Chapter 6: Agriculture, Metal, and Mining
The Industrial Revolutions
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The Tragedy of the Commons
The increase of iron production meant there was an increase in the construction of blast furnaces around Britain. Cotton fibers and oil are very flammable. The early mills were basically timber boxes, and many went up in flames. In 1803, a mill in the town of Belper burned to the ground. It had been built 17 years earlier by Jedidiah Strut - one of the key investors in Richard Arkwright's Mill at Cromford. Using brick arches and iron beams, he not only made the mill larger, he was able to put fire resistant as well.
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