"In 1879, Powelton Furnace (which was built with the most improved appliances) was put into blast amid the congratulations of several hundred people who had voluntarily assembled to witness the sight. Since that time this furnace has been remarkably successful, and is now producing from sixty-five to seventy tons of coke metal per day, of a quality unsurpassed by and produced in this country. This furnace is now managed by E. J. Bird, an English gentleman of great distinction, who was years ago commissioned by Queen Victoria and the Spanish government to erect furnaces within their respective realms. De Veaux Powel, the second son of Mr. Powel, controls the executive department of this establishment, and displays an ability which warrants its future success, when his father shall no longer be here to guide his head or hand. The furnace plant and its connections, it is stated, will give employment to about eight hundred men."1
1History of Huntingdon and Blair Counties, Pennsylvania by J. Simpson Africa Philadelphia, PA: Louis H. Everts, 1883, pp. 228-237.