The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-30
AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY.
NOW dMERTCIN STEhL Is IT PREs-
ENT MINDFICTURED

frnB Steamship shaft 90 u " mite Blnde-
Iae standard oil our ~teeI Elevated
where the Great forks Are SisnaieJ.
Stated broadly, there are two kinds of
steel known 10 the arts, namely. cracbe steel
AMI that made by one process or another di-
really from the ore, or pie metal. Although Of
! The same family they possess diainctfic lily OPP
posite qualities IN some points, aud II Is the
object Of this article TO tell the general reader
<htro tho difference lies.
! Iron Is the bess Of all steel II whatever so-t.
/ she only element added to y being carbon in
/ one form or another, and In quantity according
/ to the Kind re luired for any ziven purpose The
| snbtety OF tho variation between iron and steel,
or the boundary line between them, Ia 80 vague
that It ia often difficult Tor an expert TO tell
whore one the other begins. Wrought iron
bars melted and cast IN ingots though no ap-
probable quantity OF carbon be added at the
netting will show s.ecly fracture when rolled
into bars again and ruddlcd steel, or that made
| by the pneumatic process, from which all carbon
has FIRST been eliminated and then restored In
certaa proportions, looks like steel, acts like
steel approaches It in tensile strength aud gem
eral behavior under stress, but is utterly devoid
OF temperng or cutting qualities, and that high
tensile strength which distinguishes cast cruel
bic steel.
II Is not difficult to tell what amount OF car
bon is present In any given sample by chemical
analysts, hut II Is dinlcult-some say impossible
to tell one class of steel from another by in
spectVn OF fracture. Cruciole steel Is that
made In crucibles or pots, generally holding
sxty-nve pounds. There are two ways Of max
irg II. The older one Is to take pure wrought
iron hnrs, pack them In an iron box surrounded
with common charcoal In powder, and subject
1bese ore then taken out and either broken
into small pieces and remelted In crucibles, or
piled into fagOt and welded together In u mass
under tho hammer.
TIE cRUCIBIF PROCESS
The other way, and that generally in use at
the present time, Is to take wrought iron and
crucibles holding sixty-nye pounds, and carbon
ize II by the addition OF pure carbon for what
ever grade NJ steel Is required; whether II be
Tor tools, for machinery, or for steels requiring
greater strength end tenacity. THIS process has
as but one melting is required TO produce an
inrot. 1t Ia also more uniform In Its results, as
nut a small quantity Of steel IS made a. q time
In the cemented steel, as the urst describe - pro-
cess Is called. Frequently In cemented steel
there will be many uneven or tmperfectly car
BOMBED bars In the lot, and these must be re-
jected all Of II has to be broken up and graded
aud more or less Loss results from this cause,
while the proportion Of badly melted OF irregu-
lar inrots made by the modern process is very
small. After the steel IL melted In the crucibles
Ut requires about three hours to run one melt
ingl the pots lifted out and the contents
poured Into cast-iton moulds, varying In size for
the purpose required OF them. Generally they
weigh about eighty pounds aud are about three
ana n hall inches square by twenty inches long
Thoy are now crude steel uigs or nRots, resem-
bling pig IRON. and must be subsequently ham
mered or rolled TO produce Das OF rods. The
rectly TO the rolls or hammers, and made into
shapes. In this condition II is sold from the
mi TO tool makers OF other manufacturers.
Bessemer Or other steel produced directly
from the ore. or pig, has the advantage OF eco
monte production, In thar II dspenses with the
state OF wrought IRON, or being made into bars,
which Is essential in the ctucible process and
employs VIC metal of certain brands just as II
comes from the original smeltefs. Inc excess
Of carbon present In cast iron. which renders IL
biittle Is eliminated by the pneumatic process,
which consists tbOwing air tnrOuxn the melt
ed cast IRON. barring out all the carbon, and af-
terwa,d recarboa2ing tito "a certain percent
age. lie result Is HOMOGENEOUS meta poe scss-
ing great duciility and higher tensile strength
than wrought iron.
