Hall's experiments. pared with steel of .40 carbon and 1.6 chromium a ratio of 10 to 15. In the case of 25 per cent. nickel these ratios were as 10 to 870 and 10 to 1,160 respectively. These results were obtained by immersion of the samples in Abel's corrosive liquid, and afterwards confirmed by immersion in water acidified by hydrochloric acid.* In the discussion which followed the reading of Mr. Riley's paper it was stated by Mr. J. F. Hall of Sheffield, also a manager of steel works, that he had been carrying on experiments with alloys of nickel and steel for about two years and had taken out a patent for his invention.† This is for * In concluding his paper Mr. Riley indicated some of the possible uses to which these alloys may be applied as follows: "It requires no powerful imagination to conjure up a most bewildering number of applications for which they are available. I find some difficulty in not becoming enthusiastic on the point, for in the wide range of properties or qualities possessed by these alloys it really seems as if any conceivable demand could be met and satisfied. "Of the richer alloys I do not intend to speak at any length, but would just remark that in the immense field covered by what are termed the 'Metal Trades' innumerable applications will be found for which they are suitable. Some specimens of these applications are before you. "Of the 25 per cent. nickel steel I would remark that with its peculiar properties of high b.s., great ductility and comparatively low e. 1. it is extremely well adapted for all operations involving considerable deformation-for instance, for deep stamping and flanging -whilst its non-corrodibility will render it invaluable for a great number of purposes. "This quality of non-corrodibility, considered together with its strength, both elastic and ultimate when unannealed, will render it specially useful in all cases where the cost of metal is of minor importance when contrasted with the cost of labor to be expended upon it, or its use for special purposes: illustrations of these may be found in all small and special type boilers, in locomotive and other fire-boxes, and in the hulls of torpedo and other similar vessels where lightness and strength with non-corrodibility are of vital importance. "In the region between 25 per cent. and say 5 per cent. nickel we have an abundance of possibilities as yet comparatively unknown, in which I expect will be found materials for tool-steel equal if not superior to anything at present known. "But it is when we get to the alloys of 5 per cent. and under that I feel most interested, and I think most of you will sympathise with that feeling. "I have already incidentally referred to the advantages the marine engineer will obtain by the use of these qualities for the shafts and other forgings used in his structures. I would now point to the suitability of these lower alloys to the other portions of his work. It is well known-it has been frequently stated by my friend Mr. Parker and others--that the recent advances in marine engineering, rendered possible by the use of high-pressed steam, could not have been effected if it had not been that a metal superior to wrought iron was put at the engineer's disposal. Conceive then of the possibilities now presented when a metal like No. 6 in the table No. 1 is at his disposal, having when annealed an ultimate strength of 30per cent. and elastic limit of 60 or 70 per cent. higher than those of mild steel, with a nearly equal ductility, and the valuable quality added of less liability to corrosion. He may at once greatly reduce his scantlings for pressures and get rid of many difficulties of construction, or he may avail himself of the increased strength to provide for still higher pressures. "It will also be seen that these metals are equally important to the shipbuilder and to the civil engineer. This is strongly brought out in considering the immense advantage to be derived from their use in large structures. Think for a moment of this in connection with the erection of the Forth bridge or of the Eiffel tower. If the engineers of those stupendous structures had had at their disposal a metal of 40 tons strength and 28 tons elastic limit, instead of 30 tons strength and 17 tons elastic limit in the one case and say 22 tons strength and 14 to 16 tons elastic limit in the other, how many difficulties would have been reduced in magnitude as the weight of materials was reduced; the Forth bridge would have become even more light and airy and the tower more net-like and graceful than they are at present. 66 Then, as regards the requirements of the military engineer, I am inclined to state firmly that there has not yet been placed at his disposal materials so well adapted to his purposes-whether of armor or of armament-as those I have now brought under your notice. In what may be called their natural condition these alloys have many properties which will commend them for these purposes, and when the best method of treatment by hardening or tempering has been arrived at I believe that their qualities for armor will be unsurpassed. + Mr. Hall's provisional specification for 'Improvements in Alloys containing Iron and Steel' is dated March 5th, 1888, and the complete specification on the 5th of December in the same year. Following is a copy of the complete specification : "I, John Francis Hall of Norbury, Sheffield, in the county of York, manager of steel works, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement: "This invention refers to the manufacture of a new alloy of steel or iron and nickel, having for its object to produce a metal or alloy combining great strength with toughness, the use of nickel in steel in any proportions from 2 to 50 per cent., and Mr. Hall has carried out a large series of experiments to prove its value. A gun-barrel of nickel steel was tested by Messrs. Holland and Holland