The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-01 00:00:00

BIRTHS IN THE WEEK.

Males ... ••• ••• ••• ... 753
Females ... ••• ••• ••• ... 746

Total ... ••• ••• ••• ... 1,499
*ln this number are included 51 by Scarlatina, 48
by Typhus Fever, 125 by Diarrhoea, and 15 by Cholera.

BRITISH v. AMERICAN IRON.
We recently stated that the consumption in the
United States amounted to about 1,000,000 tons per
annum, or 100 lb. to each. person. Thousands of
tons are used in the construction of bridges, light-
houses, &c., and the manufacture of steam engines,
steam boilers, and steam carriages of all descrip-
-1_10:ca. Immense quantities are also consumed in
Zr hinery, railways, implements of industry, and
naval armament. The safety of life, indeed,
depends on it in
many ways, and the better the
qualityofiron the greater the amount of pro-
tection afforde
We are informed that four out of
five iron
estabts.hments in this city use English plate-
iron exclutiyei
at prices mull. for atelum-boilers, which is obtained
plate iron. . below those demanded for American
; but this upon life and'lnprdel.at are the risks thus entailed
upon ? Science has
Can this plate iron be de-
pendedsquare inch of surface in a
1 of pounds of steam vhicirs demonstrated the number
a superior
has been deter-
' boiler will resist
and not with an in-
I
mined by tests with
ferior metal. And in the de and
ee which such iron
and
dant°
is ' deteriorated will the risk
Much English iron is made from gr he augmented.
sulphurous coal. In some furnaces refuse ores and
which is rich in metal, but highly impregnatede use cinder,
arsenic, sulphur, scc.,
Bemployed
with
phosphorus,
d is mixed and sold with oyed; and
iron so produce
inferior character being
of .
better quality without its being "
de-
tected. In the recent examination of witnesses in e
case of the Eclipse casualty, a practical engineer tes-
tified that some flaws and defects even in plate iron
could not be discovered or ascertained by the most
discerning and critical eye.
it possible for any one to estimate the strength, dura-
bility, tenacity, or resistance of iron except by actual
and severe test. In Philadelphia, within the last two
months, while being subjected to such tests, a steam
boiler exploded with less than the usual quantity of
steam pressed upon its superficies, and in a moment
seven persons, who were in the vicinity at the time of
the experiment, were hurried into eternity. Why,
when it was clearly proved subsequently that the
boiler should have resisted four times the amount of
expansive power, and that no fault whatever or negli-
gence could be ascribed to
the engineer or operatives,
should the casualty have •
occurred . P Simply because
the iron was imperfect;
wascaa,b and no examination, no ex-
perience,of guarding against the fatal
result. No visiblel
fl
plate, and th ' tlWB were found in the ruptured
but it
wase
olfron appeared sound and healthy ;
have been of the r f
British manufacture, and may
no right, by re use cinder quality. Congress has
to invite de a
ngtPT„i icy so pernicious as the Act of 1846,
to thousand,. 5 into our midst, causing insecurity
gist, Dr.masaThebte testimony of the eminent metallur-
Scotch bars do oc,,tof Scotland, is decisive. He says that
I
pure metal, whereacson.tain more than 90 per cent. of
per cent. But We have-B"merican iron contains full 99
than an opinion evidence on this score stronger
Late experiments founded
En
tth on chymical analysis.
demonstrated that Englisll3 Washington Navy-yard
thickness of diameter was chain cable of a certain
raptured by a breaking
strain of 7161 b. less than was
required to rupture
American chain cable of the same diameter. Daring