Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860,
by Harper and Brothers, in the Clerk's Office of the District
Court for the Southern District of New York.
VOL. XXI.No. 122.K
STARTING at Jersey City, and running its tortuous course entirely
across the State to Easton, on the Delaware, the Morris Canal
affords an invaluable means of transit to the highland region
of New Jersey, without which its mineral wealth would be entirely
undeveloped; and would, like the miser's hoarded gold, rust in
its rocky coffers for want of use. Like a broad river, it offers
a channel for the internal commerce of the mining and agricultural
districts, its benefits ramifying right and left for many miles,
every highway and country road forming a tributary, over whose
dusty or muddy surface teams loaded with the produce of the farm
or the mine, the mill or the forge, are hurrying to and fro like
a colony of ants busy in laying in their winter's store. The transportation
of ore from the various mines in its vicinity to the numerous
forges and mills along its banks, as well as to the manufacturing
region of Pennsylvania, and the conveyance of the large quantities
of coal and limestone used in the manufacture of the iron, employs
large numbers of boats, the greater number of which never pass
further eastward than the plane at Boonton. West of that place
the canal at all times presents a busy scene, interesting in many
points of view, but more particularly so in its display of life
among a class of human beings who are "a peculiar people."
It would require the scope of a volume and the pen of a Dickens
adequately to portray the characteristics and idiosyncracies of
this numerous class, or to convey to the mind a realizing sense
of the peculiarities of life among the boatmen. Like the Gipsies
of the Eastern continent, they seem to be a race apart from, and
having but few sentiments and feelings in common with those with
whom they are daily called to associate. Individually, their characters
present marked and salient points well worthy of study. A large
majority are of the lowest and most vitiated tastes and habitsa
drinking, swearing, riotous crew. Of course there are many and
marked exceptions to the ruleof men who, from various moving
causes, have taken to boating for a livelihood; but ignorance,
vice, and filth prevail to a great extent, and but few seem to
have any aspiration beyond the mere slothful floating to and fro
between their points of departure and destination. The dull monotony
of their lives is only relieved by the incidents attendant upon
loading and unloading, "locking," or "going over
a plane," interspersed with an occasional row when, collected
in a basin, there is a strife between the captains of rival boats
for precedence. Were the evil influences of such associations,
and the debasing, degrading results of such a life confined to
the boatmen alone, the emotions of the observer might not extend
beyond pity and
disgust; but when we consider that, in many instances, their families
are occupants with them of the limited accommodations of their
boats, and that within a space not larger than six or eight feet
are huddled together father, mother, and from two to four or five
children, the mind shrinks with horror from the thought that women
and children should breathe an atmosphere so saturated with vice
and immorality. It may not appear surprising, therefore, that
the obscene jest and the blasphemous oath are as glibly uttered
by the lips of the women as by those of the men, and that the
first prattlings of infancy frequently take the shape of profanity
and vulgarity.
Captain Blivens, of the Sarsey Fanney, was a fair specimen
of the class which I have attempted to describe. Although but
the remnant of a man he embodied many, if not all, of their peculiarities
and characteristics. Yet the close observer could not fail to
detect a vein of good-humor, as well as some traces of downright
integrity, which, however, were so smoutched and begrimed by his
vulgar and profane manners as to be hardly recognizable. He stood
five feet eleven inches in his stockingif he ever knew such
a comfortand he had need for but one, having lost his left
leg at the hip, and replaced it with a piece of hickory, with
which he managed very dexterously to stump about. He had also
lost two fingers from his right hand, which, together with a long
sear on his sinister cheek, gave evidence that his boating experience
had been of a very exciting character, or that he had been at
some period engaged in a more stirring employment. His skin was
of a swarthy huehaving been dyed, by exposure to all sorts
of weather, to the color of horse-hideand seemed to cling
to the bones which it covered as though it had been shrunk, by
the fiery qualities of the liquor he had drank, to the consistency
of parchment. His facewhat with its wrinkles and its frightful
scarwould have repulsed the gaze of the observer had it
not been for the keen, jet-black eyes, which, set deep beneath
a pair of overhanging brows, sparkled like coals of fire. His
costumeif costume that could be called which barely served
to cover his nakednessconsisted of a felt hat, coat, shirt,
pantaloons, and one boot-all of which had evidently seen long
and arduous service.
Such was Captain Blivens, as first seen by "Neutral Tint"
from the banks of the canal at M'Cainsville, where he and his
companion, Snell, had arrived a few moments previous with the
intention of taking passage on the canal for Boonton. Their object
in selecting this mode of conveyance was two-fold: first, to follow
the ore which they had seen raised from the bowels of the earth
to the place of its manufacture; and, second, to study life on
the canal, which promised a new experience.
The Sarsey
Fanney was the first boat whose destination was Boonton, and
although the appearance of her commander and his occupation at
the moment they first beheld him was any thing but prepossessing
(he was busy in cursing and swearing at the propelling power of
his barge, videlicit, a horse, a mule, and a Dutch boy
about fourteen years old), yet they concluded to hail him and
make known their desires.
Stopping short in his vociferations, he eyed our friends for
a moment, and after calling out in a stentorian voice to his team
to "who-oh," he demanded to know "what the h---
they wanted to go to Boonton for aboard of his boat."
Tint undertook to explain their object to be that of enjoying
the scenery along the canal and making an occasional sketch, but
was met with the response, "Then why don't you travel on
'shank's mare?' You'll get there enuff sight sooner, and won't
bother eny body."
While our hero was endeavoring to mollify the Captain by representing
their willingness to pay for any inconvenience they might occasion,
Snell, who understood such characters much better than his comrade,
and had prepared himself for such contingencies, quietly drew
a pocket-flask, and, pretending to take a dram, remarked that
they were desirous of "having a time."
Whether it was the action or the expression which mollified
him is uncertain; the result, however, was that he consented to
their wish, and they sprang on board. Walking aft, Snell presented
the flask, with a polite invitation for the Captain to "smile."
A preliminary taste having satisfied him that the liquor was A
1, the bottom of the flask was turned heavenward, and a gurgling
sound, accompanied by a spasmodic action in his long skinny throat,
satisfied Snell that he had accepted the invitation. Removing
the flask from his lips to take breath, his eye rested upon the
boy upon the tow-path, who, with both hands in his pockets and
his mouth watering at the prospect, stood gazing at the group
on the boat. The sight reminded the Captain that the Sarsey
Fanney was inert, and in a voice which broke the silence like
a clap of thunder, and startled the boy out of his propriety,
he roared out, "Git up there, you tarnal fool! what d'ye
stand gaping there for? we sha'n't git to Boonton 'fore tomorrow
night at this rate, you---" interlarding his speech with
oaths and expletives too gross for ears polite.
The old horse, who had dropped off into a, doze, caught a heavy
blow on his flank, the towrope tautened with a twang, the Sarsey
Fanney moved gracefully off from the shore, and our friends
were fairly embarked on the raging canal.
