The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-30 00:00:00

MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL.

Le Conamissi aa.rs of Patents have just issued
an epitome of the steeificatious enrolled from the
earliest period to the present time, with reference
to the manufacture of iron and steel, which to
in-
ventors, and the industrial world generally, will be
of infinite value. The atnotmt of money lost by the
re-patenting of inventions must have been enor-
mous, and to the poorer class of inventors a
source of the greatest annoyance and disappoint-
ment. The fiat patent appears to be that of
Simon Sturtevant, in 1612, which was to con-
tinue in force for 31 years (this was about the
first attempt to introduce the use of raw coal in
smelting iron in place of charcoal, which at that
time was becoming scarce in England), and in ac-
cordance with the conditions of the patent he
published a description of his discoveries in 01
" Metallica." His process, however, appears to
have failed ou a large scale, and he surrendered
his patent in the rollowitn4 year. The second
was John Stevenson in 1612, who also pub-
lished a " Metallica," and likewise surrendered
his patent, as did several other inventors. In 1621
Lord Dudley obtained his patent, of which an
account is given by his son, Dud Dudley, in
his " Metallum Mavis (these three treatises have,
recently been reprinted by Thomas. Simpson,
Wolverhampton, and are published at amut 78. 6d,,)
Lord Dudley was enabled to make 3 tons per week,
which was then considered extraordinary.
After a period of more than 150 years, we tonneto the inventions of Henry Cort, for puddling and
rolling, which appears to be the next practical im-
provements (1783 and 1784), and we may then
proceed without much interruption until we
reach 1817, when the specification of AthonY
Hill shows that a process slightly
analo-
gous to, although not sufficiently so to
injure, the claims of Bessemer and Martien wes
tried at that time, but whibt the inventor could
appreciate the value of allowing the iron to be
" blown or acted upon by the air," he distinctly
adds that the iron "must be made into bar-iron by
puddling, reheating, and rolling, or by any other
known means," thus proving that the idea of blow-
ing pig-iron into malleable iron is new, although
f
the blowing process itself is but a modification of
an expired patent.
In 1828 we come to the invention of James 13'
Neilson, for introducing the hot-blast. In 18365.
J. Hawkins invented the construction of the mouth
of the "blowing-pipe," so as to deliver the blast
"in their sheets," instead of in a dense stream, E°
that the blast might possess a great surface in pro-
portion to its bulk, impart its oxygen immediately
to a large quantity of the ignited fuel, and also
avoid the chilling effect. In the same year
George Crane introduced the hot-blast with
anthracite •, in 1842 a somewhat similar inven-
tion but for using cold-blast, was invented by J.
a
Palmer Budd, who employed blast of at .least
pounds pressure on the square inch. In 1838,
Messrs. Bradley, Burrows, and Josepb Hall, in-
troduced "tap cinder" as a protection for the bet'
tom and sides of puddling-furnaces. In the same o
year Charles Sanderson, of Sheffield, patented bti
process for smelting at a low temperature, so as
dissolve the earthly particles of the ore without
melting the metal. The iron was never in a core;
plete state of fusion. The iron, when separate'
from the scoria, was removed with tongs, or lean/
other convenient manlier.
In 1839 comes the important invention of Josh
Marshall Heath for the manufacture of iron, an
which as reards steel was as great a stride
iln
ia
the manufacture as compared with any, previebe
process as the process of Uchatius is at the
present time. The duration of this patent
was, after much litigation, prolonged, by
application to the Privy Council, for seV'w,
years. Althon_h the principle of Heath's n
vention had been previously described, and even
as early as 1799 William Reynold Patena.
the employment of oxide of manganese or 111
nese in the conversion of pig iron into malleable 3
iron or steel, but gave no proportions or detaii,,_l,„
appears that until the introduction of Heath
patent no practical results were arrived at.
t
t'
In 1839 there was a patent obtained for cc o
taining metal from pyrites or mundic , by Joseph
Jennings, and as there can be no doubt that much
good would result from a cheap process for trettt
ing mundic, attention might be advantageonq
given to the subject. In 1840 Sir J. J. Guest an
homas Evans patented the introduction of stop"
into the refinery or puddling furnace, "forced
upon or into, or in contact w.th the naetal."
suitable means might be employed.
The first practical attempt at utilising the gases
from iron furnaces appears to have been made b..
Robt. Gardner, in 1788, although John Payne,
in 1728, referred to it in a vague manner. The
next claimant was Moses Teague, in 1832, Wl!'
proposed to use the flame and heated gas usually
discharged into the open air, for heating the
charge before it was introduced into the
furnace. The specification of Louis Nicholas
de Meckei.heim, in 1842, is too long one,
complicated to admit of a fair analysis, biz!
the object was to utilise the superabundant gage'
cooled by blast or other furnaces, by the use of fur-
naces of improved construction, and receivers, re'
torts, &c. In 1843, A. M. Perkins patented the
use of highly-heated steam in place of the hot or
cold air-blast. The specifications enrolled since
March, 1843, will form a separate series, and be re" I'
ferred to hereafter.—Mining Journal.