New-York tribune., 1870-08-18
TIE NEW AMERICAN STEEL.

York. Pennsylvania, lies across the Susque-
hanna from Lancaster, and is watered by the
Codorus. Conewago, and other tributaries OF
that broad-bosomed river. The rich valley OF
the Codorus and its tributaries is largely un-
derlaid by deposit of the favorite Iron Ore
known as Brown Hematite, which, though but
LITTLE Iron has yet been smelted in this unpro-
oressive County, is largely mined and sent
away to mix with other and generally poorer
ores-immense quantities OF 1t being daily sent
10 the great works of David Thomas and 9TH
ers in the distant valley of the Lehigh
From this valley there rises, In the township
of North Codorus, a range OF rounded, sloplng
hills. which have been long known to contain
and in good part consist OF peculiar mica
cious Ore but little success and no pront mas
attended its conversion into Iron, since 1T yields
but 20 TO 35 per cent of metal, and this OF poor
ouality. AT length, it was ascertained-more
by luck. we believe, than by scientific lnduc-
tion-that this unpromising Ore, being mixed
NTH middling Pig Iron in an ordinary rever-
beratory furnace at the rate OF one to SIX,
would produce, by the ordinary pudding pro-
cess. n pure Steel of admirable quality and re-
markably uniform in character
We visited on Monday the range OF hills In
ouestion-estimated to contain Seventeen Mil
lions of tuns of this unique Ore-and looked into
dozen different shafts or drifts which have been
sunk or run into the hill nearest Hanover
Junction on the Northern Central Railroad,
distant two miless The branch road to Get
tysburg runs at the southern base of the entire
range The Ore, up to thousands OF tuns per
day, can be mined and loaded directly into
cars for Baltimore, Philadelphia, or New-York,
at cost of 81 per tun. Being thrown down
by blast OF pick, mainly in the form of bowl
ders of medium tenacity, it will in time be
largely shipped as ballast, and so transported
to European as well as American furnaces.
The owners of the mine have just completed at
York apuddling furnace and rolling-mill, where
in we witnessed the conversion OF medium Penn
sylvania Pig Iron, worth $50 per tun, into Steel
that would certainly be cheap at $3.50 per tun.
For ten tuns of this Steel, the material re-
ouired would be eleven tuns of Pig Iron, cost
ing $500, and two tuns of the COdOrus Ore,
costing s2O-together, 1920. Add ten tuns OF
Bituminous Coal, costing $50, and $3.50 for labor
and all other expenses, and very choice
Steel Rail ought to be made, by the help OF
this Ore, at a cost of $50 per tun.
all interested in Metallurgy to this wonderful
discovery. They can test its merits in an
ordinary reverberatory furnace, by simply buy
ing few tuns of the COdOrus Ore, and at
tempting by its aid to convert ordinary Pig
Iron into choice Steel at a single heat, by
simple processes with which they are perfectly
familiar. If they have the requisite machinery
for rolling them, they will of course next try
their hand at converting their Blooms into
Rails. But they are not required to buy
mines. nor to erect new works, nor to take
ANYTHING on trust. II they doubt that Steel Is
made as above set forth, York is not far Oil,
and the furnace aforesaid is spacious, and
omen to all corners. Their own eyes are not
likely to mslead them.
That the Steel made as aforesaid, at cost
which cannot reach $50 per tun, is of choice
quality, we were assured by Col. Boyer OF
Pottsyille, who has no interest in this discOv-
cry, and never visited the mines till Monday,
but who has used the product in tool-making
for his machine shops, where only the very
best Steel will answer. His statements need
no confirmation, but have received it.
We count the Bessemer process superseded
by this discovery, whereby perfect Steel is
produced, with no risk of failure, and at cost
considerably less than that of the famous
British process And we trust that other and
equally important triumphs, in the mixture and
manipulation OF Ores Will derive their impulse
from this.