After his boat had got her headway, the Captain again raised
the flask to his lips and continued to "smile" until
he was interrupted by the apparition of a dirty night-cap, covering
an uncombed shock of sandy hair, which protruded itself above
the cabin hatch and demanded a share of the prize. Withdrawing
it with a sigh, he passed it over to the new claimant with a muttered
sentence, addressed to our hero, in which all that was intelligible
was the words "old ooman;" and said "old ooman"
proceeded to imbibe. Ascending to the deck after returning the
flask to its proper owner, Mrs. B. appeared the counterpart of
her husband, so far as length of person was concerned, as well
as in her dried-up mummy-like appearance. She had a snub nose,
and weak eyes, whose red, inflamed lids, together with a tinge
of the same color about the nose, proclaimed her fondness for,
and her use or abuse of the product of the still. Her dress consisted
of an old and dirty bed-gown, whose color had once been white,
with a skirt of calico over another, which showed itself through
various crevices and rents, and was quilted. Her hair hung and
draggled over her face, and her tout ensemble was in perfect
keeping with that of her husband and her two children who followed
their dam to the upper air, looking very much like two young rats
following their maternal parent out of a hole.
Tint was naturally
curious to inspect the interior of said hole, but could not invent
a pretext sufficiently plausible to enable him to do so. An unexpected
incident, however, gave him the opportunity he craved sooner than
he had anticipated. The old woman had gone forward to the stove
on deck and stooped down to light her pipe at the coals, while
the two youngsters, with their goggle eyes staring curiously at
the strangers, followed slowly after, retreating backward on the
narrow passage-way along the side of the boat. The youngest, a
dirty little scamp of two years, with his whole soul concentrated
in his eyes, not noticing whither he was going, stepped on the
trail of his mother's dress, tripped, fell, and rolled overboardall
of which performance was but the work of a moment. The splash
and the accompanying scream brought all hands to their feet, and
in the excitement the other boy came very near following his brother:
The Captain yelled to Tint, "Here, stranger, take this hellum!"
and sprang for a setting-pole with a boat-hook on the end of it,
at the same time hallooing to the team to who-oh! The boat being
under headway, the child had nearly passed the stern before it
rose to the surface, where Snell had stationed himself, and tried
to grasp it as it came up, but failed in his endeavor. The Captain
then made a lunge at it, and succeeded in fastening the hook in
the seat of its trowsers, by which means he landed it on the boat
very much as a sportsman lands a large fish, where it was saluted,
first, with a volley of oaths from the Captain; next, with two
or three vigorous spanks from its mother on the part where the
boat-hook had fastened, by way of starting the blood into circulation;
and was then unceremoniously tumbled down the cabin stairs, and
put to bed while its rags were dried.
As soon as the excitement of the event was over, Tint realized,
from the effluvia which saluted his nostrils, and which combined
the smell of onions, stale tobacco, whisky, etc., that he was
directly over the cabin; and looking down into the aforesaid hole,
he discovered that its two sides were occupied by bunks containing
some very dirty bed-clothing, while a table, on which were the
remains of the morning's meal, interspersed with a couple of old
clay pipes, a paper of smoking tobacco, a jug, two or three cracked
cups, one large and two small plates, and several other culinary
articles, stood against the bulkhead which separated the cabin
from the cargo. An old chest and a three-legged stool closed the
list of furniture, unless we reckon in the category an infant,
about three months old, which was sprawling about on the damp
floor, crowing at the sunlight which struggled into the noisome
hole from above. Such was the summer residence of Captain Blivens
and his family. He housed them during the winter in a log-cabin
near the Summit, at Lake Hopatcong.
The boats are constructed in two parts, for convenience in
going over the planes, and are hinged together in the centre by
a simple arrangement which permits their being separated in a
moment. They are open above, except a narrow passage around the
gunwale, a small space at the bow, and another at the stern, where
the cabin is partitioned off by a bulkhead. Midships, or where
the two parts are connected, a portion of each is floored over,
and on this space the feed-boxes are kept, as well as a small
cylindrical stove of sheet-iron for cooking. They are from ninety
to ninety-five feet long, and of about sixty to sixty-five tons
burden. Their nomenclature is as varied as the orthography and
tastes of their captains or owners. Among many others which struck
our hero as being original, and peculiar too perhaps, were the
Bluddy Pirate, the Wild Irishman, the Bridge-smasher,
the Larger Bier, etc., etc.
A running fire of small talk had been kept up between the Captain
and our friends, by which the latter had been able to acquire
much valuable information regarding boating life; while our hero
was busy in sketching many little "bits" selected from
the charming scenery of the region through which they were passing.
Succasunny Plains is one of the most beautiful of the numerous
valleys of the highland region, and offers a prolific field for
the artist. On this delightful October morning its aspect was
one of singular beauty and fascination. The sun, as it rose high
above the mountains in the east, lit up the haze so peculiar to
our Indian Summer season, and cast that mellow tint across the
landscape so charming to the eye, yet so impossible to describe.
Towns, villages, and hamlets were strewn over the plain, interspersed
with the more rustic and less pretentious farm-house, which, in
its unpremeditated picturesqueness, is far more attractive to
the artist's eye than its comrade of the town. Checkered off into
parti-colored fields, rich with the tints of the crops they had
so recently bornehere displaying the carmine hues of the
buckwheat; there, the rich ochre of the corn standing in shocks
awaiting the garneringcontrasted with the bright green of
the meadows, in which the flocks and herds were quietly grazing
in the rich pasture, the plain seemed to rejoice in its beauty
and productiveness; while the hills looked down with a complacent
smile, as though they, too, rejoiced in the calm delight of the
scene.
Conversation had lagged for a time, and to revive it, as well
as to satisfy his curiosity upon that point, Tint abruptly asked
the Captain how he lost his leg. A savage expression, for which
his interrogator was at a loss to account, passed over his face,
and gave way to a sardonic grin, as, after some reluctance, the
Captain replied,
"Leg?yesthat legyes, I lost that leg
in the service of my country, Sir. I lost that leg at Serry Gorder,
I am proud to say."
"What 1 were you at Cerro Gordo? Were you in the Mexican
war?"
"I warn't any where else jest then, you may bet high on
that. Yes, Sir, I went all through the Mexican war, from Vera
Cruz to Mexico, and reveled in the halls of the Montezumas, on'y
there warn't no reveling, 'cause Scott wouldn't let us."
Here was a chance for a yarn, which our friends were eager
to seize; and while Tint asked the Captain to favor them with
the story, Snell, more taciturn than his brother, but not less
interested, made a more telling appeal to the Captain's feelings
by pulling forth the flask, uttering the word before so effective:
"Smile?"
The hero took a "horrible smile," which had the effect
to open his heart and his mouth at the same time, and he went
on to say,
"Well, I don't mind telling you how 'twas, 'cause I ain't
ashamed on't, though it ain't so mighty convenient as it might
be to trot around on a stick o' timber. Well, you know, I warn't
raised in this 'ere State; I were born in Pennsylvania, although
it ain't much to boast uv, 'cause I never had much brouten up,
any way. I come up pretty much as all the boys on the canal do;
for the first thing I can remember, I was drivin' on the tow-path;
and I've allers follered boatin', 'sept while I was in Mexico,
and was boatin' when a feller cum along about Easton lookin' for
recruits for the war. He had a mighty sight to say about glory,
fitin' for your country, reveling in the halls of the Montezumys,
and sich like stuff; and I was just d---d fool enough, and just
tight enough, to 'list, and 'fore I knowed what I was about, or
where I was, I found I'd jined the Pennsylvania Volunteers, and
was on my way to Mexico. Well, you know, we landed and druv the
greasers out'en Vera Cruz, and then started for Punte Nashunel
'and the City of Mexico. I owed my captain a grudge for having
me whipped 'cause I got tight one night and slept on my post,
and I made up my mind the first chance I got I'd give him fits,
as well as the sargint what informed on me. It warn't long 'fore
we was sent out on a scoutin' party, and fell into an ambuscade.
