202 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



Styrian steel ; so much at least is proved, that there 

 is no lack of iron suitable for the purpose. 



The following forges and high-furnaces are to be 

 found merely in Berks County in Pensylvania : 



Mr. Udree's forge, Glasgow-forge, Pine-forge, 

 Spring-forge, and Oley-forge. 



Furnaces: i) Mr. Udree's, already mentioned. 2) 

 Mr. Bird's, whose iron-mines are said to yield lead 

 also. Two men supply as much as the furnace uses. 

 3) John Patten's, ten miles above Reading, near 

 Heidelberg ; the ore from the mines is not sufficient 

 and more is fetched from Schefferstown and Grubb's 

 mine, 10-15 miles off. 4) Warwick-Furnace, 19 miles 

 from Reading, near to Pottsgrove, makes the most 

 iron ; often 40 tons a week ; the ore lies only 10 ft. be- 

 low the surface. 5) Reading- furnace, not far from 

 the preceding ; is at present gone to ruin ; at one time 

 there was often smelting here for 12-18 months to- 

 gether. The story is that a negro who had been fore- 

 man at this furnace discovered silver in the region and 

 made an excellent thing of it; but being at outs with 

 his master could not be induced to disclose the spot ; 

 he broke his neck accidentally and they still look in 

 vain for his silver. 



The Oley hills run pretty well northeast to south- 

 west ; but not quite regularly, making a few turns. 

 The hills between them are smaller, broken, and lie in 

 sundry directions. 



They told us of the Ringing-hill, or as the Germans 

 call it the Klingelberg which lies on the road from 

 Philadelphia to Reading, some 36 miles from Phila- 

 delphia, near Falkner's Swamp or Pottsgrove. On 

 this hill there is a quantity of large, loose rock-frag- 



