THK SYCAMOKK MILL. 97 



down in iSio, and was four limes as large as the latter build- 

 ing. This iron mill was used for making boiler plates, sheet 

 iron, for slitting, and for other work ; the iron for it, which 

 was in bars about two feet long, was carted from Philadelphia' 

 in wagons. 



The fuel used was the soft, bituminous, Virginia coal. 

 The war, however, made it difficult to obtain the fuel, the 

 cargo being of such character that the masters of coaling 

 vessels refused to carry it, for if chased while at sea it was 

 almost impossible to escape capture. The attempt was then 

 made to use charcoal, but that was expensive, and could not 

 be obtained in sufficient quantity. Fortune, however, came 

 to the relief of Malin & Bishop, and at the same time intro- 

 duced the use of anthracite coal. The incident is thus reported 

 in the first report of the Pottsville Board of Trade : 



" In the year i<Si2 our fellow citizen, Colonel George Shoe- 

 maker, procured a quantity of coal from a shaft sunk on a 

 tract he had recently purchased on the Norwegian, and now 

 owned by the North .\merican Coal Company and known as 

 the Centreville Mines. With this he loaded nine wagons and 

 proceeded to Philadelphia. Much time was spent by him in 

 endeavoring to introduce it to notice, but all his efforts proved 

 unavailing. Those who designed to try it declared Colonel 

 Shoemaker to be an imposter for attempting to impose stone 

 on Ihem for coal, and were clamorous against him. Not dis- 

 couraged by the sneers and sarcasm cast upon him, he per- 

 sisted in {\\^ undertaking, and at last succeeded in disposing 

 of two loads for the cost of transpc)rtation. and the remaining 

 seven he gave to peisons who promised to try to use it, and 

 lost all the coal and charges. Messrs. Mellon ( Malin ) 6c 

 Bishop, at the earnest solicitation of Shoemaker, were induced 

 to make a trial of it in their rolling mill in Delaware County, 

 and finiling it to answer fully the character given it by Colo- 

 nel Sho^^maker, noticed its usefulness in the Philadelphia, 

 papers, and from that period we may date the triumph of 

 reasni, aided by perseverance, over jirejudice." 



