Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1847-08-25
From the Philadelphia American and Gazette.
ELECTRISED IRON-WALL,S PATENT

efh science To manufacturing art Is found i'm WALL
o ihethod OF purifying metals, and more particular,
ron oy means OF voaic electricity. This process
Dritisli ohe which the discoverer has secured by
patent, mas been the subject Of discussion in Enc
iahd ana cannot but be Of interest to the iron mas
ters Oh fennsy lvana to whom, at a period when
the reduced protective duties imposed by the prcs
ent American tariff exposes them TO peculiar danger
from British competition, any improvement in the
manufacture of English iron, enhancing the quality
ana diminishing the cost, cannot but be of consider
able moment. A pamphlet description of WaIps
process published in London time since by or
ior the INVENTOR and reprinted in the American Rail
ROAD journal, to which useful periodical we refer in
'erested readers, contains olerably full, but. of
COURSE mighty favorable account; from which we
nave EXTRACTED the materials for the present notice
Vast as is the quantity Of British pig iron pro-
duced. estimated at a million and half ionsa wear
IL is for the most part, of very inferior quality so
that large quantity Of the better sort is required 70
be be annually imported from Sweden and Russia
he inferlority arises from various contaminatons
Us CARBON, silicon sulphur. phosphorus oxygen and
arsenic, which it is the object of all processes ot mn
rlhcation to get rid Of All these bodies are electro
negative 10 iron, and are capable of being separated
from II, the iron being in state Of fusion by the
decomposing agency OF powerful current of voltac
eiectrcity 1t was in this way that Sir Hum.
P,,rey Davy ilrst succeeded in decomposng the
aikaiies and alkaline earths and immoriazinp his
name by the discovery of their metallic bases and
MI Vail states that it was the recollection of Sir
humphreys success I'm roviving, or, so 10 sneak
purifying potassium, which gave him the first idea
oi attempting similar experiments with iron These
experiments commenced privately in 1910, were
repeated publicly, on large scale and apm,ren,lv
win perfect success, early as the fall of 1913:
and since that time Mr.. Wall has been IaborinG
WIN all me zeal, and perhaps somewhat the i'll for
tune OF an mproyer, 10 introduce his invention into
general use. 1t seems to have been opposed in Emo
yc.ln ,,,I
men nut, II would appear that ii has been adopted
IN some Of the large iron establishments both in
England and on the Continent
Inc whole essence of Wallis method consists in
suoJecthg the impure pig iron in state of fusion to
me operation OF voltac battery the effect of which
Is the separation of the impurities and in particular
the sulphur and phosphorus, which volatilize and
are consumed. The molten metal may be electrised
Ill mould bed or crane ladle or i'm the furnace IL
sen Inc hotter 1t is, and the complete its con
dion OF iiuidty, the more perfect of course is the
operation oil The electricity. Any ordinary voltac
battery, with poles constructed of iron bars will
serve i"r generating electricity and CONDUCTING il
throu9h the molten metal but as complexity of an
Paia'uS, requiring delicacy and adroness of mani
Pnlatlon, would be out of place in great iron esfab
nshme9ls, and In the hands of common workmep
Nlr. Wall has been forced to contriye n battery of
! the simplest form, which is placed as a fixture in
any part OF the premises while permanent poles or
DarS set In The furnace, capable of being ime-
dately connected or disconnected with the battery
by The mere turn of screw backwards or forwards
ouch are the simplicity and economy of these ar
rai9nineh's that, we are told, Walls battery ca
Pabe OF acting efficiently ON ten tons of metal at
uine, does not cost above one-fifth the price of n
omee battery of one hundred pairs OF plates erbt
ny three and half inches. The operation appears
TO be sufficiently rapid. In one Of the experiments
ucscrioeu anu authenticated, thirty hundred weight
oil NO < pig iron seem to have been refined in TWEEN
I nj RI L.,
purified in an hour
! L he results OF electrsaon are purity and increas
ed product OF metal DIR. IRE. by analysis found
elecirised iron nearly free from contamination
WINE non Obtained from the same at the same
works, and by the same processes, eXcept that the
eectrlsaiIon was omitted, contained notable ouapti
Ties OF silicon, manganese and arsenic The b,r
iron manufactured from the electrised pig i'm the IL
suai way, tested by twisting, piercing and punchnq
not and cold, and then made into chain and subject
ed to the lever testing machine at the Mill Wall l.
ron Gable Mandatory, was found to be superior in
tenacity to the ordinary best cable iron.
This, according to MIR. Lenox one Of the pronri
etors OF the Mill Wall Works, should bear test of
~ tons the electrsed iron stood test Of % tons
Ia cwt As tested at the Milton Works, the supe-
roflty OF electrsed over Don-eectrised iron was as
$40 to o,22O. The increased product in bar iron
OF the electrised over the non eecirised pip was
found, at the great Dowlais Works of Sir John
Uuest, to be nearly per cent. To make a ton of
bar iron required of the Dowlais ordinary pir metal
70 cwt but of Wallis electrised pig only 2S cwt.
2 qrs 5 lbs.
The gain to the manufacturer both in the incroas
ed quantity and enhanced quality of the metal, as
well as iii the reduced expense of puddnU ham
merlng, and rolling the eleciriscd iron appears to
be very great. MIR. Thomas Sims, a LARGE Br-
mingham manufacturer, estimated that the process
would elect an average saving of so PER cent
Mr. Hawthorn, manager of the Milton Works.
near Sheffield, estimated it as high as SIS per cent
DR.. IRE, who is admitted to be hirh Scientific
authority. in a formal report dated July Is, 1874
pronounces extraordinary the EFFECT Of Mr.,
Wallis patent electric process, as performed in his
presence Ill the excellent iron works of Mr. Jcssop
at Condor Park, Dorbyshire, where the electrised
forged pigs discharged those noXous elements (sul-
Phur and phosphorus) so cOpiOusly in the pudding
furnace as to become, after single reheatnU with
out plling iaggotting, brilliant bars of the finest
hbrous metal. The bars so made" continues Dr.
Ure, nave been subjected under my inspection tn
the severest proofs, by skilful London blacksmths
and they have been found to bear rierciuo ham
merlDg, bending and twisting as we'll as the bcs,
iron III the market. ! have analysed tie said iron
with the utmost minuencss Of chemical research.
and have ascertaned it 10 be nearly pure metal.
containing neither sulphur nor phosphorus and
, merely an uapprecable trace of arsenic ! can.
/ therefore, cOnscienGousiy recommend Mr. Walls
patent process 20 iron InasteIS, as one of the great
est, easiest. and most economical improvements
which their art has ever received" 1.-The fccu.
mary advantage of this prOccss,' he adds "in re-
sPect to saving OF labor aud waste of material has
7 been estimated by competent Judges at from CT 10
e sterling, per ton.
J DIR. IRE also bears witness 10 curious and inn
portant power of the voltaic current, in facilitating
the rapid conversion of soft iron exposed for few
hours In contact WITH coke, 70 moderate red heat