SCHMIDT IRON MANUFACTURE IN MISSOURI. 271 



in the blast-furnace is abundant in the vicinity of St. Louis, as it 

 is also in almost all parts of the State south of the Missouri river. 

 St. Louis district, as above defined, contains at present the fol- 

 lowing larger establishments for the manufacture of pig-iron, or 

 of wrought-iron : 



Vulcan Iron Works, at South St. Louis, with three blast-furnaces and one 



large puddling and rolling mill. 

 Jupiter Iron Works, at South St. Louis, with one large blast-furnace. 

 South St. Louis Iron Works, at South St. Louis, with two blast-furnaces. 

 Missouri Furnace Works, at South St. Louis, with two blast-furnaces. 

 Helmbacher Forge, at South St. Louis, with a puddling and rolling mill 

 Laclede Rolling Mill, in the northern suburbs of St. Louis. 

 Meier Rolling Mill, at East St. Louis, Ills. 

 Bessemer Iron Works, at Bessemer, Ills., opposite South St. Louis, with 



two blast-furnaces. 



There are, besides the above, several important forges and mills 

 producing wrought-iron for the manufacture of various special- 

 ties, such as McDonald's Steam Forge, at South St. Louis ; the 

 Harrison Wire Works, in Western St. Louis; and the St. Louis 

 Nut and Bolt Works, at East St. Louis, Ills. 



The manufacture of coke from Illinois coal has been started in 

 East St. Louis. This branch of industry is well worth the atten- 

 tion and support of both the pig-iron manufacturers and the own- 

 ers of Illinois coal mines; of the former, because it makes them 

 less dependent on the supply from distant Pennsylvania, and may 

 therefore become of very high importance to them in certain 

 easily imaginable emergencies. The erection of large and effi- 

 cient coke-works would be also advantageous to the owners of 

 coal mines in Illinois, because coke-works can use up all the fine 

 coal and pa}' a fair price for it, while without them the price of 

 slack-coal will naturally decrease in proportion to the production 

 of coal in general, and will finally, in places, become entirely un- 

 salable. As it has been practically proved at the coke-works of 

 East St. Louis, and of Grand Tower, that the Big Muddy coal, as 

 well as the coal from an extensive district north and east of the 

 Big Muddy field, is able to produce a good furnace-coke, a well 

 arranged and well conducted coking establishment must necessa- 

 rily become a successful enterprise, provided that reasonable 

 terms can be obtained from the railroads for the transport of coal- 

 slack and of coke. The most available place for the erection of 



