New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-07-09
RECENT PROGRESS IN THE METALLURGY
or IRON and STEEL

In an exhaustive treatise upon tho manufacture Of
steel published in 1876 by the first OF French metalur-
gss Lc Play, it is asserted that since the period when
Bertholet MOngc, aud NandermOnde discovered thAt
common cast iron is a compound Of iron and some five
per cent OF carbon and that steel 10 similar COMPOUND
OF carbon differing only in containing less Of the
latter substance say ono per cent dream Of the steel
maker has been to produce steel by extracting by some
simple process the OF carbon IN cast iron Many
methods have been proposed end tried The Germans
heat pig with charcoal. and blow air upon it Ina
forge fire until they decarbonze IL and produce tho tough
"natural STEEL" from which the celebrated 5olngca
blades are made IL has been proposed TO heat the cast
IRON with oxide iron until the carbon has been drawn
out by the oxygen and steel produced. Cast IRON
is sometimes melted with pure wrought iron and
compound obtained which IL iron with sinan
percentage Of carbOnB other words, steel These WITH
several other plans In use, and well understood
when about 1880 inventor already successful in
important improvements in sugar refining aud fuel max
ing mp the above mentioned idea which Berholet
by their laboratory experiments and with boidcr bancL
and perseverng mind than had been possessed y
announcement before the British Association for tho Adj
yancemen Of Science for 1856 account Of which MANI
readers OF TIE TRIBUNE viii remember published VI
our columns which created in the world at large
citencnt unequaled in the annals Of metanrgy The i'm
silver ores; tho discovery of the OF producing
aluminium in large quantities; the smelling oil platinum
separating silver and lead all marked cras IN tho history
Of each Of the meals g 40 ' H wora AZ se
nounced that he had demonstrated practically that ho
ronld ma Ike melted p iron into steel OF excellent quality
without the use Of fuel, simply by blowing cold ss
through H. 80, , -, 49,,
demonstration Of the correctness OF the chemists
ing: IL process perfect laboratory expert
ment The artisan admired the tough material produced.
aud say ms machinery growing graceful and
ageabe when constructed OF so admirable metal The
political economist delighted bis friends with visions Of
the new propulsion be given civilization by the
new power placed In the hands OF mankind. The iron.
the davniDg OF stecI aud the patent sharks in all
parts OF the world peceyng mat great central iaes
aid patented vigorously every imaginary avenue toward
But Bessemer had been premature in his announce
His friends and his sanguine disposition had led
him publish it before all the Das0 Of his process were
worked out lie disappeared public notice for four
years aud labored ncessanty The theorist the artist
lron.naster congratulated himself upon tine good old
way pudding and the patent shark, disgusted torsos
When BosseIDor came back from his retirement he
brought new lah new naedey Soh d neT P f vort
Sheled-n the stronghold VI the steel makers ana t8
donbter He fought the doubt with rhetoric OF
cess and victorious Some . or 80 large Bessemer
establishments in various parts OF the world producing
sven years attest his UNPARALLELED victory and the
hnous verdict Of the people An income OF million doh
are willing TO pay for their convictions.
Now what is the Bessemer process, and what does Ia
accomplish TO make II SO universally importantt
step in the metallurgc series leading from the
natural the finished and marketable article The ono
worth twentieth OF cent pound IN tho earth.
Il Is dug and carried TO the blasturnaee and Is then
worth oneiourth Of cent pound. 10 II smeed into
pig iron and worth two and quarter cents per poua
Is decnrbonzed and turned into blooms on bars by the
rhinery and Is then worth four cents per pound. THIS
bar Is put through oementing furnace, and blister steel
se seed in S small crucbe formed into nsos.
aud hammered and rolled into tool steel exes rails.
sheets &c. worth from eight TO Is cents per pound
These the steps through which VIC reach steel
rails and axles through the Old method inc Besse-
oypgf 10
,ot re,dt Tor The bammer-man and the roller Thus
Bessemer dispensed by scientific victory with what
expensive labor preceding metiIusIsts Icqnteu Two
weeks 10 perform, and substituted process requiring Dut
two hours TO carry out ,-,
Tho salient points IN the process we can best give by an
example The great works at Harrisburg he opening OK
which was recently announced In elcgrephic col.
umns afford means OF studying the process equal 70
ANYTHING we could have beyond the ocean AZ these
vor the selected pig metal Is broken into snail pieces
aud drawn to the top Of high building Here II -
out nto large adle and five tuns weighed OF accuratey
these five tuns are poured into huge egg vessel
called the eoRrcre, with hreciay ihIg more Ish
foot thick. and having bottom psriof''eg MA VIA
nearly hundred oS small nS,S engine now
forced through these holes into the melted metal Jho
, and violent combustion sets in the iron becomes
very hot and fluid as quicksilver 1hd tosseu ih.o
ebot 96 minutes Five per Of fused highly car
bOuaceou pig iron then poured mo we cpiNetef anu
ourths per cent of carbon 20 the whole mass and
now the product Is steel This steel Is cleared o It's Stag
ngos are the result These ngot weigh about go pounds
each they may be hammered and rolled az oncento rails
by the machinery common in rail mills NO Known SUD
will higher tensile strain than stee the Dest
iron carries from 10000 pounds per square men
OF section Bessemer steel usually carries 1900 POUNDS
and has been known to carry without breaking loo0s
mounds per SQUARE inch IL Is exceedingly maleable ana
ducte both when hot and when cold ,-,...,
such is briefly Bessemer process. The thoughtIut
netaurgist recognizes 10 some TemarkaOie features
that promise important notifications to the IRON Dn1
ness First vast capital is necessary 10 Diiu e Pow
eru machinery required Parties win less Ilsh aDvus
half million dollars 10 invest had better Duy tner n
cots OF works where capal has done everything 10 ecen
0miye labor and prevent loss. Immense ESTABLISHMENTS
must thus grow up supply whole communities WIN IN
ots prepared for rails. axes, forgings sheet Plates ae
TicultIr implements and forgngs, lust as at present
oun OF blast furnaces supply the FORCES and f0undees
for hundreds OF miles with pig iron OF various grades
Substitutes for the seyerest toll knOwn-puddiDg- m
feIlectna duty of supervising almost automatlcal ma
chnery II produces at reduced cost ana OF TOT
ouatv one OF the most important substances use1 "
civilized Itsupplies railroad men ust AT m3sns ny
When thcv werr ginning to look forward 10 period on
nous cpendtre for iron rails 70 replace those 80 rap
dV DESTROYED By ponderous locomotives OF tDe pros
nt time with material for their rails costing Dut twee
AS much ms iron and yet capable of bearing from twenty
10 twenty five times the wear or iron
In the FJqaro Mr. Wolf relates the following anec-