He took me to a stair-ladder near the skip that ascended to the top of Number 5. For every furnace, a skip carries up the ore and other ingredients for melting inside. It is a funicular-like thing, a continuous belt, with boxes attached, running from the "hopper" at the top of the furnace to the "stockroom" underground.
We started to climb the steps at the left of the belt. There was a little rail between us and the moving boxes of ore.
"See dat," said Adolph, pointing through at the boxes. "Keep head inside," he said, "keep hand inside, cut 'em off quick." He illustrated the amputation, with great vivacity, on his throat and wrists.
It was a climb of five minutes to the furnace-top. We paused to look at the mounting boxes.
"Ore?" I asked.
He nodded.
Pretty soon the iron ceased coming, and a white stone took its place in the boxes.
"What's that?"
"Limestone," he said. "Next come coke. Look."