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Lesley. ] [May 
large baskets on trucks. The coal floors are near enough the Furnace to 
allow the carts to go to it twice a day; some, however, ean be reached 
but once a day. The dependence of extensive works must be on a river 
navigation and coaling depots above, as has already been said. 
One hundred and ten bushels of charcoal go to the ton of iron at this 
furnace, making, say, six tons. An enlarged stack could easily make ten 
or twelve. The Shelby Furnace in Alabama, sixty feet high, is making 
at the present moment, with charcoal, sixteen (16) tons, by information I 
have indirectly from the keeper, although it is reported she has made 
twenty. The report is incorrect ; she has never exceeded sixteen. But 
this shows what can be done with charcoal and brown hematite ore. In 
smelting rich fusible lump ore, one ton of metal requires from one-third 
to one and a-quarter tons of hard charcoal, or from one and a-half to three 
tons of soft charcoal. 
Coke, however, is the future dependence of Embreeville Works on an 
extensive scale. The Cumberland Mountain, west of Knoxville, (Coal 
Creek, Cove Creek, ete.,) has numerous workable beds of good bitumin- 
ous coking coals. The Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad is already car- 
rying these coals from the mines to the factories and ironworks of Knox- 
ville and other towns along the East Tennessee Railroad, including 
Jonesborough, Contracts can be made for the delivery of any amount of 
Cumberland Mountain (Waldron Ridge) coal at Jonesborough, for $3.25 
to $3.50 per ton. If the eight mile branch to Embreeville were built, 
costing with bridge and rolling stock, say $150,000, the coal could be 
landed at the Furnace at a cost of something under $4, and there coked ; 
or, which would be better, coking establishments could be organized in 
the Cumberland Mountains, along Cove Creek, and the coke be deposited 
at Embreeville for about $4.50, owing to the fact that—1. One-half the 
weight of the car-load would be saved by carrying it in the form of coke ; 
2. The waste in dust would be saved; and, 3. The slake waste at the 
mines would be coked with the lump. 
Now, 6} cents a bushel is paid at the Furnace for charcoal, or, 64110 
= $6.873, to make a ton of metal. 
Coke furnaces require from 1.1 to 2.3 tons of coke to make 1 ton of 
iron, according to their size, shape, and especially the quality of ores em- 
ployed. For brown hematites it would not be safe to assume less than 14, 
and it might go up to 1? tons of coke to one of metal. If coke could be 
got at Embreeville for $4.50, the coke for 1 ton of iron would still cost 
$6.75, as against $6.87} for charcoal. 
But while a charcoal furnace is producing 45 tons of metal a week, a 
coke furnace with hot blast is producing from 150 to 200 tons a week. 
It would be unwise to erect more than two first-class chareoal furnaces 
at a point like Embreeville, in view of the extensive and complicated sys- 
tem of coaling and boating required. These would make 10 tons a day 
sach, or 140 tons of metal per week. Whereas four coke furnaces might 
ee 
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