of New Bond street, London, an eminent firm of gun-makers, and showed surprising strength. In practice three drachms of powder and one ounce of shot are used for a 12-bore gun, but in tests four or five drachms of powder and an ounce and a half of shot are used. "Nine tests in all were carried out," Mr. Hall said, "the ninth test contained fifteen drachms of powder, three ounces and a half of shot and double wadding. At that charge the gun-barrel burst, but it did not burst in the real sense of the word, for it was merely opened and laid out flat. The maker of that gun, who had probably made more high-class guns than any other person living, informed the speaker that he never in all his experience had seen or could imagine such a piece of material." Mr. Hall also stated that in one of his experiments he had got a tensile strain of 97 tons, with an elongation of a little over 7 per cent.* cost as a bar to The cost of nickel was, in the opinion of several members of the Institute, a serious objection to its extensive use. Sir James Kitson however Consideration of did not attach any importance to cost, recalling the fact that when steel tires use. for locomotives were first extensively introduced into Great Britain by Krupp they were sold in the market at £120 per ton, and at that price they made their way against Lowmoor tires of one-third the price. Therefore he thought that a metal which gave a tensile strain of 50 tons, with an elongation of 50 per cent., was sure to make its way if the claims which Mr. Riley had made were justified by experience.† It does not seem likely however that the cost of nickel will long stand at 50 cents per pound, when it is remembered that within ten years of the also possessing a very close grain or texture, thus rendering it capable of receiving a brilliant polish. "I wish it to be understood that I am aware that steel has prior to this my invention been treated with nickel, but only in very small proportions, rarely exceeding one per cent. and never above two per cent. of nickel (as a matter of fact one per cent. may be taken as the full extent of the addition). "Now my present invention, the results of research and experiments, relates to the production of a new alloy of steel or of melted wrought iron, being a combination of either of the above-named metals with a proportion of nickel which may vary from 24 per cent. to 50 per cent. of the whole. "The steel may contain carbon, silicon, manganese, chrome, tungsten or any of the well-known and commonly used ingredients, but I prefer to keep the said materials as low as possible, although in some cases I may increase the carbon. To carry out the invention in manufacture it is only necessary to melt the iron or steel by the Bessemer, Siemens or other like process or by the ordinary crucible process, and to add thereto the required proportion of the ordinary nickel of commerce. The resulting product may either be cast to the desired shape, as an ordinary casting, or as an ingot it may be forged, rolled or otherwise manipulated as desired. The metallic alloy so constituted is particularly useful and valuable in the manufacture of cannon, gun-barrels, shot and shell, armor plates, engravers' plates and other articles requiring great strength, a smooth surface or a fine polish. Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what maner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is: A metallic alloy of steel or iron and nickel consisting of a combination of either of the first two named metals with a proportion of nickel varying (as required) from 2 per cent. to 50 per cent. of the whole, for the purpose herein before specified." From enquiry made at Ottawa it does not appear that at the patent office there any patent has been applied for or granted for inventions of alloys of nickel and steel either by Mr. Hall or Mons. Marbeau. * Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute, No. 1, 1889, pp. 57-8. + Ib., p. 71. Ontario. opening of the New Caledonia mines it fell to that figure from $2 per pound Possibilities for and that five years before the opening of those mines the selling price was $3.25 per pound. The working of the Ontario mines will no doubt effect a still greater reduction, unless the demand should very largely increase as a result of the discoveries of Messrs. Hall and Marbeau. Ten blast furnances, each of equal capacity with the ones now in operation at Sudbury, could produce 5,000 tons of nickel per annum, and from the known extent of the ore ranges a hundred blast furnaces producing 50,000 tons per annum are not beyond the limit of a possible realisation. And having nickel ores and iron ores in great abundance, why should not Ontario aim to produce the world's supply of nickel steel? With skill and enterprise this achievement is possible. Charcoal iron. Cost of production. Location for a furnace. Estimate of Taws and Hartman of Philadelphia. C. J. Pusey-I have been engaged in smelting works in an anthracite furnace at Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and I believe it would be possible to carry on smelting operations successfully at our own mines in Haliburton if we had a free entrance to the United States. I think we could make charcoal iron profitably, but anthracite iron cannot be made in this country until there is a larger market for pig iron. Neither is the market large enough for a coke furnace. We could make a superior class of castings from our iron, and we could make our own charcoal iron. Our company has been planning a 30-ton furnace. We were advised to put up a 60-ton furnace, but after making very full enquiries we believe that a furnace of that capacity would be larger than our market would warrant. Anthracite and coke iron could not be made for less than $14 or $15 a ton, while the market averages about $18 a ton, and that would not leave enough margin. With charcoal we