The greasers were thicker'n fleas in a dog-kennel, and we ketched
it, we did. The captain was brought in mortally wounded, and the
sargint turned up missin'; and as I'd made threats agin 'em, they
suspicioned me right away, and they sort o' kept their eyes on
me after that. I tried to get away, but 'twarn't no use; so I
made up my mind to stay and see it out. At Serry Gordy they put
me in the forlorn hope, for I reckon they warnted to get rid on
me, and I was jist mad enough to fight like --. I
didn't see any the rest of the battle, 'cause I had 's much as
I could 'tend to to look out for Number One. We was ordered to
drive the greasers from a hill on the left, after we had defeated
a party uv skirmishers that had been shootin' down our men right
sharp; and we did it, too, in a hurry, I can tell you though they
was firing on us from their batteries in the road, and heavy volleys
was pouring down on us from above. We didn't stop to fire back,
but went at 'em with the bayonet; and in less'n ten minutes every
d---d greaser of 'em was legging it down the other side as though
the devil was at their heels. And so he was; for, after stopping
to blow a minute or two, we took after 'emand a prettier
race you never seen. Down the hill we went, across the valley,
cuttin' 'em down and stickin' 'em like so many pigs, as fast as
we cum across 'em, until we came to the base of the hill of Serry
Gordy, and we was a-rushing up the same way, when the recall was
sounded, and, countin' noses, we found there was on'y seventy-five
outen two hundred men left; so we concluded to go back. As soon
as we turned round, the bloody greasers opened fire on us from
artillery and escopetas, and a ball from an escopeta struck me,
shattering this leg below the knee, and I dropped in the chaparral.
One of the boys picked me up, and tried to help me, but the curnel
told him to let me be and cum along; so he had to leave me where
I was, and there I laid till after the battle was over. I tell
you what, if I warn't dry that night, then I never was; the recollection
ov it has made me dry ever since."
Saying which he reached out his hand for the flask, and, after
taking another long "smile," continued,
"Well, I'd laid there, I reckon, till about two hours or
so after dark, listening to the groans of the wounded all 'round
me, and trying to tie up my wounded leg, when I heard footsteps,
and pretty soon I seen a teller cuming toward me that I thought
first was one of our boys, but he turned out to be a cussed greaser,
looking for plunder. I could just make out that he had a sword
in his hand; and I prepared myself to fight for my life if he
should discover me, 'cause I knew he'd give me fits if he found
the breath of life in me. So I tried to unfix my bayonetand
I reckon he saw the movement, for he made a rush at me, and, spattering
some d---d lingo that I didn't understand, he made a crack at
me with his sword, which I just had time to parry with my hand,
but lost them two fingers, and got that cut on my cheek. Well,
if I warn't mad I wouldn't say so; and though I was faint with
loss of blood, and so stiff I could hardly move, I yanked the
bayonet off my gun and closed in on him. We had it hot and tight
now I tell you, for a minute or two, rollin' over and over in
the chaparral, until finally I got him by the throat and druv
my bayonet through his heart. I must have fainted away as soon
as I done his business for him, for I don't recollect any thing
more until I was picked up by some of our fellers and carried
off to the hospital next day, after the battle was over. My leg
was so bad they had to take it off below the knee; and when we
got to Perote, the hurry of traveling, the hot weather, and one
thing and another, caused inflammation to set in, and they had
to take it off again up here. Well, I staid in the hospitle until
my wounds sort o' healed up, and as soon as I could hobble round
on crutches I was sent home 'long with the rest of the disabled."
"But how abort 'reveling in the halls of the Montezumys,'
and going all through the war from Vera Cruz to Mexico?"
said Snell.
"Oh l that was on'y a figger of speech," said the Captain,
finding himself guilty of an anachronism; and as they did not
wish to get into an argument our friends dropped the subject.
They were approaching the plane at Baker's Mills, and their attention
being attracted by the novelty of the incidents connected with
going over a plane, they did not further allude to the Captain's
yarn.
Not the least
important among the many objects of interest on the line of the
canal in the highland region are the inclined planes, of which
there are thirteen in Morris County. The summit level, at Stanhope,
is over 900 feet above the Atlantic Ocean; and these planes have
been constructed for the purpose of overcoming the sudden and
excessive changes of grade which frequently occur. This is accomplished
at a great saving of time in the transit over the same extent
of locking. A single track of heavy rails is laid on an incline
of about fifteen degrees from the horizontal, and on this the
cars containing the boats ascend and descend at the rate of six
to eight miles an hour. About 75 yards from the summit a substantial
stone building contains the motive power, in the shape of a water-wheel,
moved by the water from the upper level, which is conducted to
it through a flume. This wheel is connected with a drum, over
which passes a heavy wire rope, about two inches in thickness,
attached at either end to the car. The car, or cradle, is a heavy
framework running on flanged wheels, and descends a sufficient
distance into the water to allow the boat to float into it, where
being secured, boat and car descend or ascend the slope together.
From the forward end of the car the rope passes over friction
rollers between the track, to and around a large wheel beneath
the water, some 100 feet distant from the summit, thence over
the drum and other friction rollers by the side of the track to
another wheel at the foot of the plane, around which it passes
and is attached to the rear end of the car.
Arriving at a plane, the boat is drawn into the car in the
order of its arrival, the team is unhitched, the tow-rope coiled
up on deck, the boat secured to the car by hawsers, and its two
parts disconnected by means of a lever which pulls out the bolt
uniting the hinge. The blade of the rudder is then raised out
of harm's way, and all being in readiness, a signal is given to
the operative who controls the machinery in the wheel-house by
a wave of the arm. The gate in the flume is raised, the wheel
slowly revolves, and the boat soon reaches the summit and begins
the descent. The brakes are now put on, and, resting securely
on the bed of the car, the boat descends to the water at the bottom
of the plane, where the impetus communicated floats it out of
the car, and the tow-rope being attached to the whipple-tree of
the team, which has been driven around by a by-road, it continues
on its course. The time occupied in the descent is about five
to eight minutes.
Some one has said that the worst use to which a human being
could be put was to hang him. Tint, however, is firm in the belief
that there is no more degrading, debasing application of the forces
and aspirations of an immortal soul than to confine it to the
dull routine of driving team on a tow-path. Kicked, cuffed, and
cursed from morn till night, through heat and cold, through sunshine
and storm, it trudges along, with no relief from the monotony,
no cessation to its toil, except to sleep and eat; only one degree
removed from the brutes it drives, and that only in the fact that
it is an immortal soul, and ought, if it does not, have higher,
nobler aspirations. Physically the team has the advantage, for
it is at least well cared for, for there is value in horseflesh;
but a boy can be picked up at the next town to supply the place
of the driver, at the merest pittance which will maintain the
union between soul and body. A man of family has the advantage
over his bachelor rival, as his wife assists, not only in cooking
his meals but in navigating the boat, while the oldest boy, as
soon as he is big enough, is put upon the tow-path to drive team,
oftentimes at the tender age of five and six years. The initiation
is simple, and the requirements limited. One little fellow, who
made an efficient driver, was so small that his head barely reached
the belly of his mule, to mount which he was compelled to climb
up, hand over hand, by the harness. He was proficient, however,
in all the acquirements necessary for his station, and could curse
and swear with the besta habit acquired at his mother's
breast, and common to most, if not all, of the children. While
wandering along the banks of the canal at Boonton our friends
stopped to watch the sports of two boys, whose ages were respectively
two and a half and four years, and who were amusing themselves
by the side of their father's boat with chips attached to strings,
with which they were playing "boating." All went well
for a time; but their tow-lines becoming entangled a quarrel ensued,
in which the youngest boy "Dod damned the soul" of his
elder "to hell'' with an unction and a pungency which was
terrible to listen to, while his mother stood by with a smile
upon her face.
