Blast-Furnace Management. [Volume: 8, Issue: 4, 1889, pp. 204-208]

206

UNITED STATES ASSOCIATION OF

[VOL. 8,

Instead of complaining that other furnaces have richer ore, the
management and directors of these older established plants need to
abandon the practice of buying rock, clay, sand or gravel as ore. A
large proportion of the local supplies of ore used at many of these
plants can be enriched with economy, or high grade ore used advantageously as mixtures. A careful study of the chemical and physical
characteristics of the fuel used will assist greatly in obtaining better
results. While it may be impracticable or injudicious to entirely
remodel some of the older plants, there are few but what can be
materially helped by the addition of some of the features which
assist the newer furnaces to be such active competitors.
To continue in the march of progress, we must "keep up with
the procession," and we believe that success depends more upon the
administration and management of our American blast-furnaces
than upon mere geographical lines. With ores and fuel so liberally distributed, there is little excuse for failure of established industries, except in comparatively few instances, and the sooner
these few are relegated to the scrap-pile, the better for the owners
and for the iron-trade generally.
The active, energetic, vigilant and studious blast-furnace manager, who is properly sustained by a progressive and intelligent
ownership, will maintain the trade of an established industry. But
ultra-conservatism, inefficient management, or absence of studiousness on the part of owners or managers, will soon send trade elsewhere.
Some of our readers may consider our criticisms severe; this they
may be, but there is no wish to make them ungenerous. On the
contrary, the JOURNAL has always been, and will continue, a champion of good blast-furnace administration, and intelligent, efficient
management ready to chronicle results obtained and glory in progress made. But we are wearied by prophets of evil, and chronic
fault-finders, who with a microscope seek apologies for others' successes, but whose beam-obstructed visions fail to show the wastefull
methods, poor equipment, or unbusiness-like policies which hold
their own works in the background. That our criticisms are not
groundless will appear from the following, to which we might add,
if it were necessary.
We know of one plant well situated for obtaining an abundance of