The Washington times., 1901-11-20
HARDENS STEEL
AND W EEhDS COPPER.
JOSEPH DUDLEY'S TWO INVENTIONS.
Process Drills which Penetrate
Strongest Armor PIate-Iost
Art of the Egyptian Re-
discovered.

The lost Egyptian art OF welding copper
has been rediscovered, almost simulta-
neOusly with the invention Of a process Of
| hardening steel which will reyoIutionize
the armor plate business. Investigations
and experiments in the latter are now be-
! Ing carried on secretly at the Washington
! Navy Yard.
None of the Government officials at the
| Navy Department has yet learned of the
| process Of hardening steel, although they
have known that the art of welding cop
| per. lost for centuries, has become a
reality OF the present. According to the
| story learned from the inventor last
night. he found the method of welding
two pieces of copper by the fire process
nearly two years ago. 1t was presented
to the Government for inspection. and a
test was made at the navy yard in this
city.
Copper Welding Tests.
There were present at the test Admiral
o'Neil, the commandant of the navy
yard. representative of the Carnegie
Company. and Joseph Dudley. the inyeE-
tor. The test was successful. The copper
was heated. and in the presence of the
witnesses. the two pieces were welded to-
| gether by the inventor.
The welded metal was then put to the
seyerest test in the power of the ma
ehinery cf the yard. An immense strain
was put on it. The copper was torn apart
had been welded.
Mr.. Dudley endeavored to have the Gov
ernment take up his invention, but was
informed that Uncle Sam could see no
immediate necessity for making two frag-
ments of copper one, however interesting
the discovery might be from an historical
standpoint
The inventor then communicated with
the Carnegie people. and went to Penn
sylvania, where further experiments were
conducted They were successful and Mr..
Dudley is said to have received an offer
from the big steel corporation He would
not accept it. believing his invention to
be OF greater value than that estimated
by the prospective purchasers.
Inc remarkable part of the story OF the
discovery of the long lest art lies in the
fact that shortly after the conclusion OF
the experiments at the navy yard with
49, A'uuicS tullOH process was QlS-
covered there whereby copper might be
welded by electricity. This process is now
carried on at the yard, although not ex@
tensively. as there appears to be little;
need for such work rso
An Armor-DriiIing Feat.
Mr.. Dudley. after failing to realize a
fortune from the discovery of the old
Egyptians favorite science, devoted his
energies to a scheme for hardening steel.
He was successful again. On Thursday. in
the presence of three witnesses. at the
gun shop of the navy yard, drill. hard
ened by Mr.. Dudley's secret process. bored
through a solid sheet of toughest armor
plate. No other drill has ever done this
before.
Those who witnessed this test were sub
ordinates in the yard. who had been in
the secret for some time. None of the
authorities have yet learned of the dis
covery.
Those who saw the hardened drill bore
through the plate say that the invention
viii revoluti0Tize the armor plate busi-
ness. ArmOr plates can now be riyeted
on a vessel as though they were soft iron
All kinds of tools can be made by the
process. and the invention will entirely
change the work of quaIryirg hard stone
In polishing. and in all branches of sculp-
toring. it is claimed by the inventor, the
drill hardened by his process will work
wonders.