The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-10-18
IMPORTANT TO THE IRON INTERESTS OF
THE UNITED STATES.

The United States consul at Sheffield
England. under date of August 81, in a com
munication to the Secretary OF the Treasury,
states that he was present at Nottingham on
the reading of paper before the British AS
ISOLATION on the convention OF melted cast
iron into steel by the pneumatic process. A
discussion followed, which was participated
in by Mr. Bessemer and other gentlemen
Consul Abbot further says that he called the
attention of Mr.. Bessemer to what has been
stated 10y his opponent to be defect IN his
mode of converting iron into steel, namely,
that when large masses OF melted iron,
amounting to from three to twelve tons, are
converted into steel, it docs not become no.
mogcnious.
Mr. Bessemer partly admitted the force of
the objection, but stated that in the works
near London an improvement has recently
been made by which, after the introduction
of the Spiegel Eisen, the whole is stirred up
by arms fitted to revolving cylinder. He
also stated that the iron of the United States
which he has seen was peculiarly adapted to
the manufacture CT steel by his process In
| England only the very best iron can be US
ed for this purpose, and that which is most
free from foreign substances, especially sui
phur and phosphorus. The iron which IS
chiefly used in the Bessemer Works are varl-
cites of red hematite, the best of which is
found on -Morccambe Bay, near Furness Alb
hey. Consul Abbot closes by saying 'Val-
liable as is the invention of Mr.. Bessemer,
| cannot recommend it to American manufac-
turers unless they make use. in the process,
of the very best pig iron, and that which is
comparatively free from sulphur, phosphorus
and other impurities
The following is an abstract ofthe remarks
of Mr.. Bessemer, alluded to in the commune
cation of Consul Abbot Before the intro
ductlon of his process the entire production
of steel in Great Britain was one thousand
tons per week. and how there was machin-
cry for the production, on his process alone,
of five thousand tons in the same period
One of the most valuable purposes to which
his steel was applied was the construction of
locomotive engines and rails. Where iron
had been worn out in few months, steel
rails had been in constant use for four years,
at the end of which was still in use. At
Camden Town there was portion OF rail-
way over which an immense amount of traf-
tfc passed. An iron rail and Bessemer
steel rail were placed opposite each other.
and when the iron rail had been changed
seventeen times the steel rail was still not
The Bessemer steel was also valuable for
the manufacture of tires, the construction. of
ordnance, shafts for marine engines, cranks
and notabiity for the cranks oflocomotives /;
indeed there was scarcely any purpose for
which malleable iron was formerly used that
steel could not how be employed. A yard
of the Camden Town rail, to which he had
referred, was sent to Sheffield to be made
into round bars and came out of the rolling
mill in beautiful black bars, three-eighths,
fiveeighths, and three quarter inches in di
ameter, and were not worth less than Els
per ton, the cost of conversion being less |
than 60 per ton In regard to the price of
steel. Mr.. Bcssemer said that firms that had
expended immense sums in plans and ma
chinery desired at first as large return as
possible for their outlay, but when manufac- |
turers had been renumerated for their first |
large outlay they would be reasonable in !
their demands.
The price of cast steel in Sheffield for the |
lowest purposes, such as making shovels, |!
Mr.. Bessemer said was e36 to $40 per ton, !
and the better kinds cost for $50 to ESQ, ac- !
cording to the reputation of the maker but /
at this time thousands of tons were being !
sold at e13 per ton. !