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Vinton Furnace
| Firmenname | Vinton Furnace |
| Ortssitz | Vinton Station (USA) |
| Art des Unternehmens | Hochofenwerk |
| Anmerkungen | Eigentümer: Bancroft & Rader. One stack, 50 x 11, built in 1854; closed top; annual capacity, 6.000 net tons. Used Connellsville coke in 1874, native coke in 1875. Make their coke in Belgian ovens, and claim it is equal to Connellsville. In der Hanging Rock-Region. |
| Quellenangaben | [Ironworks of the United States (1876) 46] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 1853 |
"Clark, Culbertson & Company" wählen einen Platz für einen Holzkohle-Hochofen am Elk Fork, Madison Township, Vinton County als Ort, der gut mit Holz, Kalkstein und Erz versorgt ist. |
| 1854 |
Bau des Hochofens |
| 1859 |
Culbertson aus der Ursprungsfirma zieht sich zurück, Umfirmierung in "Means, Clark & Company". Cyrus Newkirk ist Betriebsleiter. |
| 1868/1869 |
Um 1868/69 wird ein Schacht westlich des Hochofens ca. 130 feet tief zur Quakertown oder No. 2 -Kohle abgeteuft, mit der Absicht, diese als Brennstoff zu benutzen. |
| 1872 |
Thomas B. Bancroft und sein Partner, Charles I. Rader, mieten die Anlage von den in Philadelphia ansässigen Eigentümern und schmelzen die vor Ort vorkommenden Erze mit der Kohle aus dem Schacht, was sich aufgrund des Schwefel- und Asche-Anteils als Fehlschlag erweist. |
| 1872 |
Umbenennung in "Vinton Coal and Iron Company" unter Bancroft. Sowohl Roheisen als auch Kohle werden verkauft. |
| 1874 |
Der Hochofen wird mit Koks betrieben. |
| 1883 |
Der Holzkohlehochofen wird um 1883 eingegstellt. |
| 1883 |
Bald nach der Außerbetriebsetzung des Holzkohlehochofens wird ein Kohle-Hochofen (50 x 11 feet) gebaut. |
| Produkt |
ab |
Bem. |
bis |
Bem. |
Kommentar |
| Roheisen |
1876 |
[Ironworks of U.S. (1876)] |
1876 |
[Ironworks of U.S. (1876)] |
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| Bezeichnung |
Bauzeit |
Hersteller |
| Dampfmaschine |
1872-75 |
Portsmouth Foundry and Machine Works |
Zeit = 1: Zeitpunkt unbekannt
| Zeit |
Bezug |
Abfolge |
andere Firma |
Kommentar |
| 1876 |
Nebenwerk |
zuvor |
Bancroft & Rader |
Stand: 1876 |
| ZEIT | 1875 |
| THEMA | Beschreibung |
| TEXT | Our readers will remember that in May last we noticed, in these columns, the preparation being made by Messrs. Bancroft & Rader, proprietors of the Vinton Furnace, for converting coal into coke. At that time,
Mr. Charles I. Rader was superintending the construction of a small oven for the purpose of experimenting with the hill coal on the lands of the Vinton Furnace & Coal Co. By the process in that oven, a very excellent quality of coke was produced. It was then resolved to go into the manufacture of coke on a larger scale...to manufacture a sufficient quantity required for the use in the furnace. The erection of a building 50 feet high, 62 feet long, and 32 feet wide in which to place an engine and machinery took place. The construction of 24 ovens on a site just south of the furnace stack was started together with the excavation of ground in preparation for the laying of a pavement of firebrick 40 by 100 feet on which coke from the ovens would be discharged. On the opposite side of the oven battery, a track was laid upon which to operate a coke pushing engine. All of that was completed over a month ago, when the engine and machinery were set up, and everything made ready for operation. A 30 horse power engine was furnished by the Portsmouth Foundry & Machine Co. at a cost of $1,400. One of H. Bradford's Coal and Ore Separators was provided by Carter, Allen & Co. of Tomaqua, PA at a cost of 6,000. The Jigger and Separator were placed in perfect running order by William Leckie, a gentleman from Philadelphia, sent by the Patentee. There are two methods of manufacture of coke in use...one in ovens, and the other in large open heaps on the ground. The twenty-four ovens built by Messrs. Bancroft & Rader are more durable and far superior in every respect to any ever built in this or in the old world countries. They are known as "J. King McClananan's Improved Coke Ovens," and are an improvement on the "Belgian type" of coke ovens. Messrs. Bamcroft & Rader, two of the most energetic iron manufacturers in Ohio, notwithstanding the distressing conditions of money market of the country, have already spent over 46,000 in the enterprise. The ovens are built with