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AyyALS yEW york academy of sciexces 



yields no return. From whatever point of view we regard it, other things 

 being equal, the cost of production rises. The great reserves of lower 

 grade ore than is at present mined are in the Lake Superior district. They 

 are siliceous ores and will require in smelting the admixture either of 

 limestone or of other iron ores high in the bases. The Clinton ores of 

 Alabama are of this type, and except for the hitherto unfortunate per- 

 centages of phosphorus which they might add to Lake Superior ores, they 

 would doubtless make an advantageous mixture with the latter. But the 

 southern ores are remote from the northern. In order to meet them at 

 or near the supplies of fuel, a long railway haul Avould be necessary. 

 While this is not impossible, it would add to the cost so greatly aS to be 

 highly improbable. There is one further consideration. The greater 

 part of our pig iron is used in the manufacture of steel. For this pur* 

 pose, in the two processes most extensively employed hitherto, we need, 

 respectively, either a very low or a fairly high percentage of phosphorus. 

 If our irons are in between, and like the church at Laodicea, neither hot 

 nor cold, they have been ill-adapted to steel manufacture. Unless the 

 growth of the open-hearth process introduces great changes, the mixture, 

 therefore, of southern basic ores and northern siliceous ones is not alto- 

 gether promising for this reason. 



The greatest cause of apprehension as regards present processes of iron 

 manufacture lies in the supply of coking coal. We have built lofty fur- 

 naces, and in their use we place upon the fuel as it progresses downward 

 in the furnace a heavy load of overlying ore and limestone. We need a 

 very strong coke to stand up under the burden. The coals which yield 

 these high-grade cokes are found in a small portion of the total coal- 

 bearing area, and the life of the supply is one of the very serious phases 

 of the present situation. I do not know what the amount of reserves 

 may be. 



While these physical and chemical factors operate to increase costs, 

 there is always the possibility of improved processes and of greater effi- 

 ciency to keep them down. The improvement most frequently in people's 

 minds to-day is the utilization of water powers to generate electricity, 

 which in turn may supply heat. Now, in a blast furnace smelting iron 

 ores, one third the fuel is employed in reducing the iron oxide and two 

 thirds in developing the necessary heat for the reaction. Were we able 

 with water powers to furnish electricity economically and from it derive 

 the necessary heat, we might save two thirds of the present amount of 

 required fuel. We might reduce costs. The remaining one third of the 

 fuel we should always need, but it is possible that poorer grades than 

 high quality coke might answer. The saving would lie. of course in the 



