New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-09-12

81 icnoth diseusted with life he committed suicide by
throwing himself of rock Geneva had at inc ,iine
an hereditary executoner who had accomplished us
duty that sad occasion; but shortly aier tne eA0u
ton, he drowned himself in the Arve. H. .
NEW MODE OF MANUFACTURING IRON
AND STEEL.
Yesterday, the new and extremely ingenious process
lust patented by Mr.. H. Bessemer, of manufacturing
msIleable iron and steel without fuel, and recently
propounded by him at the meeting of the British Asso-
citation for the Advancement Of Science, In paper
replete with interest was put to severe prac'ica'
test, but with the most successful result al Dn'e.
House, ST. Pancras road, IN the occupation Vi ua'
gentleman and his partner, Mr.. Longsdon, III the PRES
eIoe of several ronmastoTs carrying on an extensive
business in different parts OF the country ana may
practical engiIeeis and scientific men resident ia me
metropolis. The company by whom the experiment
witnessed included, among Others, oap ha 6s
son. Major Sitwel Mr.. G. Bailey Toms, from me Der
went Ironworks Mr.. j. Robinson, Ebbw Vale Work,;
Mr. H. Simpson, Cwm Celyn Works; Mr.. j. NJ Glad
stone Austin Friars Mr. /. Stirling Begole, VT: l.
II. Henry, FRS; Mr.. w: CaTpmael, MI. "ilIa,n
Smith, Mr. +. j. Bramwell, Nr. l. . fndeaux, MI a.
VI. Iokins, AID llr. b. Burleigh.
TIE magnitude and Importance OF this discovery OF
Nj. Besstmor SCARCELY be exaggerated. Inc "h!y
parallel f. it is to be found in the kindred invention OF
Homy Cort which, toward the Close of the last cen
tury relieved this country tn great extcntiIom its
commercial servitude to Russia and Sweden IN regard
to its supply Of wrought iron. Two years have been
spent 10y Mr.. Bessemer IN the perfection Oh i sche'G
and when the other day. he dvulged 1t tn the world
bcfne men distinguished for their sclentlhc attain
monts, aud practical manufacturers well able TO APP
p ociae It's public significance and lis whole bear
ing the tradein which they are interested II TOOK
IL ON wholly by surprise supcTsedIng AS IL does, the
expensive aboious ard tedious processes now Ill use
in The production, and the application Ill some cases, q"
mallcablc iron ard steel in this and many other coun
ri,s clcapeing those articles to extent which will
,I 10. h.r
poses to which they have never yet been suoservie
and in many respects refining and improving the
quality of the metal. Men like the two Rennies, Mas
myth ard othels of less note but of great experience rs
engineers and iron manufacturers have pronounced en-
phat;cally and without qualification III Its favor, while
come, including Nasn.yth, declare themselves unable
to the whole of the advantageous results calcu
lated to spring from It's discovery not to this country
alone but wherever else may be brought into 1t
the credit of the Emperor OF the French that, when
Tie invention, then in all imperfect state was brought
under his notice within the lat year. and when he COM
pretended It's full import from personal interviews
which lac rracously conceded to Mr. Bcssener, he az
fordcd him great facilities tor conducting MS eApcri-
ments successful result, and has since intimated
his intention of bringing the plan INTO practical opera
ion i'll the arsenal at ROuele. Far different was the re-
copt;on which Mr.. Bessemer states he experienced rom
the heads of an important department at Woowich
when lie endeavorcd to prove It's value ana Importance
on it by alleging that Mr.. Nasmytl had already made
substantially the same discovery which that gentleman
has since been the first to dsclaiin
The essential feature of Mr.. Besscmers invention Is
that he takes crude iron directly from the ordinary
blast furnace, and in the incredibly short space OF ~
minutes converts il into ngots Of macable IRON or steel
Of any size, and fit for the various manulaons oril-
narly employed to adapt them to all the material pur
% SEES TO which they are now applied lie thus dis
pcnscs with oil the intermediate processes u when re-
course has been had to produce the same effect within
the last 20 years nei%Gg tine d making c s.ges e with
all their attendant labor and fuel Paradoxical as
may SEEM il is not tho less true, that he has achieved
this great result 10y the application to the iron, IN IT.
transition from the blast furnace TO the CONDITION OF the
ngot, Of heat inconcevably intense generated with
out furnace OF fuel and simply by blasts ofcold air. by
this means he not only avoids the injurious action OF
mineral fuel the iron under operation, which has IL
ways deterorated the quality Of English iron, but saves
all the expense Of the fuel He sets out with the assump-
ton that crude iron contains about percent of carbon;
that ca bon cannot exist at white heat in the presence
Of oxygen without uniting Herewith and producing
combustion; that such combustion would proceed with
q rapidty dependent the amount Of surface OF car
bon expofod and, lastly that the temperature which
the metal would acquire would be also dependem on
the rapdity with which the oxygen and carbon were
made 10 combine, and consequently that it was only
necessary bring the oxygen and carbon together in
such manner that vast surface should be exposed
to their mutual action in order 10 produce tempera-
ture hitherto unattainable in our largest furnaces With
view Of testing practically this theory, he has con-
structed cylindrical vessel Of three feet in diameter
and FIVE feet in hight somewhat like ordinary cnpoa
furnace the interior Of which is lined with Gre bricks,
and at shout yo inches from the bottom Of it DO in
serted ve tuyere pipes the nozzles Of which formed
of burnt fire CLAW the orce of each tuyere being
about three-eighbs of inch in diameter AT side
of the vessel about half way up from the bottom there
il hole made for running in the crude metal and on
the opposite side there is taphole stopped with loam
by which the iron out al the end Of the process
vessel is placed 10 the discharge hole of the
blast furnace as TO allow the iron to flow along gutter
into it, ard small blast cylinder is used capable of
cupiessing air 10 about To- or III h. TO the square
inch communication having been made between it
and the iuyeres, the converting vessel is in con-
dition to commence work. The blast being
TUNED on, and the fluid iron run into the vessel,
rapid boiling up OF the metal Is heard going
on within the vessel the metal being tossed violently
about and dashed from side to side shaking the vessel
by The force with which il moves, from the throat of
TIC converting vessel This continues for about Is or
20 minutes, during which the oxygen IN the atmospheric
air combines with the carbon contained in the iron,
producing carbonc acid and at the time evolv
wing a powerul heat. The rapid union Of carbon and
oxygen adds still further TO the temperature of the met
al while tie diminished quantity of carbon present al
lows part of the oxygen To combine with the iron
which undergoes combustion and is converted into an
oxide AT The excessive temperature that the metal has
now occurred the oxide as soon rs formed undergoes
fusion and forms powerful solvent OF those earthly
bases that ere associated with the iron The violent
,tuIItou going on mixes most intimately the scoria
ard metal every part of which is thus brought in con-
tact with the fluid oxide which washes and cleanses
the most thoroughly tile ana other
onrtIv bnsos that are combined with the crude iron
While tie sulphur and other volatile matters which
cling so teraccusly 10 iron at ordinary temperatures
arc driven off, The sulphur combining with the oxygen
and forming sulplurous acid gas.
In conducting tie demonstration yesterday, s cwt
ar is ID of molten iron from furnace poured
INTO the frc-brck vessel already described, at LIE
o'clock the blast having been applied AZ pressure Of
about s H. rer sqrare inch md continued until o.
Tie mas Of metal began 70 bod uP aid The ciDders