cclxii GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



with this system lias not been so fortunate, while the 

 Crampton system has been very successfully operated. 



In England, where comparatively greater activity in the 

 manufacture of iron during the past year prevailed than in 

 this country, the Crampton system, in this special field, ap- 

 pears to have been steadily gaining in favor. In our brief 

 allusion to the Crampton plan in last year's Record, we no- 

 ticed that its chief features resided in the adoption of a wa- 

 ter-jacket arrangement and the use of dust fuel ; and it is 

 very suggestive to note that in certain modified Danks 

 furnaces lately erected in England, the leading improve- 

 ment consisted likewise in the introduction of a water-jacket 

 arrangement approximating therefore in construction to 

 the Crampton furnace at least in the mode of cooling by 

 water. So far as relates to the speed of working, both 

 systems appear to be equally good, provided the appara- 

 tus is in good condition; but in the quality of endurance 

 under the rough usage of practice, which in this case 

 happens to be the test of commercial success, the friends 

 of the Crampton system lay claim to decided superiority. 

 With regard to the relative merits of the latter system 

 and the modified Danks furnaces just referred to, a com- 

 petent authority speaks as follows: "As to what would be 

 the relative endurance of two furnaces, each constructed on 

 Mr. Crampton's plan with water-jacket arrangements, but 

 one worked on the Danks system and the other with dust 

 fuel, there are no data for actually determining ; but there 

 are certainly no reasons for believing that the results would 

 be in favor of the former." And the same authority sums 

 up a comparative resume of the subject in these words : 

 " Altogether, when we consider the numerous advantages 

 attendant on the use of fuel in the form of dust, and the 

 general excellence of the mechanical arrangements which 

 Mr. Crampton has designed and practically carried into ef- 

 fect for the utilization of such fuel, we can not but regard 

 the Crampton furnace as the most advanced solution of the 

 problem of mechanical puddling." On all hands, finally, it 

 is admitted that the ultimate success of mechanical pud- 

 dling is assured, and that the puddling process of the fut- 

 ure will be carried on in rotary furnaces capable of deal- 

 ing with large charges, and worked in connection with 



