The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-08-04
OLD RAILS AND NAILS.
Lrtterirom Col. POWelIin Regard
to HIs Patent for Converting
the Former into the Latter.

LctterIrOm Col. POWelIin Regard
to lis Patent for Converting
the Former into the Latter.
Elltu1 IntSlllssnccr
Fhaye seen in a newspaper the follow.
ing statement, credited to your journal.
Please republish il together with the re-
marks which have appended to it,
Your article is quoted as follows:
"A manufacturer at wheclIug. West Va Is re-
ported to be making good quality Of nails from old
f,l4 Samples Nefe some few days since shown At
the Oiiee VI the Wheeling ISTRLLio ENcER, part Of
which we're made out Of rails, pure and simple, and
ppit out Of three parts rails and one part muck.
They are Pronounced good and arc smooth and
tough and drive well. ! his process Of making
nails we learn avoids the process Of boiling iron.
The rails are s1t and piled for the heating fur
nacos, llks 20 much muck bar, and BY the use Of a
lux IN the heating process are welded and made Al
III ieable, ductlle and close teXtured In the sheet
rrlli "a 50 much piled muck. Nall plate Is thus
IN ode S. 2j per ton cheaper than out oil pig Iron
which has hrst been make into muck bar. This
saving says tho INTELLI0ESCRR, Is Of Itself big
pront, aud WILL II successful, reyOlutOniEe the old
method. No mill eau afford TO puddle Iron when
by using this luX old rails or pix Iron eau DO con-
Vrrtcd direct into nail pae. The saIne paper says,
also: ave lltely mentioned that Colonel Powell
Is making nails Bt the BellTile mill out Of the old
rails aud Onc-clEhth muck iron, and that he claims
to have al advantage equal 70 $751; per ton for ply
metal. II this turns out 10 bo the case, the iur.
nAccs will not have much TO do for some time "a
come, iHasmuch IS It Is estimated that there arc
enough old rails in the country to run all the mills
for several years"
The nail manufacturers Of Wheeling,
Pittsburgh and the entire West have
known for some time that l have beer
manufacturing nails in the Belleville
Nail Works out Of old rails large.
" since the lat Of November
1876. 1t is also generally known
that the process Of manufacturing nails
out Of old rails, aB invented by myself, is
covered by letters patent (lS9.495, applied
for Dec. 90, 1876, issued April 10, 1870,
1t is also known that up 10 the time Of
tine experiments made by myself to use
old rails in the manufacture Of nails, that
every attempt proved unsuccessful, and
was abandoned. Hence oil who express.
ed an opinion about my efforts in that
direction, predicted failure. Even your
own columns contained warning, some
time since, to Wheeling manufacturers
against attempting TO make nails out Of
old rails, or against running of after
strange gods in the matter OF making
nails, thereby jeopardizing the good rep
ulation Of the Wheeling nails in the mar
ket. My life experience in the practical
working CT iron was fully corroborated
By my experiments in the use OF old rail
was soon convinced that the rail in its
self needed not only \ lux TO secure a
perfect weld, malleaG!lity, ductility and
close texture, but that for tie requisite
qualities for good nails it needed the ad.
dition Of strength and body to make the
nail tough and still, which lux alone
cannot impart. Hence / say without
hesitation, that all who attempt to obtain
good result out Of the use Of old rails by
the assistance Of d common lux alone,
will find the result unsatisfactory. The
attainment Of perfect weld, smooth sur
face and good appearance are all neces.
sary and important, yet they are not the
most import requisites. In my eight
months experience, devoted theoretically
to the full development Of the practical
utilization Of old rail in the manufacture
OF nails, alter having made $4,000 kegs
under my patent, and after having dis
posed Of and distributed them through St.
Louis TO the Southwest and Northwest
and being able to hold our trade with as
much certainty as any OF our competi
torE, feel that under my patented pro-
cess have attained absolute success, and
that my patent covers the principle en-
tire that is involved in the successful nee
Of old rails in the manufacture OF nails,
Hence any attempt to avoid the reCogni'
ton Of my patent by infringing upon the
principles lully covered therein by man
ulacturers will be met promptly.
Progression is the watchword OF the
sge, and although my process, as seen
now, seems TO Iron men as simple as did
the act Of Columbus in making the egg
stand upon the sharp end 10 those who
witnessed it, nevertheless the results
have been reached through the aid OF an
experience Of forty years in the Iron
business. The use Of the immense stock
Of old rails in this country is matter OF
no little moment. The transformation oil
it into nails secures its final and absolute
use. Its conversion into nails or light
sheet Is its only legitimate use. Il cannot
be safely used for any purpose where ia
product is subjected 10 the blacksmith's
fire and anvil. l offer its use TO all, but
not without money or price. 1t is an
important invention, and the fact that the
use Of old rail as the base Of stock used,
or the substitution Of $4,000 lbs. Of old
rail and 5000 lbs. Of wrought scrap, and
5000 lbs. Of pig.iron as n proportionate
mixture, cannot now be found operated
in any nail manufacturing Establishment
in the country other than the BellvilIe
Works. Yours, respectfully,
w. II. POWELL.