Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-04-16
THE GERRIsH SMELLING FUR
MACE.
It's Discovery and Practical April.
cation.

It's Discovery and Practical Appli.
cation.
The smelling furnace now under pro-
cess OF construction at the Eureka Con-
solidated works is exciting consider.
able interest among mining men, and
in the event of It's proving a success,
will be adopted by several different
companies in Eastern Nevada. In an
interview yesterday with the owner Of
the patent, he gave us the following
history of its disco very and novel fea-
lures:
The use Of copper for lining smelt-
ing furnaces was discovered by Ignacio
Campbell, of Silver City, New Mexico.
1t was not the result of scientific re-
search, but the sequence of an accident.
Campbell was running a small adobe
furnace at the Great Clifton copper
mines. The owners had ex expended hall
a million dollars experimenting with
fire proof material, and had found
nothing that would stand the intense
heat OF the blast for more thar four
consecutive days. While Campbell
was at work a hole was burnt through
his furnace just above the tuyere. lie
found a slab of copper laying close by,
and picking it up, stopped the hole
with it for the time being. To his sur
prise IL remained a fixture, and acting
upon the hint, small copper bars were
used instead of brick to line up above
the tuyeres. These it was found would
melt down to about n inch in thick
ness, aud then stand for al indefinite
length Of time. Afterward plates were
cast, one inch thick, in the form OF a
square box. which adoption has proved
to be- a great success. The Air jacket
application was invented by q. NJ.
Gerrisb, who had adopted the copper
lining system at his mine. Upon the
first furnace being built. it was found
that it was almost impossible for
the men to work on account
of the intense heat thrown out from
the thin plates. In removing one Of
the wind pipes from the tuyere's Mr..
Gerrish held the nozzle on the plates
and found that it cooled them as quick
as a cold stream of water. He drew
the Inference at once that by putting a
jacket around the copper and blowing
in the cold air above the tuyeres at the
hottest place. IL would not only cool
the copper, but also save the radiatiDg
heat. The furnace is CONSTRUCTED on
the same principle as a water jacket,
air being used instead of water. In
the former a certain sfnount of heat Is
wasted heating the water, but in the
Gerrish furnace the air, after being
heated, passes into the furnaceto assist
the smelling processes. The great
principle of smelling is heat, and any
thing that saves heat is an economical
element in it's operation. 1t was doubt
ed by leading metalurgists whether
the copper lining could be used in lead
smelling. as it was claimed that both
lead aud lItharge would fiux IL imme-
diately. This, however, wax found To
be a mistake. 1t has stood the test tri.
unphantly, having bean used to smelt
quartz with litharge. Ia a few hours
after starting up, the copper plates be-
ann slagged over and thus acquired
surface to protect the plates from any
hurttul chemical action.
The one now being built at the Eu-
reka Consolidated will be of 65 tons
capacity, for twenty-four hours, and
will be ready to stare about the first of
May. at which time the inventor invites
all interested to call and see it in oper-
alton.