomaries mul- tiplied rapidly. In 1856 there were enumerated over 75 forges and bloomaries, 71 furnaces, and 4 rolling-mills in the State, each of which had been in operation at some period after 1790. Of the furnaces, 29 were in East Tennessee, and 42 in Middle and West Tennessee. Of the latter, 14 were in Stewart County, 12 in Montgomery, 7 in Dickson, 2 in Hickman, 2 in Perry, 2 in Decatur, 2 in Wayne, and 1 in Hardin Coun- ty. The furnaces in East Tennessee were mainly in Sullivan and Car- ter Counties, Sullivan having 5, and Carter 7; but Johnson, Washington, Greene, Cocke, Sevier, Monroe, Hamilton, Claiborne, Campbell, Grainger and Union Counties, each had 1 or 2 furnaces, while Roane County had 3., The forges and bloomaries were mainly located in East Tennessee. Johnson County contained 15, Carter 10, Sullivan 6, Washington 3, Greene 10. Campbell 7, Blount 4, Roane 7, Rhea 3, and a few other counties 1 and 2 each. Nearly all of these were bloomaries. In West Tennessee there were less than a dozen refinery forges, and 1 or 2 bloomaries. These forges were mainly employed, from about 1825 to 1860, in the manufacture of blooms for rolling-mills, many of which were sold to mills in the Ohio Valley. Most of the furnaces, forges and bloom- aries enumerated have been abandoned. There still remain in the State 20 charcoal furnaces and about the same number of forges and bloom- aries. Cumberland Rolling-mill, on the left bank of the Cumberland River, in Stewart County, was built in 1829. It was, probably, the first establishment of the kind in the State, and was the only one as late as 1856.
Since the close of the civil war, Chattanooga has become the most prominent iron center in Tennessee, having several iron enterprises of its own, and others in its vicinity. In 1854, Bluff Furnace was built to use charcoal, and at the beginning of the war, in 1861, the erection of the Vulcan Rolling-mill, to roll bar iron, was commenced. This mill was not finished in 1860, when it was burned by the Union forces. It was rebuilt in 1866. In 1864 a rolling-mill, to re-roll iron rails, was erected by the United States Government, under the supervision of John Fritz, superin- tendent of the Cambria Iron Works. In 1869 it was purchased by the Roane Iron Company, who at once put in puddling furnaces and began making iron rails. This company, the year previous, had purchased a large tract of land about seventy miles north of Chattanooga, in Roane County, and had built a small furnace with a capacity of about 9,000
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tons per year. The business was successful, and the company soon be- gan the erection of another and larger furnace, which was put in blast in 1872. Working capacity of the two, about 20,000 tons annually, which have since been doubled. The first open-hearth steel made in any Southern State, was made by this company, by the Siemens-Martin process, at Chattanooga, June 6, 1878.
The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company own three furnaces situated at Cowan and South Pittsburg, which have a combined capacity of about 75,000 tons. The one at the former place was built in 1880, and those at South Pittsburg, in 1879 and 1881.
Other furnaces which are more or less tributary to Chattanooga as a center are Oakdale, in Roane County, capacity, 21,000 tons; Citico, in that city, 35,000 tons; Dayton, in Rhea County, 70,000 tons, making an aggregate capacity of over 225,000 tons. In 18SO the total production of the blast furnace of the State was reported at only 47,873 tons, show- ing an increase of little less than 500 per cent during the past six years. The grand aggregate of iron and steel manufactured in Tennessee accord-' ing to the last census was 77,100 tons, valued at $2,274,253. The cap- ital invested in this industry amounted to $3,681, 776, and was distribu- ted among forty-three establishments. The six leading counties in the order of production were Hamilton, 35,645 tons; Marion, 17,958 tons; Roane, 12,000 tons; Knox, 4,181 tons; Dickson, 2,400 tons, and Stewart, 1,800 tons.
The number of establishments engaged in the manufacture of ma- chinery, nails, car-wheels and other articles using iron as raw material, is annually increasing. The capital invested in this branch of the iron industry in Chattanooga amounts to over $500,000, and the annual prod- uct of iron to over $800,000. Knoxville, also, has a considerable amount of capital invested in manufactories of this class. The Knoxville Car- Wheel Company in 1880, with a capital of $101,000, was turning out an average of thirty-five car-wheels per day. The Knoxville Iron Company was incorporated in 1864, and in 1880 had a capital stock paid in of $230,000. It employs 250 hands, and has a capacity of 200 kegs of nails per day. It has eight puddling furnaces, four trains of rollers, and thirty nail machines. Besides nails the company makes railroad spikes, boat spikes, street rails and light T rails.
