REPORTS OF THE UNITED STATES COMMISSIONERS.

THE

PRODUCTION OF IRON AND STEEL

IN ITS

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RELATIONS.

BY

AB RAM S. HE WITT,

UNITED STATES COMMISSIONER.

WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

1869.

CONTENTS.

SECTION I.

IRON AND STEEL.

IRON ORES, ROLLED GIRDERS, PLATES, AND RODS.

American iron ores at the Exhibition-Steel of Park Brothers, Pittsburg-Use of rolled gir.

ders in Europe-Universal rolling mill-Rolling mill of Petin, Gaudet & Co.-Beams

rolled at Trenton Iron Works-Rolled plates-Handling large masses of iron-Rolled wire

rods—Bedson's machine--Crank-shafts-Weldless bands of the Bowling and Low Moor

Works. pp. 1-6.

STEEL.

Tendency to the manufacture of large masses and difficult shapes—Krupp's exhibit and the

extent of his establishment-Krupp's breech-loading steel gun-Armstrong and Whit-

worth guns-Paliser gun-Steel gun of Petin, Gaudet & Co.-Cast-steel shot-Cast-steel

rails and locomotive tires—Iron rails with steel heads- Manufacture of steel-headed rails

at Crewe-Experience with steel-headed rails in the United States and England-Remark-

able steel products of the Bochum CompanyLarge steel bells and locomotive cylinder-

Machine cut files in the Swiss department.-pp. 6–12.

QUALITY OF MATERIAL.

Adaptation of special qualities of iron and steel to special uses—Inferior iron known as

American rail-Rails made for European and Indian roads guaranteed for from five to

seven years—Ores in Sweden which contain phosphorous preferred for some purposes-

Willingness of the public to pay an adequate price for skill and quality-Necessity in the

United States of the enforcement of the law as to the responsibility for the use of inferior

materials where life or limb is at risk.-pp. 12–14.

PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL.

Processes which have not been introduced in the United States-Wrought iron and steel

direct from the ore-Exhibits of Mr. Siemen-Siemen's furnace and process for the pro-

duction of iron and steel-Westman's roasting furnace, Sweden-Erection of Westman's

furnace at Ringwood, New Jersey-Product of blast furnaces—Exhibit of iron and steel

made by Sweden-Dannemora irons-Lancashire irons-Lundin's furnace-Use of saw-

dust or peat for fuel-Value of this invention to the United States—Iron of the Cumber-

land region-Cleveland irons-Calcining kilns—Zinc in Cleveland ores—Rolling mills

and methods of handling large masses of iron-Slotting tools for rails-Siemen’s gas

regenerative heating furnace-Puddle balls from the Dowlais Works—Puddling at North-

field, England, and at Le Creuzot, France-Beard's improvement-Puddled wire rods.-

pp. 14-29.

PROCESSES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL.

Substitution of steel for iron-Good steel can only be made from good materials-Steel estab.

lishment of Thomas Firth & Sons, Sheffield-Relative value of Bessemer steel and crucible

steel-Chassepot rifles—Bessemer process, Special report by Mr. Slade-Bessemer process

will not supersede the puddling process—The Parry process an adjunct to the Bessemer

process-French processes for making steel in reverberatory furnaces-Armor plates

Martin's patents–Kirkaldy's experiments.-pp. 29-36.

WORKS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF IRON AND STEEL.

Establishment of Creuzot, France-Petin, Gaudet & Co.-Cockerill and others, in Belgium-

Krupp's Works, Prussia-Phønix Works, Ruhost, Establishment in England and

Wales—Co-operative system-Relations of capital and labor—Credit banks.-pp. 36-42.

PRODUCTION OF IRON.

Mineral coal the controlling element in the production of iron-Statistics of the production

of pig and wrought iron-Sources of future supply-Sweden and Russia, Austria, Spain,

and Algiers-In Wales the local supply not adequate to the present production-Limita-

tion to the production of British iron-Relation of the coal measures of the United States

to the ores of iron-Extent of the iron region in the United States—Cost of producing iron

in the United States and in other countries—Average wages at Le Creuzot, in South Staf-

fordshire, England, and in Belgium-Cost of living at Le Creuzot— Intellectual and moral

condition of the workmen in France and England-Opportunities for scientific and tech-

nical instruction in France-Education of superintendents and engineers-Mining and

engineering schools-Need of similar schools of the sciences and the mechanical arts in

the United States—Condition of the working classes in Great Britain-The future policy

of Great Britain in its administration of its mines of coal and iron-Discussion of protec-

tive and restrictive legislation.-pp. 42–63.

SECTION II.

BESSEMER STEEL-REPORT BY MR. SLADE.

THE BESSEMER PROCESS IN ENGLAND.

The iron, furnaces, and fuel employed for the pneumatic process-Sulphur and phosphorus

the most injurious elements—Mixtures of iron of different brands-Cupola furnaces for

melting the iron-Material used for lining-Converters and the apparatus for working

them by hydraulic power-Size of ingots-Classification of the metal-Determination of

amount of carbon-Uses of Bessemer steel in England.-pp. 63-69.

MANUFACTURE OF STEEL RAILS.

Substitution of rolling for hammering-Usual size of rolls-Reversing rolls-Ramsbottom's

reversing mill-Siemen's furnace in steel works—Heating boilers by gas-Sawing, straight-

ening, and punching rails—Tests to ascertain the quality of rails—Steel-headed rails—

Utilization of "crop ends” and old rails.-pp. 69-73.

MANUFACTURE OF TIRES.

Ramsbottom's method—Method at Sheffield-Annular ingots—Galloway & Son's tire mill-

Bessemer tires much cheaper than those from crucible steel.-pp. 73-74.

MANUFACTURE OF BESSEMER PLATES,

Cause of the distrust of Bessemer plates-Substitution of ferro-manganese for orlinary

spiegeleisen as a deoxidizer-Tests of the strength of Bessemer plates compared with

crucible steel plates-Adaptation of Franklinite iron to the production superior plates,

Manufacture of axles for locomotives and railway carriages—Quality of Bessemer steel in

England not equal to that in other countries using better materials.-pp. 74-78.

BESSEMER STEEL IN SWEDEN.

Swedish Bessemer steel superior to English-Nature of the ores and irons used-Stationary