The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1911-12-15

pleted this fall. The main building is
60x150 feet.
This company is building and
equipping its mill at Leavenworth
where the company owns approximately
twenty acres Of land for a mill site,
which is admirably located for manu-
featuring purposes. When completed
it will be the first operative mill of its
kind in the world. This assumption
may at first seem queer, when it is
known that steel and iron are produced
to some extent in nearly all the civiliz-
ed countries Of the world, and to a very
great extent in the United States and
England; yet, the mill at Leaven-
worth is distinctly different from
any Of those now in operation
anywhere. Not only does this apply
to the system Of operation or process;
but also to the kind of ore used. Near
lya Of the commercial iron and . steel
is manufactured or produced from hem
attic ores and In their production re-
quire series Of operations before the
metal produced has commercial value.
The metallurgy of iron and steel as
at present produced is we'll known to
the metallurgist, and may be of inter-
est to many, as no trade or handicraft
can be pursued without these valuable
products, iron and steel. From the
delicate needles that earns livelihood
for many to the mighty armored battle
ships that protect and defend the ma
ton, all owe their existence and SUI
periority to this particular industry.
We are ulso forcibly reminded, when
we study the slow evolution of man
from barbarous to a civilized state,
that as soon as man conceived the first
crude method of producing metals
from ore and shaping implements OF
defense, ornament and comfort there
from. civilization proceeded with more
rapid steps than ever before, and with
the ever improving and perfecting OF
the methods of production and the
quality Of steel and iron produced, civ
ilization keeps stride until we reach the
present high state of civilization, the
Iron Age.
At the present time two particular
methods are pursued in the production
of steel, that is the commercial articles,
such as structural steel and rails. One
is the Bessemer process and the other
is the open hearth process. But, be-
fore we have steel by either of these
methods, it is necessary to have iron
and this is produced directly from the
ore. The ore known as hematite is
mined and frequently shipped a con-
siderable distance to the smelters.
These smelters consist essentially, with
out going into detail, Of tall stacks 90
or more feet high and about 40 feet
square at the base. A series OF tuyeres
are arranged little distance up from
the base or hearth through which the
air blast under great pressure, is blown
by machines made for that purpose.
A fire is built in these stacks on the
hearth or floor of the stack, coal is
then put into the furnace and charge
of ore and lime stone is put on top OF
this, then the balance of the stack
is filed up with alternate charges OF
coal, ore and limestone. The blast is
then turned on and the iron melted
and set free in the intense heat of the
furnace drops down and accumulates in
the bottom OF the furnace, where 1t is
drawn of from time to time and trained
to run into long grooves made in sand;
from these long grooves smaller grooves
project laterally on both sides. The
iron here cools and is known as pig
iron. The limestone and other earthly
materials that were contained in the
ore are now in a liquid state and are
known as Stag. This is drawn of and
is frequently used for making roads and
roadbeds. This pig iron now forms the
basis for all subsequent processes in the
manufacture OF steel.
The Bessemer process, which made
Sir Henry Bessemer famous, consists
simply OF large somewhat egg-shapeo
furnace with false bottom. The pig
iron is remolten and run in a liquid
state into this converter and strong