New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-12-08

eel satisfaction. ese facts are By no means excep
ticnal. We constantly hear Of good metal resulting
at one operation wis in another it il found 70 Be
Of inferior quality 1t would appear from these op'
posite results that Mr. Bessemer cannot regulate hn
supply of oxygen % o. to render the quality OF sne
metal matter Of any certainty. Thus the metal
lurgist cannot know at what period Of the process
be should arrest the operation so a. TO Obtain con-
s,sp,ly the same kind Of metal. Should this In
feruce be correct, it must deprive the method
in a great measure Of its practical value. 1t Is
slso a question whether the sulphur and phos-
phorus. which exist in many pig irons to the eK-
tent Of IA Der cent, and the removal OF which 90
ye,y essential to the production Of good steel, are
cot lid Of at all. For these reasons metalurgSts
are not 90 sapsuine about its superiority over all
other methods ~ they we're when 1t was nrss
brought out
A, for the method of NJ Uchatius, We learn that
the stee produced BY it has been submitted 70 va
rious trials in the workshops Of the Northern Kali
road of Paris, and that the result has been OF sat-
isac,ory nature. 1t appears that the steel Obtained
was superior to all cast steel used there not even
excepting frst-ra'e English cast steel. AZ our
readers may remember, the principle OF Mr.. Ucaa-
thus consists in fusDg the granulated cast iron with
iron ore reduced to powder and the peroxide OF
manganese. When he desires to obtain soft steel
little iron is added, but when hard steel is re-
quired this is not employed. The finer the pig iron
ia srsnuated, the softer will be the steel produced;
snd the progress Of the de,arbonizing action will
depend on the amount Of metallic surface which 10
brought into contact with the oxygen yielding ma
terial with which the iron is surrounded. Good
evidence of the merit of this process is found in
The result of a series of experiments made before
Commissioners appointed by the French Govern
inert TO examine and report upon the value OF the
method The operations performed before the Com
mission were TO produce the granulation OF the
cast iron, and the conversion Of the graduated
cast iron into cast Steel and then to try several in
stIuments made from the cast steel obtained, In
order to ascertain the pressure it would support.
The eranulation was effected BY running cru
chile of melted pig iron into water when
il was converted into small shot-lke PARTICLES;
the quantity operated upon was forty pounds
and il took one hour and three-quarters to
melt. The instruments made from the cast steel
were tried and pronounced to be good, while the
experiments instituted to ascertain its power OF
resistance, and its AexiOn, showed that the steel
possessed great body, and that it was superior, a.
respects resistance, to the best iron employed IN
the workshops of the Northern Road. and could be
advantsge,usly compared with cast steel OF the
frat quality. The conclusions arrived at by this
Commission were that the method of Uchatus may
be sdvants &C ou,ly employed upon large scale;
that is of easy application, and can be used with
out any great outlay; that it does not demand more
fuel or more hands, than would be required in the
conversion of steel which has undergone the pro-
cess of concentration into cast STEEL aud also that
cast steel, more or less bard, can be obtained BY
varying the proportions of the materials hrst
employed; that, these materials being cheap,
cast steel can be obtained by the new method
at much less cOst than by any other.
The cast steel is also declared to be in
every way proper to take the place Of iron, in many
cases where that metal is at present employed.
The maaipulations of melting and casting, are the
same as are commonly employed by cast steel man.
manufacturers
Another trial of Uchatius's process has been
made in London, at the Albion works, in presence
of several gentlemen competent to Judge upon the
subject. Mr.. Charles LEM, who operated upon
the occasion, stated that this invention would
render England entirely independent OF Sweden
and Russia for iron for STEEL East India pig iron,
which was plentiful and cheap, could be converted
by it. in few hours, into fine Steel On that occasion
a weight Of "a lbs. of granulated cast iron was
mixed with crushed ore and was allowed to melt.
The contents of the crucble were then poured into
the iron mold ard opened, when an ngot OF steel,
weighing % lbs., being one pound more than the
iron employed, was exhibited to the company, and
pronounced to bear every external mark OF being
Of the first quality: the bar steel produced from
the irgOt of steel was pronounced to be excellent,
and the tools made from fellow ingot were tried
and found to possess all the qualities Of fine Ec-
elish cast steel. The Importance of this method
in reducing the price of steel seems objectionable
1t will probably be applied to numerous purposes, in
preference to iron. Steel tyres axes, piston rods,
and shafts, can be produced BY it at price not
exceeding that al present paid for frstclass iron,
while az respects strength and durability there is
no comparison between the two metals.
Mr.. Jacob Little, We believe, is highly respect