gauge. Three have one thing in common, their purpose for
being built and operated, the movement of coal and lumber.
This single purpose was also the root of their demise, and that
of many other shortlines.
Two of the narrow gauge railroads served iron furnaces early
in their existence and had coke ovens on the railroad. A third
hauled coal from mines to coking ovens. To give some variety
to my Clinch River, I decided to build a small battery of coke
ovens at Stewart’s Gap.
As an aside, the Rio Grande also had coke ovens in many
locations on the railroad, so you Colorado fans won’t feel
left out.
Types of Ovens
In the United States, the switch to coke as a raw material in the
iron making process started in 1817 when the Plumsock furnace
was opened in Fayette County, PA. As other furnaces came into
use, anthracite coal, which was near to the major iron produc-
ers, was substituted for charcoal. Charcoal remained in use in
the production of iron up until at least the early 1900s. There
were charcoal kilns at the Cranberry Furnaces in North Caroline
until the furnace shut down in 1903.
Beehives were a more sophisticated version of the earlier
chimney type of furnaces. Earlier versions were exposed and
the conical shape gave them their name of beehives. Charcoal
kilns were larger but similar in shape. The earlier versions of
the beehives had a wooden ramp located at the rear and wag-
ons of coal were taken up the ramp. There the coal was loaded
through the top opening by wheelbarrows, spread across the
inside in a layer two to three foot thick and then ignited. The
door was sealed, only letting a small amount of air through the
opening, leaving the coke to cook for at least two days. These
beehives weren’t as efficient as the later enclosed beehives
because of the manual loading that was required.
Belgian coke ovens were of a slightly different design. These
ovens were developed in Europe, and then imported into the
U.S. as early as 1875. The last remaining Belgian coke ovens are
located in southern Ohio near McArthur at Vinton Iron Works.
Belgian coke ovens on the East Broad Top supplied the iron
works at Rockhill Furnace.
What follows is a description of the Vinton ovens as published
in the
McArthur Enquirer
dated November 17, 1875. The article
has been edited and reproduced by Richard H. Leive at
1: Surviving Lewisburg coke ovens at Fultondale, AL.
Courtesy of
John Stewart Collection
1
The Lite and Narrow Column - 2
MRH-Dec 2013
