The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-12-23

claims-and experiments seem to verify his
c!aim-that by this process the work of
eliminating these constituents is quickly and
| thoroughly performed.
TO manufacture steel, the iron is melted
in an ordinary pudding furnace, the sui
| phur aud PHOSPHORUS are driven off il,
the previous process, another package If
different chemicals is then thrown iuto the
furnace and thor, ushly incorporated with
the mass-and in ten or fifteen minutes the
entire mas Of iron becomes steel. II is then
"balled up" and hammered beneath heavy
| trip hammer. and Is then ready to be rolled
| into rails, or used for any of the purposes of
steel. DR.. Fields claims that it can be used
for the manufacture of 6ne cutlery. la the
manufacture Of steel, two-thirds Of old cast
iron, and one-third of pig-iron can be used
| willis in the manufacture of Bessomer steel
no old cast iron can be used. but pig iron
alone. Another advantage which is claimed
for Fields steel is that it can be firmly weld
ed to ordinary wrought iron, while Besso-
mer steel cannot. Yesterday. an ordinary
iron rail was capped with FIELDS steel by
| welding. and the point where the iron and
steel met was barely distinguishable. A
rail made Of iron by Fields process was theu
capped with Fields steel, and another rail
|
steel. heated and rolled together or piled, ;"
| as is the common expression. This morning
number Of gentlemen were present when
solid bloom of steel, weighing 420 pounds,
/ which Mr.. Fields mado at the iron works
| Yesterday in an ordinary pudding furnace
by his process, was rolled into a rail to ex-
| hiblt its adaptation to the manufacture Of
rails. The bloom was first heated and then
! passed through the rollers. 1t fully satisfied
the expectation of all pre.ent. The ral v as
cut into pieces. and many Of the gentlemen
secured fragments for examination.
The steel and iron manufactured by DR..
Fields have been subjected to the severrst
tests. large ball Of steel was taken di-
rectly from the pudding furnace to one Of
Burdens rotary squeezerS. and did not break
10 the least. Iron is tougher than steel and
iron which can stand the test of Burdens
Squeezcr is generally considered an unusual
test OF steel. A piece Of D.. Fields steel.
several inches wide and about one inch and
| a half thick, was cut around to the depth Of
about three eigh,hs Of an inch. 1t then re-
qriIed one hundred and three blows with a
heavy s!Sdge hammer to break off the piece
at the point where it bad been cut. This
was considered unusual evidence of its
toughneSs and strength. DR. Fields exhib-
tied to US a small piece of his steel which
had been reheatcd and thus refined. We
applied it to pane OF glass. and found that
it cut the same with the facility Of a da-
mond. A small bar of Dr. Fields wrought
iron was bent n twain and the fibre of the
iron exhibited. Ii is very close grained. and
has great strength and apparent tenaciiy.
DIR. Fields will no doubt reap an immense
fortune from his simple discovery. The in
gradients of the powders which he uses. he
keeps profound secret; refuses to tell the
color of the powder, its weight, or in fact
anything beyond the mere mention that it is
powder. To convert about four hundred
pounds Of pig iron into wrought iron. he
uses small package of apparently a pound
or two in weight to convert like quantity
Of wrought iron into steel. he uses smaller
package. The powder is securely wrapped
in papers, and he permits none to even
glance at It, DR.. Fields states that he would
not sell the secret Of its manufacture for
81 900 900. While ct the late Industrial
Fair held in New York, a Mr.. Churchhill,
OF London, proposed to purchase the right
to manufacture and use the powder in Amer
lea and England. But DR.. Fields refused a
nunifcept offer, and stated that he did not
wish an English capitalist 10 control the
American market in the matter. Judge S.
T. Field. oil Chicago, has purchased half
interest 10 Use the new process Ia several
States. for the sum of $265. .O0O James
Roberts, an iron maker of Burlington, N
j.. has purchased territory jn Pennsylvania,
to the amount of Sis, 900. and the State of
Alabama has been sold to James Mccall and
Mr. Reed Of New York for $40 00O The
latter parties have evidently secured big
bargain. and we rather think they caught
the Doctor mapping.
Doctor Fields leaves for his home to-day
Tie is emPhatically happy man. and " atch-
es the working Of his steel with the most
intense interest. Whether Nessrs. john a
Griswold & Co. will purchase the right to
manufacture rails of this steel, or not, has
not been stated. but if the process will bear
tests which are ye: to be given, We should
not be surprised if the manufacture Of steel
by the new process is shorty undertaken in
this city. II all that is claimed for this new
process is true, we coincide with the Doc
tor, who this morning in his exuberance of
spirits, while Witnessing the rolling of rail
from his steel, said 1t looks mighty queer
to see DoctG come away up here from
Delaware, and show these men who have
worked at iron SO long, how to make steel
and iron."
INTERESTING SCENE IN ROME ddrent
Sunday IN ST. Pefer'S.-A London evening
ionrnal of tho "a of DacaD, bar ranortS from