The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-02
FURNACE-MADE GRAPHITE.
NIAG1Ri'S ELECTRIC ENERGY USED
TO DIPIIC4TE NATURES WORK.
Out of the Immense Heat Used to Make
Carbide Of silicon, Something First Dis
covered In Hunt for Diamond Making,
Has Come tho Making of Graphite.

ago II a scientific man had vcntured to suggest
that some day graphite, such as Is used for
lead pencils. for lubricants. for electrical
machinery. for stove backing and 50 on.
would be manufactured product. and man.
ufactured from absolutely waste materials.
he would have been accused OF dream
ing. Graphite, he would have said. Is only
another form Of carbon; 1t Is first cousin to the
diamond. And yet diamonds have actually
been manufactured. small ones it Is true. but
diamonds And now comes an American in
ventor. L. G. Acheson Of Niagara Falls, who is
preparing to manufacture graphite in very
large quantities and to do 1t by natures own
procoss-that of heat nearly equal in intensity
to tina: OF Volcano craters or oven OF the sun
itself. and this process in itself is one OF the
marvels OF modern science.
During the past ten years there has been m
average yearly production of nearly 10000
tons of graphite -l5D tons for every day in tho
year-all dug from the earth. principally in
Austria. Ccylon. Germany. Italy and the United
States in the order named. In Ceylon alone
$4,000 men. women and children are employed
in the graphite mines, and in the city OF Nu-
rcmberg Germany. the home OF tho famous
Fabcr pencil. 20 great factories are engaged
year in ard year out with nearly 5000 en-
poyees in the manufacture Of lead pencils. II
the inventor Of the new process for graphite
thrown out Of employment. lead pencils, lubri-
cants and other graphite products will become
immensely cheaper. and the day will approach
when graphite will be as much n manufactured
product us coke or any other coal products
Ground has Just been broken at Niagara
Falls for the new manufacturing plant where
graphite will be made. Mr.. Achcson. who is
also the inventor Of the new abrasive. carbide
OF silicon, is behind tho new company Mr..
Acheson first found graphite as ono Of the bi-
products Of his electrical furnaces while he was
manufacturing this abrasive. The factory is
TO be Of brick and iron. 100 feet long by 30
feet wide. The most important and inter-
estinR feature OF the enterprise is the
utilization for the graphite making OF
waste product from the coke regions OF Penn
sylvania. In the western part Of that State
there arc mountainous heaps Of dust which the
cokers have raked from their ovens and cast
aside as having no value. Mr. Acheson found
In his early experiments that the best graphite
tircly pure. and he found that this waste mate
ria! could be better utilized than pure coke.
ate from Edison, college o! inventions. As
2 young man he found place in EdisOn's
laboratory where he at once hecam" prcmi-
nTent in the electric light experiments on which
Edison was then AT work. in 1891 he was sent
by Edison 70 Paris as ono Of the seven young
pioneers who We're to introduce the electric
light In tho various cities Of Europe. He in
stalled the first electric light plants in Milan.
Genoa and Amsterdam. nftrrwar returning 10
America to push forward his experiments with
high temperatures. He was first attracted by
t4e glit,"rng possibility Of making genuine
diamonds, ana he spent much time In eXUrri-
lang ascomrishcd befdrc Mofssnn SAN tE ny famous nous
successes Mr., Arheson called to his aid the
terrific ne9 Of nix electric arc,the heat gen
terminals In an electric light
These experiments oren"l the wny to many
dn"o diamonds but still more w %6 md
substance combination Of carbon and silicon
Wholly Hin ,, in nature 1t appeared IN
ana even tho, diamond itself For u tine it
Acheson thought he had made n new form Of
his bis nro dHG had been found thousand
would be priced to-day rs an immensely
Snd Mr. rh"m snT a Ht the wasn't sxnai
nature Of the crvstalS--carhide of siron-and
h. he G9ye them the nam" rGGrhorundum. COM
has sim" uIanW'actureh carhorun,lnm in large
quantities for an abrasive to sup"rsrdr emory
StrapGc product Mr.. Achrson had occasion to
E EMllw thr t ten grem,est electrical furrCpccs
f nrnacc r"u g" " the frs. c'm5y imrsG
graphite, the basis Of the new industry. '''>'
MI Ach"son's furnaces are not constructed
rathcr the theory OF The inoondescnnt Iamp,
Wi'h the d"y" orm"nt nf which IN" inventor
Intro Tue" into each md o. a hug Hrick box
sixteen feet long. rtno f"ot wide md nearly six
cna of rokn "SG nI '" snp""Te G 10y SUR or
rounding masses Of q mixture OF coke,
to the am"nt Of an "1 "H desc rF amn thS
resistance which it offers 10 the pa sage Of the
rHl"rtric9, current, pr 'dpcing high deGrce Of
turned on for time the entire cone glows
white. melting every substance which Is placed
OF all known substances. 1t is in Il furnace Of
this kind that carbiI,c of silicon il made: il is
hio III" basis Of ar"tyi"nc gas gas Is mnTn G nni
furnace for n" manufacture Of graphite. ~
Indeed. the making Of graphite is by no
means an experiment. for Mr.. Acheson has a.
ready made many hundreds Of pounds in his
electrodes, SIM lar to those used in arc liyhs
1ny 5a1SGr PILED PILED then ~ in his trnnee
they stl here The. form Of III" rods that is
c@n % thT nTm%n had arn1y
physical form Mr. Nchnson has already made
. oyer 2p4;o9o such rods Of graphite, ami more
furnaces are c"nve1ei from Nlnsars f Fas ef RE
of the power house. the turbines In which
TRANSFORM the force Of the water into electric
poses IN the country. ONLY, about 1000 volts
ar Telhlreu Tor kllllnR criminals in New FORK:
400 volts vii run a trolley ear. This current
is reduced IN transform"r-unti recently the
largest IN the wOrd-to 100 volts. but with the
high Intensity Of 1000 ampnrrs. 1t re-
GuircS eight squar" inches Of copper to carry
IT, Within the furnace, when this current
Is turned on. a thousand hors" power Of energy
Ia continuously TRANSFORMED into heat Is It
my wonder that the Temperature" goes up?
Red hot " has always been standard smile
for reprrseritng tn" highest conceivable tom
Ieraiur". But iron is rod hot At "A mere
l.NOO', whereas the heat Of these electrical fur
nnrrs III which graphite is made Is fully seven
times as much, or approaching the heat Of the
sun itself, The very host r"verhcratorv fur
naccs reach only 3.OOO' or loss than one-half
a aG much much IN this iurnqpc" iron; steol and
almost instantly. .vapor being tho condition In
which they are found IN the sun. Carbon IT.
self Is vapOrizcd. A flrebrcK which is tho
most unreliable object within the construct
Ing capabIlity Of mankind. when placed in this
furnace melts down lik" butter aud actually
disappears completely leaving not \ crumb be-
hind, Tho furnaces are built UP newly Of
brick for "nch firing. and tho brick ara 50
loosely placed that tho gases Of combustion
escape readily and may bee lightod OUTSIDE.
whore they burn with "A pai"-h bin" flame. which
gives the whole furnace room an almost dia-
~ his is in fact. "A real prOraSs of nature IL