The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-02-18
ALMOST STEEL.
Hastings New Process Not
Vet Successful.
THE ROANOKE TIMES BUREAU,
HOTEL LUCERNE, SALEM, VA.

81 HOTEL LUCERNE, OALEM, VA.
Quite large crowd gathered at the
foundry of j. B. Camden yesterday af-
ternoon at four o'clock, to witness the
turning of iron into steel in q few mo-
ments, by j. b. Hastings, of Parkers-
burg, w. Va, who is at the head of the
steel wire nail mandatory to be cstab-
lished in Salem within sixty days, as
given account Of in Tuesdays TIMES.
Among those present were Prof. j.
T. Crabtree, j. L. Chapman, Messrs.
Oakley, Smith. Hannah, Lovelock, of
the Times Register, and reporter for
The TIMES.
1t was with intense interest that
watched Mr.. Hastings as he poured his
dark grey powder in the molten iron in
the ladies to which it had been trans
ferred from the cupola, as he stirred it
up thoroughly and then poured the fiery
liquid into the moulds.
Two bars of pig iron, weighing about
is pounds each, were melted for the pur-
pose, and two bars of steel were moulded,
one of which was chilled.
Then the steel was laid out to cool,
after which it was to be tested by the
chisel.
The unchilled piece was indented by
the chisel without very much difficulty,
but the chilled iron seemed to be too
hard to be indented. Those standing
by thought that it would be useless
oven to test it.
But Mr.. Camden put his chisel TO the
chilled surface and hit it several heavy
blows, and when he took it up there
there were three or four indcntations on
the chilled part. The chisel should not
have made any impression. Was the
experiment, therefore, o failure?
TIMES reparter made particular in
qulrieS of those who witnessed the eX-
pertinent.
Outside Of Mr.. Hastings, Mr.. Camden,
proprietor of the foundry, and II. &.
Hopkins. of Ironton, Ohio, there were
very few persons present who knew any
thing at all about steel.
Mr.. Hastings said at once that there
was more iron melted in the cupola than
be had prepared chemicals for. There
is no doubt that he requested Mr.. Cam
den to melt twenty pounds of tho iron.
a TIMES reporter questioned Mr..
Camden particularly on this point, and
was told, 81 undoubtedly used more iron
than Mr.. Hastings directed. The two
pieces / used weighed eighteen pounds
each. did not gauge it right.
'There is not the slightest doubt that
the grain of the metal is changed. 1t
has nice, uniform, close grain"
Mr.. Hastings said that he could make
the metal hard or soft at his option.
''There was about twice as much iron
used" he said, Gas I had prepared
chemicals for"
Mr.. Camden uses the iron used in the
test all the time, and during his inter
view with the representative of THE
TINES he said, ''rhe kind of iron used
won't chill we'll. I know that from
constant use"
This is an important fact as it took
some rather heavy blows to indent the
chilled surface of Mr.. Hastings steel,
when only half enough chemicals had
been used.
The chilled iron was filed by Mr.
Camden, seemingly without difficulty.
but after it was heated in the forge for
a short time the file refused to do its
work, when applied to the same groove
it had made in the metal previous to it's
being heated.
Mr.. Hopkins, of Ironton, Ohio, who
has had much experience in working
iron, said, as he picked the piece of Mr.
Hastings steel, "this is just as good
billet steel as ever saw"
If the experiment yesterday was not
success. it promises great things.
Another test will be made Thursday
afternoon at o'clock.
Mr.. Hastings said: 81 am even moro
convinced to-day that my chemical pro-
cess is a success, and that | can go into
the boiler department of the iron works
and by my process turn the muck bar
iron directly into steel for making bar,
plate OF sheets"