PART II. 

 FUELS AND THEIR UTILIZATION. 



CHAPTER I. 

 CHARCOAL MANUFACTURE IN TEXAS. 



BY JOHN BIEKINBINE. 



The existence of iron ores in the State of Texas naturally directs attention 

 towards the possibility of smelting them within the State, but the primary 

 requisite of fuel commands first attention, for unless future developments in- ' 

 dicate sources of mineral fuel different from what is now known, it may be 

 assumed that there is no immediate prospect of obtaining a supply of this 

 necessary article of a character suitable for iron manufacture within the limits 

 of the State. There is, however, another source of fuel, namely, charcoal, 

 upon which our earlier American iron industry was developed, and which 

 to-day is used in the production of a large quantity of pig iron, amounting in 

 the United States during the census year ending June 30, 1890, to 655,520 

 net tons. This amount of iron was produced in nineteen States, one of which 

 was Texas; and it is probable that a total of over 75,000,000 bushels of char- 

 coal were consumed in the census year for the production of pig iron alone. 

 In addition, a large quantity was used for other purposes connected with the 

 iron and other industries, for the smelting of silver ores, etc. 



Unfortunately, personal knowledge of the iron ore resources of Texas is 

 confined to the eastern portion, as the writer has not yet had an opportunity 

 of inspecting the deposits of Llano and adjacent counties. Although it has 

 been his privilege to traverse the State from Texarkana to Laredo, from El 

 Paso to Denison, and from Denison to Taylor, as well as minor trips through- 

 out the State, the remarks here made will be necessarily confined to the pro- 

 duction of charcoal for smelting iron ores in the eastern portion of Texas. 



The great Southern yellow pine belt, which extends into Texas, furnishes 

 wood from which excellent charcoal can be produced, and it is from this 

 class of fuel that most of the charcoal pig iron of Alabama is made. The 

 product of Alabama in the census year included 103,964 net tons of pig iron 

 made with charcoal. In addition to the yellow pine belt, the hard woods 

 which form a considerable portion of the vigorous forests o± Eastern Texas 

 will produce charcoal of superior quality. The extent and character of the 



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