Iron Making in the Olden Times: as instanced in the Ancient Mines, Forges, and Furnaces of The Forest of DeanNicholls, H. G. (Henry George)
History
Iron Making in the Olden Times: as instanced in the Ancient Mines, Forges, and Furnaces of The Forest of Dean
Nicholls, H. G. (Henry George)
Iron -- History; Iron industry and trade -- England
"The hamer hutch one the west side, heigh and broad one the one side,
plancked in the bottome ranges of tymber with spreaders conteyninge 150
foote in length, 40lb.
"The chaffery wheele in the west side, old and decayed, 3lb to repaire
it.
"One longe trowe one the est side leading the watter to the fynerye, 66
foote longe, 6lb 13s 4d; another great trowe with a penstocke, 32 foote,
cost 3lb 6s 8d; 1 great penstocke in the hamer trowe, 14 foot longe, 2
foote square, 40s.
"2 Water Pricke Posts with his laces, 4lb.
"The Hamer Hutch one the west side, 4 foote square, bottoms and sides
with plancks, 2 ranges of timber 150 foote longe, 10lb.
"The bodye of one Fynerye wheele all newe, made within 2 yeares last past
by the Farmers.
"One little house for the carpenter to work in one the bay.
"Two ranges of tymber worke in the lower side of the bay, consistinge of
sils, laces, and posts, built by the Farmers within 2 yeares, 120 foote,
12 heigh, 80lb.
"The front of the bay where the water is led to the west side and
drawinge gates built about 2 years since. Stone walls on each side, 5lb.
"A flowd gate with 6 sluices, strongly tymbered, built with stronge wall
one either side thereof, 160 foote longe, 3ft heigh, 3 foot thicke,
aproned and plancked on the top for a bridge 3 years since, 44 foot
longe, 22ft broad, 50lb.
* * * * *
The same careful investigator (Mr. Wyrrall) of every particular relating
to the iron works of the Forest, formed a glossary of the terms used in
the above specifications, which not only sufficiently explains them, but
also shows that very similar apparatus continued to be used in this
neighbourhood up to the close of the last century. It proceeds thus:--
"_Sows of Iron_ are the long pieces of cast iron as they run into the
sand immediately from the furnace; thus called from the appearance of
this and the shorter pieces which are runned into smaller gutters made in
the same sand, from the resemblance they have to a sow lying on her side
with her pigs at her dugs. These are for working up in the forges; but
it is usual to cast other sows of iron of very great size to lay in the
walls of the furnaces as beams to support the great strain of the work.
"_Dam Plate_ is a large flat plate of cast iron placed on its edge
against the front of the furnace, with a stone cut sloping and placed on
the inside. This plate has a notch on the top for the cinder or scruff
to run off, and a place at the side to discharge the metal at casting.
"_The Shaft_ of a wheel is a large round beam having the wheel fixed near
the one end of it, and turning upon gudgeons or centres fixed in the two
ends.
"_The Furnace House_ I take to be what we call the casting-house, where
the metal runs out of the furnace into the sand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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