Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-02-10
MAGNET MARvELS
Modern Giants That Raise Tons
of Metal at a Time.
LIFT BILLETS HOT OR COLD.

| SiU9lc OUe OF tHsss WonctoEs WIN
Invisible Magic Fingers Will Do the
Work Of Half a Hundred Men--The
Magnet In Medicine and In Surgery.
Those who have watched toy mag
act lifl up pins and needles aud mar.
vcled not little at the unseen power
| hat causes the bits OF metal TO jump
nl.ht well be excused for standing
| ighlst NJ the sight of a modern giant
magnet picking Up several tons of iron
and steel from the scrap heap and con
sc,ing II with ease and rapidity to
he melting furnace beyond.
| 50 great has been the commercial de-
gciupmeiit ~ the magnet that II can
lit i've and half ions. These giant
magnets used Ia iron and steel mills
AN pick up hot rs well rs cold billets.
and II single one Of this character will
iisplace half hundred workmen.
y further improvement may be not
I'd IN the combination OF skull cracker
aud magnet. The skull cracker Is n
huge pear shaped ball of iron suspend
ropes. This skull cracker IL dropped
with great force ON scrap metal to be
broken up for remelting II breaks the
metal into conveniently small pieces
and is lifted up and down by the mag
net until the scrap Is reduced to prop
er size. Then the invisible fingers OF
the magnet gather up the small pieces
ynd carry them to the melting furnace.
The entire operation Is acce. iplished
II one-hundrcdth OF the time formerly
equircd by manual labor
More recently magnets have been
Employed In the milling industry to
pick out small particles OF metal that
frequently get into -four and cause ex-
blossoms through friction when they
come In contact with the big rollers.
Not u particle Of metal can escape the
powerful magnets suspended over the
In mining and metallurgical work
the magnet has become an indispensa-
BILE labor saving agent. The magnetic
separation OF ores has saved thousands
OF dollars TO mining companies. When
the rocks are crushed and pulverized
iinltesimal pnris Of metal released from
their beds and convey them 10 the
smelling furnace. Quantities OF ore
ran thus be saved from old tailings
that were formerly considered pure
waste
| f.t
employed for the novel purpose OF rails.
Ing snnkcn treasures. \ big cargo of
nails was lost In twenty fathoms OF
water. and the loss seemed irreparahle
until some cntcrprising genius raised
them easily and cheaply by means OF
a magnet suspended from derrick by
steel cables.
| In the most improved commercial
magnets hollow steel castings are used,
In which magnetized coils are placed.
The latter are built up of alternate
layers Of copper and asbestos and in
sulated from the east steel frames by
thick sheets Of mica. A magnet of
this construction is proof against heat
and cold and free from the danger Of
short circuiting. There Is nothing COM
hustible usel IN It's manufacture. and
II can gather up II ton Of hot scraps
Of steel with comparative ease.
But the invisible fingers OF the mag
net can pick up the most delicate
splinter Of steel no larger than n sew
Ing needle rs easily M II lifts a huge
iron or steel beam weighing n ton or
Two. The small magnets have there
fore found as great field OF useful
ness as the big ones. In all trades
they are employed for handling pieces
OF metal too small for fingers 10 pick
up easily.
In u medical way they are used sue
ecssfnlly for extracting iron or steel
finders from the eye and also for
drawing out of the body needles and
pieces OF metal that have found lodg
ment there. A dressmaker who had
Inadvertently swallowed dozen nee
dies was operated upon In this way
with entire success For several days
she was placed under u powerful mag
net until every nee,ll. had been drawn
from her body
In therapeutic way magnets have
proved OF value In destroying ulcerous
and cancerous growths, and even
blood diseases Of some kinds have
Yielded 10 their curative effects. A
man with the point Of u dagger broken
on In his body had II removed by
magnet Another patient had been
suffering from a painful ulcer on the
chin for many years without finding
relief. He was finally cured 10y treat
ment with magnet. which drew from
his chin lot OF steel filings that had
caused all the trouble. The filings had
found Judgment IN u cut In his face
one day when working before turn
ing lathe. No immediate trouble had
followed. and the man had forgotten
the incident until the magnet drew
them out and gave the ulcer a chance