The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1885-06-27
IRON VS.. STEEL.
Steel Taking The Place OF Wrought
Iron for all Purposes.

Although no iron rails are made
row, there are still a few old iron
rails in use. As fast as worn out they
are replaced by steel rails.
Few people not actually engaged
in the metal trade are aware of the
wonderful strides made by steel in
recent years. In fact, steel is wholly
taking the place of wrought iron.
Steel il. simply q mixture OF iron and
carbon, Slse Il lanti.y OF carbon rang
ing from ,25 20 .02 per cent. OF lie
mass. 1t is. not only stronger and
tor ataost every parpsss bet er than
WROUGHT iron, '-bnt it'isrlieaper. . =.
Its first vfC'tory over wrought iron
was obtained in England, ,where
steelrails ior railroads were found 10
be much better than iron in several
ways. They did not wear away 50
rapidly under the wheels, and they
we've able to stand greater strain.
The fist Bessemer steel plant in this
country was started in 1867. Its pro
duct was used Tor making rails, and
the total amount Tor that year was
5000 tons. For a number OF years
the Bessemer steel WAS almost wholly
devoted TO that purpose, the high
price nj which 1t WAS sold making il
Improbable for other uses TO which
wrought iron was put. Steel rails
brought $l60 ton in 1867. But after
the panic OF 1873 prices came down,
and in 1875 the rails brought s15.
The hard times OF 1879 lowered the
price, in spite of combinations among
owners, and in 1888 steel rails sold
for $40 ton. Since that time the
price has fallen steadily, and recent
price list puts the price of rails at $40,
and OF steel slabs, ready to be rolled
or forged into any shape, at SIS per
ton.
The result of these low prices is
that bridges are no longer made of
iron. Steel beams have taken the
place OF iron in the fireproof build
ings. Steel boilers replace iron boil
ers. Steel rifles replace tho old east
iron cannon. Wherever tensile
strength is required steel is used.
The use OF steel in beams and GRID
ers ior houses and bridges was a
natural sequence of their use in rail-
road tracks. But the use of this steel
has not been confined to railroads
and steamships. The big tin plate
factories In Wales began TO expert
ment with steel instead Of iion about
two years ago. Tin plate contains.
about 93 per cent. Of iron and z OF
pure tin. The steel plate was found
to be cheaper, and the article made
OF steel tan plate were superior. For
making tin dishes without seams or
soldered joints, the Siemens process
steel plate is not only superior, but it
is about the only kind that can stand
the spinning process. This country
now imports 240.0 tons of tin plate
annually, and it is all made of steel
plate with tin coating.
One field in which steel has not vet
wholly displaced iron is in the manu-
facture Of nails. The plates from
which nails are cut can be rolled from
steel ingots as easilyas from puddled
iron, but the steel plate is harder to
cut and the cutters charge little
more for the work. The plants en-
gagged in making steel nails
are limited in number and the
price OF steel rails is higher
than that OF iron. The steel nail is
smoother, stronger and handsomer,
and has made its way in spite of the
higher price, but the difference in
price is rapidly dwindling, and will,
no doubt, soon disappear altogether.
In November, 1884, the Wheeling
manufacturers charged thirty cents
and the Troy men twenty five cents a
keg more for the steel nails. Quota
tions during the last of February this
year were $2.l0 per keg for steel rails
and " for iron. The profit to the
manufacturer of the steel nails is
much greater on accotirfi Qf !, the
smaller cost of the plates \ ana, the
only thing that prevents the iIoi,nail /
makers IRON using steel plates entire
~ IL that it takes money to change
the plant, and after the great deprss-
sion OF the past two years money is
not over abundant among iron mann.
factdrefs in any branch of the trade.
Acurious outgrowth of tLis JIM