106 



him on the subject generally, and especially drew his attention to 

 the advisability of the formation of a railway from the mines to 

 Barrow. With his usual foresight, Mr. Walker entertained the 

 proposal favourably, and instructed his surveyors to ascertain the 

 advantages such a railway would confer both on the district and 

 on the mineral owners. The result was the formation of the 

 Furness Railway Company, with the Duke of Devonshire at its 

 head, who has remained the Chairman up to the present time. 

 This railway only extended, in the first instance, from Barrow five 

 miles up the country ; but it reduced the distance the ore had 

 to be carried from seven to two miles. This railway, while in 

 progress of formation, was supplemented by another, which, 

 branching off near Furness Abbey, was carried out along the 

 coast up to the Duke of Devonshire's slate quarries, and is now a 

 portion of the main line into Cumberland. This railway passes 

 the mines of Park and Roanhead, which were at that time undis- 

 covered. The railway was completed and opened in 1847, and 

 Sir James Ramsden was appointed the resident manager, and by 

 his energy and talent the Furness Railway Company has been 

 brought into its present condition. The effect of this railway was 

 to give an enormous impetus to the development of the mines, and 

 led to the extension being made to Ulverston, and subsequently to 

 Carnforth. The progress of mining industry was great, and the 

 amount of ore, which in 1841 amounted to less than 30,000 tons, 

 was increased in 1851 to 300,000 tons; in 1861, to 670,000 tons; 

 and in 1871, to over 1,000,000 tons; and ore has continued to be 

 produced at an average rate of from one to one-and-a-quarter 

 million tons per annum up to the present time. 



The opening of the Ulverston and Carnforth Railway for the 

 first time rendered it possible for ore to be smelted in the district, 

 and in 1859, the writer of this paper, with his partner, Mr. Hanney, 

 commenced building furnaces in Barrow, and this, it may fairly be 

 said, was the foundation of the present prosperity and development 

 of the entire district. 



In i860 the production of pig-iron was only a trifle, in 1861 it 

 reached 60,000 tons, and it has gained up to the present time 