About ten
o'clock the Sarsey Fanney arrived at Dover, and passed
through the lock at that place. Below the lock the canal widens
into a small basin, in which a number of boats had collected,
leaving only space sufficient for one boat to pass. While the
Sarsey Fanney was "locking," the captain of the
Bluddy Pirate, whose boat was empty, endeavored to get
it through this space, so as to be in advance and enter the lock
as soon as Captain Blivens had left it. By strenuous efforts at
poling and towing he had managed to get about half-way through
when the Sarsey Fanney, having passed the lock, entered
at the upper end. Ere the Bluddy Pirate could be drawn
back to allow her to pass the boats came into collision, with
a force which made things shake and tremble, tripped up the mule
on the tow-path, and set the rival captains to swearing at each
other in terms more forcible than polite. Finding the contest
growing warm and serious, our friends slipped off the boat and
took up a position out of ear-shot of the wordy warfare, which
threatened to result in, blows. Ere it reached this point, however,
others interfered, and Captain Blivens being evidently in the
right, his opponent was compelled to "back down" and
allow the Sarsey Fanney to pass, which she did through
a shower of vituperation and abuse.
Soon after leaving the basin Captain Blivens was called upon
to aid the captain of the Rip Van Winklea boat
belonging to the same line, which had sprung a leak and was fast
going downdescending to the oozy depths of the canal, there
to lay its bones, another victim to the dangers of internal navigation.
All hands were called to assist in saving the crew and their effects,
and in the space of half an hour, through the most superhuman
exertions, the captain, crew, and their furniture, including feed-boxes,
stove, table, bedding, coffee-cups, tin pans, and every thing
else of value, were landed safely upon the deck of the Sarsey
Fanney. While the transfer was being made the old boat continued
to settle, and a few moments after the last setting-pole had been
rescued it made a lurch forward, staggered, trembled as though
it still clung to life, and finally disappeared beneath the gurgling,
surging waters, except that portion of its stern on which the
name was painted, which remained a melancholy warning to others
of the fate which must, sooner or later, overtake all canal-boats.
Her captain kept his eyes upon the spot for a time, as the Sarsey
Fanney moved off in conscious pride and security, and when
a curve hid the latter end of the Rip Van Winkle from his
view he turned mournfully away, dashed a tear from his eye, and
adjourned to the cabin to "liquor up."
Finding the available space on the deck of the boat limited
by the addition to their numbers, Tint and his companion concluded
to take to the tow-path with scrip and staff, and walk the remainder
of the distance to Rockaway, where they proposed to dine. They
accordingly bade farewell to the Captain, who condescended to
take another "smile" at their expense, and started off
with elastic steps.
Passing the adit at the Sweed's mine, a mile below Dover, they
stopped to renew the acquaintance with their old friend the mule,
who still continued his monotonous round between the dock and
the interior of the level, and to review the surface operations
about the mine, and then pushed on again, following the sinuous
winding of the canal through a country beautifully diversified,
stopping now and then to make a sketch. or to admire some new
charm in the landscape, until they arrived in sight of the village
of Rockaway, at a spot where the road crosses the canal in front
of an old homestead. The picturesque beauties of the spot were
so attractive that Tint lingered to add it to his repertoire,
while Snell lit his meerschaum, and, seated on a rail, lost himself
in a day dream. Half an hour quickly glided by, and at the end
of that time the old familiar team, followed by the Sarsey
Fanney, hove in sight, and as she passed under the bridge
they leaped upon her deck, and in a few moments thereafter were
passing through the pleasant village of Rockaway.
Our friends
took a final farewell of the Sarsey Fanney and her captain
at Rockaway, where they stopped to replenish the inner man, proceeding
on their voyage in the afternoon on board of the Jolly Boteman,
commanded by a good-natured Dutchman with a long name and
"a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowlful
of jelly," whose specialty was a meerschaum and "Vaderland."
Snell having passed two years of his life "on the Continent,"
most of which time had been spent in Hamburg, and speaking the
German language fluently, monopolized most of the conversation,
leaving Tint to chew "the cud of sweet and bitter fancy"
until their arrival at Powerville, about a mile west of Boonton,
where they spent an hour in climbing to the top of Torn Mountain
and enjoying the delightful prospect from its brow. The ascent
is easy, and the view from the apex amply repays the exertion
of climbing. Like Holyoke, it is a prominent spur of a range,
and affords a wide and extended landscape in every direction.
On one side the valley of the Rockaway River extends for miles
away until it is shut in by other ranges of hills and blue-topped
mountains, the river and the canal interlacing like silver ribbons
through its whole length; while Powerville with its mills, and
Boonton with its furnaces belching forth flames and smoke, lay
almost at the feet of the observer. The horizon on the right extends
almost to the confines of the State.
The village of Boonton is beautifully situatedso far
as a charming prospect is concernedupon thealmost
precipitousface of a bluff, which forms one of the sides
of a deep ravine through which the Rockaway River empties its
waters into the plain below. It takes its name from a hamlet in
the plain about a mile distant (now called "Old Boonton"),
where was situated, at the period of the Revolution, a forge and
furnace for the manufacture of the ore from the Hibernia, Mount
Hope, and Dickerson mines into "blooms" or square blocks
of iron, which were afterward rolled into bars and sheets. The
principal part of the town lies on the eastern face of the bluff,
the houses rising one above another in successive terraces, thus
affording to each a most delightful view over the valley and the
distant hills for many miles. The opposite side of the ravine
is bold and rocky, and at the upper end the river falls over the
rocks a distance of about 30 feet in a beautiful cascade, which
at some seasons assumes the appearance of a mountain torrent.
After circling and eddying over its rocky bed, now stopping to
disport in some quiet pool, now darting around some huge boulder
which in vain strives to impede its progress, and anon rushing
impetuously over a miniature cascade, ever hymning its song to
the appreciative ear, it descends to the valley where it resume
its quiet flow until it joins the Passaic. The natural beauties
of the spot must have been majestic, and still are very attractive;
but the hand of improvement has cramped and confined them, and
will eventually entirely obliterate them. The canal, the road,
and the works are all built upon the side of the ravine, and occupy
a portion of what was formerly the bed of the river. There are
those still living and engaged in the works who well remember
when the site of the furnace and mills was but a mass of boulders
which had been brought down by the torrent, or from which the
soil had been washed by the impetuous waters; when the howl of
the wolf was heard on the neighboring hills; and when but one
house occupied the site of the now flourishing town, with its large and commodious hotel,
its handsome churches, stores, and private residences. Less than
thirty years ago the first step was taken toward developing the
resources of the place. Its immense water-power and other advantages
early attracted attention, and an association under the title
of the "East Jersey Iron Manufacturing Company," was
chartered by the Legislature in 1829. The Morris Canal was cut
through about the same time. A dam, erected above the falls, furnishes
water to the canal, which is drawn off at several points, and,
being conducted through the various buildings where power is required,
finally finds its way back into the canal below the plane. The
canal has a fall of two hundred feet, eighty of which are overcome
by a single track plane of eight hundred feet in length, and the
balance by means of locks. After repairing to the hotel, where
they shook the dust (coal dust) off their feet, and washed their
hands of life on the canal, with its profanity, vulgarity, and
misery, Tint and his companion started out to gather new experiences
among the nail-makers.
