The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-04-10
An English Amcrican Blast Furnace.

Some wears ago, when there was con-
troversy going on anent the more cconom-
ica working of the American t;pc of To-
comotycs as compared with the British,
one Of the former was imported into this
country and run on one of our leading
RAILWAYS, with the result that it showed
that the American engine was not adapted
for working economically on English
roads
We have heard much of late years
about the enormous makes at some Of the
blast furnaces in the United States, and
in order to test whether the American
furnace can, in addition TO producing
much more iron, produce it more cconom-
icallv, furnace built exactly on American
lines was, as reported in our columns,
blown in q week or two ago at the Jarrow
works of Mcssrs. Palmcr's Shipbuilding
and Iron Company Limited, and the work
ING Of this will be regarded with interest
throughout the district The furnace is
in all respects il copy Of one Of the most
successful of the furnaces at Mcssrs.
Carncgie's Edgar Thomson works, At
Pittsburgh, where furnace has produced
as much as $500 tons pig iron per week,
which is more than double the quantity
made bv anv furnace in this country. But
it must be remembered that they use an
ore containing from 60 to e. per cent Of
metallic iron and much more readily re-
duciblc than the hcmatite ore consumed
in our blast furnaces, which ore has only
about 30 per cent Of metallic iron. Besides
this they blow at double the pressure than
is usual in this country-namcly,l pounds
per square inch, against > pounds to oli
pounds in this country. Of course with
an orc like that now used in this country
we could not hope to rival the American
furnaces in the extent Of output per
furnace even if we drove as hard as
they do.
The Palmer American furnace is 16
feet , inches high, with 20foot bosh
and an ll-loot we'll 1t is furnished with
4 Cowper hot -blast stoves, and is blown
by Il compound condensing engine, with
lO0-inch blowing cylinders. The engine
is specially attached To this furnace, Tor
it is one Of the principles i'll American
blast furnace practice that each furnace
must have its own engine, and tins Is Il
practice which has much to commend 1t.
There are s tuyercs, made OF bronze, the
use of that metal for that purpose being
also peculiar TO America The blast Is to
he at Il pressure OF 5 TO 9 pounds per
square inch. In appearance the furnace,
at anv rate up to the bosh, resembles
nothing so much as huge barrcl-organ,
for it has no fewer than e coils Of tubing
round it, these have water circulating
through them for the purpose of keeping
the furnace as cool rs possible, and no
less than 800 gallons Of water are used
per minute for this purpose.
1t has not as vet been ascertaincd what
amount of iron the furnace can produce,
but we must not look for its beating the
record in America, though there is no
doubt it will turn out considerably more
than the ordinary English hcmatitc fur
mace, seeing that it is being driven harder.
This enables it to deal with the ore much
more rapidly, and will necesstate differ
emf arrangements Of shifts among the
men. 1t is stated that when the men
leave off charging at the dinner hour the
contents Of the furnace go down so much
that the men are unable to ovcrtake it
again and keep the furnace full. Some
for continuous feeding will
have to be organized, otherwise it will be
difficult to get uniform quality of iron.
Whether with the greatly increased make
there will be a reduced cost OF production
is Il question which can not be settled UNI
til the proper mode of working the fur
mace is fully ascertaincd.