The Raymer enterprise., 1921-01-20

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ground dolomite Is shoveled In first.
This melts like glass and fills up all
cracks and crannles caused by the
powerful heat Of the preceding charge.
Then a little train rolls up before the
battery, and an electric crane dumps
box after box Of scrap metal from the
cars into the furnaces. on some dis
lance 10 a great steel tank lined with
frebrick and full Of liquid pig metal.
b "When the scrap has melted and the
contents Of the cauldron are cooked
enough; when the impurities have
been driven out and tolled away, the
fiery broth is seasoned, az II were,
with the proper amount Of carbon.
spiegel, ferr0manganese. tungsten. fer
roslicon, vanadium. or whatever Is
necessary to give the desired char
acter to the resulting steel.
Then comes the tapping Of the fur
mace. An electric crane lifts great
ladle into position, workman jams
cr0wbar through q clay plugged hole
at the base, and out flows the fren-
zied stream into the ladle. The Stag
rises to the top like oil on water and
overfiows. cOngealing on the outside
OF the ladle. Then the big crane picks
up the ladle, swings It over to the
pouring platform, where It. In its turn,
Is tapped and Ito purified fluid run
OF into molds.
Great care has to be taken In han.
ding these ladies. for the presence Of
few drops Of moisture when the
hot metal is poured into one might
cause an explosion and loss Of life.
Just before they receive the molten
metal the ladies are heated nearly
White hot in order that the steel OF
Iron may not chill In them.
AS fast as they are filled the ladies
are swung out over the ingot molds
and the liquid steel Is run into them
and allowed to cool and take Its solid
form. It is as II water were poured
into mOlds and set In refrigeratins
machine to freeze into blocks Of ice.
The only difference Is that the 'freez-
Ing point Of steel is away above the
boiling point Of water.
"There are two other important
types Of steel furnaces--the crucible
furnace and the electric furnace. In
both Of them the Idea Is to keep all
hurtful gases and other Impurities out
and to regulate the addition of alloys
and oxygen destroyers to a nicely. In
a crucible furnace the metal Is placed
In graphite clay pots, covers are put
over them. and the pots subjected to
great heat. Silica 10 gradually alb
sorbed out Of the clay in the pots and
transformed into silicon by coming
into contact with the carbon In the
steel. The silicon In its turn absorbs
the oxygen and thus quiets the froth-
Ing. foaming contents Of the kettle.
THE electric furnace acts In much
the same way, Its heat being so pure
that there Is no necessity Of putting
the steel in covered pots to keep out
gases and other impurities. An cleo
tric arc, established between huge
electrodes and the surface Of the
Stag, produces the heat In such .
furnace. By varying the materials
used In the formation Of the Stag any
lmpurlty can be worked OF and the
glowing steel left as pure AZ crystal.
The alloys are then mixed with the
steel and It Is made At for any use
desired. 1t is drawn of into ladies
and poured Into lngot molds, where
Il hardens. ready to be worked up In
to those things that constitute the last
word In fine steel"