The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-10-01
Iron and Steel Items.

About 70, 900 miles Of hoop-iron-quits
enough for three-fold girdle around the
earth-wlll be needed to bind the forth
coming cotton crop, IL it reaches the num-
Der of bales predicted BY statistcians, or
six million bales. The number OF bands
required is six to bale. They arc Of uni
form size, eleven feet in length and 1900
weigh ton. Hence thore will be required
30, 600 tons Of hoop iron, with total length
of three hundred aud niuety-six million
feet. The cost OF these will be about $780,
600. 900. -.l.- ......
1t ia but few years sincs the introduc-
ton of bsrbed wire fencing, but in those
years the production of this new fencing
has been simply wonderful. The farmers
VI o,,o U-;.-s os--s~- L--~ --;shia tha past
five years put in use over 56, 600, 900 pounds
of barbed wire, making in all some $4,000
miles of feucing. This has been erected at
cost Of $6,250,eOO. The manufacture of
this kind Of fencing has increased from an
output Of 5000 pounds in 1874 to "a, $751;
600 pounds in 1879. IT is thought by those
we'll informed in the trade that the output
for this year will reach nearly.fifty milli on
pound.. Over fifty lines of railroad now
employ barbed: wire fencing along their
tracks. Heretofore thelgrsatest sale has
been in the. west, as eastern farmers and
railroad managers have entertained a pref
udice against its use. But,now the demand
is enlaroing in the New England States
and the eastern farmers have como TO like
this new fence, aud many easternt trailroads
chat short time since would not even look
at this wire are now commencing to use it
by the carload. The chances are that In q
short time barbed wire will be as popular
In the east as it is in Illinois Or Iowa. A
fine export trade is being established in
barbed wire, and as time progresses we
look to see this new product of manufac7
ture figure as one of our largest articles Of
export. This, kind of fencing is the cheap
est known. 1t costs less than one-half as
much as the pest and rail, the old-fashion-
cd worm fence or the stone wall.
It would seem pretty certain that steel
| Is destined to supersede iron. in steamship
building quite as effsctually as iron has su-
porseded wood. Evidences of the fact
come TO MS almost every day from the great
English shipyards. =
Some experiments in steel Welding lately
made by M. Kern show quite ccnclusively y
the valuable qualities charscteriziug the
Bessemer steel produced In Russia. Ac-
cording to M. Kern pure steel nearly fre
from phosphorus and sulphur and contain.
ing S5 to 30 per cent. Of carbon stands ca
silly the process Of welding-that is, II the
work be performed with skill and care. A
steel ship plate, two feet wide and three
eights of an inch thick, had easily welded
to it stsel plate of similar size, perfect
" clean and good joint being the result
In another case steel strips six inches bJ
four inches by one-fouith Of an inch. con
tanning 25 TO 2s per cent. of carbon, wers
welded together, aud very often, after cool
ing, the plate was bent double through th'
weld without the least fracture in or nea
/ the welded part. In some Of these expert
ments such plates were beat at dark hea
and they often, though not always. resistss
this severe test. a} 8.