Passing down the road, which leads by a collection of low,
one-story shanties, built against the hill on one side, and a
long brick building containing stores and the office of the Company
on the other, on, through, and around the various buildings composing
the mills, they came at last, at the head of the ravine, to an
irregular mass of rock, some fifteen or twenty feet in height,
which seemed, like a screen, to shut out further progress. An
irregular footpath led through a crevice, however, and up this
they scrambled, to find themselves at length among a group of
pines which grew upon the upper surface of the mass, their roots
wringing a scanty subsistence from the soil which had accumulated
there. A mossy carpet of the deepest emerald yielded to the pressure
of their feet, and a rustic seat, erected by some considerate
hand at the further perpendicular edge, afforded an excellent
view of the fall, which was seen at the extreme upper end of the
ravine. A light cloud of spray rose in front of it, which, as
it was caught by a ray of the departing sunlight, assumed the
prismatic colors, and added a ravishing charm to the otherwise
wild and gloomy aspect of the spot. Elevated some twenty feet
above the stream, our friends looked down upon a projecting spur
of a rock that jutted out from the right, forcing the whole volume
of water through a narrow gorge not more than three feet in width.
Between this rock and the fall the stream pursued a languid course,
forming several basins, which, like polished mirrors, reflected
the foaming cascade and the dark sides of the chasm, as well as
the clear blue of the sky above, where the foliage allowed the
light to struggle through. Here and there, on the surface of the
rocks lying in the bed of the river, were several of those "pockets"
or bowl-like formations noticed at the Clinton forge, one of which,
on being measured, proved to be two feet six inches across and
eighteen inches deep.
After sketching this delightful spot our friends, with lingering
steps, turned away to the contemplation of the more utilitarian
mills and the process of manufacturing iron here so extensively
carried on.
Not the least interesting among the many subjects of study
is the beautiful and complete system by which every process and
manipulation is so arranged that the most inexperienced person
may follow the material from the heaps of coal, limestone, and
ore at the upper end of the ravine, through the blast furnace,
puddling furnaces, rolling mill, nail shops, packing room, to
the canal below the plane, where the nails and other manufactured
articles are shipped for market. This system is also evidenced
in the fact that nothing whatever is wasted, from the coal dust,
which is used to make soil, to the chips and shavings in the cooper's
shop, which are used in starting the fires in the puddling furnaces
and throughout the mills. At the upper end of the ravine the banks
of the canal are some thirty feet above the surface on which the
blast furnace and other buildings are erected, and at this point
the canal boats discharge their cargoes of coal, limestone, and
ore, which are wheeled out upon stages erected for the purpose,
and dumped over the banks, where are accumulated huge piles of
each containing many hundred tons. These furnish the supplies
for the ever-craving maw of the blast furnace, which is a rude
structure of masonry, some forty feet square on the ground by
forty feet in height, having upon its top two large ovens in which
the blast is heated before it enters the furnace. The chimneys
of these ovens, as well as that of the furnace itself, vomit forth
continually brilliant white flames, which at night time light
up the hill-sides with a sulphurous glare, that, taken together
with the never-ceasing roar of the furnace and the mills, gives
the place a weird appearance, and reminds one of the
"Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and caldron bubble,"
of the Macbethian witches.
Within this
solid mass of masonry is a hollow space or flask about fourteen
feet in diameter, lined with. fire-brick, which is continually
fed with coal, limestone or flux, and iron ore, in the proportions
of 40 to 50 tons of ore, 40 tons of coal, and from 10 to 15 tons
of limestone. The ores from different mines vary in quality and
purity, and while to-day's "cast' may be of "hematite,"
to-morrow's may be of "magnetite" or magnetic ore. That
from Hiberniawhich is highly magneticwill contain
but little foreign mineral substance, while that from Andover
and other mines will perhaps be mixed with manganese, red oxide
of zinc, or some different mineral calculated to effect the quality
of the ore.
The machinery for "raising the wind" is very simple,
consisting of an immense wheel, driven by water from the canal,
which wheel is contained in a building near the furnace. To the
shaft of this wheel two cranks and piston-rods are attached, working
a pair of double action bellows, from which the air is forced
into a receiver or regulator, where its volume is compressed,
and whence it is carried through piping to the ovens over the
furnace, where it is heated, and then passes down through tubes
to the sides and rear of the furnace, where it enters and is brought
into contact with the molten mass within.
At five o'clock A.M., and at five P.M., or twice in twenty-four
hours, the iron is drawn off and cast into pigs, and to accomplish
this two sets of hands are employed, one going to work at seven
A.M. and another at seven P.M. Indeed, throughout the mills the
operations never cease, but are driven night and day, Sundays
not excepted, I am sorry to say, by relays of operatives. The
modus operandi of casting was explained to our friends
by the gentleman who has charge of this branch of the manufacture.
"You must know that there are about one hundred and forty
tons of material in the furnace at one time, all of which is supplied
from above, through the openings where you see that wheel-barrow,
and is melted to a fluid state. The iron, being the heaviest,
sinks to the bottom, while the flux, like oil upon water, floats
upon the surface, and having an affinity for the dross of the
coal and iron, it grasps and holds it separate from the
metal, until drawn off in what is called lava, cinder, or slag.
This is done once every hour. The gases evolved in the operation
of smelting pass off through the chimney in the shape of flame.
The trouble is, the iron also has an affinity for the dross, and
does and will retain some of it notwithstanding all we can do.
If I could find any thing stronger than iron there would be no
need of the flux. The floor of the building is of fine sand, divided
into two parts by a track, on either side of which gutters or
runners' are formed, leading from the mouth of the furnace to
near the entrance. At equal distances are eight branch gutters
or 'sows,' as they are technically termed, which conduct the molten
ore to feed the 'pigs' in the 'bed.' All these are nicely formed
by each set of hands after the previous cast has been cooled and
removed. They are now about to cast, and we will draw a little
nearer."
The party accordingly took up a position near the mouth of
the furnace, where a group of men, indistinctly seen through the
darkness, were engaged apparently in trying with sledge hammers
to drive a crow-bar through the walls of the flask. After repeated
blows the bar yielded, and a bright glare suddenly lit up the
forms of the group, bringing them out into bold relief and startling
the spectator with the suddenness of the transition, reminding
him of the effect produced by the slides of a magic lantern. A
moment more and the molten tide was seen flowing beneath a little
bridge of earth, and gliding, snakelike, down the gutter to the
lowest bed, where it was diverted from its course into the sow,
and thence flowed into and filled the pigs.
"You see,"
continued Mr. J, 'I there are 26 'pigs' in a 'bed,' and
4 'pigs' in the 'sow;' that is, they break the sow into four parts,
each the size of a pig. There are 16 beds, and consequently there
are 480 pigs, or about 11 tons in each cast. At each of the branch
gutters, or 'sows,' a man is stationed with a spade-like instrument
with which he prevents the metal from flowing into his bed until
the bed below him is filled, when he suddenly transplaces it,
and, cutting off the flow downward, turns it into his own bed.
