Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1841-02-13
6teeI ore-1he following l. laken from ,he 1e.

w Ao 0""Ns ~ snO y
pori Of D s R.bcrts, Esq, Civil Engineer, who,
during the psat season, has been employed by She
Commissioners for the proposed Ogdensburg and
Champl.in RaiIrosd,' in the survey Of one of its
projected lines, and who has been entrusted with
the care of a geological md meteorological ex-
animation of a portion of Franklin aud Clinton
COUNTIES, contiguous to the located lines hereto
fore unexplored and unknown:
Steel 0re-In the town Of Duane, aFrsnklin
county, il q vein of magnetic oxide Of iron, distin.
guished from the other minerals of that region by
is capacity Of yielding, directly from The process
Of s~melting,a substance possessing all The physical
and chemical properties Of manufactured steel
The analysis Of this ore has been effected by T
B Cle,nmson, an eminent American chemist in
Paris. and has been found 10 be composed as fol-
lows -
Iron aud s~coria, 1912
Iron alone, 1890
From this analysis i, appears that the steel
properties Of the substance resulting from tho
smelling of this mineral are Inherent, and no,
the result Of sny new or peculiar process Of essay.
However little the world may be prepared to give
credit TO the existence Of such a mineral in the
state Of oxide the fact is now too well established
to admit. even Of scep,icism, and no one who will
examine. the edged tools and cutlery of all kinds
that have during the past season been cast from
this mineral and sent out into most Of the cities
for samples, can do SO great violence 10 his own
senses as to doubt any longer The existence of .
natural steel from the simple process Of mould.
ing and casting, razor blades, penknives, sheers.
plane irons, gouges, axes of all sizes aud descrip>
lions, and every variety of tools of the machiniss
and carpenters shop, are at once produced having
all the properties and bea qualities Of the puress
stael.
This interesting mineral differs ia it's external
appearance but iiuie from the other magnetic OK
ides in it's vicinity /; its co Dior is darker, it is more
highly magnetic, and possesses consi ierable popu-
iarity. The vein was wrough, eish, or more years
before the peculiar properties Of The mineral vas
discovered. II was only distinguished from 9TH
er mineral Of the coun,ry by yielding q better
quality Of iron. and was especially celebrated for
wagon tire, and sleigh shoes, and immense quan-
titles Of i, were cast into pigs. stove plates &c,
and sold throughout the country for common
iron.
The process Of tie reduction of this mineral
differs in no IA amer from the usual habits Of ail
futnsces, and the rough casting directly from the
mould is already prepared for the process Of tenn
pering.
The roughness Of the casting Is very easily re-
moved, and perfect sbspe and form Of all kinds
of tools given, with but little labor with the file,
grindstone. or turning lathe, IN consequence Of
the extreme soflness ofthe metal before temper
ing. This qasii,y of ~sotness is not affected by
repeated melting.-the substance becomes more
fine grained and closely granular by every repest-
ed heating or melting, and after ten or more melt.
Igs crysialii5es ia so fine d grain as 10 require the
aid Of 0 glass to discover the granular texture
The steel property cannot be destroyed by any
heat. nor BY any number Of meltings-in this par.
sicuiaf u possesses one Of the mos. important ad.
saniaaes over manufactured sisel-ihs means
Which ~sntissly destroy Tho steel properties asqai-