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Old water wheel and blast machinery, Hopewell Village, Berks County, PA, circa 1950.
Credit: Courtesy of Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, Pa.
Blowing tubs, powered by a waterwheel, forced air through a pipe into the bottom of the iron furnace, where it fed combustion inside the furnace. This blowing tub at Hopewell Furnace was restored in 1952.