New-York tribune., 1871-08-25
eIHE STEEL QUESTION.

PRACTICAL DETAILS OF THE INVENTIONS OF
BESSEMER, KELLY, AND MUSHET
To The Edftor Of The Tribune.
SIR: As the manufacture of steel Is now
ongrossng considerable attention. allow me to give de-
tails and make observations derived from an intimate
acquaintance with the subject, suggested by recent
article on the Steel Patents" in your journal.
Pig or cast iron which is much highly carburzed
than Steel containing ordinarily about per cent carbon
has long prepared from the different ores OF iron;
but the need of less brittle, tougher more ducue ana
maleable material, well one capable OF receiving
different degrees OF hardness by the process OF temper
ing led to the OF the reverberat"ry furnace and
pudding Thinking minds soon began TO consider the
feasibility Of casting steel in the manner as rOn
with the view Of increasing its production and reducing
its cost Mr.. Kelly of Kentucky about the year $780,
made great progress, but did not perfect MS pan Oh
steelmaking until five years later lie nrst Die" air
into the iron lying open hearth, ana partauy de
carburzed IT, at the expense OF large volume OF tuel
He improved upon this, soon aiter Dy po"ns bii
Of through molten iron, placed IN clOsgu DIith
chamber or vessel but this so Oiten atlchuu WIN
chilling that he was forced give over for time the
prosecution OF these costly experiments -,
About the year 1856 Mr.. Bes-emer Degtn NE VeStigh
tions upon fhis subject, England his ambition then
being to produce either pure iron, or IRON caiDtHeu D
any degree required, so that either whe anu nal, io
tools ar soft and gray steel the thousand purposes OF
macbinery NAV be produced He recognized the great
r a' rnnt fh xySn through The molten mass:
he still further in his methods o IesuatlIE le re-
bltsts throurh numerous Orlfces, blowing the melted
iron into spray, that the surface cohlac was cresu
"A thousand fold and the oxygen from thc atmospheric
mir was brought into rapid combustion WIN cainOn i'
also such Impurities Manganese, slCo, NC "h tnc
evolution of an intense heat. The machinery ana apl-
employed in the manufacture are put moun-
cations and improvements upon thVs uoN.oPeu ny MN
Ressemers process now wanted but on thlg 20 make
if perfect Th. was the proper method OF decarburzng
M cn.t or Of arbuIZng the uaedbt IRON just To tdt
degree when steel would be pfoduced' ne Was iOfteu
tn nrepare an artificial compound OF IRON, manganese,
and carbon in such pTOpO ions thht Dy adhg certain
81, f..ful
,nu agaiu be absorbed aud homogeneous steel formed
This was attended with more or itss expense ana we
ov Ia Rohert Au-hrt the honor OF having discovered,
after much careful labor ana lnNeslgatlOh,t natural
product derived from the mann ~ oast.lIon as
nso native ore oi iron which answers the purpose 20
Trety I refer to SpiegeCisen ana tfanknhlte. The
only obstacle the complete success oI ths process Is
tbs ouv irons totally at least comparatively Tree
from phosphorus aud sulphur can W. shpioyeu We
Lv, TINS before Us the inventions Oi each Of these men.
OIL III Nr Key's-the closed vessel IN which the iron
w1s decarburzed by few unsteady jets Ot Dlast 2d
Mr. Re.etuers-thr numerous sna oIInces IN the bot
tnn of the closed vessel thfou2l Which constant vol
me ~ ar WA. regularly admitted under great pressure;
-, H., ~ varions kinds OF machinery without which
Tho nroc.ss would have been EHllufe 3d Mr MushetS
=, iounnnnd of iron with carbon ana manganese, the
addition Of which 10 the dc td III tue closed
Veil A. necessary 20 the formation oi steel
U,ving nm, reviewed the just CLAIMS OF each, pass
4, s re. nroduced by the combination OF their vari
oy idea. in the Bessemer process The pig iron free
from sulphur and phosphorus - use' az the1e lnsre
den,a nr,,duce red aud cold shOrtness' In the steel
s n i,,netic ore. OF New-Jersey, and some hemates
rrnn Inke snper0r found To yeld iron OF sufficient
and nurity for thu, purpose. THIS iron II heated
I'm cupoa furnace, win one PodI ot ,oi OF coke 10
tve nond. of ron and when hqud II "a tapped and run
iItn :, aiIe previously lined win refractory material
~, T. a. III. ON "A scale, that the charge may bo
weighed In order that tue poeel'soio 9p'eS9ebeh "