The Knoxville Foundry & Machine Company had an invested cap- ital in 1880 of $45,000, and employed forty hands. This company man- ufactures mill machinery, castings, steam engines, boilers, saw-mills, der- ricks and other machinery of that class. Nashville and Memphis are not very extensively engaged in iron manufacturing. In 1880 the number
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of foundries and machine shops in the former city was thirteen, with a capital of $143,300, and an annual production of $487,451. The extent of this business in Memphis does not differ materially from that in Nashville.
As great and important as are the iron resources of Tennessee, they would be of little value were it not for the vast bodies of coal which lie adjacent. Previous to 1850 but very little coal was mined, and that was mostly used in blacksmithing. The pioneer in the coal business of Ten- nessee was Henry H. Wiley, of Anderson County, a native of Virginia. and a land surveyor by profession. He opened a mine on Poplar Creek. and for many years during the winter months boated coal down to Hunts- ville and Decatur, Ala. He hauled the coal four miles to a point below the junction of the four forks of Poplar Creek, where it was put in boats. floated out that stream to the Clinch, then into the Tennessee, and thence to its destination. This mine was opened in 1852. Other mines, how- ever, had been opened several years previous, one or two as early as 1840. but these had been worked merely for local supply. One of the first opened was at what is known as the Tracy City Mine, now the most ex- tensive in the State. The seam of coal at this place was discovered by some boys hunting a rabbit; the animal ran under the root of a tree, and in digging it out the coal was found. They reported the discovery to their father, Ben Wooten, and he, thinking it might be of some value. got out a grant for 500 acres covering the opening. The Wooten Bros. afterward opened the seam, and for many years hauled the coal down the mountain to the blacksmiths in the valley, and some was sent to- Nashville. In 1852 Roorman Johnson, John Cryder, S. F. Tracy and others, of New York, came to Tennessee looking for opportunities for in- vestment. They were shown this property and soon after purchased it. A company was then formed under the name of the Sewanee Mining Company, which had a paid in capital of $400,000. In 1854 the con- struction of a railroad from the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad to the mines was commenced, but was not completed until 1859, when the com- pany found themselves $400,000 in debt. They were sued by both the New York and Tennessee creditors. The latter, represented by A. S. Colyar, obtained the first judgment, bought in the property and re-organ- ized the company under the name of the Tennessee Coal & Railroad Com- pany, with Colyar as president. In 1862 the mines were abandoned by the company, but were taken possession of by the United States troops. and for some time were worked for the use of the army. At the close of the war a compromise was effected with the New York creditors, and. with P. A. Marbury as general manager, operations were recommenced.
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In 1868 the manufacture of coke in pits on the ground was begun, and during the year 5,377 bushels were shipped. In 1873 the company fore- saw that to make a great and profitable business the manufacture of coke must form a large part of their business, and that that coke must be a good iron-making fuel. A small furnace was erected on the mountain, and this experiment satisfactorily tested. During that year the ship- ment of coke amounted to 62,175 bushels. The erection of the Chatta- nooga Iron Company's furnace gave great impetus to the enterprise, and in 1874 the coke shipment increased to 619,403 bushels. The next year the entire property was sold to Cherry, O'Connor & Co., who in 1SS0 be- gan the erection of a furnace at Cowan, which was finished in July, 1881. In the early part of the following year the property was sold to John H. Inman and others, Tennessee parties retaining a one-third interest. The name was changed to the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company.
The first coal shipped from this mine .since the war was in June, 1866, and shipments for remainder of the year amounted to 9,240 tons. In 1870 they amounted to 47,110 tons of coal and 413 tons of coke; in 1875, to 109,100 tons of coal and 16,160 tons of coke; in 1880, to 114,- 170 tons of coal and 64,440 tons of coke; 1883, 126,784 tons of coal and 101,090 tons of coke; 1884, 152,307 tons of coal and 100,935 tons of coke. For several years about one-half of the labor employed in these mines has been that of convicts. The company have a very large tract of land, 25,000 acres of which is underlaid with the Sewanee seam of coal, ranging from two to seven feet in thickness.