The next man does the same in succession, and when all the beds
on one side of the track are filled, the flow is turned in the
same manner into the other 'runner,' and the process is repeated
until all are filled, when the opening in the flask is closed
by means of clay prepared for the purpose; new supplies of coal,
iron, etc., are furnished, and the operation of smelting goes
on for the next twelve hours."
Ere the description had reached this point the heat within
the building had become intense, and the party were compelled
to withdraw to the open air, content to witness most of the operation
at a respectful distance. The operatives, however, did not seem
to suffer much inconvenience, although, as each bed was filled,
shovelfuls of earth were scattered over it to keep down the heat.
"Now," said Mr. J, as the opening in the flask
was closed, "I wish to show you one of the prettiest sights
the place affords. They are about to draw off the lava
into the river, and I think you will agree with me that it is
worth seeing; walk this way."
Stepping out to the edge of a precipice composed of lava or
cinder, which had accumulated on one side of the furnace, they
looked down into a dark chasm, and could faintly distinguish the
river coursing its way among the rocks below, babbling as it ran,
telling of its labor. The opposite side of the ravine was in deep
shadow, except where the ghostly light from the furnace chimney
lit up the topmost limbs and sprays of the trees and shrubs, while
the back-ground was formed of the huge boulder, with its canopy
of evergreens, outlined and relieved by the moonlight. The darkness
was intensified to the eye by the sudden transition to the open
air from the glare of the furnace, and the party having found
a good stand-point, instinctively turned their expectant gaze
in that direction.
A molten stream
of lava, of the consistency of cream, was now seen stealing its
way along a gutter constructed for the purpose, toward the precipice.
Slowly but steadily it wound its way along like a fiery snake,
occasionally emitting flame as it met some slight obstruction,
and the surface was broken, until it reached the edge. A sudden
plunge, and the whole aspect of the scene was changed. The ravine,
so recently the heart of shadow, was now lit up with a brilliancy
before which the moon, as she sailed majestically in the heavens
above, paled her ineffectual light. The foliage, then of a deep
grayish tint, now shone out in all its autumnal, parti-colored
hues, under a light more glaring than the noonday sun, while the
water sparkled and glistened, foaming and dashing among the rocks
below, as though it anticipated the struggle which was to come.
More rapidly now the molten cinder pursued its way down the
side of the precipice, filling up the interstices left by former
flows, now lost to sight for a moment, anon appearing, flowing
steadily down, until it finally reached the stream. In an instant
there was a terrible commotion as the two elements struggled for
the mastery, while the steam rose in clouds above the spot like
smoke above a battle-field. The scene was one calculated to make
a deep and lasting impression upon the spectator, and afforded
a grand and forcible subject for the painter.
"You see, Sir," said their chaperone, as the lava
ceased to flow and began to chill, "all this soilabout
half an acre in extentwe have made by the accumulation of
cinder in years gone-by, and it is as firm and solid as the rock
upon which it rests. We do not ordinarily let it run over the
edge, as we have already encroached upon the river as far as we
dare to go. Except after each cast, it is received into cars prepared
for the purpose, and conveyed to such points as we wish to extend,
on a temporary track. These cars are iron platforms on wheels,
upon which are movable iron cases, and into these the lava is
run every hour. The cinder, being silex in a state of fusion,
is converted into glass upon exposure to the air, and consequently,
when the car is filled and the flow ceases, it soon becomes hardened
upon the surface, although the interior is still in a fluid state.
The cars are run off by a horse to the crane which you see yonder,
and the case there raised clear of the 'cake,' which is run forward
to the edge of the precipice, where a man knocks off one corner
with a sledge hammer, the molten contents flow over the edge,
and the cake is eventually upset and rolls to the bottom. The
scene presented at night is but little inferior to that which
we have just beheld."
Returning to the front of the furnace, our party found the
operatives busily engaged in running over the red-hot iron, with
long bars prying and lifting the pigs to separate them from the
sow, which, by means of hammers, was subsequently broken into
four parts. As soon as the iron "sets" in the pigs,
which is known by its color changing to a deep cherry red, the
pigs are separated and raised from the sand, and when sufficiently
solid, are piled or laid over each other in such a manner as to
admit the air to every side, where they are left to coola
process which of course requires several hours. Although the brogans
of the men are thickly studded with clout nails, making their
soles a mass of iron, yet standing upon red-hot iron is not the
most comfortable position which a man can occupy; and hence the
operation of "starting the pigs" is a very lively one
while it lasts.
From the blast
furnace a track is laid to the mills a distance of some two hundred
yards, passing the front of the foundry, where all the machinery,
tools, etc., used about the establishment are cast; and here the
pigs are piled in huge stacks awaiting the operation of "puddling."
The most favorable and interesting period for viewing the operations
of the mills, as well as of the furnace, is at night, when the
outside darkness brings out into strong relief the glare of the
furnaces, and of the molten iron in its various stages of manufacture.
When our friends, after carefully picking their way along the
road from the hotel, over the plane, across rude bridges, down
rickety stairways, crossing flumes and sluice-ways, and through
narrow lanes between huge piles of "pigs," approached
the front of the building in which the operation of puddling is
carried on, they were struck with the diabolical appearance of
the scene within. The furnaces and their attendants, at all times
lit up with a ruddy glow, and here and there illuminated with
a most intense brilliancy as they discharged their molten contents,
which were run off on little trucks by men who looked more like
demons in the sulphurous light than like human beings ; the noise
and clatter of the machinery ; the loud reports from the squeezer;
the flying sparks from the "trains," as the iron discharged
its cinder under the operation of rolling; the gloomy depths of
darkness among the intricate beams above, contrasting strongly
with the lurid glare below; the traversing carts and barrows;
the shouting of the men; the noise of the forge as it labored
to renew the tools of the workmen; altogether made up a scene
of startling interest, and one not easily forgotten. At first
sight it would appear almost impossible to trace through the intricacies
of the various operations the iron in its every stage of manufacture;
but thanks to the excellent system by which every thing is managed
and controlled, the visitor finds no difficulty in that respect.
Let us attempt to describe it; which, we trust, by the aid of
Tint's pencil, we shall be able to do to the satisfaction of the
reader.
Within a large
building some two hundred and fifty by three hundred and twenty
feet, nine puddling, three heating, and one scrap or ball furnace,
are arranged in the form of a horse-shoe or semicircle, at the
open part of which is situated the squeezer, through which all
the iron from the furnaces has to pass before going to the "puddling-ball-train"
in an adjoining building.
The furnaces are constructed of ordinary brick and firebrick,
closed in or faced with iron; and their foundations rest upon
the original rocky surface of the ravine. On this basis a platform
of red brick is constructed to the level of the floor of the building,
and on this a superstructure is raised, of fire-brick inclosed
in iron, and containing a receptacle for the fire called a "grate;"
an oven or " bottom" in which the iron is melted; and
a stove in the base of the chimney for heating the pigs to a red-heat
ere they are transferred to the "bottom." The "bottom"
is composed of slag or cinder on a bed of thick cast-iron plates.
The fire is made of anthracite coal, and the flame and heat therefrom
passes over a soapstone bridge to the "bottom," thence
to the "stove," and up through the stack or chimney.
About once a week the fire in the furnace is renewed.
