418 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



manufacturers. To be sure, it will be objected that a false value is 

 thus given to a mine and its pi-oducts, but it is obvious that what 

 manufacturers need they will have even at a higher price. The 

 diflerence between the cost of reducing metal from such an ore and 

 that of obtaining iron from other ores, would be gladly paid by 

 those who desired that particular variety of iron for a specific pur- 

 pose which authorized the extra outlay. This is the case in the 

 present instance. The Woodstock works which were commenced, 

 upon a scale perhaps too large, went into operation a number of 

 years ago. The quality of iron was deemed excellent and the 

 products of the mine were readily disposed of in the Province of 

 New Brunswick. Some unforeseen occurrence led to the abandon- 

 ment of the furnace and mines by the first company, and they were 

 at last obtained by the present firm which has the corporate name, 

 "The Woodstock Charcoal Iron Company." 



To one of the obliging partners of this firm, I am indebted for 

 the following facts which he communicated to the Geologist of the 

 Survey, in my presence : 



The English Admiralty instituted experiments at Shoeburyness, 

 England, in order to test the resistance which iron plates would 

 offer to the heavy ordnance of Sir Wrn. Armstrong. In that trial 

 every plate was shattered except a triple plate made of Woodstock 

 iron. This plate was indented by the shot but not pierced, and 

 immediately attracted considerable attention. The fine results ob- 

 tained by the Woodstock plate determined the use of the iron in 

 mail-plating the ships in the English navy. An interesting account 

 of the experiments testing these plates can be found iu "The Arti- 

 zan." The paper was prepared by Wm. Fairbairn, Esq., F. R. S., 

 and gives us the following results — 



Tensile strength in tons per square inch, . . 24.80 



Scrap-iron plates were readily shattered by the shot. 



For this purpose the Woodstock works are now busily engaged. 

 The ore is brought two miles to the furnaces, and- is now being 

 rapidly reduced. Charcoal made on the company's grounds is 

 employed in reduction. The limestone is brought a distance of a 

 few miles. 



The furnace is a blast of old style and will soon be replaced by 

 one having greater capacity and being much more economical. 

 The fan-engine is also old-fashioned. The boiler is ingeniously 

 heated by escape-air from the furnace itself. 



