[William Byrd writes of his visit to Col. Spotswood at the latter's air furnace at Massaponox during his visit on 4 October 1732.]
"Mr. Flowry is the artist that directed the building of this ingenious structure, which is contrived after this manner. There is an opening about a foot square for the fresh air to pass through from without. This leads up to an iron gate that holds half a bushel of charcoal and is about six feet higher than the opening. When the fire is kindled, it rarefies the air in such a manner as to make a very strong draft from without. About two foot above the grate is a hole [that] leads into a kind of oven, the floor of which is laid shelving toward the mouth. In the middle of the oven, on one side, is another hole that leads into the funnel of a chimney, about forty feet high. The smoke mounts up this way, drawing the flame after it with so much force that in less than an hour it melts the sows of iron that are thrust toward the upper end of the oven. As the metal melts, it runs toward the mouth into a hollow place, out of which the potter lades it in iron ladles, in order to pour it into the several molds just by. The mouth of the oven is stopped close with a movable stone shutter, which he removes so soon as he perceives through the peepholes that the iron is melted. The inside of the oven is lined with soft bricks made of Sturbridge or Windsor clay, because no other will endure the intense heat of the fire. And over the floor of the oven they strew sand taken from the land and not from the waterside. This sand will melt the second heat here, but that which they use in England will bear the fire four or five times. The potter is also obliged to plaster over his ladles with the same sand moistened, to save them from melting. Here are two of these air furnaces in one room, so that in case one wants repair the other may work, they being exactly of the same structure.
"The chimneys and other outside work of this building are of freestone, raised near a mile off on the Colonel's own land, and were built by his servant, whose name is Kerby, a very complete workman. This man disdains to do anything of rough work, even where neat is not required, lest anyone might say hereafter Kerby did it. The potter was so complaisant as to show me the whole process, for which I paid him and the other workmen my respects in the most agreeable way. There was a great deal of ingenuity in the framing of the molds wherein they cast the several utensils, but without breaking them to pieces I found there was no being let into that secret. The flakes of iron that fall at the mouth of the over are called geets [jets], which are melted over again.
"The Colonel told me in my ear that Mr. Robert Cary in England was concerned with him, both in this and his other ironworks, not only to help support the charge but also to make friends to the undertaking at home. His Honor has settled his cousin, Mr. Graeme, here as postmaster, with a salary of £60 a year to reward him for having ruined his estate while he was absent. Just by the air furnace stands a very substantial wharf, close to which any vessel may ride in safety."
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