El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-10-20
Niagara Falls Power Modified Frank G G,n.rt.
For Nations Struggle In Europe o''5sns ! Frank
Working Army Navy
Equals 25OO0OOO Tons of Coal Yearly

I factory and by the most common
! workman.
Is Greatest Known sharpener.
] This material takes the place OF
] grindstones, emery and diamond dust
In fact, it might be called artificia
diamonds. for IL is composed Of the
hardest Of crystals. with edges so
sharp that they can be used for grind
[ ing any material without wearing IL
I IS employed in every motor car plant
and IL has TO do with making ball
bearings. transmission gears, crank
shafts and everything connected with
Z the cheap and the high priced ears
II is used in grinding the tools for
the steel plants which are making
projectiles. and IL smoothes the shells
which fit the guns TO the thousandth
Of an inch It is used IN making ali
sorts Of agricultural implements
which have to do with out food sup
ply, and with locomotives and cleo
trical machinery Of every kind Il VIII
even grind manganese steel, which no
steel tool can cut and IL will sharpen
the finest Of high speed tools
This wonderful product, like most
Of the others created here, comes
from some Of the cheapest and most
common materials in nature. 1t is
formed Of crushed coke and common
sand, melted into crystals by an cleo
trio heat OF 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.
or more than 81 times as hot as boil
ing water During my stay here 1
I have gone through the plant which
makes IL. It covers 20 acres and IL is
now making large quantities Of
abrasive materials TO be used in con-
nection with the war.
Guarded by Soldiers.
The plant is guarded by soldiers,
and every employe has TO have a pho
tographic pass before he can get at
his lob. The official who took me in
nanL "a hot ra aTan-
entering and We were watched as we
went from building to building, where
are the mighty electric furnaces,
which are turning coke and sand into
the millions of crystals or artificial
diamonds. TO be used as grindstOnes
and grinding powers
The furnaces are enormous They
are cylinders or boxes made OF fire
brick. so high that the tallest man
could walk through them without
bending his head. They are about 20
feet long. seven feet wide and large
enough TO hold 10000 pounds of ma
terial This material consists Of
crushed coke and sand mixed with a
little SaWdust and salt TO aid IN the
reduction It is put into the furnace
in such q way that a cord or rope OF
graphite runs lengtWfse through the
center Of the mass from one end TO
the other. This cord. which Is merely
Jumps OF graphite laid together in
little trench Is connected with two
big carbon rods. one at each end OF
the furnace, and the carbon rods are
Joined 20 thick cables that bring in
the electricity.
The graphite cord carries the cur
rent much like the filament IN an in I
candescenr lamp. As II comes in the
black cord turns white hot and the
electric heat increases until IT reaches Z
the enormous temperature which I I
have mentioned. The heat is so great
that Il would turn steel. iron. granite !
or marble 70 a vapor and make the I
most refractory materials burn like so I
much talloW. The fire is so glarinE I
that II a person should look directly I
into a furnace he would be blinded, I
and the power consumed would be
sufficient 10 operate is candle ]
power carbon incandescent lamp for
more than 200 years
Converts Coke and sand Into Crystals
1t IS this terrible heat that turns I
the coke and sand into crystals IT.
does that within IS hours. at which F.
time the steel frameW ork outside the
furnace is raised by machinery and I
the bricks are taken away. showing I
chunks and masses OF jewels in the ]
shape OF crystals OF all the colors OF
the rainbow. These masses are then I
taken from the furnace and crushed ]
by big iron wheels into the millions
Of tiny individual crystals used for I
grinding and the making Of abrasives /
Of various kinds
But I cannot describe the many
Of these Niagara industries. D
II would take more than the space OF
this letter 20 tell you the story Of
sarborundum alone The most inter
ssting thing concerning II is how
electricity is used to produce it, for
IL is somewhat after the same
methods that the enormous current ]
furnished here changes other common
things into materials OF the great
EST value
This is the case with ferro-silicou,
which is used TO absorb the oxygen
rom molten steel thus making pos
sible sound castings and tngots by
eliminating blow holes. We are now
making something like $4,000. 900
tons Of steel a year and 20 percent OF