And it gets even more confusing because there was an Aetna Furnace (or Etna Furnace?) on what is currently Stokes Rd in Medford Lakes!
ætna furnace, Tuckahoe
- Thread starter Jerseyman
- Start date
And it gets even more confusing because there was an Aetna Furnace (or Etna Furnace?) on what is currently Stokes Rd in Medford Lakes!
where exctly was that furnace ? i think i remember being there and someone telling me about it , but i cant place where i was at
Folks,
Here's two images scanned from "Early Forges and Furnaces in New Jersey" by Charles Boyer. The level of detail in the second photo is pretty amazing. I'd be willing to bet that this is the photograph that Spung Man's drawing was based off of.
The book goes on to describe the furnace ruins:
Here's two images scanned from "Early Forges and Furnaces in New Jersey" by Charles Boyer. The level of detail in the second photo is pretty amazing. I'd be willing to bet that this is the photograph that Spung Man's drawing was based off of.
The book goes on to describe the furnace ruins:
That's good stuff Ben. Too bad we can't all get together and rebuild Martha. We'd have that baby smokin!
Great find Jerseyman!! That tree is interesting to me also, Bob. It is somewhat difficult, despite trees and objects in the photo to get a real perspective on it. Consequently, at first glance, it almost looks like the ruins of an ancient european castle. Very stricking.
Jeff
Jeff
Oh, and as to where the furnace was, here's a map:
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.30722301965558&lng=-74.81163740158081&z=15&type=hist&gpx=
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.30722301965558&lng=-74.81163740158081&z=15&type=hist&gpx=
Great photo Jerseyman, and thanks for the other shots as well of the pyramid structure of the furnace stack. That place had to be really neat looking. I had never heard of that forge up the creek, and really makes sense since just about every furnace had a forge in South Jersey. I had never heard of one being related to the Aetna in Tuckahoe before. Jerseyman's picture looks very similar to the one from Beck's book on more forgotten towns on Page 268. Beck also writes of a glassworks being up the river from the furnace on Tuckahoe Creek called Marshallville (Page 289). Some of the glasshouses were built right around the time Iron was dying out and glass making was becoming a more popular business. I wonder if some of the furnace was used in construction with the glasshouse there? And as for the Forge, I wonder if there's anything left there to hint to it's existence. Thanks again for the pictures.
Ætna Furnace Slag
About two weeks ago, I visited the Ætna furnace site. It's a very nice area right on the river. The millrace is still very prominent as is the hill mentioned in previous posts. While wandering around, I found a rather large piece of slag, approx. 10"x8". You can see the traces of iron and slag (impurities) in it. What interested me was the amount of charcoal remaining. I've found pieces of slag with random pieces of charcoal in it, but never this much.
My question is... has anyone found slag with this much charcoal in it? ; And what would cause this? (insufficient heat, furnace going out of blast, etc)
Thanx-
John-
About two weeks ago, I visited the Ætna furnace site. It's a very nice area right on the river. The millrace is still very prominent as is the hill mentioned in previous posts. While wandering around, I found a rather large piece of slag, approx. 10"x8". You can see the traces of iron and slag (impurities) in it. What interested me was the amount of charcoal remaining. I've found pieces of slag with random pieces of charcoal in it, but never this much.
My question is... has anyone found slag with this much charcoal in it? ; And what would cause this? (insufficient heat, furnace going out of blast, etc)
Thanx-
John-
John,
It seems to me, based upon what I have read, that what you have there is a result of either too much flux (thereby lowering the slag to a melting point where it solidified), or the guy at the bellows took a nap (or got drunk) and allowed the fire to cool too much, also lowering the melting point of the slag too much.
I have never seen charcoal in any slag. It has to be a result of a furnace that was either not operating correctly, or was allowed to go out on purpose.
Yes, I am a 21st century man without a furnace degree, so that is just my opinion.
It seems to me, based upon what I have read, that what you have there is a result of either too much flux (thereby lowering the slag to a melting point where it solidified), or the guy at the bellows took a nap (or got drunk) and allowed the fire to cool too much, also lowering the melting point of the slag too much.
I have never seen charcoal in any slag. It has to be a result of a furnace that was either not operating correctly, or was allowed to go out on purpose.
Yes, I am a 21st century man without a furnace degree, so that is just my opinion.
That's what I was thinking. On the last day of the furnace did they just let it go out of blast by walking away from it, or did things get wound down properly?
About the charcoal, I have seen it several times. Although I don't know exactly what causes it, I'd have to say that it could possibly be from things not being hot enough in the furnace but more than likely the charcoal was wet or frozen. The slag usually floates on top due to a high air content and being lighter than the heavier iron on the bottom of the pool. In order for the charcoal to not just ignite when hitting those temps something wasn't right. It's possible there were smaller pieces stuck in the chimney walls and fell by the time things below were cooler, or when the slag was raked out bits on the ground may have gotten stuck in the hotter parts that were exposed. Who knows. The I've also found charcoal in the slag at Atsion, Hampton, Batsto, Martha, and Weymouth. I've tried to examine and check all of the slag at every place I've ever visited, and I'm sure there are other places where this exists. So that makes me think it was something common, like a frost covered charge in the furnace or possibly soaked charcoal after a rainstorm.
Excellent, Spung Man, thanks! That really puts it into perspective. Once you see the drawing the outline of the remains on the postcard makes a lot of sense.
Jerseyman, thanks a ton for a really illuminating image. I've visited the site a couple of times and now it makes so much more sense.
Jerseyman, thanks a ton for a really illuminating image. I've visited the site a couple of times and now it makes so much more sense.
Bob, I still think if we did a scale model furnace and smelted some bog ore we could get The History Channel onboard. Well, maybe we would have to add in something about prophecy and doom, but other than that I think they would go for it.
Bob and Kevin-
You both make good points. I never thought about wet or frozen charcoal. Charcoal burns steadily at around 2000˚F, and bog ore begins melting between 2100˚F and 2200˚F. That would explain the need for the blast from the bellows to keep the temps at a higher level. Plus, the higher the temperature, the fewer the impurities. According to http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/f8/slag-thread-5612/, this piece is from a hot blast furnace, which would burn at a higher temp, possibly up to 3000˚F, which makes the amount of ore and charcoal confusing. There could be any number of reasons why the furnace wasn't at a proper temperature. Guess we'll never know, but I like Bob's suggestion the best.
Does any one know if Ætna was a hot of cold blast furnace?
John-
Since it was built so early I would say it was cold blast. It may have been rebuilt (as I believe Martha was) as hot blast sometime later.