The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-12-16
Steel Making in Virginia.

The Baltimore San publishes some ~
teresting facts in regard to the probability
of steel making in the South. 1t says lhsI
Mr.. Jacob Reese. of Pittsburg. the inveli-
tor of the basic process of making steel,
has recently visited Roanoke, Va. and pro-
nounces the iron ores Astounding III that
vicinity we'll suited to the manufacture OF
steel by his method. Pig metal having 3
per cent. of phosphorus-the element with
which Mr.. Reese's process is designed to
deal-can be made, the inventor states, as
Roanoke at Sl2 per ton, and this metal can
be converted into basic steal at further
cost Of $40 per ton. bringing the cost OF
basic ingots to 1922 per ton. But this fig
ure is largely reduced through one OF the
by-products of the process. namely. phos-
phate of lime. AT Roanoke it would be
produced in such quantity as to reduce the
cost of basic steel to $13 per ton. The
Reese process is substantially identical
with the Bessemer process, except as re-
CARDS the material with which the 'con-
yerter'' is lined. Bessemer worked his
molten pig in vessel having a lining of
| which sand or silicic acid was a prominent
constituent, and in the presence of Sic
| ic acid Stag. His process was not directed
to the removal Of phosphorus. which is AL
| abundant constituent OF most Southern
| ores, and which renders the steel into
which it enters comparatively worthless.
Mr.. Reeses process meets this deficiency,
thus rendering steel-making a possible IN
dustry at all the ore beds in the South
His practice is to line the converter with
lime. magnesia. magnetism limestone, or
any other stable basic substance, and hay-
ing heated it, to run into it ten tons OF
molten pig rich in phosphorus. Three
tons of fresh burned lime are in addition
thrown in on top Of the metal. The con
verter is then set upright, and air at a
pressure of twenty-five pounds to the
square inch is forced in and up through
the FETAL in hundred different streams
The air thus blown through the meltedpig
burns out Grst the silipon, next the carbon
and finally the PHOSPHORUS. The siiicic acid
formed by the burning of the silicon COM
bines with the lime. as does all the phos
phoric acid. the latter forming phosphate
Of lime. a valuable article of commerce.
| The earbonic oxide formed escapes, Of
course, az gas. The phosphate produced
thus. at high temperature, differs from
ordinary phosphorus in being very easily
soluble. This by-product, which at Roa-
noke would contain for every top of steel
made fully $50 pounds Of phosphoric acid,
worth Or s cents per pound. reduces the
cost of steelin the South practically to less
than the present cost of pig metal in some
parts of Pennsylvania.
The San adds that the tariff of ST. per
ton Oh imported steel rails makes good
profit at present for tins Pennsylvania steel
Makers and states that il the duty were
cut down it would transfer the steel max
ing centre of this.country south. How
Southern manufactures are to be promoted
by throwing them In competition with the
world. instead of limiting that competi-
tion to the north and east, is something
that no one but modern Revenue Re-
former can find out.