The Rockwood mines, owned by the Roane Iron Company, are located in Roane County, ninety-two miles above Chattanooga. This remarkable body of coal was discovered in 1840 by William Green, an employe of John Brown. Green and William Brown soon after entered the land, and began mining the coal for local purposes. This was continued until 1867, when the property was purchased by a company, of which Gen. John T. Wilder was vice-president and manager. As has been stated, the company erected two blast furnaces, and to supply them began the manufacture of coke. This latter branch of their business has steadily increased until they now have 180 ovens.
The Etna mines are situated in Marion County, fourteen miles from Chattanooga in what is known as Raccoon Mountain. They were first opened in 1852 by an Eastern company working under a lease from Rob- ert Cravens and the Boyce and Whiteside estates. Since that time they have been operated by several different companies and individuals with varied success and reverses. The present company was organized in August, 1881, under the name of the Etna Coal Company. The mines
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now operated are owned by the company, the estate consisting of about 3,000 acres, extending from the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Rail- way to the Tennessee River. The veins worked are known as the Kelly and Oak Hill. From the Kelly Mine a coke is made for foun- dry use exclusively, while that from Oak Hill is used for blast fur- naces. The former mine was originally opened for general domestic use and the product was sold largely in Nashville, Chattanooga and else- where, but its superior qualities for blacksmith use and for the manufac- ture of coke soon caused the trade to drift almost exclusively into that channel. In 1880 about one-fourth of the entire output was coked, the remainder being sold to blacksmiths throughout the South. In 1SS4 the company had sixty-four coke ovens, and the output from January 1 to November 1 was coal, 41,205 tons, and coke, 533,436 bushels.
The Soddy Cave Company's mines are located on the Cincinnati Southern Railway, twenty-one miles from Chattanooga, at Rathburn Sta- tion. This mine was opened in 1867 by an association of Welshmen on the co-operative plan. It proved a failure, and the mine went into the hands of a receiver. The present company took charge in 1877, and the business has since steadily increased. They have 150 coke ovens. Their output from ten months preceding November 1, 1884, was 96,000 tons of coal, of which 32,000 tons were converted into coke. They ship to Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
The Walden's Ridge Coal Company is a corporation with the same stock holders as the Soddy Company. They operate a mine on Rocky Creek, nine miles farther up the railroad, having begun in 1883. Two seams are worked, the lower for coking exclusively, and the upper for steam and domestic purposes. In 1884 thirty-five coke ovens were in operation, producing 404,949 bushels of coke annually. These mines were worked as far back as 1843, but little coal except for blacksmithing was consumed at that time. The first coal mined here for shipment was by Thomas A. Brown and John Baxter, of Knoxville, in 1866.
The coal lands at Coal Creek, in Anderson County, are owned by the Coal Creek Consolidated Mining Company. There are now six mines being worked at that place, of which two are operated by the above com- pany and the remainder leased to the Knoxville Iron Company, the Coal Creek Coal Company, the New River Coal Company, and H. B. and Joel Bowling. The Coal Creek mines were first opened for shipping coal upon the completion to that place of the Knoxville & Ohio Railroad. in 1870. The shipments in 1871 amounted to 36,000 tons; in 1875, 62 .- 369 tons; in 1880, 150,000 tons; and in 1882. 200.000 tons. The Knox- ville Iron Company operates a mine about one and one-half miles from
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the main track of the Knoxville & Ohio division of the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad. They employ about 150 convicts and thirty-four laborers. During the year 1882 the company shipped 98,645 tons of coal to various markets in southwest Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. For the first ten months of 1884 their output amounted to 204,978 tons.
The Dayton Coal & Iron Company's mines are located in Rhea County, Tenn., and are owned by English capitalists. These mines have been recently opened, and are designed mainly to supply coke for the blast furnaces which have been built.
The Standard Coal & Coke Company is composed of Tennessee cap- italists who own about 1,400 acres of land, underlaid by a seam of coal four and one-half feet thick. Their mine is situated near Newcomb Station, in Campbell County. They employ 175 men, and produce about 350 tons of coal per day.
The Poplar Creek mines are located in Morgan County. These mines are all small. They are operated by the following companies: Poplar Creek, Mount Carbon, Winter's Gap, Eureka and Oliver.
The Glum Mary Coal & Coke Company is located in Scott County, on the Cincinnati Southern Railroad.
The Tobler, Crudup Coal & Coke Company was incorporated in 1881. They own 7,000 acres of land in Hamilton County, and put out about 200 tons of coal daily.
