The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1919-02-13
TEEL has been noted and
manufactured at a very
early date in the history

ESESg manufactured at very
HSgg8lN early date in the history
,a98y of civilization. Prior to
1856, however, it was produced in
comparatively small amounts. and
its use was restricted to the pro-
duction of cutlery and tools.
In 1855 Henry Bessemer made
known the process for making
steel in large quantities which
revolutionized the steel trade of
of the world. This was followed
by modern inventions which wide
ly extended the use of the material
that today is the most demanded
for product. not only for our own
daily use. but of vital Importance
to our government.
The word steel" means very
little to those who are uniformed
as to it's different qualities and
causes of distinction between them.
People are generally familiar with
the various purposes for which
steel is used, but know very little
about it's nature. There are, how
ever, great differences in the quail
ties, and definite reasons for them.
Steel, we all know, requires iron
to make it. Ore is a portion of the
earth's substance containing metal
for which it is mined and worked.
The class to which it belongs de-
pends upon the amount and
variety of iron it contains. Any
ore that is to be used for the ex-
traction of a certain metal must
contain the metal in sufficient
amounts to make the operation
profitable. Pure iron is obtained
only as chemical and as such is
used in the preparation of medi-
cines. As a commercial product,
such as is used in the arts of the
manufacture of steel, 1t is always
combined with other substances,
such as carbon, silicon, and phos-
phorus.
Iron is distributed throughout
the earth very widely, but not al
ways in sufficient quantities to
make it's extraction from the ore
profitable. There are several
grades of ore, which are sub-divid.
ed and classified according to the
particular composition of each.
Ores are valued according to the
amount of iron they contain, the
physical properties, the cost of
mining, the cost of transportation
to the furnaces and their behavior
during reduction.
At present the greatest quantity
of ore used comes from the Mesaba
Range in the Lake Superior dis
trict. The ores are not only OBJ
tained in enormous quantities, but
are highly valued for the amount
of iron they contain, their physical
properties, the small cost of min
ing and the excellent shipping fa-
cilities, which has made it the
greatest ore-producing section of
the United States.
Most ores are used just as they
come from the mines. but in some
cases they are put through a pre-
liminary treatment which consists
of weathering and washing. This
is done by leaving the ore in piles,
exposing it to the oxidizing in
fuence of the weather and by fall.
ing rains, or by pouring water over
it which washes away the clays and
other earthly matters. This is a
simple process but sometimes a
necessity. These ores are then
charged into the blast furnace.
A variety of fuels may be used
in the furnace reduction process,
but the furnace should be modified
to suit the particular kind of fuel.
In this country the fuels most used
are coke, charcoal and anthracite
coal. Coke is the most satisfactory
and is more generally used than
either of the others. Charcoal is