The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-06-11
A NEW PROCESS
or MANUFACTURING HIGH GRADE
STEEL OF FIRST-cLASS QUALITY.
A Discovery of Immense Practical Value
What Has Been Done at PittsburG
a Similar Process EN-
pIoyed In England.
[scientihc Americana


There recently appeared a statement, in
The New York Tribune from a Pittsburg
correspondent, which seems to confirm
the fact that steel is to take the place OF
iron in most places where the latter has
been used The metal manufacturers
seem to be alive to the change which has
come over the public in its appreciation of
the superiority of steel.
Early last year people about Pittsburg
had their curiosity much aroused by
mysterious performances at the works Of
Oliver Brothers. A part of the establish.
ment was carefully boarded and locked,
and jealousy guarded from all intrusion.
and for a long time nobody was ad.
mitted. Indeed, while everybody won.
dered what was going on, and among
iroE-workers particularly great deal Of
curiosity was excited, the secret was so
well kept that the nature of the operation
did not become known to anybody until in
the last month, unless 1t be to those who
had special information of the affairs and
prospects of the firm of Oliver Brothers
after its suspension But now, through
papers submitted at the annual meeting Of
the American Institute of Engineers and
publications in local journals the public
Is assured that new process for working
iron has been thoroughly tested, and has
not only met the scrutiny of experts, but
value
Its effect upon the future wages Of
skilled ironwoTkers will probably be ap,
preciated from the statement now made,
that, while steel of peculiarly excellent
quality, and specially adapted to many
uses in preference to malleable iron, has
been produced in large quantities and
placed upon the market, only one work
man In the whole establishment has needed
such skill or training as to receive wages
averaging as much as 81. 80 day. By
the new process, which is entitled the
Clapp- GriIhths process, the silicon is Sc
completely removed from the iron that
Notwithstanding the presence of a proper
ton Of phosphorus usually found fatal,
steel of a high grade and of a remarkably
useful quality is made To the practical
ironworker, however, the most startling
fact remains that the cost of this treatment
Is less than half the present cost of making
the ordi AIRY pig iron into muck bar.
At the wages now paid in Pittsburg. u
Is Teckoned that it costs $12. 70 per ton to
make muck bar from pig iron, but by the
new pro ess a metal far more useful, in
better shape for handling, is produced at
less waste. with a cost Of only So a ton
added TO the cost of the pig. Moreover,
il is shown that, by applying the compar.
atively inexpensive plant required in thia
process in connection with ordinary blast
furnaces, and taking the molten iron as 1t
is required hot from the blast furnace for
treatment in the converter the cost Of
producing the ton of steel will be only 50
or 81 more than the cost of producing the
ton of iron.
As respects the cost, Mr. Witherow, Of
New Castle, Pa who has been associated
with Mr.. Oliver in the work, presented q
paper in which he stated that careful &C.
count of expenses while making about
1000 tons Of this steel had been kept, and
Including cost of the ferro manganese.
coke, and keeping up the plant expenses
for steam power, labor, and everything
connected with the process, 1t did not ex-
coed Sc. so per ton over the price of the
pig iron used. But, as he further
showed, much greater economy can be
had in q production of the steel blooms in
direct connection with the blast furnace.
Another great innovation in steel max.
ing processes is announced in England
which, according to The London Iron
and Coal Trades Review. will put an ale
most certain end to the malleable iron
trade at once as steel ingots could DO
made at far less cost than that at which
puddled bars are now made 1t viii be
observed that this process appears FROM
the description to be like the one so sue
cessfully introduced in Pittsburg. at least
in general results, and in probable eco8r
OpnV of working