One of the most promising fields of industrial activity in East Ten- nessee, is the development of the wonderful marble quarries in the vicin- ity of Knoxville. These marbles have obtained a reputation second to no other in the United States, and it is said that when they come into com- petition with foreign marble, they are greatly preferred and sell for a much higher price. The varieties are almost innumerable, and are of the most exquisite colors. Their solidity, durability and susceptibility of polish make them unequaled for building and monumental purposes. Although nearly fifty years have elapsed since the first marble quar- ry was opened, the business is still in its infancy, but is now developing rapidly.
The Hawkins County marble was the first quarried, and it is said that it was brought to notice by the favorable expression with reference to it by Dr. Troost, the first State geologist.
In 1838 the Rogersville Marble Company was formed for the pur- pose of sawing marble and establishing a marble factory in the vicinity of Rogersville. Orville Rice was elected president, and S. D. Mitchell secretary. The company operated to a limited extent for several years,
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erected a mill and sold several thousand dollars worth of marble annual- ly, which was mostly distributed in East Tennessee. In 1844 the com- pany sold out to the president, Rice, who on a moderate scale carried on the business for many years. He sent a block of the "light mottled strawberry variety" to the Washington monument. This was called the "Hawkins County Block," and bears the inscription "From Hawkins County, Tennessee." Another block of one of the best varieties was sent by act of the Legislature, which was called the "State Block." These blocks attracted the attention of the building committee of the National Capitol, who, although they had numerous specimens from all parts of the Union before them, decided in favor of the East Tennessee marble. An agent was sent out by them to ascertain whether or not it could be ob- tained in quantity, who upon examination found the supply apparently inexhaustible. As a result of these circumstances, an extensive quarry af- fording an excellent material has been opened near Mooresburg, Hawkins County, and is now known as the old Dougherty Quarry. From this was obtained marble for probably one-half of the ornamental work in the Cap- Hlol at Washington. The balustrades and columns of the stairs leading up to the House and Senate galleries, the walls of the marble room and other parts of the building are made from it. It has since been used in the United States Treasury building, the State-house at Columbia, S. C., and many of the finest buildings in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Cincinnati. The stone from this quarry has not been used for general construction on account of the high price which it commands for orna- mental work.
In 1852 James Sloan opened a quarry about two miles north of Knox- ville, near the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad. It was from this quarry that the variegated marble used in the capitol at Nash- ville was obtained.
The first quarry in the vicinity of Concord was opened in the lands of William T. Smith by S. L. King, 1856. He also constructed a small mill on Lime Creek, where some marble was sawed.
Col. John Williams also opened a quarry previous to the war, a few miles northeast of Knoxville. from which marble of the gray variety was obtained.
The most extensive quarry in Tennessee, and one of the oldest now in operation in the vicinity of Knoxville, was opened by the United States Government in 1869 to procure stone for the construction of the custom house and postoffice buildings at Knoxville. A considerable quantity of this marble was also used in the State Capitol at Albany, New York. The quarry is located at the junction of the French Broad and Holston Rivers,
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DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUM, KNOXVILLE.
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and the stone is carried by boat four miles to Knoxville. This marble is susceptible of a high polish, and when so polished has a pink tinge and shows dark wavy lines running through it. It is highly esteemed for mantels and table-tops, because it is not easily stained. It is also largely used for cemetery work, and tombstones which have been exposed for thirty years do not show the slightest signs of disintegration or wear.
Morgan & Williams operate two quarries within two miles of Knox- ville, one of them producing a white marble, and the other a pink mate- rial known as Knoxville marble. The former was used in the construc- tion of the custom house at Memphis, and the shaft of the Lee monument at New Orleans is made of it. The supply of this marble is practically inexhaustible.
The total capital invested in the marble business in Knox County in 1884 was estimated at $250,000, and the number of men employed at 300. The following were the quarries in operation at that time: the Cross Cut Marble Company, Morgan & Williams, John M. Ross, Craig & MeMullen, T. P. Thomas & Co., R. II. Armstrong & Co., H. H. Brown & Co., Harvey & Smith, Franklin Marble Company, Beach & Co., C. B. Ross & Co., and the Lima & East Tennessee Marble Company .* The only ones using machinery are the Knoxville Marble Company and Morgan & Williams. The former has five steam drills, seven steam derricks, and runs a saw-mill with two gangs of saws. Morgan & Williams have three steam channeling machines, and a mill with one gang of saws. In Knoxville Beach & Co. and the Crescent Marble Company have mills for sawing and machinery for polishing. There is a demand for a greater amount of capital in this branch of the business.
