The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-04-09

From the Scientific american.
THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON.

The name of Henry Cort, native of
Great Britain, should be forever kept prom
inent as among those of inventors to whom
the world owes most. Cort cleapened
wrought iron, step nearly or quite as i'm
portant as the previous invention, by Lord
Dudley, which had cheapened the produc-
ton of pig. Cort introduced as great
change at that period in the wrought iron
manufacture as the PROCESSES agtated within
the past year could do now, even if per-
fectly successful. lie invented the pudding
process almost exactly as now conducted,
and although Mr.. Joseph Hall, of Stafford
shire, the author of book on the subject,
recently published in London, claims for
himself the invention Of the "principle of
boiling ircn," Mr.. Cort would appear, refer
ring to his original English patent, dated in
1884, to have understood the fact that the
metal boil, and actually to have boiled it,
although he perhaps was as blind as we are,
and also every one of whom We have tried
to take lessons) with regard to its precise
nature and effects. The following from the
original patent of Mr.. Cort will be interest
ing to iron makers, as showing how far
pudding was set forth at that day, and to
others as brief and clear explanation of
the process by which this all-important
metal is changed from the stiff and crystal
line carbonate. which can only be worked
by melting and casting, into tho fibrous
condition in which it is worked on the
anvil -
81 make use Of reverberatory or air
furnace or furnaces, of dimensions suited TO
the quantity of work required to be done,
the bottoms Of which are laid hollow, or
dished out as to contain the metal when in
fluid state. My furnace, for the first part
of the process, being got up to proper de-
gree Of heat by raw pit-coal or other fuel,
the fluid metal is conveyed into the air fur
mace by means of ladies or Otherwise
When this air furnace is charged with SOW
anc pig metal, or any other sort of cast
iron. the door or doors of tic furnace should
be closed till the metal is sufficiently fused;
and when the workman discovers Through
hole which he opens occasionally that
the heat Of the furnace has made sufficient
! impression upon the metal, he onens a small!
aperture or ape,turcs, which find is con-
venient to have provided in the bottom o.
the doors but which is or are closely shut
as well rs the doors, at the first charge ol
the furnace with cold cast metaD and then
the whole is worked and moved about
through these apcrtures by means Of iron
bars and other instruments fifty shaped, and
that operation is continued in such manner
as may be requisite during the remainder Of
the process. After the metal has been
some time in dissolved state, an eJulItion
e6erOescence, or such like intestine motion
takes place, during the continuance of which
blueish fame Or vapor is emitted and
during the remainder of the process the
operation is continued (as occasion may re
quire) of raking, separating, string, and
spreading the whole about in the furnace
till 1t loses its fustibility, and is fourished
or brought into nature. And the whole Of
the above part of my method and process
of preparing. manufacturing, and working
of iron is substituted, instead Of the use oI
the finery, and is my invention, and was
never before used or put in practice by any
other person or persons"