AN INVALUABLE CONVERSATION.
But 1t Is not a true steel, since 1t possesses in
only shsht degree the characteristics OF that
metal IN It's best estate. Very many brands Of
wrought iron equal 1t In tensile strength and
heavy works and large operations dem nding
practical uniformity, such rs steel rails or shafts
Tor ocean steamers. 1t costs but little II any
more than wrought iron TO make, ana Is inyal-
liable In its sphere. without 1t, steel rails for
railroads would be impossible; and IL 1t were
used for no other purpose, the discovery Of 1t
would be one of the greatest inventions of the
century. 1t Is used chiefly for tins purpose, but
II also enters into the arts for various other uses
wagon tires. axles, locomotive tires, ana parts Of
Ioyment stops for no amount Of experiment
has a. yet rendered It susceptible Of temper.
aud between hardening ana tempering there Is
great difference. In the nrst Instance the
metal Ia Of a uniform hardness or density
throughout; in the second. the hardness Is
Graded through all degrees, from extreme brit
tleness down 10 ioughness, with but an APP
cruclble steel as vet unapproachable 10y any car
BOMBED iron or alloy; III direct steels publicly
subjected to the process OF tempering.
Ia the above described processes are compTis-
ed the method OF making cast steel as prac-
tised TO-DAY In various parts of the country From
tue mn IL goes east, west, north and, little OF
for there are no steel consumers o.
any moment except railroads south of
Washington. All the workshops OF the
country Tor this grade OF manufacture are north
OF Mason and Dixon > line. steel Is sold almost
wholly by commerciai travellers. Wholly, we
may say, Tor direct negotiation with the heads
on nrms 10 the result, in most cases, Of their in-
Within the past few years the standard OF
American steel has been greatly elevated so
much 50 that IN all sfaple lines, such Us cutlery
pitchfork, gun, nle, hoe, rake, axe, and agrlcul-
turai steel foreign goods have no standing
But one cutlery concern III this country Is using
foreign steel, the gIeat bulk Of AL the taole
cutlery being made from American ores, con-
verted into steel and rolled into shape IN Ameri-
can mills This is also true OF wire rods for
drawing into merchantaule sizes and shapes
American hay forks have no superior In the
world for durability and adaptation to their
purpose ana It was recently noted in an English
trade Journal that the growing trade In English
markets Of American makers Of hay forks had
seriously lntoricfed with their own orders.
THE LOSSES.
Al reputable steel houses fully warrant their
goods To DE represented, up to standard
and uniform IN quality-"replace or refund Is
the passwOfd-hut SIMPLE replacement OF steel
that proves bad Is Oftentnes OF little NON ent
In table knife, worth to tue manufacturer say
twelve cents there L. about two cents worth Of
stock. IL the last process develops faults in
herent IN the steel and not In the workmanship,
who Is 10 stand the loss Mere replacing bad
stock with good goes but lii lie way to remedy
the matter. When II Is known, Too, that the
steel maker Is at the mercy OF men who
work by the piece whose sole OBJECT Is to get
their work out as quick AS possible. and have
II pass Inspection, ~ Will be seen that from tho
time the stock leaves the mil until II reaches
the warehouse AS finished goods, II Is sub ect-
ed to very many contingencies Notwithstind-
ing all these, the losses from bad stock with
standard makers are very triiling Of late years.
The American steel maker has learned by cost
ly failure he has prOnted ny ina mistakes OF
others VINO have stepped down I'D out after
sinking vast amounts OF capital,
lnere II no royal roud TO fortune In the manu-
facture of steel. Success is only attained Dy
good management and eAperIelce. Steel Is
lower in prico In this country now tnau II has
ever been before, yet better in quality, and not
witnstanding the unsettled condition of trade -
sim made IN large quantities. IL Is one ~ the
most active and important OF our Industries,
demanding millions of capital and employing
thousands on.thousauds OF skilled workluon and
lahorers. Tine city OF Pittsburgh, Pa, Is the
seat of the largest steel works tho country,