The amount of marble in Hawkins County is very great, and its va- riegated varieties possess greater brilliancy than those of any other sec- tion. The business of quarrying has not increased in the same propor- tion as in Knox County, on account of the poor facilities for transporta- tion. The quarries in operation in 1884 were Prince & Co., Chestnut & Chestnut, John Harnn & Co., Chestnut & Fulkerson, James White, the Dougherty Quarry, Joseph Stamps and the Baltimore Marble Com- pany. The business at none of these quarries is carried on very exten- sively, and but little machinery is used. For the year ending June 30, 1881, there was shipped from such of these quarries as were operat- ing 20,000 cubic feet of marble, all of which was of the finest grade for ornamental purposes, and was worth on an average $+ per cubic foot upon the cars. The chief markets of this marble are Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, Boston and other Northern cities. The amount of
* " Hand Book of Tennessee."
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marble shipped over the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad. for the year ending June 30, 1871, was about 7,000 cubic feet, of which Hawkins County furnished all but about 350 cubic feet. For the year ending June 30, 1881, the amount shipped over the same railroad was about 80,000 cubic feet, valued at $240,000. Of the entire amount Knox County furnished not far from 56,000 cubic feet.
Hamblen County produces marble of good quality, but chiefly for local use. Extensive beds of excellent marble exist in Bradley County on the Hiwassee River, above Charleston, at which machinery has lately been erected and preparations made for work on a large scale. South of Cleveland, near the Georgia line, is the quarry of Patrick & Smith, from which a beautiful grade of pink marble is obtained. Although mar- ble in greater or less quantities and of various kinds is found in several other counties of the State, no quarries of importance are now in opera- tion in any of them.
Concord, in Knox County, has recently become the center of a large' number of quarries, there being no less than eight companies operating in that vicinity, all of which have been organized since 1880. The Li- ma & East Tennessee Marble Company, operating the Red Triangle Quarry, was organized in 1882, and made their first shipment in June of that year. Their marble, light and dark variegated, is remarkably sound, and meets with a ready sale in the cities of the North. The Con- cord marble quarries, operated by Brown, Godfrey & Co., were opened in 1881. They employ an average force of 150 hands, and make large shipments, principally to New York and Boston. Woods & Stamps began operations in 1884, and work a large force of hands. The Juniata Marble Company made their first opening in February, 1883. Their quarries are situated in Blount County, near Louisville. The company employ about thirty-five hands, and have machinery in operation for sawing the marble into slabs. The Great Bend Marble Company, Kin- kaid & Co. and the Cedar Bluff Marble Manufacturing & Railway Company, all opened quarries during 1885.
The number of men now employed in the marble business in East Tennessee is estimated at 2,000. The shipments from the various sta- tions in 1885 aggregated 1,236 car loads, worth from $250 to $300 each. There were also manufactured at home about 100 car loads. The ship- ments for 1886 will not fall short of 1,500 car loads.
. Although suspended at the present time, the mining of copper was carried on extensively for many years in Polk County. The discovery of the ore was made in 1843, but none was mined until 1847, when a Ger- man named Webber, securing a lease, took out ninety casks of ore and
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shipped them to the Revere Smelting Works near Boston. The results not proving satisfactory, he suspended operations and gave up his lease. A year or two later John Caldwell, upon petitioning the Legislature, obtained the passage of a law under which he secured a lease of a section of school land near Ducktown. In May, 1850, he began mining in the woods, and during the year sunk two shafts, from both of which he obtained copper. The next year in connection with S. Congdon, the agent of the Tennessee Mining Company, he opened what was afterward known as the Hiwassee Mine. For the first two or three years the ore was carried out of the mountains on mules, but in 1853 a wagon road was completed at a cost of $22,000. In 1855 there were fourteen mines in operation, and over $1,000,000 worth of ore was shipped to the North. Three years later a number of the companies united under the name of the Union Consolidated Copper Company, but the war coming on soon. after nothing of importance was then accomplished. In 1866 operations. were again commenced and were rapidly extended. Up to June 1. 1873, this company had taken out 8,476,872 pounds of ingol copper, worth an average of 26 cents per pound. At that time they employed 562 men and ran sixteen furnaces. The whole value of their property was $174,- 549.30. In 1873 there was one other large company operating near Ducktown, known as the Burra Burra Copper Company. It ran nine furnaces and employed 158 men, paying out for wages $60,000. It also consumed 10,192 cords of wood and produced 917,329 pounds of ingot copper, valued at $192,639.
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