The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-05-31

the steel history of this country, and will
be the beginning of an industry that will to
q great extent supefsede thes present Bes-
semer method, and will also be the means
OF encouraging the manufacture of Steelin
localities that are not at present engaged in
the manufacture of Bessemer steel. Even
now there are two companies that have for
some time been awaiting the results of the
experiments at the Harrisburg works, and
as soon as the owners of the patents, the
Bessemer Steel Company, Limited, deter
mine the amount of royalty to be paid by
parties engaging in the manufacture by this
process, these two companies willno doubt
commence the erection of basic plants.
Indeed, one of the companies above refer
red to, the Harrison Steel Co., of st. Louis,
of which Mr.. Thomas w. Fitch is presi-
dent, has already broken ground at Harri-
son, jackson county, Ill, for basic plant.
The other company is at present largely
engaged in the manufacture Of iron and
steel in one of the Southern States.
That the basic process is a cheaper
method of producing steel than the Bes-
semer process has been fully verified by
practice in England and on the continent
Of Europe. In France, according to NJ
Walrand, basic steel can be made As francs
1897 cheaper than ordinary Bessemer in
gots, owing to the difference in the prices
of phosphoric and hematite pig iron, but
in England the difference in the cost be-
tween the two processes is not so great,
varying from "a to So a ton. In the basic
process the lining of the converter requires
much more frequent renewing than in the
Bessemer converter. but this is a small
item of increase in the cost.
In England the basic process has been in
operation for long time at the works OF
BolckOw, Vaughan & Co., of Middles-
borough, who operate by this process four
12-ton converters, and during the present
year they will make about 10000 tons of
basic steel. In France the MesSrs. Schnei-
der, of LIE Creuzot, have two 7-ton convert
ers, and one lotion Slemens open-hearth
furnace in which they are using the basic
process. Germany is at the present time
the leading producer OF basic ste@, eight
'&EOrks, with % conyerters, being engaged
4 in it's manufacture and during the present
year that country will produce at least
1901 600 tons of basic steel. The basic pro-
cess has been a great blessing to Germany.
She has very large deposits OF iron ore
within her borders, but they are so highly
charged with phosphorus that they have
been totally unsuitable for the BeSSemer
process, but there are no ores that are bet
ter adapted to the manufacture of basic
steel. The product of the basic converter
is pronounced in Germany equal to Besse-
mer steel for the manufacture of rails, and
superior to it where mild steel is used for
plates, wire, and railroad sleepers. There
are three basic steel works in Austria,
with converters, and capacity to pro-
duce 100000 tons of steel annually; and
one works in Russia with an annual capac-
ity of 10000 tons of basic steel, thus
making the total annual capacity of the
foreign works 100000 tons.
The adoption of the basic process to the
open-hearth furnace has been attended with
very excellent results at the steel works at
LIE Creuzot, France. The bed of the fur
mace is made Of magnetism lime, and the
roof is of SILICA bricks. A charge of phos-
phoric pig iron is introduced into the fur
mace, the furnace being heated in the usual
manner, and common iron gradually dis
solved in the BATH A quantity Of lime is
added from time to time, and the Stag is re-
moved with a rake. The silicon entirely
disappears, and nearly all the phosphorus is
removed. The operation lasts about twelve
hours, and about fifteen tons of steel
are produced.