Webster Firebrick, arranged together in one stack, each oven being 22 feet long, 6 feet high and arched over the top, and 2 1/2 feet wide, covering an area of 22 by 100 feet. The two outside ovens are supported by substantial stone abutments. There are 20 down flues to each oven and 4 up flues leading to a chimney. The 30 down flues lead to the 4 up flues, which connect with the chimney, 8 feet high, on each oven. The gas from the coal enters the down flues, passes around and under the bottom and through the up flues to the chimneys, thereby completely surrounding the coal to be coked with hot sides and bottom. The charge of coal is 5 1/2 feet in thickness, or about 180 bushels, and the time consumed in the coking process occupies about 48 hours. At both ends of each oven are very heave iron doors lined with fire clay. When the coal is charged, those doors are closed and thoroughly luted with common or yellow clay to prevent the access of any air whatever. When the coke is ready to be drawn, the iron doors are opened, and a powerful pushing engine is immediately run in front of the open oven and the plug of coke is discharged to the opposite side where it is immediately quenched by a stream of water. The water, besides preventing combustion, eliminates a considerable amount of sulphur. The coke is now ready for use in the furnace and is filled in iron barrows or buggies and run directly to the tunnel head to be charged into the furnace. The coal used by Messrs. Bancroft & Rader is of the hill vein, commonly known as the limestone vein of coal. It is mined by drifting, the mouth of the drift being only 200 yards from the furnace stack or from the coal separator. The quantity of coal in that hiss alone is said to be sufficient to supply the wants of the furnace for twenty years. The coal, as it comes from the mine, is dumped over screen bars into a large hopper. Pieces too large to pass through the screen are broken so that no piece will exceed 4 inches square is size. From that hopper, the coal is fed to a set of toothed rollers which crush it to a size not to exceed 1/2 inch square. The coal from these rollers then passes through a small hopper beneath, from where it is taken by elevator buckets and carried to a distance of 50 feet in height where it is delivered to a revolving screen. All pieces too large to pass through the screen are returned, by means of a chute, to a second set of rollers which crushes it to the required size and delivers it to the same set of elevators as before described. The coal, as it passes through the screen, becomes assorted and is then delivered to jigs or separators, which have an up and down motion in water of 200 strokes per minute. The bottom of the jigs or separators consist of perforated sheets of iron with openings not larger than 1/2 inch square. The motion of the jigs in water keeps the coal in constant suspension and the specific gravity of the coal, being lighter than that of slate or sulphur, the coal passes over and into a hopper from which it is elevated and delivered to two bins of 100 tons capacity each. Under the bins is a continuation of the small railroad track leading to the top of the ovens. On the bottom of each bin are two gates, under which gates hopper cars are placed to receive the supplies of coal for charging the ovens. The slate and sulphur, being heavier than the coal, falls through the perforated sheets of the jig and passes through another hopper when it is taken to the slate elevator and delivered to the "waste pile." Inside the building, only four men are required to operate the machinery, viz: one engineer, who is his own fireman, and who operates the coke pushing engine when the coke is ready to be pushed out of the ovens; one weigher of coal who prepares it for dumping into the chute; one feeder; and one assorter who removes large pieces of slate, sulphur, etc. Outside the building, five men are also employed, viz: two to charge the ovens; two to attend the opening and closing of the iron doors; and one to water and remove the coke. The works are eligibly located near the furnace. A railroad of two miles in length runs to the M & C Railroad at Vinton Station, which enables the Furnace Company to ship their iron or to ship coke to any part of the country. |
| QUELLE | [McArthur Enquirer dated November 17, 1875 (Zeitung)] |
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