"Here is a man," said the gentleman who chaperoned
our friends, "who is engaged in renewing his fire; let us
observe the process. These cylindrical bundles covered with bark
and looking like logs of wood, with which he is feeding the new-made
fire, are the strips and refuse of the cooper's shop, which are
tied up in this shape and dried for the purpose. Upon these he
shovels in coal enough to supply a small family for a month. The
'bottom' of the furnace is then supplied with slag or cinder,
fine coal, and a quantity of ground ore; the stove in the base
of the chimney is supplied with broken pigs of various qualities
of ore, and he
awaits their heating. When they assume a deep cherry-red color
they are, transferred from the 'stove' to the 'bottom' by the
aid of an immense pair of tongs, which are supported by a chain
running up to a pair of wheels traversing a track among the beams
overhead. Half a ton of iron is called a 'charge;' and as this
man's charge will require three quarters of an hour to melt, we
will turn our attention to another who is engaged in puddling.
"But, first, let us observe the individuals themselves,
for they are worthy of study. Each furnace is double; that is,
it has two 'grates' and two 'bottoms,' although one chimney is
common to both. A puddler and a helper are required for each,
consequently there are eight men employed at each furnace, two
of each for the day, and two for night service. The puddlers are
mostly Americans, are paid by the ton, and earn from two to three
dollars per day each. The helpers are mere laborers, who earn
not more than seventy-five cents to a dollar and a half, and are
generally Irishmen.
"While surveying the figure of this man, who, stripped
to his waist, an old handkerchief tied about his head, and the
perspiration issuing in streams from every pore (the thermometer
outside may perhaps stand at 40°), is working energetically
at the long iron bar, and looking so intently into the mouth of
the furnace, you would scarcely recognize in him the individual
whom you met this afternoon on the street, dressed in the height
of fashion, and who bowed to the ladies with such a well-bred
air, yet they are the same; while the man who is shoveling coal
into the grate, and who has rather the advantage of his comrade
in appearance, you saw a short time since sitting on an old rickety
stoop in a squalid neighborhood smoking a short black pipe, while
he swore roundly in strong Hibernian accents at 'Biddy' for not
having his supper ready.
"You
have observed that the pigs, as they come from the blast furnace,
are in a very crude state, and contain more or less cinder, together
with considerable sand and other impurities. The object of the
puddling process is to rid the iron of all these extraneous substances,
and to mix the different qualities of metal so that the nail-plate
shall have the necessary toughness, firmness of grain, etc., etc.
"The iron in the furnace being melted to the consistency
of cream, it is then churned with these long iron bars, with which
the men continually work it about for the space of two hours.
By this time they have gathered it into 'balls,' each weighing
about one hundred pounds. These are now 'drawn' and carried to
the squeezer. One would naturally suppose that looking so intently
into the mouth of the furnace, upon a light so brilliant as to
dazzle your eyes at a glance, would injure those of the workmen,
yet it is not so: diseases of the eye are rare among them. On
the contrary, they can see in the heart of that intense light,
which you can not look upon for a moment, the very condition of
the iron, and tell to an instant when it is ready to be drawn.
"When this is the case, and every thing is in readiness,
the helper raises a sliding door, or apron, in the front of the
furnace, and the puddler seizes a ball with a pair of heavy tongs
and rolls it out upon the iron floor, where it is caught up by
a third individual upon a small iron truck called a 'ball-trolly,'
and run off rapidly to the squeezer. As he starts with it a ladleful
of water is thrown upon it, which, decomposing under the intense
heat into its component gases, inflames, and burning with a brilliant
white blaze that lights up the figure of the truck-man with a
sepulchral glare, giving him a fiend-like appearance, which is
considerably heightened by the stream of sparks the dripping mass
leaves in its wake.
"The squeezer,
toward which he is hurrying his steps, is an iron-toothed and
corrugated wheel, running horizontally within a case which surrounds
it, leaving a space between, in which the molten mass is squeezed,
rolled, and compressed, by which means much of the cinder is forced
out. After passing the circuit of the wheel, the ball, which has
now assumed the shape of a cube, falls out upon the floor, where
it is seized by a new operative with a pair of tongs and dragged
off to the 'paddling-ball-train.'
"The effect of the squeezing operation is considerably
heightened by frequent explosions as loud as those of a musket,
which are caused by the water that is allowed to run over the
wheel to prevent its heating. This water gets into the crevices
of the iron, where it is suddenly converted into steam and tears
its way out, scattering sparks in every direction.
"Adjoining the squeezer is another implement, similar
in form to the points of a pair of shears or the jaws of an immense
saurian, which are continually opening and closing as though seeking
what it may devour. By this, balls that are not properly compacted
in the former, are made to assume the proper shape and consistency
before passing through the `paddling ball-train' which is near
at hand.
"This machine consists of two or more sets of rollers,
in pairs, with grooves of different sizes so arranged above and
below each other, and decreasing in size from right to left, as
to gradually compress the cylindrical mass of iron and give it
the shape of along bar or sheet. The individual who seizes the
mass after it passes through the squeezer drags it across the
iron floor to the train and jerks it upon a platform, where another
operative seizes it with a pair of tongs, and, by a dexterous
twist, thrusts it into the
largest groove between the rollers. It passes through to the other
side, where two men are awaiting its adventone with a long
iron bar suspended to a chain depending from above; the other
with a pair of tongs, with which it is seized, raised up, and
passed over the roller to the opposite side again. Here the first
man seizes it and passes it through the next groove; it is again
seized, passed over the rollers, and so on until it has passed
through the various grooves of the series and has assumed the
shape of a long bar or sheet. It is now called a 'paddled bar;'
and is seized by another operative, who drags it off to a shed
near at hand to cool, which operation is sometimes hastened by
means of a stream of water.
"The process just described also has its interesting features,
not the least noticeable of which are the manner in which the
texture of the iron is compressed and its fibres knit together,
and the cinder ejected which still remained incorporated with
it. The pressure to which it is subjected drives out the cinder
in a flight of sparks similar in effect to the operation of a
blacksmith's hammer.
"Near the 'paddling-ball-train' stand five or three pairs
of shears used to cut the bars into plates. These shears consist
of two massive semicircular pieces of iron with cutting edges,
operated by power derived from an immense water-wheel near at
hand, and fed by a man whose duty is simply to place the end of
the bar between its jaws and keep it fed up to a cheek or stop,
which is gauged to give the requisite length. As the jaws shut
the bar is cut into plates, which fall upon the floor or into
boxes placed to receive them.
"You
would see," said the guide, addressing Tint, "if you
were to examine the ends of these plates, that although the operation
of the train is intended to crush out the cinder and knit the
fibres of the iron together, it is still in a comparatively crude
state, and contains some traces of extraneous material which must
be got rid of. For this purpose it is transferred to the re-heating
furnace, where it undergoes the process of heating in a new shape."
Threading their way between and around the various machines,
cars, barrows, wheels, operatives, and processes, which make the
place a very Babel of confusion, the party reached the front of
the re-heating furnaces, where they found a number of boys piling
the plates into small stacks preparatory to their being placed
in the fire. In making these piles care is taken to break joints
so as to avoid flaws in the nail-plate. The furnace itself is
very similar to the puddling furnace, and is managed in very much
the same manner: with this differencethe plates are not
disturbed when once placed in the fire, but when they have been
heated to a white heat, and are just ready to melt under the intense
heat to which they are subjected, they are "drawn" as
from the puddling furnace, are seized by an operative with a pair
of tongs, and, with a dexterity acquired by long practice, are
" slung" across the floor a distance of fifteen or twenty
feet to the nail-plate train.
