The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-03
BETTER THAN EDIsON'S.
W. Bells Process For Making Armor
Plate.
(New York Worldly

New York Worldly
Philadelphia-A new process for
hardening steel has been discovered by
a Philadelphian A company for the
manufacture of steel plate is in process
of formation, and it is expected that
within year armor plate will be man
ufactured by this concern which can
be sold at $3.50 a ton, or even less, which
is just half the price set by congress.
The inventor is William j. Bell, an old
iron man, who for the past six years
has been making experiments with his
new discovery with such satisfactory
results that he expects to place the
product of his work on the market be-
fore the expiration of the present year.
Unlike the present process of harden
ing steel, the new discovery does not
harden the steel after it is made, but
during the process of making. 1t is
claimed that the tensile strength of the
steel will be increased to $4,000 pounds
to the square inch, which is 1900
pounds a square inch over the present
hardened steel and 5000 pounds better
than that promised by Thomas A. Edi-
son, jr. Under the new process the
steel will be equal in tensile strength
and resistance to the Muschet steel
and superior to the Harveyized, Besse-
mer or Krupp steel. The inventor is
willing to make a. government test OF
his invention and is willing to abide by
the result. He claims that he can take
any stock that is iron, even scrap iron,
and make it into armor plate at "a cost
of about 81. 80 ton for the raw mater
ial, the tensile strength of Which will
be equal or go beyond any that has
ever been produced through cupola
or blast furnace up to the present time,
and the shrinkage is hardly perceptl-
.1-tfA COR
rode, and consequently will be practic-
ally indestructible.
The secret of the new invention is
iux. which is changed in the furnace
tne same as coal or coke or any other
fuel Flux is a mineral which was dis
covered in large quantities at Wheel
ersburg, Scioto county, Ia 1t quickly
reduces all foreign matter and produces
a pure. clear. unalloyed steel, which for
durability and strength cannot be
eGualed The fuX used can be deliver
ed 10 any of the astern ports at $3.50
ton.
In discussing this new invention, Mr..
Bell says: THE process by which
produce a high-grade steel is exceed
lngly simple. Unlike the manufactures
of steel at present, l do not use any
nickel aluminium or other substance TO
increase the tensile strength. ! have
Uld1ly pl eiS--Sell NiSliiOiSNA ~
the discovery, all of which have proved
eminently satisfactory. BY the use of
flux 1 eliminate all foreign substances
i'll the steel. 1t does not matter if the
ore is charged with sulphur, phosphor-
Gus. copper, tin, lead, anthony or any
other foreign substance. The 1lu2S
quickly reduces all other foreign sub
stances and leaves nothing but Il pure
steel. The claim made by the steel
70 or
duce steel for armor platinr purposes
at $50 ton may be true with the pro-
cess used b. them, but L shall he able
to place ii on the market at at least
one-half of that price. l can manufac-
ture a high-grade steel under my pro-
cess at less cost than lowgrade iron
can now be made for"