Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-12-19
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ne main difference betwesDirou AID steel is that
one holes carbon, OF the matter Of charcoal. where's
e the ether does not The amount Of GORDON is
trivial and is Impaired By heating bars for long
period togelher, surrounded Pr powdered, broken
ehaEeoal In q box. Having regard, then, to this
operation, L seems natural enough that the outer
Portion Of each bar should become more completely
steelAsd" (4 / may be allowed to coin an ez>
PressiVs word than the internal portions. Now
steel Of this sort though perfectly good for many
purposes is Objectionable for others To give an
example II is BY no means good for the manufacture
Of Waioh springs nevertheless before the invention
Of cast steel to which the readers attention is to be
directed Wateh-springs had to be made Of IT,
There lived at AttercliFs, near Sheffield, about
about the year 1890, matchmaker named Hunts
man.. he was very much dissatisfied with the quail
iy Of steel Of which Watehsprings were made in his
day and he set himself the task Of thinking cut the
osnse Of inlsriority. Mr.. Huntsman correctly in
fsETed that the impeffeotiOn Of such watchsprings
as in his way was rsfersble 70 the fact Of the
irregular conversation or 'ssieelifealion" Of the
metal Of their manufacture. IT, thought he,
=" car melt piece Of steel and cast it into an in
got, the composition Of the latter should be regular
and Homogeneous. He tried, he succeeded The
fame Of Huntsmans steel became widely spread
but the disooverer took care not designate it BY
the name Of cast stsel, under which ii now fami
liaEy known. That was his secret
About the year ITO, a large mandatory Of this
peculiar steel was established at Atlerelife. The
process Wss Wrapt in secrecy by every means which
the inventor could command. None but workmen
Of credit and character were engaged, and they
were forbidden to disclose the Of the
factory by stringent form Of oath. At last HINTS
mans secret was stolen in the following manner !:
One night in midWinter as the tall chimney Of the
AtercliFe steel works belched forth its smoke, Civ
ing prOIaise Of rOsFing fire, might seem reasOn-
able longing, q man knocked at the door of MIR.
Huntsman's factory. It was bitter night; the
snow fell fast, the wind hoWled scross moor /;
nothing, then, could have been more natural than
that the tired Wsyfarer should seek warm corner
where he might lay his head. He knocked, and the
door was opened. A workman presented himself,
whom the Wsyfsrer addressing, humbly begged sd-
mission.
No admission here, except on business"
The reader may we'll fancy how this intimation
fell upon the travellers ear on such an Indictment
night But the workman, scanning the traveller
over, and discovering nothing suspicious about him,
granted the request and let him in.
Feigning to be WORKOUT with cold and fatigue,
the Wsyfarer sank upon the floor of the comfortable
factory, and soon appeared to have gone to sleep.
To 80 to Sleep however, was far from his intention
the traveller closed his eyes all but two little ohnks.
Through these two little ehinks he saw all that he
cared to see. He saw Workmen cut bars Of steel
into little bits then place into orucibles with
nous tongs pour their liquid contents into mould.
Mr.. Huntsman's factory had nothing more to dis
close. This was the secret Of cast-steel.
Il would be easy to extend the list Of msnufact>
uring secrets disclosed IL the dishonest way indi-
Gated above; the object, however, is unpleasant
to dwell upon, that am sure the reader viii rejoice
with me that the circumstances under which manu-
features are now mostly carried neither afford
the opportunity nor the indueement to theft, such
Is have described.-THs London Leisure Hour.