This is a machine similar in construction to the puddling-ball-train,
except that its grooves are flat and the thickness of the plate
is regulated by a wheel, by means of which an operative is enabled
to raise and depress the upper roller: thus increasing or decreasing
the pressure upon the plate as may be required. The operation
of this train is similar to the other, except that the plate in
passing between two sets of rollers is made thinner and wider
than before. As it leaves the last groove the sheet is seized
by two men with tongs and laid upon a car or truck, marked with
the initial of the operative in charge of the train, and when
the truck is loaded a pair of horses are attached and it is drawn
out into the open air to cool.
Thus far our friends had followed the process of manufacture
when a reference to their watches showed that it was growing late,
and as the remaining operations could be better observed by daylight,
they bade their gentlemanly guide good-evening and went to their
inn.
The following
morning taking up the thread of their researches, they followed
the nail-plate from the open air, where it bad cooled during the
night, to the cutting-machine, where it is cut across its length
into plates about a foot long, and of a width to suit the various
sizes of nail, from "two-pennies" to "sixty-pennies,"
and from 2½ to 8 inch spikes. The machine by which this
operation is performed is simple in its construction, consisting
merely of a double-crank shaft, on either end of which is a flywheel
and a band-wheel. Two arms are attached at one end to the crank,
and at the other to a wrought-iron cutter, which, moving in grooves
in the heavy frame, rises and falls at each revolution of the
wheels, and, in descending, crosses the face of a stationary block
on which the strip or plate is fed, and cuts off a plate, which
falls into a car placed under the machine to receive it. These
cars, when filled, are drawn off to an oven, where the slips are
placed on their edges on red-hot coals until they are heated to
a proper temperaturesay to a deep redwhen they are
transferred to the nail machines, whose greedy jaws are ever,
like the dissatisfied Oliver, crying for more! more!
Thus far we have pursued the preparation of the material, or
the manufacture of the nail-plate; which branch occupies at least
two-thirds of the resources of the establishment. The nail-machines
by which the plate is turned into those; indispensable articles
so small and trivial, yet so absolutely necessary in every branch
of industry, are situated in obscure parts of the works, and but
for their noisy clatter might be passed by the visitor as of little
consequence. There are one hundred and fifteen of these machines
in all, of which number ten may be found in the immediate vicinity
of the nail-plate train, and, as they are all similar in construction, we will
only occupy ourselves with one of these. Our description will
be better understood on reference to the engraving. The lever-arm,
A, is attached to a cutter working in the box, C, and is operated
by an eccentric on the shaft which raises it at each revolution
of the shaft. Meantime the cutter is depressed and passes by the
edge of the plane, d, on which the nail-plate is fed, and
cuts off a long tapering strip of the plate. This incipient nail
is carried down a short distance to where the head is formed by
means of the curved lever, B, the outer end of which is raised,
while the inner end, striking upon the end of the strip, drives
a certain portion of the iron into the shape of a head. The reverse
action of both arms releases the now finished nail, which drops
down an incline into a box prepared to receive it.
The last-mentioned arm, B, is operated by a wheel on one end
of the shaft, to which is attached, near its periphery, an arm
that works the outer end of the lever, e, the inner end
of which strikes upon the arm, B, and the revolution of the shaft
raises and depresses the said arm in correspondence with the first-mentioned
arm, A.
The human portion
of the machine holds in his hands a staff or stick, one end of
which rests in a prop behind him for the sake of steadiness, and
upon the other end is a clamp with which the plate is held. As
the action of the cutter is not reciprocal, it is necessary that
the plate should be turned at each cut; and as the machine moves
rather rapidly, this is a delicate operation which the feeder
only acquires after considerable practice. The end of the plate
being square the first clip from each is an abortion, and this
accounts for the fact of so many of these misshapen nails being
found in each cask.
When the plate is cut up the feeder throws his clamp over a
spur which projects from the side of the machine, pries it open,
throws the remnant aside to be reheated with the rest of the scraps,
seizes another plate with a pair of pincers, fixes it in his clamp,
and goes on as before.
The machines are gauged to cut different-sized nails, and their
speed decreases in the same ratio as the size of the nail increases.
Thus the machine which cuts a " twenty-penny" moves
at about one-eighth the speed of another which is cutting "eight-pennies."
Immediately behind these machines, and on a floor about six
feet below, are a series of bins into which each feeder empties
his pan or box when it is filled, and from these bins the nails
are packed into casks ready for market. Before this can be done,
however, a very important series of operations, employing numerous
hands, considerable power, and much time is necessary. This is
the making of nail-casks, and our friends were invited next to
visit the coopers' shops on the other side of the canal.
Picking their
way out from among the machinery and the multiplicity of cars,
barrows, piles of bars, sheets, and what not, and crossing a bridge
which span a branch of the canal running into the store-house,
they approached a group of buildings erected on a somewhat open
piece of ground, which they were informed were exclusively devoted
to the manufacture of the casks. On the outside of the principal
building a lever-arm, worked by a shaft from within, sets in motion
a cross-cut saw, which cuts the logs into "lengths."
These are carried into the building to the "slab-cutter,"
which is a platform or bed moving on rollers, on which the length
is fixed, and brought under the action of a circular saw. This
takes off a thin slab from each side. It is then transferred to
another cross-cut circular saw, which cuts it into lengths a trifle
longer than the stave. Another operative, by the dexterous use
of an axe, takes off the remaining bark, and the stick is handed
over to the operation of the "stave-cutter." This machine,
although somewhat complicated in its construction, needs no further
description than to say that a circular, barrel-shaped saw, having
its axis in the direction of its length, is supported on a solid
frame, and a framed bed-piece is made to traverse back and forth,
on which bed-piece the stick to be cut is placed and adjusted,
and the machine started. Each time the bed-piece traverses the
saw takes off a strip, to which the proper curve is given by the
shape of the saw, and which falls upon an inclined plane that
traverses inside of the saw with the bed-piece, and slides out
upon the floor in front of the machine. As the bed-piece returns
back to its first position a ratchet movement throws the stick
forward the thickness of a stave, when, upon re-traversing, another
strip is cut, and so on until the stick is cut up, when another
stick takes its place. Near by a man and boy are engaged, by the
aid of appropriate machinery, in chamfering the ends of the strips
and trimming them to a proper width, when they become staves,
and are carried to a long shed where they are laid up to dry and
season. The heads of the kegs are also cut by machinery, and are
laid up to season with the staves. The saw-dust is carefully preserved
for bedding for the horses employed about the mills, while all
the chips, bark, and waste is gathered up and used for lighting
fires.
Our friends were much interested in following the various processes
attending the manufacture of the casks; which, however, would
be commonplace in the description, and we beg leave to omit it.
Returning to the packing-room, they witnessed the operation of
filling the casks by men who stand at the bins with huge claws,
and while raking the nails down a narrow shoot give a rocking
motion to the cask with their feet, which packs the nails. When
filled, the cask is thrown upon a scale, weighed, and passed over
to another operative, who heads it up, stencils it with the name
and number, and rolls it away to a pile, whence, in proper time,
it is shipped on board of a canal-boat at the door of the storehouse,
for New York and a market.
New Jersey
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