Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
ALL RECORDS BROKEN.
A Nickel-Steel Ingot Weighing so
Tons Cast at Homestead.
THE TEST ENTIRELY SUCCESSFUL.
A Naval officer Present Praises the Work
in the Highest Terms.
EVEN BIGGER FEATS TO BE ATTEMPTED

Friday afternoon there was cast in the
open hearth department of tie Homestead
Steel Works of Carnegie, Phipps & Co., a
nickel-steel ingot weighing over 50 tons.
This, without a doubt, is the largest nickel
steel ingot yet cast in the United States, its
dimensions being 40 inches in thickness, go
inches wide and 18o inches long,
1t required two "heats,'' or, in other
words, the contents of two melting furnaces
to make the cast. The ingot was cast in
what is known as sand mold of a unique
design and used exclusively by the Car
negies 1t is claimed that with the sand
mold cast much better results are obtained,
and armor plates rolled from steel, cast in a
sand mold, have shown up we'll in the tests
recently made. The casting of the 5O-ton
ingot was an event in the history of the
works, but it is a mere handful compared to
a series of ingots to be cat in the near
future, the ightest of which will be 100
tons.
The Test an Entire Success.
The casting of the 50-ton ingot was a sue
cess from start to finish, there being neither
a hitch nor break of any kind. And to
give the reader an idea of the systematic
methods and perfect discipline practiced in
the Homestead Steel Works it is well to
say that not word was spoken during the
time occupied in casting this monstrous
chunk of metal. Everything being in
readiness the great Acton 1adle was
swung under the spout that connects
with the tap hole of the furnace
and wave of the hand from the general
manager and the tapping hole is closed;
another wave of the same hand and several
of the furnace crew fall upon long rod, and
with great vigor ram it home through the
tap-hOle, when there is glow, then
swish and spatter, and finally the pure
white metal comes with steady, even flow,
filling the ladle almost to overhowing.
The ladle was then raised by the hydraulic
crane, placed on a bogy and putting,
sneezing, wheeling little dinkey engine
whisks it away to the casting pit, where the
ladle was snatched up and swung around to
the mold and the molten metal run into it.
Found to Be Perfect In:oi.
But as the contents of one furnace were
not sufficient to make the cast, it was neces-
sary to tap another. All this had been an
ticipated, and the operation above described
was again repeated The ingot was stripped
yesterday and found to be perfect. A most
interesting operation in connection with
this ingot was the shearing of its ends yes
terday under the great hydraulic press.
This press, which is used for bending
and shaping the armor plates, was fitted
with great steel blades and the ends
of the ingot, one at time were run be-
tween them, and the power being applied,
the monster blade descended and cut its way
clean through the 40 inches of tough, un-
yielding mass just as easily az if it had
been old cheese
One of the naval officers that witnessed
the casting of the ingot said: ''The dis
cipline, skill and precision exercised in the
open hearth department during the casting
of this mass of metal could only be equaled
by the crew of man-of-war.''