The Republican journal., 1869-12-23
NATURAL SCIENCE.

in previous numbers we have described the or
gallc elements, as they are called-those which go
to make the structures of animal and vegetable be-
ngs. All the other simple eements-some d i'll
unmber-are called Inorganic because taking no
part i'll organized beings.
IRON. This is the king of metals. What will
not people do, even to the crime Of murder-many
Of themto get gold and silver yet iron is thou
sand times more precious, because more valuable
than they; for to strike out this from husbandry.
from the countless arts and trades and all the i'm
pements Of business, is to go back to the savage
Hence the true test of nations wealth and great
ness, even its civilization, is the quantity of iron it
uses. Even life itself is dependent upon it; for
without its presence in the blood no animal would
survive 4 moment
And how hcneiciently arranged that Il thing of
such universal and vital necessity should like air
and water, be the most abundant of things For
there is no country without it i'll plenty; and no
country is perhaps richer in it than our own.
Iron seldom, if ever, exists in pure state, but
with other things, which compounds take yariou,
names; az oxygen and iron form oxides of iron
known As iron-rnst; with carbon it forms carburct
of iron, which is steel and cast iron where the car
bon is but little, and where large, plumbaso of
electric fluid it forms the magnetic needle which
surveys your lands, and guides your ships over
pahesS waters; rolled into thin sheets and dipped
first in tallow and then tin It is called tin-ware.
STEEL. This article is so common and useful
that our readers may desire to know the process of
its manufacture. The method in use till recently
was to expose bars of the purest malleablc IRON
surrounded with charcoal in powder, to Il long
continued heat During the process the iron unites
with about l-l30th of its weight of carbon. How
wonderful that this lh. Of carbon to 100 lbs of iron
should make all the difference there is between the
hardest and purcst steel and common iron Now
however, one Of our neghborsa Mr.. Sherman,
Of Bucksport-caims to have discovered way of
making the very best of steel in very short time,
at small expense and of the poorest iron ma
tcriaS. He is erecting extensive works at that
place for the business. 1t is said good judges of
such things have pronounced his discovery one Of
the greatest of the age. BY invitation Of the Brit
ish government he is on his way to England to eX-
hbt it there. And recently the Bangor papers an
nounced that some gentleman of that city had made
a similar discovery,
MErEoRIC IHpN. Every year quantities of iron
sometimes tons in Il single piece--tall upon the
earth from distant and unknown regions one such
of considerable magnitude few Years ago at Cas-
tine, and now to be seen in the mncraogical cabi-
net 1t iioWdoin College. And at the Smithsonian
Institute 1T Washington is as large Is the larg-
est milestone, which it much resembles; having a
large ragged hole through the centre and the &c H.
eral appearance Of having been ntensly heated on
its Journey hithcr,
MAGNETIC InoN. TEis is a natural magnet or
ioadstonc, tnd is quite plentiful in the world;
Swedeu has whole mountains OF it, 1t is much
more compact, and contains larger per cent of
pure iron than any other ores This is the reason
SNnllI Ii Inu is hold 10 be the hrS in tL. lN.rlA