New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-25

pC from the ron al lOft4Eh uh&Sfs oucn mhiAefs
are never entirely absent from the best bar iron. Car
bonaceous substances in weighed Quantities are aided
10 the u1 to give 20 the iron just the amount Of carbon
desired. The efficiency of the refining fux is proved
bv the change impaired TO the ron when the carbon
1;nr ingredients omitted. This change is mani
tested by great increase of strength and tepacity
,ueb As was never before known. A bar OF iron an
uch square prepared in this manner and tired at the
Tinted States Government Works Hoboken the last
Winter bore tension strain of lilo, S4 pounds. The
test strain adopted for the best Swedish iron is - 900
pounds !. is supposed that all qualities of wrought
iron. however bad, may, BY the simple removal of the
upurties in combination be converted into absolutely
nure iron of uniform quality. Whether the aax adopt
ed is Efficient produce this result with all iron not
now the question. The following is description of
the process and of the cost of the manufacture.
In small furnaces made of fire. brick and arranged in
rows the top being level with the foor the cracbles
are placed, two in each furnace upon anthracite for
fuel This il kept in vivid combustion by blower at
the bottom Each crucibe holds sixty pounds of iron
and the ux scattered among the pieces This consists
Of the salts prussia,e of potash. sal ammOnac aud
little common salt, with which few ounces Of tine
charcoal and little black oxide of manganese are
mixed Their whole value for a crucble holding sixty
pounds of metal is not more than eight cent? In the
operation we lately witnessed 255 pounds of anthrs
cite were consumed in melting twelve crucibles OF
iron making the cost of fuel to the crucbe yeight
cepts Each crucible costs 81 and lasts four heats
making the costto GO pounds % cents. Labor is esti
mated at l6 cents to each melting of q crucible. Al
lowing the iron to cost $s5 per un, all the expense,
beside superintendent, coal for the engine which
drives the blast, and general expenses is for each
crucble about 50 81 The steel produced weighs the
same as the iron the carbon taken up replacing the
waste Adding to the other items the cost of rehea
ing and drawing the ngots into barr the whole
pense per un of caststee bars is about $i2 for the
same quality of steel We import at a cost of 500. The
cost Of the iron rated at that Of the bars of Peru
iron which We saw used. This iron may better be
purchased in blooms and rolled out at the steel works
with the same rolls used for the steel The cost will
thus be much reduced, and indeed ower.priced irons
may be used as WELL The time required to melt the
wrought iron is from three TO four hours. When we
witnessed the operation, in the early part Of the pres
ent month the crucbles in the fires three hours
and half In regular working three heats have been
run in nine hours. curious fact has been observed
in relation to the difference of time required to melt
wroug. iron derived from charcoal pig and that from
anthracite pig iron, the latter requiring from thirty to
forty minutes than the former. There is no per-
ceptbe difference yet noticed in the qualities OF the
steel made from these irons. When lifted out from
the furnaces the crucibes are taken TO the ingot
molds, and the liquid metal il poured into them, pre-
esely as is done in the melting and pouring of the bis
tered steel. This operation therefore, involves no
more labor and no more time than the simple melting
psrt of the English method Of making castseel The
long coaeHtation process is entirely done away with.
The ingots when taken from the molds, are ready to
be reheaed for hammering rolling, and these oper-
atoms are conducted as in other stee-works.
Variations from the old methods of making steel
have very generally proved failures in consequence of
q want of uniformity in the article manufactured.
Purchasers will pay high price for quality OF steel
they are sure Of in preference to running any risk of
finding a cheaper article unsuitable for the use re-
CURED
The samples which have come under the OBSERVE
ton Of the writer at intervals for about year past,
have appeared to be of the best quuny of east stoei
and this of the different varieties used for hes, saw
plates and drill steel. specimen taken to Lake SUI
perior last Summer was most thoroughly tried by the
blacksmith who had charge of sharpening the drills ton
the Minnesota mine, which, by the way, ID an office
recurring no little skill. This Cornish mechanic
thoroughly understood the working of steel. He had
even been in Sheffield and the process of making
il there and believed in it rehgiousy, scouting at all
other creeds. The appearance OF the steel was IN ITS
favor il had the look of English caststee and in his
mind there was no doubt it wasmade in the same way
He shaped it with the rapidly and mysterious skill
with which potter shapes the clay into cup. IL
became drill with the temper of the drills for boring
the hard trap rock the trias TO which 1t was sub
ected. though rather severe, bf it unDjured Again
in the fire and placed on theanyil the temper was
given it of the cutting chsesthat are used Tor cutting
through the great masses "copper". To test it. the
cast iron horn of the anvil luckily an old one was
Clipped upon till il seemed likely there would be little
left of IT, These trials il stood well as the drill had
done before and the result unqualified approval
of the quality as equal to tie best English steel used
at the mue. with the reservation, however, that 1t was
certainly made by the English process. large lot OF
il has now gone up to the nine for actual use AT the
Sirg sing file works it was also found of the best
quality. but the question WIS., will ii all proves The
saw manufacturers who have purchased same
thing. What we have bought is excellent, but can we
depend up& it writes NJ. Ames the famous manu-
facturer of shove in answer 10 inquiries made Tor in
formation concerning this article;
No one speaks of having ever received any bad
steel and none such is to lie seen among the numerous
lots Of the various qualities offered for sale at the once
Of the Damascus Steel Company. We are therefore IN
cred to have faith that what has been so far done wen
will continue to be so done; and that the managers OF
the operations knowing the great Importance oil TINS
reputation for quality, viii have the good sense 10
adopt the rule followed by all the famous manufacture
ing establishments in Great Britain-to let nothing 90
from their works that is 1t all imperfect, or can III any
way injure the credit Of their articles ny pufsu-
nc this course. which it plain in the power OF this
Company to do, there is 40 question but the Damascus