MECHANICS AND USEFUL ARTS. 19 



atoms, extending the surface from 6 square inches to more 

 than 300 square feet. Solid carbon in this condition must carry 

 condensed upon its surface nearly enough oxygen to consume 

 it. Hence extreme rapidity, intensity, and thoroughness of 

 combustion . 



The same is true of the iron or any fluxes which are reduced l)y 

 similar macliinery, but not to so great a degree of fineness. The 

 action of deoxidation and carbonization, and other chemical reac- 

 tions, is thus practically instantaneous and complete. 



ECONOMICAL MANUFACTURE OF IRON : IMPROVED FURNACES. 



At the meeting of the British Association at Xorwich, in 1868, 

 Ml'. J. Jones read a paper, in which he referred to the economical 

 application of fuel in the iron manufacture, more particularly in 

 the finished iron processes, and remarked that the newer blast 

 furnace plant left little to be accomplished in the economical use 

 of fuel, except in utilizing the waste products given off in coking 

 the fuel. In puddling, however, great waste of fuel went on, and 

 two modifications of the ordinary puddling furnace were to be 

 noticed as calculated to save from 20 to 25 per cent, of fuel, and 

 to consume all the smoke usually produced. The Wilson furnace, 

 in its most improved form, consisted of a sloping chamber, into 

 which the fuel was fed at the top, and the volatile matters gener- 

 ally forming smoke were reduced by passing over the incandes- 

 cent mass of fuel farther along the chamber. The air for com- 

 bustion was delivered into the furnace in a heated condition, and 

 a steam-jet was delivered underneath the grate, by means of 

 which the formation of clinkers was avoided. The Nev/port fur- 

 nace had a chamber constructed in the ordinary chimney-stack, 

 and in this were placed a couple of cast-iron pipes with a partition 

 reaching nearly to the top. These pipes were heated b}' the waste 

 gases from the puddling furnace, and through them the air re- 

 quii-ed for combustion was forced by means of a steam-jet, and 

 was delivered in front of the grate in a highly heated condition. 

 These furnaces, of which a considerable number were in opera- 

 tion at the Newport Works, efi'ected a saving of at least 25 per 

 cent, in fuel. The author next proceeded to describe the manu- 

 facture of iron by what is termed the Radcliflfe process, which had 

 been for some time in operation at the Cousett Iron Works, New- 

 castle. The puddled iron, which was usually rolled into rough 

 bars, straightened and weighed, allowed to get cool ; then cut up, 

 piled, heated, rolled into blooms, reheated, and finally rolled into 

 finished iron after a complicated series of operations, was, by the 

 new method, finished off by a continuous and simple process. 

 Five or more puddled balls were put together into a large bloom, 

 under a very heavy steam hammer, shingled down into a bloom, 

 passed for a short time through a heating-furnace, and rolled off 

 into finished iron not more than half an hour after the iron left 

 the puddling furnace. A great saving in the cost of manufacture 

 was represented by this process in all departments of the manu- 



