CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 223 



metallic manganese in iron or steel, conferred upon both an amount of 

 toughness, when cold and heated, which the pressure of a notable amount 

 of sulphur or phosphorus cannot overcome." In another portion of his let- 

 ter he says : " The great remedy for red-shortness in iron or steel is simply 

 the addition of a little metallic manganese thereto. Why are the Prussian 

 irons celebrated for their excessive red-toughness and cold-toughness ? Sim- 

 ply because they contain a small alloy of metallic manganese." 



Tissier's Experiments on the De-carbonization of Iron. It has oftentimes 

 been a subject of remark, that wrought-iron tubes employed in the pro- 

 duction of sodium are never converted into cast iron, although the carbon- 

 ate of soda, from which sodium is distilled, contains a large amount of 

 carbon. M. Tissier, of Paris, has recently made some experiments in con- 

 nection with this subject, and has ascertained that wrought iron is not 

 affected in any way by the carbonate alluded to, even at a very high tem- 

 perature. He tried the action of the carbonate of soda upon malleable and 

 cast iron at the melting-point of the latter, and found that while the mallea- 

 ble iron was not affected, the cast iron was deprived of its carbon and sili- 

 con, and converted into malleable iron. M. Tissier also operated on gray 

 pig iron, containing six and a half per cent, of silicon, and graphitic carbon. 

 The iron was heated with an excess of carbonate of soda, at a bright red 

 heat, for several hours. It boiled up, evolving bubbles of carbonic oxide, 

 and when this action ended, the iron was withdrawn and immersed in water. 

 The result was, that this iron, formerly so brittle, could now be forged under 

 the hammer, and welded; its granular structure had disappeared it had 

 become fibrous crystalline. The action of the carbonate, as reported in the 

 Le Technology ste, removed all the sulphur and phosphorus from the iron, as 

 well as the silicon. M. Tissier has only made experiments with small masses 

 of iron; and although the results of his efforts are interesting as a matter of 

 science, yet practically they are of little value, because the metal so treated, 

 although changed from pig to malleable and wrought iron, becomes too 

 porous. 



New mode of treating Cast Steel. A new mode of treating cast steel has 

 been recently patented by Perry G. Gardiner, of New York. Pure iron is 

 softened by heat, but does not melt; hence it is shaped into tools and pieces 

 of machinery by forging, and costs from 12 to 25 cents per pound. Cast 

 iron, which is a combination of iron, with 3 or 4 per cent, of carbon, does 

 not soften by heat, but at certain temperatures suddenly melts; hence this 

 metal is worked into useful shapes by casting into moulds, and costs from 2 

 to 4 cents per pound. Steel is iron, combined with from f to U per cent, of 

 carbon. This metal, when heated to 2000 Fahr., becomes soft, and can be 

 forged and welded; heated to 3500, it melts, and can be poured into moulds. 

 The ordinary mode of working steel is by forging, and articles made of steel 

 thus prepared, cost from 25 to 75 cents per pound. Many have attempted to 

 make these articles by casting into moulds, but they were unsuccessful ; the 

 metal was not as tough as after being hammered; besides, some ah- remaining 

 in the mould, and mixing with the fluid metal, produced those defects tech- 

 nically called honey-comb and piping. Mr. Gardiner seems to have suc- 

 ceeded in overcoming the difficulties. His process is as follows : Moulds of 

 fire-clay or blacklead are prepared in a substantial frame, so as to be used a 

 great number of times. Each mould communicates, by a straight vertical 

 pipe, with an air-chamber placed above it, and this air-chamber is closed by 

 a valve on top, opening outside. By the side of this mould, but on a higher 



