New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-06-11
IMPORTANT RUBBISH.
ANOTHER AMERICAN DISCOVERY.

ANOTHER AMERICAN DISCOVERY.
We have already briefly alluded, in THE TRIBUNE,
10 the important discovery mentioned in the follow
ing article, which we find in Dickens's Household
Words:
We have in one Of our former numbers shown how
art and science have been brought to bear upon
things before thought worthless: how the refuse of the
smithy the gas-wOrke, and the saugher-house have
been made TO yield products the most valuable, re-
suits the most beautiful We now about to relate
bow another useful step has been made in Penny
Wisdom.
The iron wealth of England is a proverb in the
most remote corners OF the world. 1t produces the
enormous amount Of three millions OF tuns annually.
We export to all parts of the world iron and steel to
the yearly value Of ten millions sterling, and ma
chiDery and tools 10 the excnt of two milons-sums
that equal the revenue Of more than one kingdom.
In travelling through the iron districts of England it
is impossbe TO avoid being struck with the vastness
Of the works carried on in those places. journey
through our mining distrcts-where undying flames
leap forth from hundreds OF volcanoes, and around
winch nothing il discoyerabe but backened piles OF
cinders and unsighty slag-w not be easily forgot
ten. For scores and scores of miles the traveller be-
holds these apparently nerIDinable heaps Of refuse
ore. Carts wagons, and trucks may be seen on oil
sides occupied in tie endless task of removing this
metallic incumbrance of the smelting-works. Hun
dreds of labores engaged in conveying to remote
and undisturbed spots the enormous piles OF black,
fiiablc clinkery looking stuflthe Stag that day by
day aud hour by hour is produced by the sneers OF
iron ore. Some is flung down deep gullies and hid
den in the dark, yawning recesses OF ravines, when
haply any such TO be found Some Is employed III
the hardening of rotten oadways, where is made to
perform very unsatisfactory sort OF duty Tor st0ne
Occasionally Il Ia shot into the sea- when enough
for that purpose which however is not often the
OF the actual extent of this rubbshproductlon some
iden NAV be formed when it is stated it has been
ON ytry good authority that in the removal of all
this waste slog from the urnace-mouths of the United
Kingdom not much icss than hali-a million sterling IS
annually expended. Indeed, 1t has been calculated
that in round numbers there at tue present time
fully six millions OF tons OF this refuse nater1a pro-
duced i'm one year. At this rate it would be easy to
imagine the gullies pits and ravines OF the iron dis-
tricts becoming filed up at no very remote period,
when iron masters would have TO go further IN search
of secluded spots whcTeon rubbish might be shot.
Tie philosopher who by the aid of scientific oh
seryat;on aud research point out to us how TO
turn all this perpexipg of unproducve refuse to
good and profitable account-how by, simple
method we may convert this ugly, useless chnker
into be autifu means of Ornameutat0n, and make IT
an indestructble and economical agent in the con
struc;ion of public worls and dwelling houses-surely
the man who can accomplish this deserves some
thanks at our hands.
All ills hhs been accomplished by the patient re-
search of DIR. W. H. Smith OF Philadelphia, United
States who recently delivered lecture on the subject
to the members Of Society of Arts In thus inter-
esng discourse tho lecturer pointed out the brittle anu
useess character of the mineral refuse OF smelling
furnaces at present known under the name OF Stag.
careful analysis of this hithertorejected product OF
our iron works shows that il composed, III the man.
of lime silica, and alumina, with an occasional al
mixture of mas and phur. In all parts OF the
world the same results arrived at. The Stag OF
Frnnce or Sweden differs i'll essentials from that oil
Britain or the United States II Is scarcely necessary
TO remind the reader OF the similarity IN the process OF
smelling ores and the vast operations OF Nature be-
meath tho crust of the earth, where, by Ike agency
Of heat mountainous deposits OF igneous rocks are
constantly thrown OIL
he rocks Of this origin are met with IN stupendous
masses, in most parts of the world. While Nature
on tie one hand employs her igaeous products IN the
construction of gigantic mounain-paaoes man, well
of their great value, equally applies those
rocke under the names of granite, teldspar, oasat
greensboro sycne, porphyry, serpentine, Nc, IN the
construction of his most elaborated archichitectural
ednccs High geological authorities tell US that II
we examine the composition OF the crust OF the globe
we shall find that of all the earths and earthly sub
stances therein three only will be ascerained 10 con-
sutue its great bulk, namely silica, alumiaa, and
Unexpectedly those which mainly compose the sag
of the smelling house.
Tbo worker in ores when he is occupied with his
blnst.furnsce is in fact but repeating on small
scale the erendest operations OF Natsre deep IN the
bowels Of lie earth. Heat is the great first agercy
endowed by Nature and by the Philosopher IN the
decon osition and denomination which produce some
of the mos beautiful and useful products with which
we are acquainted. DIR. Smith has shown that the
rubbish of the tng-house identical IN character
and equally valuable, with most OF the lgneous ROCKY
Like many other valuable discoveries, this result
was 81 rived at while hing for something else IL
is well TO relate how this truth, interesting III itself
apart from commercial results, seized upon by
the American philosopher since il may tend to encour-
ace such ns may be toDg in other fields of research.
Impressed with conviction Of the influence of cleo
4icity upon life health ard disease DIR. Smith, at that
tine a practitioner in Philadelphia commenced
seres Of experiments in electro agencies on the hui
man frame Success in that question induced him 10
carry his researches to vegetable lite, and from AMI
he was led to direct his obs rvaons to ins'maie
obecs Mineral matter received attention from him,
and, weighing well the geological facts alluded TO
above, DY Smith bent the energies Of his mind TO
trace the effects Of electricity in ali these eombina-
lions and reproductions.
Comparing the condition and character Of Stag with
that of the igneous rocks Of Nature he felt that to
electric agency must be attributed the cause Of the
great difference existing between them. In order to
LED this be took piece of the vitrfcd mass of Stag
hot from the furnace-mouth, and applied 10 ii metal
he rod. At the point where this electric conductor
cane Ia contact with the substance the vitriied mass
assumed pulverulont character; several rods were
employ ed, and at each point of contact similar
changes in the condition Of the Stag were observable.
The electricity rapidly engendered during the smelling
process was parted with quickly % the application