Star.
London, England, 1824-09-06 00:00:00

ON CUTTING HARD STEEL BY SOFT IRON.

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(/11.011 11111
It was announced last year in an American Journii
(Professor Silliman's), and afterwards in the London
publications, that soft iron kept in rapid motion will
cut the hardest steel. The fact was first made known
by the Rev. Herman Daggett, and was soon after yeti •
red by Mr. Barnes, of Cornwall, Connecticut. Having
xed a circular plate of soft iron on an axis, he put. 1t
in a lathe, and gave it a rapid rotatory motion, applying
.tt the same time a file to make the edge round and
smooth ; but the file was cut •in two by the plate, which
remained seemingly untouched ; and was hardly
'warmed •by' the operation, though a band of sparks, in-
tensely heated, surrounded it while in action. He then
rave to the edge of the iron plate that degree of
finishing which he desired, by employing•rock crystal
to turn it.

Having a skw-plate which he 'wished to alter; hp ap.;-
plied it to the circular plate of iron, and cut it'through,
longitudinally, in a few minutes ; and afterwards he cut,
teeth. in is by the sturre mean-. Had a.file been used to
produce the same effect, it would have reggired•a long
and tedhus operation. 7-0. 'Have we not here a good
hint, which may prove uselbl, hot:Merely tri,Carpenters
and all sicho use saws, but even to saw-makers?
The fact stated in Professor Silliman's Journal was
also proved in London, by Mr. Jacob Perkins, who, by'
means of such an iron plate, cot notches in the end of A
file,which, by the heat it had eeceived, had been spit-1
ened, and had the parts, acted op thtown opt like bur.'
On another part of the file, when the. plate had _beep.]
applied against its face, the teeth were removed.
In a late number of his J4urnal; Professor Silliman
has returned to the subject :--- " This fact," says be,
" does not appear, as far as I am informed, in hooks;
nor have I found that it was before known to practical
men. It seems to have been discovered by the Shakers
Who are remarkable for the neatuecs and expeitn,ess
their mechanical operation;. As* is desirable that the
experience of whets on this subject shan't' be mad,
known, I will now add, that in June last I saw Profes-
sor ftcbert hare at Philadelphia execute, with) a. corn-.
moa foot-lathe, operations similar •Xcwhose desciibed
by M. Daggett : they were, however, less,energetic and
decisive, as the machine did rot produce so rapid a
motion as that of Mr. Barr-es.. •

" I have, however, since repeatedly seen the experi-
ment succeed, ia the most perfect manner, ai the manu-
factory. of arms belonging to . Eli Wititttry. Esq. near
this town (Newhaven, Connecticut): As water power
is here applied with great facility and energy, a wheel
of soft and very thin plate-iron,.six inches in diameter,.
and furnished with an axis, was made to revolve with
such rapidity, that the motion became entirely imper-
cvtible, and the wheel appeared as if at rests When
pieces of the best and hardest steel, such as files, and
the steel of which the parts of gun-locks are made, were
held against the edge of the revolving soft iron plate,
they were immediately cut by it, with a degree of ra-
pidity which was always considerable, but which was
greater as tl:e pieces of steel were thinner ; pieces as
thick as the plate of a common joiner's saw, were cut
almost as rapidly as wood is cut by the saw itself. Con-
sidered as an experiment merely, it is a very beautiful
one, and in no degree exaggerated in Mr. Daggett's
account : there is a very vivid coruscation of sparks,l
flying off in the direction of _tangents w the periphery
of the cutting-wheel ; and an intense ignition of the
steel, extending for a considerable distance a-head of
the section, and on its sides, attends the operation. The
impulse against the steel is so strong, that in several
instances it was thtown against the opposite side of the
room with a velocity that might not have been without
danger to a person standing in the way. It may be
said, I believe, with safety, that none of the ordinary
Mechanical operations commenced upon cold and hard
steel, will divide it with so much rapidity as this mode
of applying soft hon. After all, it is evident that it is
only a peculiar method of cutting red-hot, or possibly
white hot steel; fur the mechanical force produces those
degrees of heat, and it is one of the best methods of
evolving heat by mechanical impulse. The steel, of
course, loses its temper at the place of section, and there
only; for the softening extends but a little way, and is
limited to a narrow portion, marked by the iris colours
known to be pi educed by heat on steel.
" The iron plate, as Mr. Daggett states, becomes
only warm, and wears away, only very slowly ; yet it
sloes wear, for the edges ate left rough, and the channel
of section in the steel exhibits with a magnifier minute
stria or grooves, running in the direction of the wheel's
revaution. I know not that there is any reason to
suppose any peculiar electrical plerenomenon, except
that electricity always accompanies beat. It is plain,
from the important use made of this mode of cutting
steel by the Shakers and by Mr. Barnes, that it may be
of considerable practical importance.
o As a philosophical experiment, it is highly inte-
resting : and it remains yet to be shewn, why the beat
evolved by the impulse should nearly all be concen-
trated- in the steel, and be scarcely perceptible in the
iron : neither is it perfectly clear that even ignited steel
should be so easily cut by the impinging of soft iron.
No smith probably ever thought of attempting to divide'
steel by applying an iron tool."—Sillinfan's Journal,
vol. vii. p. SW.

