Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-02
THE FIELD OF ELECTRICITY
Smelling of Iron and Steel Numbered
Among Electric 0onquests.
THE PROCESS DESCRIBED IN DETAIL
Eject of Electric Light on Shade
Trces-Thc Projected Pacific
CnbIc-Undcrground Troll
n Ieyr In New York.

IeyN In new
The all pervadlng conquest of electricity
seems likely within another year to take
over yet another important branch Of in
dustry. In this country in France and In
Sweden, at least three well known inventors
have taken out patents for electric furnaces
for the smelling of iron and steel, and, 1t
is understood, that in the last named coun-
try the process is about to be put into
effect on a large scale. There DR.. De Laval
has secured one side Of the Falls of Troll
hatten, and has organized a large company
to exploit his invention. At Neuhausen NJ,
Herault, the inventor of the electric alumi-
mum process known under his name and
under which the larger part of the alumi-
mum of Europe is manufactured, has also
devised an electrical smelter, and claims to
have secured admirable results therefrom, al
though no definite figures have yet been
given out In this country Joseph A. Vim
cent of Philadelphia has taken out letters
patent of an exceedingly simple smelling
furnace which has received high commenda-
tion from those who have examined 1t and
for which the inventor likewise claims high
efficiency.
Briefly described the furnace consists of
an oven containing a pair of electrodes sup
plied with a powerful current, the ore being
driven between the latter by means of
rotary screw and the smelted material
caught in plunger below. The body of the
furnace is formed OF refractory material
such as Hrebrick, and is provided with
vertical channel or hearth, open at the bot
tom and termination at the top in neck,
leading to feeding device adapted to posi-
lively force the material to be smelted
into the hearth
HOW 1T WORKS.
This feeding device consists OF cham
Der or hopper into which the material, after
It's first being finely pulverized, is delivered,
and a screw or mechanical propelling de-
vice standing vertically in the hopper and
extending into the discharge neck which
opeEs into the hearth below. BY turning
this screw, the materials from the hopper
are forced with a steady pressure into the
hearth. The floor or bottom of the latter
consists of table of refractory material
mounted on a piston working within a
hydraulic cylinder. The lower end of the
cylinder connects by pipe with a standpipe
which has sufficient height to create a pres
upon the under side Of the piston AMI
thus uphold the bottom of the hearth to the
desired point. An ingenious automatic de-
vice with a float valve controls the action
of this piston Opening trlnsversely into the
hearth and substantially of the same width
as the latter are two fiues, arranged dame
trlCally opposite, through WnlCn tne eIec-
tro1es are thrust These electrodes are of
carbon and are carried upon roller carriages
running upon rails. Theae carriages are.
moved to and fro by means OF screws and
an electrically controlled power device. The
latter are a pair of electromagnetic gov
ornors, operating In such manner that
when the resistance across the electrodes
is abnormal. due to the burning away of the
electrodes, the governors come into opera
tion to push the electrodes toward each
other, thus insuring the proper maintenance
of the arc at all times.
BY means of n pair of pulleys, operated
automatically, when sufficient current passes
through by or shunt circuit, the magnet
shifts the belt until the electrodes are
drawn sufficiently near together. The cur
rent in the main circuit then increases and
a spring shifts the belt again and the cleo
trodes remain stationary. Several modifica
tions of the device are also provided for to
meet varying requirements for different
conditions. In operation the material Is fed
down between the electrodes in the hearth.
under the positive action of the screws As
the pulverized material is smelted the
product sinks upon the piston supported
floor Under a sufficient pressure the latter
sinks, thus allowing continual stream OF
fresh material to be brought within the zone
of fusion between the electrodes and with
out interfering with the continuous opera
tion of the furnace.
UTILITY OF THE FURNACE.
II Is evident that with a furnace con-
structed in this manner the ingot of smelted
material may be OF great length by simply
providing a piston cylinder sufficiently long.
When the floor is fully lowered the ingot
may be removed from the space below the
hearth. The production of combustion and
gases generated in the process of smelling
escape by a hue extending laterally from
the hearth and leading to a chimney above,
This smeter. like both of the others is es-
pecally designed for localities where coal
and coke are expensive and cheap power
from waterfall culmbank is to be had
At the present time the present seat of the
iron and steel industries is approximately
at the meeting place of cheap fuel and
cheap ore and notably where these exist side
by side. Deposits of iron ore, however, very
frequently occur at long distances from coal
areas and the cost OF transportation natu-
rally lessons the profit OF the mines II
does not now seem probable that the electric
smelter will come into general use where
coal is to be had cheaply and in abundance;
but II may prove an immense boon for
other iron producing localities where this
Is lacking.
THE PACIFIC CABLE.
The reasons for the interests with which
the plans for a Pacific cable are watched
I'm England are not altogether political or
strategical. The possible diversion of cable
traffic from an old submarine system to
new Is indicated in some figures given in
London at the last meeting of the East
crn Extension" company. one of the great
est of the enterprise to which Sir John PEN
der gave his thought. The gross revenue
ia about 81. 600 600 year; the working eX-
penses run only about $500 900 pear. Dis
cussng the prospects OF Pacific cable COM
petition, the Marquis OF Tweedale said that
the loss OF Eastern Extension business
might range from 100000 to 81 1.25O 900 a
year He hardly expected such adverse
conditions, however and meantime the new
rival cables had not been laid. As to the
possibilities OF an augmented cable traffic
at the antpodes and with China and Japan,
It appeared that an increase of $250.00O in
the last half year had sprung almost en-
tirely from the activity in 'Westralian"
gold mining. AS regards the stability OF
the English submarine cable enterprises, II
may be noted that the Eastern Extension
property Is valued at a premium OF $40 000.-
coo ON its capital values, and the allied
Eastern Telegraphs at about $40, 100000
~ pnnita1