could make our iron for $3 or $4 less, and have a better market for that iron, and therefore I would not put a dollar into an anthracite or coke furnace and would not advise anyone else to do so. It is a recognised principle in all iron manufacturing countries that if we want a furnace where we can do the work most economically we must plant it where we can place the raw material at the least cost. In Snowdon, for instance, all the raw material is near at hand; if the fuel and ore had to be transplanted to the furnace it would mean so much more added to the cost of production. We have an abundance of wood in our district and could produce hardwood charcoal at 5 cents per bushel, or perhaps at 5 cents with improved kilns. I consider that it would take about 100 or 110 bushels of hardwood charcoal to smelt a ton of pig iron in a 30-ton furnace. Under date of December 6th, 1881, Messrs. Taws & Hartman of Philadelphia furnished the following estimate: We have selected the Howland, Imperial and New York mines for ore for the purpose, and propose using one-third of each, which will give an ore mixture of 59 per cent. of iron. With this mixture the following weights and materials will be required: Ore, 4,000 fb.; charcoal, 2,520 lb. or 140 bushels; limestone, 177 lb. We estimate the cost of a ton of iron as follows. 4,000 lb. of ore at $1.00 per ton.. 2,520 lb. of charcoal at 6 cents per bushel 177 lb. of limestone.. Labor per ton of iron, including office expenses and superintendent's salary Repairs and taxes Total.. $ 1 80 8 40 10 2.50 1 00 $13 80 Each cord of wood will make 45 bushels of charcoal and the wood will cost $1.30 per cord at the furnace. You will require twenty charcoal kilns to keep up a steady supply of 400,000 bushels per year. These will cost about $500 each, or $10,000 in all. The cost of the furnace we estimate as follows: One cold blast furnace, 8 feet bosh, 40 feet high, with hoist, tackle and cast-house, blowing engine and pipes complete, $36,000. Average capacity of furnace, 100 tons per week. I believe the above statement is equally as good now as when it was prepared. That estimate was for a cold blast furnace instead of a hot blast, which would make a reduction of $1.50 to $2 per ton. A hot blast would increase the cost of the plant The improvements made in the manner of The plant complete for a 60-ton furnace of a 30-ton furnace by about $20,000. Estimate of J. P. would cost $135,000. Mr. J. P. Witherow a furnace builder of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, gave us an estimate in 1884, and his figures for making iron as furnished to witherow of me under date of December 15 were as follows: DEAR SIR,-I have thoroughly examined your letter of the 13th instant, wherein you give me the cost of your ores, limestone and cordwood delivered at the furnace location, together with their analyses, and find that upon the basis of the prices and analyses given you can manufacture iron at the following cost : Pittsburg. The average practice of charcoal in the lake Superior region is as follows: The average weight of a cord of hardwood is 3,000 lb. The yield of charcoal when built in open kilns on the ground runs from 23 to 27 per cent. A safe average would be 25 per cent., making 750 b. of charcoal from a cord of wood, equal to 37 bushels of 20 lb. to the bushel. This is lower than the general average, as by careful work 45 bushels of charcoal can be made from a cord of wood. Yours very truly, JAS. P. WITHEROW. The above is the estimate for a furnace of 60 tons daily capacity. We propose estimate. now to construct a furnace at the Imperial mine, using equal quantities of Howland and Imperial ores, and with the best data I can obtain the cost of production per ton would be as follows: Another This estimate is based upon the use of a 30-ton hot blast furnace. While we have not a sufficiency of wood on our own property to carry on the furnace work, we can get plenty of it from the settlers, keeping our own wood to use in case of being disappointed in the delivery of fuel. This would enable the settler to clear up his land at an advantage. Regarding workmen, I may say that the supply of skilled workers is not large in this country and we would have to get men either from the United States or from the old country. Skilled labor is of first consequence, and where failures have occurred in smelting works it will be found that it has been chiefly due to the absence of skilled labor. With experienced work- The value of men I can see nothing in the way of our undertaking the manufacture of charcoal skilled workmen. iron in this country. The markets and present prices are satisfactory. One-half of our product ought to be good enough for wheel iron or malleable castings, and the remainder would be suitable for foundry or milling purposes. At present a considerable portion of our ore is waste. The ore of the Imperial mine is too poor A furnace would to ship, but with the construction of a furnace we could utilise nearly all the ore, shipping the high grade and smelting the low grade. utilise the lean ores Iron smelting furnace at Madoc. F. E. Seymour-Personally I have had no experience in mining matters, but my father was engaged in the smelting of iron. He came to Madoc from New York state in 1835 or 1836, and I think he began smelting in the latter part of 1836 or 1837. He owned the Seymour mine on lot 11 of the 5th of Madoc, about five miles north from the village. He worked the property for about five years; the ore was a black magnetite. The furnace did not run steadily and I cannot say how many men were employed. It was a charcoal furnace, and the works were erected in the village of Madoc in 1836 as I believe. The charcoal was made from elm, maple and beech. I cannot give the quantity of ore smelted or the quantity of charcoal required for a ton of ore. I think the iron was at once manufactured into