The fact that has thos been brought to oar knowledge
is valuable, because it may be employed with advantage
in niany work hops; but. when duly considered, the
,Most surprising particular respecting it is, that it should
base been so long in being discovered. The result is
only such as should be expected from the means em-
ployed. On the steel the action is continuGos, and the
beat-exciting effect of friction incessant; but on the iron
plate they are Successive : that is, in every individual
portion of the periphery of the iron plate they are inter-
mitting, each such portion performing a whole revolu-
tion before it is brought again into contact with the
steel; while the portion of the latter, against wl.ish they
thus act in succession; remains the- same, and, Ly the
accumulated heat, ceases in the part acted upon to be
hard steel. It is set steel when the iron performs its
office; and, a priori, shouhi be expected to give way
by the action of abrasion. In fact, the steel and the
iron mutualli Weir-each fiiit" that of the
one being concentrated in one point, becomes very
'narked and striking, while that . of the Anises, being
diffused on i much more extensive surface, is hardly
pet iced. Let the steel plAte be supposed a tenth of
an inch id thickness, add the.sircumference of the iron
plate ten inches, in this case, even were the heat assn-

flighted by friction to have no other effect than to brill'
the steel and iron to an equality in point of hardness,
the effect on the steel would be an hundred times that
on the iron. This being the fact, can we wonder, when
the hilth temperature to which the steel is raised at the
*Ant in contact is considered, that it should wear away
irk the Min ke d manner in which it does?

UNIFERtITYandCLERICAL INTELLIGENCE.

• CAMBRIDGE, SEPT. s.
•
• 'Tuesday se'nnight, tbe•Bishap of Chichester held an Ordination
at the Cathedral Church, Chichester, at which the following Gen-
tientfu were admitted Priests and Deacons:
PlUSllll.—Ciatles John Paterson, B.A. Cains College, Cam-
bridge • Robert B.A. Pembroke Hall, Cambridge;
Frederick Parkin Hoole, B.A. Christ's College, Cambridge ; John
Mite ill Chapman. M.A. Exeter College, Oxford; George Dew&
ney, M.A. Queen's College, Oxford; John Bridge's Ottley, M.A.
Oriel College, Oxford; Thomas Smith, B.A. Queen's Colt. Oxon.
Dpicons.—Thomas Oliver Goodchild, B.A. Exeter College, Ox-
ford i Thomas. Delves Ilroughtob, 'S.C. h. Downing College, Cam-
bridge; William John Hutcbin'son, B.A. Jesus College, Cambridge;
Richard Thomas Wilson Taylor, D.A. Wadbam College, Oxford ;
Robert Deetles Wilnspt, .13. A.. St. John's College, Cambridge ;
Henry West, A. St. Peter's College, Cambridge; Bidlade Bray,
B.A. Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

stoptestsirrical. ?anatomists.
lie Bishop of St. Asaph has presented the Rev. Henry Jones,
M.A. to the Ptrpetual Curacy of Flint, vacant by the• death orate
•Ilev. Crewe Chetwoode Davies.
Ilev. R. H. Barium to be one of the Priests in Ordinary of his
Majesty's Chapels Royal.
The csteivive Vicarage of Warminster, void by, the death of the
Itcv. Dr. Rowlandson, has been presented to the Rev. Mr. Hume.
The Rev. William Harriott, M.A. Chaplain to the Kul of Be-
'eerier, has been pieseard by the lien. Hugh Percy, Chancellor of
the Cathedral Church of Salisbury, to the Vicarage of (Wiliam,
rvitb the Cliapelry stf Grewell, Hants, vacant by the death of the
.key. Tisom.is Peter Dodd Salmon. _ _ _

.Tlie Rev. W. li:Arundeli, M.A. of Caius College, Car.lliridte,
:to the Rectory of. Cheriton Firapaint, in Devon, on his own pre-
setgation. vojd by the resignation of the Itev. If. Sanders.
Rev. J. W. D. Landon, to the Rectory of Lillk:stone Lovell,
'Oxfordshire. _ _ __ •

• Rev. J. Clapp, to the Rectory of Clusten, Wilts.
The. Rev. J...C. Wing, incumbent.of Thorney, in the Isle of fay,
h4s.beenpresentedto the Rectory of Chenies, Buckinghamshire.
The Magi:treks and Town Council of Stirling have elected the
Reverend Archibald Bennie, one of the Ministers of the North
Albion-street, Chapel, Glasgow, to the West Church, vacant by
the deAh of the Rev. Archibald Bruce.

