Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-24
RIVALS FOR TRADE.
Tests to Be Made of Steel From
Homestead and Bethlehem
FOR GOVERNMENT ARMORED SHIPS.
Which Ever Firm Makes the Best Material
Will Get the Orders.
THE HARVEY PROCESS TO BE APPLIED

H. A. Harvey, Jr., a son of the owner Of
the celebrated process for treating steel, il
staying at the Anderson. He is here to SUI
perintend the application of that process to
armor plates now being made by
| Carnegie, Phipps & Co., for Govern
ment vessels. From what Mr.. Har-
vey stated in conversation yester-
day it seems that Carnegie, Phipps %
Co. and the Bethlehem firm are engaged
in rivalry as to qualities of plates turned
out. The government has recently ordered
81, 900 tons of armor plates, about equally
divided between the two firms. These
plates, when made, would be treated by the
Harvey process.
Preparatory to the entire order being
placed in hands test of the steel made at
each works would be made at Indian Head.
The tests ofeach firms make would be made
by the Government, and the Governments
officers and representatives of the firm
whose steel was being tested would be per-
mitted to be present.
TWO FIRMS IN RIVALRY.
The Government desired to obtain the
best armor to be had, and it expected by
this means to ascertain which firm turned
out the best plates. The one firm would
not be allowed to witness the tests Of the
others material because of any advantage
that might accrue to one over the other.
These plates are to be ten inches thick. Mr..
Harvey stated that the process known by
his name would be applied at the re-
spective points of manufacture. When asked
if his people were not afraid of the latter
being observed and copied, he said the pro-
cess was a secret and they had no fear of its
becoming known.
Mr.. Harvey remarked that the process
could be applied to either steel or nickel
steel. Regarding the latter he did not know
the Government was inquiring into its use
as armor plate, but he conjectured from the
Government having invested $1,000, 900 in
the mineral, that it proposed to use nickel.
steel somewhere or other. The atten-
tion OF Commodore Folger, he said, had
been recently drawn to nickel-steel and
manganese bronze, reputed as possessing
extraordinary qualities, which had been
made by Pittsburg gentleman named Har-
rington. The Commodore had instructed
an inspector detailed for duty in this dis
trict to report on the subject.
INoUIRING INTO NEW METALS.
Mr.. Harvey was without official informa-
tion as to the nature of the report, but he
had learned that it had been very commen-
datory of the material He understood that
the Bureau of Ordnance would still further
investigate into the merits of this new ma
terial.
Mr.. Harvey is of the opinion that all.
steel armor plates are superior to others
composed of nickel-steel plates He thinks
that a mateaial which, when penetrated,
yields with radiating cracks, as does all
steel with hard face and soft backing it
makes the best kind of armor. Nickel
steel armor does not yield. The shot in
penetrating does so without cracking the
plate, and makes a clear hole. He thinks
that, so far as recent tests have gone, Gov
ernment is satisfied that all-steel armor
plates are the most serviceable.
Referring again to the tests into the
quality of the Homestead and Bethlehem
steel Mr.. Harvey said that which ever firm
makes the best material as proven at Indian
Head in about SIX weeks time would un-
doubtedly get the bulk of the Government
work. Mr.. Harvey is here to inspect the
Homestead plate and superintend the
Harvey process.