implements, plows, potash kettles and such other things as were then required by settlers. My father had a foundry as well as the furnace, and they began the manufacture of those articles at once. There were several tests or experiments made with the ore, as it required different treatment to that of ores he had been accustomed to in York state; it contained neither phosphorus nor sulphur. I think smelting went on till 1844 or 1845. The experiments were very expensive, smelting. Fasting. Experiments in Water gas and charcoal as fuel for smelting iron ores. Production of water-gas. Skilled know ledge is necessary. Cold blast charcoal pig iron. but I think the real cause of the stoppage was a law suit, together with the sudden drop in the price of iron. My father produced very good metal and he said it was a very good ore to work when he got the proper flux. He mixed no other ore with it at all, but put loam with the flux, and this he considered to be the secret of his success. Joseph Bawden-No attempt has been made to smelt iron ore upon the properties north of Kingston, but I think it could be undertaken successfully. I think the opening up of the iron making industry lies in the direction of using water-gas enriched by waste timber produce from the lumber region. Smelting might be successfully entered upon at some milling point where there is a large quantity of waste material. At the point where the Kingston and Pembroke railway crosses the Mississippi there is an unlimited water power, and there is an immense quantity of what is now looked upon as waste material that would answer for the purpose of manufacturing charcoal and carbonising water-gas, and thus give us means of making iron as cheaply as at any other place in the world. The use of sawmill refuse for smelting iron from the ore has been carried on in Sweden. I do not know that it has been used in connection with water-gas, but it has been for making charcoal. The watergas would have to be made as a second product in the manufacture of gas from coke. It is made by injecting steam over the coke undergoing combustion, and then it is enriched either by the use of petroleum or gas made from the waste products of the mills. I understand that Nova Scotia slack coal has been landed here at $2.75 a ton this year, and American coal at $3.35, including duty I think. The duty would be to that extent against the use of American coal. I do not think that legislation can do anything to help the iron industry, but I think we might import the skilled knowledge which we have not got here. If we had the aid of experts acquainted with similar mineral-bearing formations in Europe where there are similar conditions to deal with, as for instance in Sweden and Norway, it would be of the greatest advantage to us. I think that works could be established at some milling centre where charcoal could be manufactured out of the refuse and used in the smelting. Charcoal pig iron, cold blast, commands the best price and there is always a steady demand for such iron if of high class. The tariff is no barrier against high class iron, and we could make the best of iron in this country. Such an establishment should have a furnace of 15 or 20 tons a day. There should be a foundry for iron from ore not suitable for first class pig. The open hearth system could be The open hearth used for scrap iron in connection with the ore, and to operate that we could have the gas from the refuse not made into charcoal. I think the prospects of profit from such an establishment are very good. Some years ago some of us here considered the cost of smelting with coal, but my opinion is that we could not enter upon the smelting of iron at Kingston with American or Nova Scotian coal with economy. I do not think that even if we had the American tariff it could be done here. can ship ore cheaper from here than it can be shipped from the lake Superior region; the difference is about 75 cents a ton in our favor. My opinion is that notwithstanding protection I do not think we could econmically smelt iron ore in Kingston. My interest would lead me to wish a different conclusion very strongly. I am referring however simply to smelting. I do not think it would be impossible to manufacture iron by the open hearth process even without the aid of the tariff; much more with the aid of the tariff. But the whole question of the proper development of iron manufacturing in this country should not turn simply upon either smelting ore or making steel by the open hearth process. We should endeavor to establish the industry in all its various branches as well as smelting. One of the principal factors in iron making is power to crush the refractory ores cheaply, to separate them from certain impurities that yield to certain processes, etc. Power is also an element in the preparation of wood fuel, and is a valuable factor in working a rolling mill. In the region crossed by the Canadian Pacific railway are the great water powers of the Mississippi and the Madawaska rivers, which could be used as I suggest. The government should secularise the those rivers. Their navigation could be improved so as to make them useful for bringing ores down as well as fuel. When the rivers are dammed and the power created, the manufacturing rights could be leased on favorable terms to any who desire to enter upon the manufacturing of iron. We understand something here about the preparation of charcoal, having paid $40,000 for our lesson, and we found out that we could not make charcoal by the process we had at a price to enable us to make iron. The cause of failure was perhaps more to be attributed to the way the works were laid out than anything else. They were not so laid out that the foreman could have them all under his eye and watch the working properly. I system. Utilising waterpower for treat ment of ores. A lesson in charcoal making. We power of |