The Matistrttes and Council of A!)erdeen hav- unanimously
elected tie.lire. John Murray, Mininer of Trinity Chapel of Ease,
to be one of the Itliuitters of that City, in room of thr Rev. Ro-
bert Dnig, deceased.

CORONER'S Ir QUEST,

ACCIbENT AT MR. GALLOWAY'S

_Saturday evening, an Inquest was held at St. Bartho-
lomew's Hospital, on the bodies of Thomas Trilaur and
Thomas Donnelly, two of the unfortunate persons who
were killed by tie falling of part of a building in West-
street, Smithfield.
' Jciseph' norlaic delioseJ, that abort half.past five
o'clock on Friday afternoon, the men were employed in
raising some. timbers on a newly•erected building.—
Donnelly was a bricklayer's labourer, and Tril.sur a car-1
',enter. The deceased persons were employed in get:ing
up the walls, and preparing 'the floors—the building
was about thirty feet 'high. The tie-beams gave way
suddenly; and the walls fell in upon the persons at
work. Witness was on a scaffold at the time; bad con-
isideied it dangerous for the last two or three days ;1
the upper part of the wall overhung the foundation two
I or three inches; n:entioised it. to Mr. Galloway's fore-
man, sdso is now lying at .the hospital; there was a. 4
surveycr employed on the premises. After the accident,
witness and some other ptr,ollS endeavoured to rescue
the men who weir buried under the ruins; he removed
the two deceased persons from Lustier Use ruins; but they
were quite dead. The girders weighed, he believed,
about '2B cwt. the walls were two bricks thick above
ground, and five at the foundation.
Thomas Burrell saw the accident, and assisted in
conveying the deceased persons to the hospital. Therb
were several others hurt.

Mr. Galloway, jun. said, that in Lis opinion the cause
of the accident was, that in hoisting some planks, one
of the preparatory stays for the roof was struck, airier
caused the walls above the floor to fall upon the girders;
and these, having their boards on, teceived the shock,
and made the building lurch, owing to their being
covered ; four other girders, having the same weight
fall through them, did not receive any injury, and are
now standing in a perfect state. His father is a parti-
cularly cautious man, and had he thought these was
any d roger, would have guarded against it. Witness
and his lather were on the premises five minutes before
the accident. Every exertion was made to rescue tivr
unfortunate sufferers; and his laths./ was anxious tie
render them all the assistance in his power.
Wm. Br odrip, a surgeon, descriiaed the nature of the
injuries the deceased received: o.le of the wounded
persons then in the hospital was not out of danger.
The Jury returned a verdict of Accide.stal Death.

As the people were leaving chinch, yesterday, the in-
habitants of Chancery-lane weie alai flied by a
.heavy
crash, by the falling of one of the house; a ij ,inmg to;
where the late disastrous fire took place. Toe route tr;l
uninhabited, owing to its dangerous situation. Inc ad- I
joining houses are in a similar situation.
A Fiend' Paper of Wednesday contains the following
accouut of a novel ascent by an aeronaut, on the pre-
ceding day : " The trial excursion of Margot, mounted
upon the stag Coco, was very successful. Having left
the garden of Tivoli on Tuesday, towards seven in the
'evening, in the presence of an immense crowd of spec-
tators, they ascended in a serene atmosphere by a light
wind from the south-east. They weie seen to cross the
Seine in the direction of Asnieres, and to descend at
some distance in the plain, on the side of Colombe."
Four Sundays ago, a young man, in the village of
Strathmartine, accompanied his bride to the " hirking,"
in the Mains Church. As they lingered in the roman-
tic cemetery, " before the sound of the Sabbath-bell"
summoned them to the house of prayer, a particular
spot attracted the bridegroom's attention, in which he
said he should like to be buried when he died. This
was spoken with no gloomy presentiment; but disease
came unlooked for: its progress was rapid : and Sunday
se'nnight, just one short month after the glad husband
had accompanied his happy young wife to church, his
dead body was laid in the svoi. which he himself had
chosen for its last resting-place.
Thursday afternoon, as the workmen who are con-
structing the coffer-dams for the new Loudon-bridge, were clear-
ing away dirt from the bed of the river, with a machine fixed on
board a vessel, and worked by a steam-engine, the bucket brought
up the kg and thigh of a female, (which was beautifully shaped with
a small foot), on which were a silk stocking and shoe. The body,
it was conjectured, had been carried with the current against the
side of the coEer-dam, where there were more piles to be driven, and
that a pile had been literally driven through ft or the body must
have been brought up altogether, instead of the leg and thigh being
torn off, which was the case. Thereat of the body has not yet been
recovered, it must have been in the water at least a fortnight, by the
*Far/ince etthe leg and thibls.

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