616 TRANS ACTIOXS OF THE 



week, three thousand tons of ore, out of which there is made, every 

 week, from twelve to fifteen hundred tons of pig iron, by using 

 about three thousand tons of anthracite coal, from Luzerne 

 county, drawn about forty-five miles by canal. Of this pig iron, 

 about seven hundred tons of finished rails are made per week, 

 using about fifteen hundred tons of coal per week. The quality 

 of the rails is equal to any made in the United States or imported 

 from Europe. 



These great works arose from the discussions on iron, held in 

 the American Institute at its conversational meetings, some 

 twelve or fifteen years ago. The question then was, can we 

 make railroad iron? The negative was very pertinaciously 

 sustained by gentlemen in the foreign iron interest. 



Mr. Selleck says that even this large production of iron is 

 constantly on the increase at Danville. 



STEAMSHIPS— PREVENTION OF LOSS BY FIRE. 



By Henry Meigs, May 21, 1857. 



The entire furnaces and machinery must be inclosed in a 

 compartment made of the heaviest boiler iron, and its upper 

 edges must rise some feet above the upper deck 3 over this a 

 trellis work sufficient for men to walk over. 



In common practice, wood- work is so near the furnaces that 

 pine knots give out their turpentine and are ready for instant 

 and overpowering flames. 



It is not necessary that the great iron kitchen should be so 

 fastened to the frame of the ship as to be wrenched or injured by 

 the working of the timbers. And tlie whole hold of the ship 

 should have cargo cells of like strength, especially all along the 

 middle of the ship, so that if the side cells should be injured, 

 the middle ones would not. Hatchways over each cell convenient 

 to put in or take out cargo. Thus safety from fire and sinking 

 are immensely more sure than under our modern extra hazardous 

 steam ship structure. We think that if the mid section, from 

 stem to stern was an iron tube so much the better. 



