Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1854-02-11
Process of Making Railroad Iron.

The Pittsburgh Gazette has been visiting
the railroad iron mill of Bennett, Marshall
& Co., at Sligo, near that city, and we find
a description of the process of manufactur-
ing railroad iron in late number of that
paper the material par of which we give
It is stated that the metal from which the
rails are 10 be made is first assorted in piles
of 500 pounds and mixed so as to produce
the proper quality of iron. There are
twelve furnaces (eight more are being con-
structed) and each turns orr Ten heats a day
each pile Of the metal forms heat. This
meta! when in the furnace is separated into
five balls. each Of which are singly passed
through what is called sBurdon's Rotary
Squeezers." They are s'ren passed throug Oh
the muck rolls, where they assume the
dimensions of three inches thick by fifteen
or twenty feet long. They are then cut to
the length of four feet fen iches and re-
heated in what is termed the stop and
bottom furnace" After this process, they
are again rolled into six inch bars and taken
10 the rail mill. The centre of the rail is
composed of a number of three inch bars of
a poorer quality of metal. They are made
three inches wide, as it appears fuller
edge can be secured in that manner than
by making them double that with: These
pieces, being laid in their proper positions,
lat feet ten inches long) are again placed
in furnaces, and heated, after which they
are passed through the roughing rolls, and
then through the forming or finishing rolls,
where they receive the form Of T rail.
When being drawn through the rolls the
last time, they are run out OIL long buggy
to two circular saws, (which make 17ob
revolutions per minute.) where the ends,
generally ragged. are taken off, leaving the
full twenty feet rail.
The buggy conveys the rail to the
Strengthening plates, where it is leveled
laterally. II is then turned over and bent
at an inclination Of five inches, to make up
for the contraction of the iron. The rails
when nearly cooled, are completely straight
ened and turned over TO the hands of fiIers
in the Doctor shop" where the edges are
smoothed down, and defects noted and
repaired. ga
Thirty tons Of rails are turned out per day
at this establishment. A rail. 40 feet long,
intended for exhibition at the Fair, was
made last week. This exceeds anything in
that line in the United States, an Eastern
Company having turned out one thirty-lfve
feet long, some time ago which has pre-
viously been considered the longest ever
made.
The Company has secured contract to
supply the Cleveland and Piusburg railroad
with rails, and are now engaged in filing
the order. The success Of the Company in
what is an entire new business in that
county, is decided, and they will undoubted-
ly reap the itch reward due to their enter
prise and energy.
70 A topper, some time since, SAYS an
exchange, went into bar-room in the
western part of the State, and called for
something to drink; w
We don't sell liquor" said the law abid-
ing landlord, but we will give you glass,
and then if you want a cracker, we will sell
it 10 you for three eents.n
Every WE'LL" said the Yankee customer.
hand DOWN the decantersD - Z
The "good creature" was handed down,
and our hero took a stiff horn: when turning
around 10 depart, the interpreting landlord
handed him down q dish df crackers, with
the remark s:s& az
You'll buy a crackerr'
Well, no." said the Yankee, II guess
not: yon sell 'em too dear; can get lots Of
'em, five or six for a cent, anywhere eIse!"